The Romans were conducting a widespread killing of Christians in the second century. Christianity was relatively new at this time and the Romans view this as a threat to both the Roman rule and the Jewish religion. This persecution sparked Justin Martyr, a Christian writer, to write in defense of their religious views and to help their religious partners be freed from the fear of persecution. Christianity is simply a point of view and the Romans were punishing this as if it were a crime. Martyr’s writings make it clear to see that the Romans were unjust in their persecutions of Christians. One of the leaders in the defense of Christianity is Justin Martyr. Martyr was a Christian apologist whose three documents, First Apology, Second Apology…show more content… Socrates was accused of the crimes that Christians were. "And Socrates", Martyr writes (Second Apology Chapter X), "was accused of the very same crimes as ourselves . . . He was introducing new divinities, and they did not consider those to be gods whom the state recognized." Romans were accusing philosophers of these crimes many years before Christianity was born. Socrates was teaching others about a God that they did not know about. His teaching involved reason and investigation, and he found these things before the birth of Christ. Martyr argued that Christ solidified Socrates findings because Christ embodied the mold that Socrates was writing about. The Romans chose to be ignorant to all of these proven truths and continue to persecute the followers of Christ, as they did to Socrates. Martyr writes Socratics saying, "But a man must in no wise be honored before the truth." A man is being punished for speaking out about what was seen as a truth. Romans wanted to stop the growth of any opinion, or fact, that could be seen at a threat against their rule. Romans believed that Christians view the Lord as king, which would be a direct threat to their
