Justin Martyr, who lived in the second century of the Christian era, studied the popular philosophies of his day. Not finding true knowledge in this study, he became a Christian. But he still wore his philosopher's cloak, which distinguished him as an itinerant teacher of philosophy, and went about discussing Christianity with educated pagans. His hope was to rescue them from cold reason and to reconcile this non-Christian thought with Christianity.
This early convert may have believed that he came to Christianity through philosophy. As a matter of fact, he came to it by turning away from materialistic reasoning and by finding satisfaction in the great facts of Spirit. The approach to Truth by the master Christian was not through philosophy but through direct revelation. Christ Jesus received a perfect revelation of Truth, and this revelation gave him power over the transitory illusion of material life. His works proved that more than human reason is needed to solve the problems of mankind. The Science of Christ and its power must be understood.
Christian Science employs both reason and revelation in its unfoldment of Truth, but its reasoning is not materialistic, as its works amply prove. In the writings of Mary Baker Eddy, we come across many concepts which philosophy deals with, such as idea, substance, metaphysics, cause and effect, inductive and deductive reasoning, the ultimate nature of reality, absolute truth, knowledge, subjective, objective, time, space, extension, idealism, realism, and many others. Christian Science clothes these concepts with true meaning, and its unfoldment demonstrates the power inherent in the truth.
