{"collection":"chr","html_url":"https://unchartedknowledge.5gfusion.net/browse/chr/ecf/201/2010121.htm","path":"chr/ecf/201/2010121.htm","source_url":"https://sacred-texts.com/chr/ecf/201/2010121.htm","text":"Chapter XII.\u2014The Apology of Justin addressed to Antoninus.\n\u201cTo the Emperor Titus \u00c6lius Adrian Antoninus Pius C\u00e6sar Augustus, 1098 and to Verissimus his son, 1099 the philosopher, and to Lucius the philosopher, 1100 own son of C\u00e6sar and adopted son of Pius, a lover of learning, and to the sacred senate and to the whole Roman people, I , Justin, son of Priscus and grandson of Bacchius, 1101 of Flavia Neapolis in Palestine, Syria, present this address and petition in behalf of those men of every nation who are unjustly hated and persecuted, I myself being one of them.\u201d And the same emperor having learned also from other brethren in Asia of the injuries of all kinds which they were suffering from the inhabitants of the province, thought it proper to address the following ordinance to the Common Assembly 1102 of Asia.\nOn the titles of the Emperor Antoninus Pius, see Otto\u2019s notes in his edition of Justin\u2019s works (Corpus Apol. Christianorum, Vol. I. p. 2. sq.).\n185:1099\nThat is, Marcus Aurelius, whose original name was Marcus Annius Verus, but who, after his adoption by the Emperor Antoninus Pius, was styled Marcus \u00c6lius Aurelius Verus C\u00e6sar. As a tribute to his sincerity and truthfulness, he was quite commonly called, instead of Verus, Verissimus.\n185:1100\nThe mss. are divided here between the forms \u03c6\u03b9\u03bb\u03bf\u03c3\u03cc\u03c6\u03c9 and \u03c6\u03b9\u03bb\u03bf\u03c3\u03cc\u03c6\u03bf\u03c5. If the former reading be followed, we must translate, \u201cto Lucius, own son of C\u00e6sar the philosopher.\u201d The mss. are about equally divided, and the latter reading is adopted by Stephanus, Valesius, Stroth, and Burton. But our mss. of Justin support the former reading, which is adopted by Schwegler and Heinichen, and which, as the latter remarks, is far more natural than the other reading, for Justin had greater reason for giving the appellation of \u201cphilosopher\u201d to a C\u00e6sar who was still living, even though he may not have been noted for his philosophical tastes, than to a C\u00e6sar who was already dead, and whose character certainly entitled him to the appellation no more than, if as much as, his son. See Heinichen\u2019s note in loco, and Otto\u2019s note in his edition of Justin\u2019s works, Vol. I. p. 3. ff. The Lucius addressed here was Lucius Ceionius Commodus, whose father, bearing the same name, had been adopted as C\u00e6sar by Hadrian. The younger Lucius was adopted as C\u00e6sar along with Marcus by Antoninus Pius, and later became Marcus\u2019 colleague in the empire, when he added to his own name the name Verus, which Marcus had formerly borne. He is therefore commonly known in history as Lucius Verus (see the respective articles in Smith\u2019s Dict. of Greek and Roman Biog.).\n185:1101\nOf Justin\u2019s father and grandfather we know nothing except their names. On the place of his birth, see above, chap. 11, note 20.\n185:1102\nThis \u201cAssembly of Asia\u201d (\u03c4\u1f78 \u03ba\u03bf\u03b9\u03bd\u1f78\u03bd \u03c4\u1fc6\u03c2 \u1fbd\u0391\u03c3\u03af\u03b1\u03c2) was one of the regular provincial diets which Augustus had called into being as fixed institutions. It was an annual assembly of the civic deputies of the province, and served as a general organ of the province, especially in bringing the wishes of the people to the knowledge of the governor, and through him to the emperor, and decrees of the emperor were often addressed to it, and legates chosen by it were sent to the emperor whenever occasion required. See Marquardt, R\u00f6m. Staatsverwaltung, I. p. 366. sq.","title":"Nicene and Ante-Nicene Fathers, Ser. II, Vol I: The Church History of Eusebius.: Chapter XII","type":"page"}