Tatian, Address to the Greeks

Therefore, being initiated and instructed in these things, I wish to put away my former errors as the follies of childhood. For we know that the nature of wickedness is like that of the smallest seeds; since it has waxed strong from a small beginning, but will again be destroyed if we obey the words of God and do not scatter ourselves. For He has become master of all we have by means of a certain “hidden treasure,”79 Comp. Matt. xiii. 44. [Cogent reasoning with Greeks.] which while we are digging for we are indeed covered with dust, but we secure it as our fixed possession. He who receives the whole of this treasure has obtained command of the most precious wealth. Let these things, then, be said to our friends. But to you Greeks what can I say, except to request you not to rail at those who are better than yourselves, nor if they are called Barbarians to make that an occasion of banter? For, if you are willing, you will be able to find out the cause of men’s not being able to understand one another’s language; for to those who wish to examine our principles I will give a simple and copious account of them.

30.1 Τούτων οὖν τὴν κατάληψιν πεποιημένος βούλομαι καθάπερ τὰ νήπια τῶν βρεφῶν *** _ἀ_π_ο_δ_ύ_σ_α_σ_θ_α_ι. τὴν γὰρ τῆς πονηρίας σύστασιν ἐοικυῖαν τῇ τῶν βραχυτάτων σπερμάτων ἴσμεν ἅτε διὰ μικρᾶς ἀφορμῆς τούτου κρατυνθέντος, πάλιν δ' αὖ λυθησομένου, ἡμῶν πειθομένων λόγῳ θεοῦ καὶ μὴ σκορπιζόντων ἑαυτούς. διά τινος γὰρ _ἀ_π_ο_κ_ρ_ύ_φ_ο_υ_ _θ_η_σ_α_υ_ρ_ο_ῦ τῶν ἡμετέρων ἐπεκράτησεν, ὃν ὀρύττοντες κονιορτοῦ μὲν ἡμεῖς ἐνεπλήσθημεν, τούτῳ δὲ τοῦ συνεστάναι τὴν ἀφορμὴν παρέσχομεν. τὸ γὰρ αὑτοῦ πᾶς ὁ ἀποδεχόμενος κτῆμα τοῦ πολυτιμοτέρου πλούτου τὴν ἐξουσίαν ἐχειρώσατο. ταῦτα μὲν οὖν πρὸς τοὺς ἡμῶν οἰκείους εἰρήσθω· πρὸς δὲ ὑμᾶς τοὺς Ἕλληνας τί ἂν ἕτερον ἢ τὸ μὴ τοῖς κρείττοσιν λοιδορεῖσθαι μηδ', εἰ βάρβαροι 30.2 λέγοιντο, ταύτην λαμβάνειν τῆς χλεύης τὴν ἀφορμήν; τοῦ γὰρ πάντας ἀλλήλων ἐπακούειν τῆς διαλέκτου μὴ δύνασθαι τὴν αἰτίαν εὑρεῖν, ἢν ἐθέλητε, δυνήσεσθε· τοῖς ἐξετάζειν γὰρ βουλομένοις τὰ ἡμέτερα ῥᾳδίαν καὶ ἄφθονον ποιήσομαι τὴν διήγησιν.