Justin Martyr, On the Sole Government of God

Chapter IV.—God desires not sacrifices, but righteousness.

And that God is not appeased by the libations and incense of evil-doers, but awards vengeance in righteousness to each one, Philemon10 Some attribute these lines to Menander, others regard them as spurious. again shall bear testimony to me:—

“If any one should dream, O Pamphilus,

By sacrifice of bulls or goats—nay, then,

By Jupiter—of any such like things;

Or by presenting gold or purple robes,

Or images of ivory and gems;

If thus he thinks he may propitiate God,

He errs, and shows himself a silly one.

But let him rather useful be, and good,

Committing neither theft nor lustful deeds,

Nor murder foul, for earthly riches’ sake.

Let him of no man covet wife or child,

His splendid house, his wide-spread property,

His maiden, or his slave born in his house,

His horses, or his cattle, or his beeves,

Nay, covet not a pin, O Pamphilus,

For God, close by you, sees whate’er you do.

He ever with the wicked man is wroth,

But in the righteous takes a pleasure still,

Permitting him to reap fruit of his toil,

And to enjoy the bread his sweat has won.

But being righteous, see thou pay thy vows,

And unto God the giver offer gifts.

Place thy adorning not in outward shows,

But in an inward purity of heart;

Hearing the thunder then, thou shalt not fear,

Nor shalt thou flee, O master, at its voice,

For thou art conscious of no evil deed,

And God, close by you, sees whate’er you do.”

Again, Plato, in Timæus,11 P. 68, D, [cap. 30.] says: “But if any one on consideration should actually institute a rigid inquiry, he would be ignorant of the distinction between the human and the divine nature; because God mingles many12 The mss. are corrupt here. They seem to read, and one actually does read, “all” for “many.” “Many” is in Plato, and the clause in brackets is taken from Plato to fill up the sense. things up into one, [and again is able to dissolve one into many things,] seeing that He is endued with knowledge and power; but no man either is, or ever shall be, able to perform any of these.”

Καὶ ὅτι οὐ σπονδῇ καὶ θυμιάματι κακούργων προσφέρεται ὁ θεός, ἀλλ' εὐθύτητι τὰς τιμωρίας προσνέμει ἑκάστῳ, μαρτυρήσει μοι Φιλήμων πάλιν: Εἴ τις δὲ θυσίαν προσφέρων, ὦ Πάμφιλε, Ταύρων τι πλῆθος ἢ ἐρίφων ἢ νὴ Δία Ἑτέρων τοιούτων, ἢ κατασκευάσματα, Χρυσᾶς ποιήσας χλαμύδας ἤτοι πορφύρας, Ἢ δι' ἐλέφαντος ἢ σμαράγδου ζώδια, Εὔνουν νομίζει τὸν θεὸν καθεστάναι, Πλανᾶτ' ἐκεῖνος καὶ φρένας κούφας ἔχει. Δεῖ γὰρ τὸν ἄνδρα χρήσιμον καθεστάναι, Μὴ παρθένους φθείροντα καὶ μοιχώμενον, Κλέπτοντα καὶ σφάζοντα χρημάτων χάριν, Τἀλλότρια βλέποντα, κἀπιθυμοῦντα Ἤτοι γυναικὸς πολυτελοῦς ἢ δώματος Ἢ κτήσεως παιδός τε παιδίσκης θ' ἁπλῶς, Ἵππων, βοῶν τὸ σύνολον ἢ κτηνῶν. Τί δή; Μηδὲ βελόνης ἓν ἅμμ' ἐπιθυμήσῃς, Πάμφιλε: Ὁ γὰρ θεὸς βλέπει σε πλησίον παρών, Ὃς ἔργοις δικαίοις ἥδεται κοὐκ ἀδίκοις: Πονοῦντα δ' ἐᾷ τὸν ἴδιον ὑψῶσαι βίον, Τὴν γῆν ἀροῦντα νύκτα καὶ τὴν ἡμέραν. Θεῷ δὲ θῦε διὰ τέλους δίκαιος ὤν, Μὴ λαμπρὸς ὢν ταῖς χλαμύσιν ὡς τῇ καρδίᾳ. Βροντῆς ἀκούσας μηδαμῶς πόῤῥω φύγῃς, Μηδὲν συνειδὼς αὐτὸς αὑτῷ, δέσποτα: Ὁ γὰρ θεὸς βλέπει σε πλησίον παρών. Πάλιν τε Πλάτων ἐν Τιμαίῳ: Εἰ δέ τις τούτων ἔργῳ σκοπούμενος βάσανον λαμβάνοιτο, τῆς ἀνθρωπίνης καὶ θείας φύσεως ἠγνοηκὼς ἂν εἴη τὸ διάφορον, ὅτι θεὸς μὲν ἅπαντα εἰς ἓν συγκεράννυται, ἱκανῶς ἐπιστάμενος ἅμα καὶ δυνατὸς ὤν, ἀνδρῶν δὲ οὐδεὶς οὐδέτερα τούτων ἱκανὸς οὔτ' ἐστὶ νῦν οὔτ' εἰσαῦθις ἔσται ποτέ.