A lecture given by Jean-Luc Marion (University of Chicago, Université Paris-Sorbonne) on February 21, 2013.
During the first two centuries of Christianity, believers were led to confess their faith before a pagan world and endure persecution and trial, often leading to martyrdom. One might expect from them the posture and tactics of an irrational and "prophetic" theology. But in fact they chose to make arguments for the consistency and rationality of faith under the literary genre of the apology. They even claimed that this rational confession of faith deserves the title of philosophy. This paradox sheds light on our contemporary situation.