a celebrated historian, lived, according to the most probable opinion, in the second century, under the reign of Antoninus Pius. He wrote, in ele- gant Latin, an abridgement of the history of Trogus Pompeius; comprehending the actions of almost all nations, from Ninus the founder of the Assyrian empire to the emperor Augustus. The original work, to the regret of the learned, is lost: this abridgement, being written in a polite and elegant style, was probably the reason why that age neglected the original. The best editions of Justin are, ad usum Delphini in 4to; and cum notis variorum et Gronovii, in 8vo.

Justin, St., commonly called Justin Martyr, one of the earliest and most learned writers of the eastern church, was born at Neapolis, the ancient Sechem of Palestine. His father Priscus, a Gentile Greek, brought him up in his own religion, and had him educated in all the Grecian learning. To complete his studies he tra- velled to Egypt, and followed the sect of Plato. But one day walking by the sea side wrapt in contemplation, he was met by a grave person, of a venerable aspect; who, falling into discourse with him, turned the conver- sation by degrees from the excellence of Platonism to the superior perfection of Christianity; and reasoned so well, as to raise in him an ardent curiosity to inquire into the merits of that religion; in consequence of which inquiry he was converted about the year 132. On his Justinian, embracing that religion, he quitted neither the profes- sion nor the habit of a philosopher; but a persecution breaking out under Antoninus, he composed An Apology for the Christians; and afterwards presented another to the emperor Marcus Aurelius, in which he vindicated the innocence and holiness of the Christian religion a- gainst Crescens a Cynic philosopher, and other calumni- ators. He did honour to Christianity by his learning and the purity of his manners; and suffered martyrdom in 167. Besides his two Apologies, there are still ex- tant his Dialogue with Tryphon, a Jew; two treatises ad- dressed to the Gentiles, and another on the unity of God. Other works are also ascribed to him. The best editions of St Justin are those of Robert Stephens, in 1557 and 1571, in Greek and Latin; that of Morel, in Greek and Latin, in 1656; and that of Don Prudentius Ma- randus, a learned Benedictine, in 1742, in folio.

JUSTINIAN I., son of Justin the elder, was made Cesar and Augustus in 527, and soon after emperor. He conquered the Persians by Belisarius his general, and exterminated the Vandals; regained Africa; sub- dued the Goths in Italy; defeated the Moors; and re- stored the Roman empire to its primitive glory. See (History of) Constantinople, No. 93—97; and Italy, No. 12, &c.

The empire being now in the full enjoyment of a profound peace and tranquillity, Justinian made the best use of it, by collecting the immense variety and number of the Roman laws into one body. To this end he selected ten of the most able lawyers in the em- pire; who, revising the Gregorian, Theodosian, and Hermogenian codes, compiled one body, called Codex Justinianus. This may be called the statute law, as consisting of the rescripts of the emperors. But the reduction of the other part was a much more difficult task: it was made up of the decisions of the judges and other magistrates, together with the authoritative opinions of the most eminent lawyers, all which lay scat- tered, without any order, in no less than 2000 volumes and upwards. These were reduced to the number of 50; but ten years were spent in the reduction. The design was completed in the year 553, and the name of Digests or Pandects given to it. Besides these, for the use chiefly of young students in the law, and to facilitate that study, Justinian ordered four books of institutes to be drawn up, containing an ab- stract or abridgement of the text of all the laws; and lastly, the laws of modern date, posterior to that of the former, were thrown into one volume in the year 541, called the Novelle, or New Code.

This emperor died in the year 565, aged 83, in the 39th of his reign, after having built a great number of churches; particularly the famous Sancta Sophia at Constantinople, which is esteemed a masterpiece of ar- chitecture.