See E. Gibbon, _Decline and Fall of the Roman Empire_ (ed. Bury, 1896), v. 179-183; J. B. Bury, _The Later Roman Empire_ (1889), ii. 320-330, 358-367. JUSTIN MARTYR, one of the earliest and ablest Christian apologists, was born about 100 at Flavia Neapolis (anc. _Sichem_), now Nablus, in Palestinian Syria (Samaria). His parents, according to his own account, were Pagans (_Dial. c. Tryph._ 28). He describes the course of his religious development in the introduction to the dialogue with the Jew Trypho, in which he relates how chance intercourse with an aged stranger brought him to know the truth. Though this narrative is a mixture of truth and fiction, it may be said with certainty that a thorough study of the philosophy of Peripatetics and Pythagoreans, Stoics and Platonists, brought home to Justin the conviction that true knowledge was not to be found in them. On the other hand, he came to look upon the Old Testament prophets as approved by their antiquity, sanctity, mystery and prophecies to be interpreters of the truth. To this, as he tells us in another place (_Apol._ ii. 12), must be added the deep impression produced upon him by the life and death of Christ. His conversion apparently took place at Ephesus; there, at any rate, he places his decisive interview with the old man, and there he had those discussions with Jews and converts to Judaism, the results of which he in later years set down in his _Dialogue_. After his conversion he retained his philosopher's cloak (Euseb., _Hist. Eccl._ iv. 11. 8), the distinctive badge of the wandering professional teacher of philosophy, and went about from place to place discussing the truths of Christianity in the hope of bringing educated Pagans, as he himself had been brought, through philosophy to Christ. In Rome he made a fairly long stay, giving lectures in a class-room of his own, though not without opposition from his fellow-teachers. Among his opponents was the Cynic Crescentius (_Apol._ ii. 13). Eusebius (_Hist. Eccl._ iv. 16. 7-8) concludes somewhat hastily, from the statement of Justin and his disciple Tatian (_Orat. ad Graec._ 19), that the accusation of Justin before the authorities, which led to his death, was due to Crescentius. But we know, from the undoubtedly genuine _Acta SS Justini et sociorum_, that Justin suffered the death of a martyr under the prefect Rusticus between 163 and 167.