Tatian, Speech to the Greeks

an encomiast of the good things that remain. And since men and angels followed one who was wiser than the rest because he was first-born, and they dec

so that they might be thought themselves to live in heaven and might show the irrational way of life on earth to be reasonable through the placement o

of pleasure and of inferiority. The rich man sows, and the poor man partakes of the same seed the richest die and the beggars have the same end of li

Babylonians by prognostication listen to us speaking, even as to an oracle-giving oak. And the things previously mentioned are the counter-sophistrie

a rational animal, receptive of mind and knowledge for according to them, even irrational creatures will be shown to be receptive of mind and knowled

Of the sympathies and antipathies according to Democritus, what can we say but this, that according to common speech, an Abderologue is a man from Abd

to robbers. For just as it is their custom to take some captive, then to restore the same ones to their families for a ransom, so also the so-called g

a light unapproachable by the men from here. Those, therefore, who have elaborated geographies, have made a description of the regions as far as was p

You revile those who share in your practices. I do not wish to gape when many are singing, and I do not want to be in accord with one who nods and mov

as you have hated the most defiled? Among us there is no cannibalism you who have been educated have become false witnesses but among you Pelops bec

her lion that was killed by Heracles? What profit would there be in Attic diction and heaps of philosophers and plausible syllogisms and measures of t

Herodotus of Halicarnassus and Dionysius of Olynthus, and after them Ephorus of Cyme and Philochorus the Athenian and Megacleides and Chamaeleon the P

the pursuits and through the women's quarters behaves unseemly. For Lysippus wrought in bronze Praxilla, who said nothing useful through her poems, an

eyes? for she was a courtesan. Lais committed fornication, and the fornicator made her a monument of her fornication. Why do you not respect the forni

is of the age of Moses. 38.1 But there are accurate records of the Egyptians' chronologies, and the interpreter of their writings is Ptolemy, not the

of the Cretan, who came to Sparta, and of Aristaeus of Proconnesus who wrote the *Arimaspeia* and of Asbolus the Centaur and of Bacis and of Drymon an

so that they might be thought themselves to live in heaven and might show the irrational way of life on earth to be reasonable through the placement of the stars. So that the passionate and the toilsome and the self-controlled and the intemperate and the one who is poor and the one who is rich is of those who legislate fate. For the drawing of the zodiacal circle is a work of gods, 9.2 and the prevailing light of one of them, as they say, judges unfairly against the many, and the one who is conquered now is accustomed to prevail hereafter; and the seven planets are well pleased with them *** just as those playing with draughts. But we are superior even to fate and instead of wandering daemons we have learned of one non-wandering master and not being led by fate we have rejected its lawgivers. Tell me, in the name of God; Triptolemus sowed the wheat, and after her grief Demeter benefits the Athenians; but why, when her daughter had not perished, did she not become a benefactress of men? The dog of Erigone is shown in heaven and the scorpion, Artemis's helper, and Chiron the 9.3 Centaur and the half-cut Argo and Callisto's bear; then how, before these came to be in their aforementioned positions, was heaven unordered? And to whom will it not seem ridiculous that Deltoton is placed among the stars according to some because of Sicily, but according to others as the first letter of the name of Zeus? For why are not Sardinia and Cyprus also honored in heaven? And for what reason were not also the brothers of Zeus, who divided the kingdoms among themselves, *** made into constellations by the shaping of letters? And how does Cronus, who was bound in fetters and cast out from his kingdom, become the manager of fate? And how does he who no longer reigns give kingdoms? Cast down therefore the 9.4 nonsense and do not, because you hate us, transgress unjustly. 10.1 Metamorphosis has been mythologized for men; but among you the gods also are metamorphosed. Rhea becomes a tree, and Zeus a dragon on account of Phersephassa, and the sisters of Phaethon poplars, and Leto a humble animal, on account of whom Ortygia is now called Delos. A god, tell me, becomes a swan and takes the form of an eagle and on account of the cup-bearing of Ganymede glorifies pederasty? Why should I worship bribe-taking gods and ones who get angry if they do not receive? Let these have fate; I do not wish to worship the planets. What is the lock of Berenice? And where were its stars before the aforementioned died? And how is the dead Antinous, a beautiful youth, established in the moon 10.2? Who brought him up, unless perhaps someone, mocking God, was believed for saying for a perjured fee that this man, like the kings, had ascended to heaven, and then, having deified a similar person, was deemed worthy of honor and a gift? Why have you plundered my God? And why do you dishonor His creation? You sacrifice a sheep, and you also worship the same; there is a bull in heaven, and you slaughter its image. The man On his Knees crushes an evil beast; and the eagle that devoured the man-maker Prometheus is honored. The swan is beautiful, because he was an adulterer; and beautiful also are the Dioscuri who live on alternate days, the ravishers of the Leucippides. Helen is better, having left the one, _y_e_l_l_o_w_-_h_a_i_r_e_d_ __M_e_n_e_l_a_u_s_, and following 10.3 the turban-wearing and much-golden Paris. Just and temperate is he who transferred the prostituted woman to the Elysian fields. But the daughter of Tyndareus has not been made immortal, and wisely Euripides introduced the murder of the aforementioned woman by Orestes. 11.1 How then shall I accept birth according to fate, seeing that its managers are such as these? I do not wish to be a king, I do not want to be rich, I have rejected generalship, I have hated fornication, I do not practice sailing on account of insatiability, I do not compete to have crowns, I am free from the madness for glory, I despise death, I am superior to every kind of disease, grief does not consume my soul. If I am a _s_l_a_v_e_, I endure slavery; and if I am _f_r_e_e_, I am not puffed up by my noble birth. I see the same sun for all, and one death for all through

