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Athenagoras, A Plea for the Christians
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Chapter I.—Injustice Shown Towards the Christians.
Chapter II.—Claim to Be Treated as Others are When Accused.
Chapter III.—Charges Brought Against the Christians.
Chapter IV.—The Christians are Not Atheists, But Acknowledge One Only God.
Chapter V.—Testimony of the Poets to the Unity of God.
Chapter VI.—Opinions of the Philosophers as to the One God.
Chapter VII.—Superiority of the Christian Doctrine Respecting God.
Chapter VIII.—Absurdities of Polytheism.
Chapter IX.—The Testimony of the Prophets.
Chapter X.—The Christians Worship the Father, Son, and Holy Ghost.
Chapter XI.—The Moral Teaching of the Christians Repels the Charge Brought Against Them.
Chapter XII.—Consequent Absurdity of the Charge of Atheism.
Chapter XIII.—Why the Christians Do Not Offer Sacrifices.
Chapter XIV.—Inconsistency of Those Who Accuse the Christians.
Chapter XV.—The Christians Distinguish God from Matter.
Chapter XVI.—The Christians Do Not Worship the Universe.
Chapter XVII.—The Names of the Gods and Their Images are But of Recent Date.
Chapter XVIII.—The Gods Themselves Have Been Created, as the Poets Confess.
Chapter XIX.—The Philosophers Agree with the Poets Respecting the Gods.
Chapter XX.—Absurd Representations of the Gods.
Chapter XXI.—Impure Loves Ascribed to the Gods.
Chapter XXII.—Pretended Symbolical Explanations.
Chapter XXIII.—Opinions of Thales and Plato.
Chapter XXIV.—Concerning the Angels and Giants.
Chapter XXV.—The Poets and Philosophers Have Denied a Divine Providence.
Chapter XXVI.—The Demons Allure Men to the Worship of Images.
Chapter XXVII.—Artifices of the Demons.
Chapter XXVIII.—The Heathen Gods Were Simply Men.
Chapter XXIX.—Proof of the Same from the Poets.
Chapter XXX.—Reasons Why Divinity Has Been Ascribed to Men.
Chapter XXXI.—Confutation of the Other Charges Brought Against the Christians.
Chapter XXXII.—Elevated Morality of the Christians.
Chapter XXXIII.—Chastity of the Christians with Respect to Marriage.
Chapter XXXIV.—The Vast Difference in Morals Between the Christians and Their Accusers.
Chapter XXXV.—The Christians Condemn and Detest All Cruelty.
Chapter XXXVI.—Bearing of the Doctrine of the Resurrection on the Practices of the Christians.
But among the Greeks, also, those who are eminent in poetry and history say the same thing. Thus of Heracles:—
“That lawless wretch, that man of brutal strength, Deaf to Heaven’s voice, the social rite transgressed.”112 Hom., Od., xxi. 28. sq. |
Such being his nature, deservedly did he go mad, and deservedly did he light the funeral pile and burn himself to death. Of Asklepius, Hesiod says:—
“The mighty father both of gods and men Was filled with wrath, and from Olympus’ top With flaming thunderbolt cast down and slew Latona’s well-lov’d son—such was his ire.”113 Hesiod, Frag. |
And Pindar:—
“But even wisdom is ensnared by gain. The brilliant bribe of gold seen in the hand Ev’n him114 i.e., Æsculapius. perverted: therefore Kronos’ son With both hands quickly stopp’d his vital breath, And by a bolt of fire ensured his doom.”115 Pyth., iii. 96 sq. |
Either, therefore, they were gods and did not hanker after gold—
“O gold, the fairest prize to mortal men, Which neither mother equals in delight, Nor children dear”116 Ascribed by Seneca to the Bellerophon of Eurip.— |
for the Deity is in want of nought, and is superior to carnal desire, nor did they die; or, having been born men, they were wicked by reason of ignorance, and overcome by love of money. What more need I say, or refer to Castor, or Pollux, or Amphiaraus, who, having been born, so to speak, only the other day, men of men, are looked upon as gods, when they imagine even Ino after her madness and its consequent sufferings to have become a goddess?
“Sea-rovers will her name Leucothea.”117 From the Ino, a lost play of Eurip. |
And her son:—
“August Palæmon, sailors will invoke.” |
Ἀλλὰ καὶ Ἑλλήνων οἱ περὶ ποίησιν καὶ ἱστορίαν σοφοὶ περὶ μὲν Ἡρακλέους σχέτλιος, οὐδὲ θεῶν ὄπιν ᾐδέσατ' οὐδὲ τράπεζαν τὴν ἥν οἱ παρέθηκεν· ἔπειτα δὲ πέφνε καὶ αὐτόν, Ἴφιτον. τοιοῦτος ὢν εἰκότως μὲν ἐμαίνετο, εἰκότως δὲ ἀνάψας πυρὰν κατέκαυσεν αὑτόν. περὶ δὲ Ἀσκληπιοῦ Ἡσίοδος μέν· “πατὴρ ἀνδρῶν τε θεῶν τε χώσατ', ἀπ' Oὐλύμπου δὲ βαλὼν ψολόεντι κεραυνῷ ἔκτανε Λητοΐδην φίλον σὺν θυμὸν ὀρίνων. Πίνδαρος δέ ἀλλὰ κέρδει καὶ σοφία δέδεται. ἔτραπε κἀκεῖνον ἀγάνορι μισθῷ χρυσὸς ἐν χερσὶ φανείς. χερσὶ δ' ἄρα Κρονίων ·ίψας δι' ἀμφοῖν ἀμπνοὰν στέρνων καθεῖλεν ὠκέως, αἴθων δὲ κεραυνὸς ἐνέσκηψε μόρον. ἢ τοίνυν θεοὶ ἦσαν, καὶ οὔτε αὑτοὺς πρὸς χρυσὸν εἶχον ὦ χρυσέ, δεξίωμα κάλλιστον βροτοῖς, [ὡς] οὔτε μήτηρ ἡδονὰς τοιάσδ' ἔχει, οὐ παῖδες (ἀνεπιδεὲς γὰρ καὶ κρεῖττον ἐπιθυμίας τὸ θεῖον) οὔτε ἀπέθνῃσκον· ἢ ἄνθρωποι γεγονότες καὶ πονηροὶ δι' ἀμαθίαν ἦσαν καὶ χρημάτων ἐλάττους. τί [δεῖ] με πολλὰ λέγειν ἢ Κάστορος ἢ Πολυδεύκους μνημονεύοντα ἢ Ἀμφιάρεω, οἵ, ὡς εἰπεῖν λόγῳ, χθὲς καὶ πρῴην ἄνθρωποι ἐξ ἀνθρώπων γεγονότες θεοὶ νομίζονται, ὁπότε καὶ Ἰνὼ μετὰ τὴν μανίαν καὶ τὰ ἐπὶ τῆς μανίας πάθη θεὸν δοξάζουσι γεγονέναι πόντου πλάνητες Λευκοθέαν ἐπώνυμον καὶ τὸν παῖδα αὐτῆς σεμνὸς Παλαίμων ναυτίλοις κεκλήσεται;