Justin Martyr

Justin was a native of Flavia Neapolis (modern Nabulus) in Palestine. Much of his teaching ministry was undertaken in Rome, where his First Apology was written some time before the year 161. It was probably during a visit back to Palestine that his other major work, the Dialogue with Trypho the Jew, was composed around 152-155.

Justin seemed to know all four canonical Gospels, though his writings contain few direct citations. For the most part his references are of a harmonized form, that is, combining words and phrases from two or more Gospels. He does not mention the Gospel written by name. This is no doubt owing to the fact that he wrote as a Christian apologist, primarily for a non-Christian audience who would not have been familiar with or too concerned about such matters. His definite familiarity with Mark is suggested by the mention of the designation “sons of thunder” (Dial. 106.3) for the sons of Zebedee, a detail only appearing in Mark 3:17.

In his First Apology (sec. 45), in speaking of the apostles, Justin uses the words εκελθοντες πανταχου εκηυξαν (“going out everywhere they preached”). This contains, while not in the same order, the same words in identical grammatical form as Mark 16:20, εκελθοντες εκηρυξαν πανταχου. That this is a reference to Mark 16:20 is generally accepted, though there are a few who fail to be convinced. When the words are viewed in context, however, the likelihood that Justin had Mark 16 in mind becomes a certainty. Here is the whole section of the First Apology:

And that God the Father of all who would bring Christ to heaven after he had raised him from the dead, and would keep him there until he has subdued his enemies the demons, and until the number be completed of those who are foreknown by him as good and virtuous, for whose sake he has yet consummated his decree—hear what was said by David the prophet. These are the words: “The Lord said to my Lord, Sit at my right hand [καθου εξ δεξιων μου] until I make your enemies your footstool. The Lord will send forth to you the rod of power form Jerusalem; and rule in the midst of your enemies. With you is the beginning in the day of your power, the splendor of your saints; I have begotten you from the womb before the morning star” [Ps 110:1-3]. The phrase “he will send forth to you the rod of power from Jerusalem,” is a prediction of the mighty word [του λογου] which his apostles, going forth from Jerusalem, preached everywhere [εκελτοντες πανταχου εκηρυξαν], and although death is decreed against those who teach it. And if you also will read these words in a hostile spirit, you can do no more, as we said before, than kill us; which indeed does no harm [βλαβην] to us, but to you and all who unjustly are enemies, and do not repent, brings eternal punishment by fire.

We first observe the same general sequence of events as the ending of Mark, that is, the resurrection of Jesus, his ascension into heaven and session at the right hand of God, and the subsequent preaching of the apostles. The passage is, therefore, contextually parallel to the contexts of the longer ending. Immediately before the words in question Justin has cited Psalm 110. This same OT text is also alluded to in Mark in the verse immediately preceding the words under discussion: “he sat at the right hand of God [εκαθισεν εκ δεξιων του θεου]” (16:19. This ending of Mark, significantly, is the only Gospel ending to make an allusion to this particular messianically interpreted text. Additionally, in connection with the proclamation by the apostles Justin speaks of “the word,” which also appears in this absolute form, τον λογον, in the very same verse of Mark 16 1s “going out they preached everywhere” (v. 20). Lastly, Justin states that Christians should ultimately not suffer any “harm” (βλαβην), even if they were physically put to death. The longer ending has used the cognate verb (βλαψη) just two verses earlier (v. 18). The evidence very definitely affirms, therefore, when Justin penned his apology the text of Mark 16:9-20 was either physically before him, or at least he was closely familiar with its contents.

In being established that Justin did in fact know the longer ending, it is legitimate to seek allusions in other parts of his writings where he touches upon the resurrection, apostolic commission, or ascension. The following passages, which all concern such matters, also appear to reflect the language of the disputed verses:

But we all hold this common gathering on Sunday, since it is the first [πρωτη] day . . . and Jesus Christ our Savior on the same day rose [αναστη] from the dead. For they crucified him on the day before Saturday, and on the day after Saturday he appeared [φανεις] to his apostles. (1 Apol. 67)

. . . the eighth day, which is, however, always first [πρωτης] in power, on which our Lord appeared [εφανη], having risen [αναστας] from the dead. (Dial. 138.1)