ἵνα τε νομισθῶσιν αὐτοὶ διατρίβειν ἐν οὐρανῷ καὶ τὴν ἄλογον ἐπὶ γῆς πολιτείαν εὔλογον διὰ τῆς ἀστροθεσίας ἀποδείξωσιν. ὥστε ὁ θυμικὸς καὶ ὁ ἐπίμοχθος καὶ ὁ ἐγκρατευόμενος καὶ ὁ ἀκρατὴς καὶ ὁ πτωχεύων καὶ ὁ πλουτῶν ἐστι τῶν νομοθετησάντων τὴν γένεσιν. ἡ γὰρ τοῦ ζωδιακοῦ κύκλου γραφὴ θεῶν ἐστι ποίημα, 9.2 καὶ τὸ ἐπικρατῆσαν, ὥς φασιν, ἑνὸς αὐτῶν φῶς τοὺς πλείονας παραβραβεύει, καὶ ὁ νικώμενος νῦν εἰσαῦθις ἐπικρατεῖν εἴωθεν· εὐαρεστοῦσι δὲ αὐτοῖς οἱ ἑπτὰ πλανῆται *** ὥσπερ οἱ ἐν τοῖς πεσσοῖς ἀθύροντες. ἡμεῖς δὲ καὶ εἱμαρμένης ἐσμὲν ἀνώτεροι καὶ ἀντὶ πλανητῶν δαιμόνων ἕνα τὸν ἀπλανῆ δεσπότην μεμαθήκαμεν καὶ οὐ καθ' εἱμαρμένην ἀγόμενοι τοὺς ταύτης νομοθέτας παρῃτήμεθα. λέγε μοι πρὸς τοῦ θεοῦ· Τριπτόλεμος ἔσπειρε τοὺς πυρούς, καὶ μετὰ τὸ πένθος εὐεργετεῖ τοὺς Ἀθηναίους ἡ ∆ημήτηρ· διὰ τί δὲ τῆς θυγατρὸς μὴ ἀπολωλυίας τῶν ἀνθρώπων εὐεργέτις οὐκ ἐγένετο; κύων ὁ τῆς Ἠριγόνης ἐν οὐρανῷ δείκνυται καὶ σκορπίος ὁ τῆς Ἀρτέμιδος βοηθὸς καὶ Χείρων ὁ 9.3 Κένταυρος ἥ τε ἡμίτομος Ἀργὼ καὶ ἡ Καλλιστοῦς ἄρκτος· εἶτα πῶς πρὶν τούτους περὶ τὰς προειρημένας τάξεις γενέσθαι ἀκόσμητος ἦν ὁ οὐρανός; τίνι δὲ οὐ γελοῖον εἶναι δόξει τὸ κατὰ μέν τινας διὰ τὴν Σικελίαν ἀστροθετούμενον ∆ελτωτόν, κατ' ἐνίους δὲ ὡς τῆς τοῦ ∆ιὸς προσωνυμίας πρωτότυπον στοιχεῖον; διὰ τί γὰρ οὐχὶ καὶ ἡ Σαρδὼ καὶ ἡ Κύπρος ἐν οὐρανῷ τετίμηνται; τίνος δὲ ἕνεκεν οὐχὶ καὶ τῶν τοῦ ∆ιὸς ἀδελφῶν, οἳ διενείμαντο τὰς βασιλείας, *** γραμμάτων σχηματουργίᾳ κατηστερίσθησαν; πῶς τε ὁ πεδηθεὶς Κρόνος καὶ τῆς βασιλείας ἔκβλητος γενόμενος τῆς εἱμαρμένης οἰκονόμος καθίσταται; πῶς τε βασιλείας ὁ μηκέτι βασιλεύων δίδωσιν; καταβάλετε τοιγαροῦν τὸν 9.4 λῆρον καὶ μὴ διὰ τὸ μισεῖν ἡμᾶς ἀδίκως παρανομήσητε. 