I used the term 'apologist' to mean a defender or justifier for the Roman point of view, following the title of Plato's dialogue. For example,the narrative by Josephus shows how little he thought of the various Jewish factions that struggled for control inside Jerusalem during the Roman seige. Josephus seems to indicate that the Jews deserved not to win.

Regarding Brinton's article, I refer readers to the notion of a "definitional stop" in the works of HLA Hart. I forget the essay, but it is in reference to the justification for punishment. By narrowly restricting how one defines a word or phrase, one may easily include or exclude a host of instances. Such a tactic may be good for eristic argumentation, but it really has no place in the search for truth.