Monday, July 25, 2022

Leslie William Barnard on Justin's Use of ἐξ ἀμόρφου ὕλης ("out of unformed matter") in First Apology 10

  

And we have been taught that in the beginning He of His goodness, for people’s sakes, formed all things out of unformed matter (Gk: ἐξ ἀμόρφου ὕλης) . . . (First Apology 10, in St. Justin Martyr: The First and Second Apologies [trans. Leslie William Barnard; New York: Paulist Press, 1997], 28)

 

In a footnote to the above, Leslie William Barned noted that

 

As Justin does not use here the technical term for the handing on of a Church tradition, it seems probable that he is referring to his pre-Christian philosphical teachers. This is one of the few passages in which Justin states that God created the world out of unformed matter; cf. 1 Apol. 59, 67. Justin appears to have had no particular theory of the origin and nature of matter but is content to accept Gen 1 as it stands and to see in it no conflict with Middle Platonist teaching. On this see Andresen, 165, who points to the Middle Platonist use of Timaeus 30A. It is also possible that his reference to “unformed” matter may owe something to Wisd. of Sol. 11:17. The idea of the creation as being for humanity’s sake is a Christian touch added by Justin.