Saint Aristides of Athens

fl. c. 125 · 2nd c. · 2 works

Aristides of Athens was a Christian philosopher of the second century and one of the earliest Christian apologists. He is known chiefly as the author of an Apology for the faith, one of the oldest such works to survive; what little is recorded of him comes from brief notices by Eusebius and Jerome, who describe him as a philosopher of Athens.

He is described as an Athenian philosopher who, keeping his philosopher's garb after becoming a Christian, composed a defense of the Christians and addressed it to the Roman emperor — traditionally Hadrian (c. 124–125), though some place it under Antoninus Pius. Apart from his philosophical training and this petition, the details of his life are unknown.

His Apology, long known only by report, was recovered in the nineteenth century: an Armenian fragment was published in 1878, a complete Syriac version was found at the Monastery of St Catherine on Sinai in 1889, and a nearly complete Greek text was identified embedded in the medieval romance Barlaam and Josaphat. It argues for the truth of Christianity by contrasting Christian worship and morals with those of the pagans, Jews, and others.

He is venerated as a saint, and the Orthodox Church commemorates him on 13 September (with a Western commemoration on 31 August).

Sources: Encyclopædia Britannica — Aristides (Athenian philosopher) · Catholic Encyclopedia (New Advent) — Aristides