Early Christians faced an uphill battle when it came to defending their right to exist. They were generally poorer, came from Asia or the Levant, and didn’t have any real connections to powerful voices outside of their insulated communities. Romans saw themselves as being wholly correct when it came to this holy war of letters, edicts, and speeches, that they are able to turn the general pagan public against these new heathens. It wasn’t until prominent citizens such as lawyers and authors converted were they able to fight back using the amazing technology of the letter. The rise of educated Christians enabled the growing church to rely on their apologies, and defend themselves against slander by the pagans. “Octavius” is a prime example of what was said against the Christian church by the more established religions of the empire. Christians didn’t participate in typical Roman life; they “shrink in horror from our sacred games, from food ritually dedicated by our priests, from drink hallowed by libation poured upon our altars. Such is the dread of the very gods you deny.” This is just a quick excerpt that shows how radical and different the Christians were to the Empire.

With the Apologists, however, the Church was able to fight back against the accusations and defend themselves like they were never quite able to before. Justin Martyr wrote about the Roman values of reason and justice, themes that came up in writings like “Octavius” and aligned the Christians in the same camp as Socrates. Surely any religion that seeks to free people from the tyranny of demons deserves respect, and the Christian way of seeking converts is not to instill evil, but release those who have fallen under its clutches. Justin used the stories of Hermes and Asclepius to show how Jesus could indeed rise from the dead, but the Gods of Greece and Rome could also show how imperfect the pagan gods were compared to the Divine Christ and his father. The influence of these demons extends into the pagan gods, and the myths that were told were “told by the power of the wicked demons to deceive and lead astray the human race.”  The argument made by Justin is an rather visceral attack on the pagan gods that the Romans hold so dearly, but uses the logic and stylings of Socrates to further the point. Using a revered philosopher like him leads Justin to a convincing argument, and like his inspiration, Justin was martyred for his beliefs.

The rise of educated apologists not only extended their arguments to the Greek philosophers, but also borrowed their wit and sharp tongue. Tertullian’s apology wouldn’t seem out of place in Athens. Tertullian’s argument is based off of Roman propaganda like Octavian, but he turns it on his heads. “We are always spoken of in this way, yet you take no pain to bring into the light the charges which for so long a time you have made against us. Now, either bring them into the night, if you believe them, or stop believing them.” He calls on the Roman sense of justice and uses it against the Roman’s fears. No Christian has eaten a baby, or conspired against the state, so why must that be the charges against them? Tertullian’s writing style is filled with wit and humor, but drives home an important point within its flashy exterior: the Christians are just as good, if not better, at being Roman.

The rise of the educated apologist changed how Christians were able to defend themselves in the Empire. Converts and Pagans alike came to the defense of the Church, and the message shifted to the values of the Romans instead of the inhumanity of the Christians. This change in rhetoric was not only able to answer the insults of the Romans, but throw the arguments back on their head, and gain support for the cause.