30. The Gospel of Justin.

BORN IN THE SECOND CENTURY embarks on the effort to answer the most important question of our age, or of any age: whether Justin Martyr was aware of the New Testament Gospels. In a deep analysis of Justin's stories about Jesus from the so-called Memoirs of the Apostles, host Chris Palmero begins to excavate "the Gospel of Justin."

Anyone who listens to this episode can learn about how Justin was truly a "somebody" in the early church; about the potential sources to which Justin had access; about how Justin apparently forgot that Jesus had visited his hometown; about the three specific instances where Justin's quotes of Jesus manage to line up with their Gospel counterparts; about Jesus and his disciples finding the colt; and about John the Baptist "sitting" by the Jordan River.

Opening reading: Justin, in his Apology, explains that everything we want to know about Jesus can be learned in "the Acts Composed Under Pontius Pilate."