Aristides of Athens

About Aristides of Athens

Aristides was an early Christian apologist and philosopher from Athens who presented a defense of Christianity to Emperor Hadrian around 125 AD. His "Apology" is one of the earliest Christian apologetic works, describing Christians' way of life and defending them against false accusations. Aristides contrasted Christian monotheism and ethics with Greek, barbarian, and Jewish beliefs. His work demonstrated Christianity's intellectual respectability to educated pagans. Though his Apology was lost for centuries, it was rediscovered in the 19th century. Aristides represents the early Christian engagement with Greek philosophy and the defense of faith through reason.