Aristides of Athens, Fragments 1

12,9-13.3 But their poets and philosophers, of the Chaldeans and Greeks and Egyptians, wishing in their poems and writings to dignify the gods among them, have to a greater degree uncovered their shame and set it forth naked for all to see. For if the body of man, being of many parts, does not cast off any of its own members, but having an indissoluble union with all its members, is in harmony with itself, how can there be so much strife and discord in the nature of a god? For if there were one nature of the gods, a god ought not to pursue or slay or harm another god.

12,9-13.4 But if the gods were pursued and slain and carried off and struck by lightning by other gods, then there is no longer one nature, but divided minds, all malevolent. So that none of them is a god. It is clear, therefore, O king, that all their speculation about the nature of the gods is an error.

12,9-13.5 And how did the wise and learned among the Greeks not understand that by establishing laws, they are condemned by their own laws? For if the laws are just, their gods are certainly unjust for having committed unlawful acts, murders and sorceries and adulteries and thefts and acts of pederasty; but if they did these things well, then the laws are unjust, having been composed against the gods; but as it is, the laws are good and just, praising what is good and forbidding what is evil; but the deeds of their gods are unlawful; therefore their gods are lawless and all liable to death, and those who introduce such gods are impious, for if the stories about them are mythical, they are nothing but mere words; if they are natural, they are no longer gods who did and suffered these things; if they are allegorical, they are myths and nothing else.

12,9-13.6 It has been shown, therefore, O king, that these polytheistic objects of worship are the works of error and destruction. For one ought not to call gods those things which are visible and do not see; but one must worship as God the one who is invisible and the creator of all things.

14.1 Let us come now, O king, to the Jews, so that we may see what they too think concerning God. For these, being descendants of Abraham and of Isaac and Jacob, sojourned in Egypt. And from there God led them out... 14.2 For they still worship the one God almighty, but not according to full knowledge; for they deny Christ the son of God, and are like the Gentiles, even though they seem to draw near to the truth, from which they have distanced themselves. These things concerning the Jews.

15.1 But the Christians trace their lineage from the Lord Jesus Christ. This one is confessed to be the Son of God Most High, who by the Holy Spirit came down from heaven for the salvation of men, and born of a holy virgin without seed and without corruption, He took on flesh and appeared among men, so that he might recall them from the error of polytheism. 15.2 And having completed his wondrous dispensation, he tasted death by the cross by his own will according to a great dispensation; and after three days he rose again and ascended into heaven. The glory of his presence you may learn, O king, from the holy scripture which is called the Gospel among them, if you should read it. This one had twelve disciples who after his ascension into heaven went out into the provinces of the world and taught his greatness; just as one of them traversed our regions, preaching the doctrine of truth. Whence those who to this day minister to the righteousness of their preaching are called Christians. 15.3 And these are they who, above all the nations of the earth, have found the truth; for they know God, the creator and maker of all things, in the only-begotten Son and the Holy Spirit, and they worship no other god besides him. They have the commandments of the Lord Jesus Christ himself engraved on their hearts, and

12,9-13.3 ἀλλ' οἱ ποιηταὶ αὐτῶν καὶ φιλόσοφοι, τῶν τε Χαλδαίων καὶ Ἑλλήνων καὶ Αἰγυπτίων, θελήσαντες τοῖς ποιήμασιν αὐτῶν καὶ συγγραφαῖς σεμνῦναι τοὺς παρ' αὐτοῖς θεούς, μειζόνως τὴν αἰσχύνην αὐτῶν ἐξεκάλυψαν καὶ γυμνὴν πᾶσι προύθηκαν. εἰ γὰρ τὸ σῶμα τοῦ ἀνθρώπου πολυμερὲς ὂν οὐκ ἀποβάλλεταί τι τῶν ἰδίων μελῶν, ἀλλὰ πρὸς πάντα τὰ μέλη ἀδιάρρηκτον ἕνωσιν ἔχον, ἑαυτῷ ἐστι σύμφωνον, πῶς ἐν φύσει θεοῦ μάχη καὶ διαφωνία ἔσται τοσαύτη; εἰ γὰρ μία φύσις τῶν θεῶν ὑπῆρχεν, οὐκ ὤφειλεν θεὸς θεὸν διώκειν οὔτε σφάζειν οὔτε κακοποιεῖν.

12,9-13.4 εἰ δὲ οἱ θεοὶ ὑπὸ θεῶν ἐδιώχθησαν καὶ ἐσφάγησαν καὶ ἡρπάγησαν καὶ ἐκεραυνώθησαν, οὐκ ἔτι μία φύσις ἐστίν, ἀλλὰ γνῶμαι διῃρημέναι, πᾶσαι κακοποιοί. ὥστε οὐδεὶς ἐξ αὐτῶν ἐστι θεός. φανερὸν οὖν ἐστιν, ὦ βασιλεῦ, πλάνην εἶναι πᾶσαν τὴν περὶ τῶν θεῶν φυσιολογίαν.

