Justin Martyr, First Apology 46
We address this now so that no one, reasoning poorly to discredit what we teach, can claim we say Christ was born a hundred and fifty years ago under Quirinius, while also teaching that he taught later, under Pontius Pilate, and then appeal to all earlier human beings as unaccountable. We anticipated the difficulty, and we will resolve it.
We were taught and we proclaim that Christ is the firstborn of God, being the Word, in whom all humanity shares. Those who live according to the Word are Christians, even if they were considered atheists — such as Socrates and Heraclitus and those like them among the Greeks, and Abraham, Ananias, Azarias, Misael, Elijah, and many others among the barbarians. We know that recounting their deeds or names would be lengthy, so we omit them for now.
Therefore, those who lived before the Word, living violently, were useless and enemies of Christ and murderers of those who live according to the Word; but those who live and continue to live according to the Word are and will be Christians, fearless and undisturbed.
For this reason, through the power of the Word, according to the plan of the Father of all, the Master God, a man was born through a virgin and named Jesus; and having been crucified and died, he rose and ascended into heaven. From what has been said through so many things, the intelligent person will be able to understand.
But we, since it is not now necessary to deal with the proofs of this matter, will proceed to the urgent proofs at hand.
Greek
Ἵνα δὲ μή τινες ἀλογισταίνοντες εἰς ἀποτροπὴν τῶν δεδιδαγμένων ὑφ᾿ ἡμῶν εἴπωσι πρὸ ἐτῶν ἑκατὸν πεκτήκοντα γεγεννῆσθαι τὸν Χριστὸν λέγειν ἡμᾶς ἐπὶ Κυρηνίου, δεδιδαχέναι δὲ ἅ φαμεν διδάξαι αὐτὸν ὕστερον χρόνοις ἐπὶ Ποντίου Πιλάτου, καὶ ἐπικαλῶσιν ὡς ἀνευθύνων ὄντων τῶν προγεγενημένων πάντων ἀνθρώπων, φθάσαντες τὴν ἀπορίαν λυσόμεθα. Τὸν Χριστὸν πρωτότοκον τοῦ θεοῦ εἶναι ἐδιδάχθημεν καὶ προεμηνύσαμεν λόγον ὄντα, οἷ πᾶν γένος ἀνθρώπων μετέσχε. Καὶ οἱ μετὰ λόγου βιώσαντες Χριστιανοί εἰσι, κἂν ἄθεοι ἐνομίσθησαν, οἷον ἐν Ἕλλησι μὲν Σωκράτης καὶ Ἡράκλειτος καὶ οἱ ὅμοιοι αὐτοῖς, ἐν βαρβάροις δὲ Αβραὰμ καὶ Ἀνανίας καὶ Ἀζαρίας καὶ Μισαὴλ καὶ Ἡλίας καὶ ἄλλοι πολλοί, ὧν τὰς πράξεις ἢ τὰ ὀνόματα καταλέγειν μακρὸν εἶναι ἐπιστάμενοι τανῦν παραιτούμεθα. Ὥστε καὶ οἱ προγενόμενοι ἄνευ λόγου βιάσαντες ἄχρηστοι καὶ ἐχθροὶ τῷ Χριστῷ ἦσαν καὶ φονεῖς τῶν μετὰ λόγου βιούντων· οἱ δὲ μετὰ λόγου βιώσαντες καὶ βιοῦντες Χριστιανοὶ καὶ ἄφοβοι καὶ ἀτάραχοι ὑπάρχσυσι. Δι᾿ ἣν αἰτίαν διὰ δυνάμεως τοῦ λόγου κατὰ τὴν τοῦ πατρὸς πάντων καὶ δεσπότου θεοῖ βουλὴν διὰ παρθένου ἄνθρωπος ἀπεκυήθη καὶ Ἰησοῦς ἐπωνομάσθη, καὶ σταυρωθεὶς καὶ ἀποθανὼν ἀνέστη καὶ ἀνελήλυθεν εἰς οὐρανὸν, ἐκ τῶν διὰ τοσούτων εἰρημένων ὁ νουνεχὴς καταλαβεῖν δυνήσεται. Ἡμεῖς δέ, οὐκ ἀναγκαίου ὄντος τανῦν τοῖ περὶ τῆς ἀποδείξεως τούτου λόγου, ἐπὶ τὰς ἐπειγούσας ἀποδείξεις πρὸς τὸ παρὸν χωρήσομεν.