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| A B C D E F G H I J K L M N O P Q R S T U V W X Y Z |
To theEmperor Titus Ælius Adrianus Antoninus Pius Augustus Cæsar, and to his son Verissimus the Philosopher, and to Lucius the Philosopher, the natural son of Cæsar, and the adopted son ofPius, a lover of learning, and to the sacred Senate, with the whole People of the Romans, I,Justin, the son of Priscus and grandson of Bacchius, natives of Flavia Neapolis in Palestine, present this address and petition on behalf of those of all nations who areunjustlyhated and wantonly abused, myself being one of them.
Reason directs those who aretrulypious andphilosophical tohonour andlove only what istrue, declining to follow traditional opinions, if these be worthless. For not only does sound reason direct us to refuse the guidance of those who did or taught anything wrong, but it is incumbent on the lover oftruth, by all means, and if death be threatened, even before his own life, to choose to do and say what is right. Do you, then, since you are calledpious andphilosophers, guardians ofjustice and lovers of learning, give good heed, and hearken to my address; and if you are indeed such, it will be manifested. For we have come, not to flatter you by this writing, nor please you by our address, but to beg that you pass judgment, after an accurate and searching investigation, not flattered by prejudice or by a desire of pleasing superstitious men, nor induced by irrational impulse orevil rumours which have long been prevalent, to give a decision which will prove to be against yourselves. For as for us, we reckon that noevil can be done us, unless we be convicted as evil-doers or beproved to bewicked men; and you, you can kill, but not hurt us.
But lest any one think that this is an unreasonable and reckless utterance, we demand that the charges against theChristians be investigated, and that, if these be substantiated, they be punished as they deserve; [or rather, indeed, we ourselves will punish them.] But if no one can convict us of anything,true reason forbids you, for the sake of awicked rumour, to wrong blameless men, and indeed rather yourselves, who think fit to direct affairs, not by judgment, but by passion. And every sober-minded person will declare this to be the only fair and equitable adjustment, namely, that the subjects render an unexceptional account of their own life and doctrine; and that, on the other hand, the rulers should give their decision inobedience, not toviolence and tyranny, but topiety andphilosophy. For thus would both rulers and ruled reap benefit. For even one of the ancients somewhere said,Unless both rulers and ruled philosophize, it is impossible to make states blessed.
It is our task, therefore, to afford to all an opportunity of inspecting our life and teachings, lest, on account of those who are accustomed to beignorant of our affairs, we should incur the penalty due to them for mental blindness; and it is your business, when you hear us, to be found, as reason demands, good judges. For if, when you have learned thetruth, you do not what is just, you will be before God without excuse.
By the mere application of a name, nothing is decided, either good orevil, apart from the actions implied in the name; and indeed, so far at least as one may judge from the name we are accused of, we are most excellent people. But as we do not think it just to beg to be acquitted on account of the name, if we be convicted as evil-doers, so, on the other hand, if we be found to have committed no offense, either in the matter of thus naming ourselves, or of our conduct as citizens, it is your part very earnestly to guard against incurringjust punishment, byunjustly punishing those who are not convicted. For from a name neither praise nor punishment could reasonably spring, unless something excellent or base in action beproved. And those among yourselves who are accused you do not punish before they are convicted; but in our case you receive the name asproof against us, and this although, so far as the name goes, you ought rather to punish our accusers. For we are accused of beingChristians, and tohate what isexcellent (Chrestian) isunjust. Again, if any of the accused deny the name, and say that he is not aChristian, you acquit him, as having no evidence against him as a wrong-doer; but if any one acknowledge that he is aChristian, you punish him on account of this acknowledgment. Justice requires that you inquire into the life both of him who confesses and of him who denies, that by hisdeeds it may be apparent what kind of man each is. For as some who have been taught by the Master, Christ, not to deny Him, give encouragement to others when they are put to the question, so in all probability do those who leadwicked lives give occasion to those who, without consideration, take upon them to accuse all theChristians of impiety andwickedness. And this also is not right. For ofphilosophy, too, some assume the name and the garb who do nothing worthy of their profession; and you are well aware, that those of the ancients whose opinions and teachings were quite diverse, are yet all called by the one name ofphilosophers. And of these some taughtatheism; and the poets who have flourished among you raise a laugh out of the uncleanness of Jupiter with his own children. And those who now adopt such instruction are not restrained by you; but, on the contrary, you bestow prizes and honours upon those who euphoniously insult the gods.
Why, then, should this be? In our case, who pledge ourselves to do nowickedness, nor to hold these atheistic opinions, you do not examine the charges made against us; but, yielding to unreasoning passion, and to the instigation ofevildemons, you punish us without consideration or judgment. For thetruth shall be spoken; since of old theseevildemons, effecting apparitions of themselves, both defiledwomen and corrupted boys, and showed such fearful sights tomen, that those who did not use their reason in judging of the actions that were done, were struck with terror; and being carried away byfear, and notknowing that these weredemons, they called them gods, and gave to each the name which each of thedemons chose for himself. And when Socrates endeavoured, bytrue reason and examination, to bring these things to light, and deliver men from thedemons, then thedemons themselves, by means of men who rejoiced in iniquity, compassed his death, as an atheist and a profane person, on the charge thathe was introducing new divinities;
and in our case they display a similar activity. For not only among the Greeks did reason (Logos) prevail to condemn these things through Socrates, but also among the Barbarians were they condemned by Reason (or the Word, theLogos) Himself, who took shape, and became man, and was calledJesus Christ; and inobedience to Him, we not only deny that they who did such things as these are gods, but assert that they arewicked and impiousdemons, whose actions will not bear comparison with those even of men desirous ofvirtue.
