The First Apology was an early work of Christian apologetics addressed by Justin Martyr to the Roman Emperor Antoninus Pius.

[1] Justin Martyr was born in Flavia Neapolis (modern Nablus), a Greek-speaking town in Judea within the Roman Empire.

[3] In the early chapters of the First Apology, Justin discusses the principal criticisms of contemporary Christians; namely, atheism, immorality, and disloyalty to the Empire.

[16] Finally, he provides information on the weekly Sunday meetings of the congregation, consisting of readings from the Jewish prophets and "the memoirs of the apostles", prayers, and a meal.

[17] There has been significant scholarly debate about the extent to which Justin’s Apologies differed from prior and future apologetic discourse.

Instead, he argues that Justin aimed to provide this information to both “put forth the real nature of Christian life” and refute the slanderous claims of pagan critics.