10.1 Μεταμόρφωσις ἀνθρώποις μεμυθολόγηται· μεταμορφοῦνται δὲ παρ' ὑμῖν καὶ οἱ θεοί. δένδρον ἡ Ῥέα γίνεται, δράκων δὲ ὁ Ζεὺς διὰ τὴν Φερσέφασσαν, αἴγειροί τε αἱ τοῦ Φαέθοντος ἀδελφαὶ καὶ ἡ Λητὼ ζῶον εὐτελές, δι' ἣν Ὀρτυγία ∆ῆλος ἡ νῦν κέκληται. θεός, εἰπέ μοι, κύκνος γίνεται καὶ τὴν ἀετοῦ μορφὴν ἀναλαμβάνει καὶ δι' οἰνοχοΐαν τοῦ Γανυμήδους τὴν παιδεραστίαν σεμνύνεται; τί μοι σέβειν θεοὺς δωρολήπτας καὶ ὀργιζομένους ἂν μὴ λάβωσιν; ἐχέτωσαν οὗτοι τὴν εἱμαρμένην· τοὺς πλανήτας προσκυνεῖν οὐ βούλομαι. τίς ἐστιν ὁ Βερενίκης πλόκαμος; ποῦ δὲ οἱ ἀστέρες αὐτῆς πρὶν τὴν προειρημένην ἀποθανεῖν; πῶς δὲ ὁ τεθνεὼς Ἀντίνοος μειράκιον ὡραῖον ἐν τῇ σελήνῃ 10.2 καθίδρυται; τίς ὁ ἀναβιβάσας αὐτόν, εἰ μήτι καὶ τοῦτον ὡς τοὺς βασιλέας μισθοῦ δι' ἐπιορκίας τις τοῦ θεοῦ καταγελῶν εἰς τὸν οὐρανὸν ἀνεληλυθέναι φήσας πεπίστευται κᾆτα τὸν ὅμοιον θεολογήσας τιμῆς καὶ δωρεᾶς ἠξίωται; τί μου τὸν θεὸν σεσυλήκατε; τί δὲ αὐτοῦ τὴν ποίησιν ἀτιμάζετε; θύεις πρόβατον, τὸ δ' αὐτὸ καὶ προσκυνεῖς· ταῦρός ἐστιν ἐν οὐρανῷ, καὶ τὴν εἰκόνα σφάττεις αὐτοῦ. ζῶον πονηρὸν ὁ Ἐν γόνασιν ἐκθλίβει· καὶ ὁ τὸν ἀνθρωποποιὸν Προμηθέα καταφαγὼν ἀετὸς τετίμηται. καλὸς ὁ κύκνος, ὅτι μοιχὸς ἦν· καλοὶ δὲ καὶ ἑτεροήμεροι ∆ιόσκοροι τῶν Λευκιππίδων οἱ ἁρπασταί. κρείττων ἡ Ἑλένη τὸν μὲν _κ_ά_ρ_η_ _ξ_α_ν_θ_ὸ_ν_ __Μ_ε_ν_έ_λαον καταλιποῦσα, τῷ 10.3 δὲ μιτρηφόρῳ καὶ πολυχρύσῳ Πάριδι κατακολουθοῦσα. δίκαιος καὶ σώφρων ὁ τὴν ἐκπορνεύσασαν εἰς Ἠλύσια πεδία μετατεθεικώς. ἀλλ' οὐδὲ ἡ Τυνδαρὶς ἀπηθανάτισται, καὶ σοφῶς ὁ Εὐριπίδης ὑπὸ Ὀρέστου τῆς προειρημένης γυναικὸς τὴν ἀναίρεσιν παρεισήγαγε. 11.1 Πῶς οὖν γένεσιν τὴν καθ' εἱμαρμένην ἀποδέξομαι τοιούτους αὐτῆς τοὺς οἰκονόμους θεωρῶν; βασιλεύειν οὐ θέλω, πλουτεῖν οὐ βούλομαι, τὴν στρατηγίαν παρῄτημαι, πορνείαν μεμίσηκα, ναυτίλλεσθαι διὰ τὴν ἀπληστίαν οὐκ ἐπιτηδεύω, στεφάνους ἔχειν οὐκ ἀγωνίζομαι, δοξομανίας ἀπήλλαγμαι, θανάτου καταφρονῶ, νόσου παντοδαπῆς ἀνώτερος γίνομαι, λύπη μου τὴν ψυχὴν οὐκ ἀναλίσκει. _δ_ο_ῦ_λ_ο_ς ἐὰν ὦ, τὴν δουλείαν ὑπομένω· κἂν _ἐ_λ_ε_ύ_θ_ε_ρ_ο_ς ὑπάρχω, τὴν εὐγένειαν οὐ σεμνύνομαι. τὸν ἥλιον ὁρῶ πάντων τὸν αὐτόν, ἕνα δὲ κατὰ πάντων τὸν θάνατον δι'