God the Father of all, raised him up from the earth, and placed him at his right hand, until he makes his enemies a footstool; which, indeed, actually happened when our Lord Jesus Christ [κυριος Ιησους Χριστος] ascended into heaven [εις τον οθρανον ανελημφθη], after his resurrection from the dead [μετα το εκ νεκρων αναστηναι]. (Dial. 32.3)

. . . going out [εξελθοντες] into all the world they taught these things. (Dial. 53.5)

Then after he was crucified even all his acquaintances deserted him, having denied him. Ut afterward [υστερον δε], when he had risen [ανασταντος] from the dead and appeared to them . . . and then they had seen him ascending into heaven [εις ουρανον] and had believed . . . and having gone [ελθοντες] to every race, they taught these things and were called apostles. (1 Apol. 50)

The first of these exhibits three terms all having corresponding forms in Mark 16:9. Two things are particularly significant here. One is the use of the verb φανεις, a form of which (εφανη) is used for a resurrection appearance uniquely by the longer ending among the four Gospels. The other is the fact that the temporal phrase “the first day” contains the ordinal number πρωτη. Mark 16:9 is the only resurrection passage to employ the ordinal in such a phrase. All the other Gospels have the cardinal (μια) in the same context (Matt 28:1; Luke 24:1; John 20:1, 19). In the second passage Justin once again uses the particularly Markan ordinal adjective “first” in connection with the day. All these occur in Mark 16:9, two of them in exactly the same grammatical forms “Having risen [αναστας] early on the first [πρωτη] day of the week, he appeared [εφανη] first to Mary Magdalene.” The third text has the verbal phrase GK identical in the form of its components to ανελημφθη εις τον ουρανον in Mark 16:19. The corresponding phrase in the ending of Luke (24:51) employs a different verb (ανεφερετο), and although elsewhere the NT contains ανελημφθη three times speaking of the ascension (Acts 1;2; 22:1; 1 Tim 3:16), in one of these instances it is joined to εις τον ουρανον. Also the prefixing of the title κυριος (“Lord”) to “Jesus Christ,” comparatively rare in the Dialogue, may have been prompted by κυριος Ιησους (“Lord Jesus” in Mark 16:19. We may point out in support of this the fact that in his allusion to 1 Corinthians 11:23-25 in Dialogue 41.1, Justin also writes κυριος Ιησους Χριστος where the biblical text contains κυριος Ιησους. The fourth brief extract also concerns a post-resurrection context, the resurrection itself being mentioned in the sentence immediately before the citation (“until he rose [ανεστη] from the dead”. In such a context the verb εκελθοντες of the apostles’ mission to the world appears in the Gospels solely in Mark 16:20, and in precisely the same grammatical form. Adjoining this verb of motion the prepositional phrase “into all the world,” though employing the noun την οικουμενην rather than τον κοσμον, is closest to Mark 16:15. There is no other real Gospel parallel to the phrase in the post-resurrection narratives, since at this point both Matthew (28:19) and Luke (24:47) have “all nations,” and neither of these latter are the goal of a verb of motion, as is the case in both Justin and Mark. The final passage, dealing with the resurrection, ascension, and apostolic preaching, again appears to show a cluster of words which occur specifically in the Markan ending. While used of the last of three resurrection appearances, the identical time phrase υστερον δε occurs in Mark 16:14. Again there is the aorist participle (ανασταντος) of the same verb as 16:9 (αναστας) for the resurrection event. The prepositional phrase εις ουρανον is also found in 16:19. Lastly, there is no Gospel parallel for the participle ελθοντες in a similar context other than εκελθοντες in 16:20.

With respect to all of the foregoing, it needs to be stressed, there is no other passage from the Gospel resurrection accounts which is able to furnish a similar concentration of corresponding words and phrases. The explanation of these, therefore, is best sought in Justin’s acquaintance with the disputed Markan ending. Finally, we add that should the reader not be convinced to the existence of allusion in each individual case cited, it requires just one to establish Justin’s knowledge of the Markan ending. Though some of the above texts might be doubted, 1 Apology 45 surely cannot.

Justin then freely incorporates words and phrases from the longer Markan ending as he does from other canonical Gospel texts, with no indication that the text might be a fairly recent addition.