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Theophilus of Antioch, Theophilus to Autolycus
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Book I. Chapter I.—Autolycus an Idolater and Scorner of Christians.
Chapter II.—That the Eyes of the Soul Must Be Purged Ere God Can Be Seen.
Chapter IV.—Attributes of God.
Chapter V.—The Invisible God Perceived Through His Works.
Chapter VI.—God is Known by His Works.
Chapter VII.—We Shall See God When We Put on Immortality.
Chapter VIII.—Faith Required in All Matters.
Chapter IX.—Immoralities of the Gods.
Chapter X.—Absurdities of Idolatry.
Chapter XI.—The King to Be Honoured, God to Be Worshipped.
Chapter XII.—Meaning of the Name Christian.
Chapter XIII.—The Resurrection Proved by Examples.
Chapter XIV.—Theophilus an Example of Conversion.
Book II. Chapter I.—Occasion of Writing This Book.
Chapter II.—The Gods are Despised When They are Made But Become Valuable When Bought.
Chapter III.—What Has Become of the Gods?
Chapter IV.—Absurd Opinions of the Philosophers Concerning God.
Chapter V.—Opinions of Homer and Hesiod Concerning the Gods.
Chapter VI.—Hesiod on the Origin of the World.
Chapter VII.—Fabulous Heathen Genealogies.
Chapter VIII.— Opinions Concerning Providence.
Chapter IX.—The Prophets Inspired by the Holy Ghost.
Chapter X.—The World Created by God Through the Word.
Chapter XI.—The Six Days’ Work Described.
Chapter XII.—The Glory of the Six Days’ Work.
Chapter XIII.—Remarks on the Creation of the World.
Chapter XIV.—The World Compared to the Sea.
Chapter XV.—Of the Fourth Day.
Chapter XVI.—Of the Fifth Day.
Chapter XVII.—Of the Sixth Day.
Chapter XVIII.—The Creation of Man.
Chapter XIX.—Man is Placed in Paradise.
Chapter XX.—The Scriptural Account of Paradise.
Chapter XXI.—Of the Fall of Man.
Chapter XXII.—Why God is Said to Have Walked.
Chapter XXIII.—The Truth of the Account in Genesis.
Chapter XXIV.—The Beauty of Paradise.
Chapter XXV.—God Was Justified in Forbidding Man to Eat of the Tree of Knowledge.
Chapter XXVI.—God’s Goodness in Expelling Man from Paradise.
Chapter XXVII.—The Nature of Man.
Chapter XXVIII.—Why Eve Was Formed of Adam’s Rib.
Chapter XXX.—Cain’s Family and Their Inventions.
Chapter XXXI.—The History After the Flood.
Chapter XXXII.—How the Human Race Was Dispersed.
Chapter XXXIII.—Profane History Gives No Account of These Matters.
Chapter XXXIV.—The Prophets Enjoined Holiness of Life.
Chapter XXXV.—Precepts from the Prophetic Books.
Chapter XXXVI.—Prophecies of the Sibyl.
Chapter XXXVII.—The Testimonies of the Poets.
Theophilus to Autolycus. Chapter I.—Autolycus Not Yet Convinced.
Chapter II.—Profane Authors Had No Means of Knowing the Truth.
Chapter III.—Their Contradictions.
Chapter IV.—How Autolycus Had Been Misled by False Accusations Against the Christians.
Chapter V.—Philosophers Inculcate Cannibalism.
Chapter VI.—Other Opinions of the Philosophers.
Chapter VII.—Varying Doctrine Concerning the Gods.
Chapter VIII.—Wickedness Attributed to the Gods by Heathen Writers.
Chapter IX.—Christian Doctrine of God and His Law.
Chapter X.—Of Humanity to Strangers.
Chapter XII.—Of Righteousness.
Chapter XIV.—Of Loving Our Enemies.
Chapter XV.—The Innocence of the Christians Defended.
Chapter XVI.—Uncertain Conjectures of the Philosophers.
Chapter XVII.—Accurate Information of the Christians.
Chapter XVIII.—Errors of the Greeks About the Deluge.
Chapter XIX.—Accurate Account of the Deluge.
Chapter XX.—Antiquity of Moses.
Chapter XXI.—Of Manetho’s Inaccuracy.
Chapter XXII.—Antiquity of the Temple.
Chapter XXIII.—Prophets More Ancient Than Greek Writers.
Chapter XXIV.—Chronology from Adam.
Chapter XXV.—From Saul to the Captivity.
Chapter XXVI.—Contrast Between Hebrew and Greek Writings.
Chapter XXVII.—Roman Chronology to the Death of M. Aurelius.
Chapter XXVIII.—Leading Chronological Epochs.
For, denying that there are gods, they again acknowledge their existence, and they said they committed grossly wicked deeds. And, first, of Jove the poets euphoniously sing the wicked actions. And Chrysippus, who talked a deal of nonsense, is he not found publishing that Juno had the foulest intercourse with Jupiter? For why should I recount the impurities of the so-called mother of the gods, or of Jupiter Latiaris thirsting for human blood, or the castrated Attis; or of Jupiter, surnamed Tragedian, and how he defiled himself, as they say, and now is worshipped among the Romans as a god? I am silent about the temples of Antinous, and of the others whom you call gods. For when related to sensible persons, they excite laughter. They who elaborated such a philosophy regarding either the non-existence of God, or promiscuous intercourse and beastly concubinage, are themselves condemned by their own teachings. Moreover, we find from the writings they composed that the eating of human flesh was received among them; and they record that those whom they honour as gods were the first to do these things.
Ἀρνούμενοι γὰρ θεοὺς εἶναι πάλιν ὁμολογοῦσιν αὐτοί, καὶ τούτους πράξεις ἀθέσμους ἐπιτελεῖν ἔφασαν. καὶ πρώτου γε ∆ιὸς οἱ ποιηταὶ εὐφωνότερον ᾄδουσι τὰς χαλεπὰς πράξεις. Χρύσιππος δέ, ὁ πολλὰ φλυαρήσας, πῶς οὐχὶ εὑρίσκεται σημαίνων τὴν Ἥραν στόματι μιαρῷ συγγίνεσθαι τῷ ∆ιΐ; τί γάρ μοι καταλέγειν τὰς ἀσελγείας τῆς μητρὸς θεῶν λεγομένης ἢ ∆ιὸς τοῦ Λατεαρίου διψῶντος αἵματος ἀνθρωπείου, ἢ Ἄττου τοῦ ἀποκοπτομένου, ἢ ὅτι ὁ Ζεὺς ὁ καλούμενος Τραγῳδός, κατακαύσας τὴν ἑαυτοῦ χεῖρα, ὥς φασιν, νῦν παρὰ Ῥωμαίοις θεὸς τιμᾶται; σιγῶ τὰ Ἀντινόου τεμένη καὶ τὰ τῶν λοιπῶν καλουμένων θεῶν. καὶ γὰρ ἱστορούμενα τοῖς συνετοῖς καταγέλωτα φέρει. Ἤτοι οὖν περὶ ἀθεότητος αὐτοὶ ὑπὸ τῶν ἰδίων δογμάτων ἐλέγχονται οἱ τὰ τοιαῦτα φιλοσοφήσαντες, ἢ καὶ περὶ πολυμιξίας καὶ ἀθέσμου κοινωνίας· ἔτι μὴν καὶ ἀνθρωποβορία παρ' αὐτοῖς εὑρίσκεται δι' ὧν συνέγραψαν γραφῶν, καὶ πρώτους γε οὓς τετιμήκασιν θεοὺς ταῦτα πεπραχότας ἀναγράφουσιν.