Early Life and Episcopate
Justus was born in the first half of the fourth century to an aristocratic family in Gaul; sources place his origins at Tournon-sur-Rhone in the Vivarais of southeastern France. He studied under Saint Paschasius, Archbishop of Vienne, and was ordained a deacon, serving at the Church of Vienne. Contemporaries described him as a meek and merciful man.
Around the middle of the fourth century he was made Bishop of Lyon, the capital of Gaul. As bishop he took part in the conciliar life of the Western Church: he attended the Council of Valence in 374, which addressed the discipline of clergy and faithful, and the Council of Aquileia of 381, where he stood among the bishops who rejected Arianism. He is also remembered as having corresponded with Saint Ambrose of Milan, a sign of his standing and learning.
The Sanctuary Incident and Withdrawal
The defining crisis of his episcopate came when a violent, deranged man killed several people in the city with a sword and then fled to the church for sanctuary. Justus upheld the right of asylum despite pressure, until a city magistrate persuaded him to surrender the accused, giving his word that the matter would be handled according to law. Trusting this assurance, the bishop delivered the man over; but a mob overpowered the guards and put him to death before any trial could be held.
Holding himself responsible for the failure to protect the man, Justus came to believe himself unworthy to govern his flock. One night he secretly left Lyon to take up the ascetic life. He traveled to Arles and then to Marseilles, intending to embark for Alexandria. The cathedral lector Viator, unwilling to be parted from his master, followed and joined him, and the two sailed together for Egypt.
Desert Monasticism and Death
In Egypt, Justus and Viator joined the community of monks in the desert of Scetes, identified with the Wadi El Natrun in the Libyan Desert, situated beyond the mountains of Nitria some forty or fifty miles south of Alexandria. There they lived under the great ascetic Macarius of Egypt, devoting themselves to fasting, silence, and vigils. Justus died at Scetes around 389, in the monastic obscurity he had sought.
By tradition his identity was later recognized, and the church of Lyon sent a delegation, led by the priest Antiochus, to recover his remains; Antiochus afterward became Justus's successor as bishop. The relics of both Justus and Viator were brought back to Lyon and interred in the Basilica of the Maccabees, which was subsequently renamed Saint-Just in the bishop's honor.
