Modestus (apologete)

Modestus, an early Christian apologist, is a figure known primarily from a fragment of his work preserved in Eusebius's Ecclesiastical History (Book V, chapter 27). Very little is known about his life or the precise dating of his writings. Scholars generally place him in the 2nd century CE.

His apologetic work appears to have been directed towards refuting the claims of the heretic Marcion. Marcion was a controversial figure within early Christianity who posited a stark distinction between the God of the Old Testament, whom he viewed as a wrathful and unjust creator, and the God of the New Testament, whom he saw as a God of love and mercy. Marcion's theology, which rejected the Old Testament scriptures and much of early Christian tradition, presented a significant challenge to orthodox Christian belief.

The fragment preserved by Eusebius indicates that Modestus vigorously defended the unity of the Old and New Testaments, arguing against Marcion's dualistic theology. Modestus insisted on the continuity between the God of the Old Testament and the God revealed in Jesus Christ, thereby upholding the authority of the Hebrew scriptures and the traditional Christian understanding of God.

Beyond the fragment preserved by Eusebius, no other writings attributed to Modestus have survived. Consequently, our understanding of his theological arguments and his role within the broader context of early Christian apologetics is limited. He remains a relatively obscure figure, yet the surviving fragment provides valuable insight into the intellectual debates and theological controversies that characterized the early Church and the efforts of early Christians to defend their faith against heretical teachings.