12,9-13.5 πῶς δὲ οὐ συνῆκαν οἱ σοφοὶ καὶ λόγιοι τῶν Ἑλλήνων, ὅτι νόμους θέμενοι κατακρίνονται ὑπὸ τῶν ἰδίων νόμων; εἰ γὰρ οἱ νόμοι δίκαιοί εἰσιν, ἄδικοι πάντως οἱ θεοὶ αὐτῶν εἰσὶ παράνομα ποιήσαντες, ἀλληλοκτονίας καὶ φαρμακείας καὶ μοιχείας καὶ κλοπὰς καὶ ἀρσενοκοιτίας· εἰ δὲ καλῶς ἔπραξαν ταῦτα, οἱ νόμοι ἄρα ἄδικοί εἰσι κατὰ τῶν θεῶν συντεθέντες· νυνὶ δὲ οἱ νόμοι καλοί εἰσι καὶ δίκαιοι, τὰ καλὰ ἐπαινοῦντες καὶ τὰ κακὰ ἀπαγορεύοντες· τὰ δὲ ἔργα τῶν θεῶν αὐτῶν παράνομα· παράνομοι ἄρα οἱ θεοὶ αὐτῶν καὶ ἔνοχοι πάντες θανάτου καὶ ἀσεβεῖς οἱ τοιούτους θεοὺς παρεισάγοντες, εἰ μὲν γὰρ μυθικαὶ αἱ περὶ αὐτῶν ἱστορίαι, οὐδέν εἰσιν εἰ μὴ μόνον λόγοι· εἰ δὲ φυσικαί, οὐκέτι θεοί εἰσιν οἱ ταῦτα ποιήσαντες καὶ παθόντες· εἰ δὲ ἀλληγορικαί, μῦθοί εἰσι καὶ οὐκ ἄλλο τι.

12,9-13.6 ἀποδέδεικται τοίνυν, ὦ βασιλεῦ, ταῦτα τὰ πολύθεα σεβάσματα πλάνης ἔργα καὶ ἀπωλείας ὑπάρχειν. οὐ χρὴ γὰρ θεοὺς ὀνομάζειν ὁρατοὺς καὶ μὴ ὁρῶντας· ἀλλὰ τὸν ἀόρατον καὶ πάντα δημιουργήσαντα δεῖ θεὸν σέβεσθαι.

14.1 Ἔλθωμεν οὖν, ὦ βασιλεῦ, καὶ ἐπὶ τοὺς Ἰουδαίους, ὅπως ἴδωμεν, τί φρονοῦσι καὶ αὐτοὶ περὶ θεοῦ. οὗτοι γὰρ, τοῦ Ἀβραὰμ ὄντες ἀπόγονοι καὶ Ἰσαάκ τε καὶ Ἰακώβ, παρῴκησαν εἰς Αἴγυπτον. ἐκεῖθεν δὲ ἐξήγαγεν αὐτοὺς ὁ θεός ... 14.2 σέβονται γὰρ καὶ νῦν θεὸν τὸν μόνον παντοκράτορα, ἀλλ' οὐ κατ' ἐπίγνωσιν· τὸν γὰρ Χριστὸν ἀρνοῦνται τὸν υἱὸν τοῦ θεοῦ, καὶ εἰσὶ παρόμοιοι τοῖς ἔθνεσι, κἂν ἐγγίζειν πως τῇ ἀληθείᾳ δοκῶσιν, ἧς ἑαυτοὺς ἐμάκρυναν. ταῦτα περὶ τῶν Ἰουδαίων.

15.1 Οἱ δὲ Χριστιανοὶ γενεαλογοῦνται ἀπὸ τοῦ κυρίου Ἰησοῦ Χριστοῦ. οὗτος δὲ ὁ υἱὸς τοῦ θεοῦ τοῦ ὑψίστου ὁμολογεῖται ἐν πνεύματι ἁγίῳ ἀπ' οὐρανοῦ καταβὰς διὰ τὴν σωτηρίαν τῶν ἀνθρώπων καὶ ἐκ παρθένου ἁγίας γεννηθεὶς ἀσπόρως τε καὶ ἀφθόρως, σάρκα ἀνέλαβε καὶ ἀνεφάνη ἐν ἀνθρώποις, ὅπως ἐκ τῆς πολυθέου πλάνης αὐτοὺς ἀνακαλέσηται. 15.2 καὶ τελέσας τὴν θαυμαστὴν αὐτοῦ οἰκονομίαν, διὰ σταυροῦ θανάτου ἐγεύσατο ἑκουσίᾳ βουλῇ κατ' οἰκονομίαν μεγάλην· μετὰ δὲ τρεῖς ἡμέρας ἀνεβίω καὶ εἰς οὐρανοὺς ἀνῆλθεν. οὗ τὸ κλέος τῆς παρουσίας ἐκ τῆς παρ' αὐτοῖς καλουμένης εὐαγγελικῆς ἁγίας γραφῆς ἔξεστί σοι γνῶναι, βασιλεῦ, ἐὰν ἐντύχῃς. οὗτος δώδεκα ἔσχε μαθητὰς οἱ μετὰ τὴν ἐν οὐρανοῖς ἄνοδον αὐτοῦ ἐξῆλθον εἰς τὰς ἐπαρχίας τῆς οἰκουμένης καὶ ἐδίδαξαν τὴν ἑκείνου μεγαλωσύνην· καθάπερ εἷς ἐξ αὐτῶν τὰς καθ' ἡμᾶς περιῆλθε χώρας τὸ δόγμα κηρύττων τῆς ἀληθείας. ὅθεν οἱ εἰσέτι διακονοῦντες τῇ δικαιοσύνῃ τοῦ κηρύγματος αὐτῶν καλοῦνται Χριστιανοί. 15.3 καὶ οὗτοί εἰσιν οἱ ὑπὲρ πάντα τὰ ἔθνη τῆς γῆς εὑρόντες τὴν ἀλήθειαν· γινώσκουσι γὰρ τὸν θεὸν κτίστην καὶ δημιουργὸν τῶν ἁπάντων ἐν υἱῷ μονογενεῖ καὶ πνεύματι ἁγίῳ καὶ ἄλλον θεὸν πλὴν τούτου οὐ σέβονται. ἔχουσι τὰς ἐντολὰς αὐτοῦ τοῦ Κυρίου Ἰησοῦ Χριστοῦ ἐν ταῖς καρδίαις κεχαραγμένας, καὶ