Hence are we calledatheists. And we confess that we areatheists, so far as gods of this sort are concerned, but not with respect to the mosttrueGod, the Father of righteousness andtemperance and the othervirtues, who is free from all impurity. But both Him, and the Son (who came forth from Him and taught us these things, and the host of the other goodangels who follow and are made like to Him), and the prophetic Spirit, we worship and adore,knowing them in reason andtruth, and declaring without grudging to every one who wishes to learn, as we have been taught.
But some one will say, Some have ere now been arrested and convicted as evil-doers. For you condemn many, many a time, after inquiring into the life of each of the accused severally, but not on account of those of whom we have been speaking. And this we acknowledge, that as among the Greeks those who teach such theories as please themselves are all called by the one namePhilosopher,
though their doctrines be diverse, so also among the Barbarians this name on which accusations are accumulated is the common property of those who are and those who seem wise. For all are calledChristians. Wherefore we demand that thedeeds of all those who are accused to you be judged, in order that each one who is convicted may be punished as an evil-doer, and not as aChristian; and if it is clear that any one is blameless, that he may be acquitted, since by the mere fact of his being aChristian he does no wrong. For we will not require that you punish our accusers; they being sufficiently punished by their presentwickedness andignorance of what is right.
And reckon that it is for your sakes we have been saying these things; for it is in our power, when we are examined, to deny that we areChristians; but we would not live by telling alie. For, impelled by the desire of theeternal and pure life, we seek the abode that is withGod, the Father and Creator of all, and hasten to confess ourfaith, persuaded and convinced as we are that they who haveproved to God by their works that they followed Him, and loved to abide with Him where there is nosin tocause disturbance, can obtain these things. This, then, to speak shortly, is what we expect and have learned from Christ, and teach. AndPlato, in like manner, used to say that Rhadamanthus and Minos would punish thewicked who came before them; and we say that the same thing will be done, but at the hand ofChrist, and upon thewicked in the same bodies united again to their spirits which are now to undergo everlasting punishment; and not only, asPlato said, for a period of a thousand years. And if any one say that this is incredible or impossible, thiserror of ours is one which concerns ourselves only, and no other person, so long as you cannot convict us of doing any harm.
And neither do wehonour with manysacrifices and garlands of flowers such deities as men have formed and set in shrines and called gods; since we see that these are soulless and dead, and have not the form of God (for we do not consider that God has such a form as some say that they imitate to Hishonour), but have the names and forms of thosewickeddemons which have appeared. For why need we tell you who alreadyknow, into what forms the craftsmen,Isaiah 44:9-20;Jeremiah 10:3. carving and cutting, casting and hammering, fashion the materials? And often out of vessels of dishonour, by merely changing the form, and making an image of the requisite shape, they make what they call a god; which we consider not only senseless, but to be even insulting toGod, who, having ineffableglory and form, thus gets His name attached to things that are corruptible, and require constant service. And that the artificers of these are both intemperate, and, not to enter into particulars, are practised in everyvice, you very wellknow; even their own girls who work along with them they corrupt. What infatuation! That dissolute men should be said to fashion and make gods for your worship, and that you should appoint such men the guardians of the temples where they are enshrined; not recognising that it is unlawful even to think or say that men are the guardians of gods.
But we have received by tradition that God does not need the material offerings which men can give, seeing, indeed, that He Himself is the provider of all things. And we have been taught, and are convinced, and dobelieve, that He accepts those only who imitate the excellences which reside in Him,temperance, andjustice, and philanthropy, and as manyvirtues as are peculiar to a God who is called by no proper name. And we have been taught that He in the beginning did of His goodness, for man's sake, create all things out of unformed matter; and if men by their works show themselves worthy of this His design, they are deemed worthy, and so we have received — of reigning in company with Him, being delivered from corruption and suffering. For as in the beginning He created us when we were not, so do we consider that, in like manner, those who choose what is pleasing to Him are, on account of their choice, deemed worthy of incorruption and of fellowship with Him. For the coming into being at first was not in our own power; and in order that we may follow those things which please Him, choosing them by means of the rational faculties He has Himself endowed us with, He both persuades us and leads us tofaith. And we think it for the advantage of allmen that they are not restrained from learning these things, but are even urged thereto. For the restraint whichhumanlaws could not effect, the Word, inasmuch as He is divine, would have effected, had not thewickeddemons, taking as their ally thelust ofwickedness which is in every man, and which draws variously to all manner ofvice, scattered many false and profane accusations, none of which attach to us.
And when you hear that we look for a kingdom, you suppose, without making any inquiry, that we speak of ahuman kingdom; whereas we speak of that which is withGod, as appears also from the confession of theirfaith made by those who are charged with beingChristians, though theyknow that death is the punishment awarded to him who so confesses. For if we looked for ahuman kingdom, we should also deny our Christ, that we might not be slain; and we should strive to escape detection, that we might obtain what we expect. But since our thoughts are not fixed on the present, we are not concerned when men cut us off; since also death is a debt which must at all events be paid.
And more than all other men are we your helpers and allies in promoting peace, seeing that we hold this view, that it is alike impossible for thewicked, thecovetous, the conspirator, and for thevirtuous, to escape the notice ofGod, and that each man goes to everlasting punishment orsalvation according to the value of his actions. For if allmenknew this, no one would choosewickedness even for a little,knowing that he goes to the everlasting punishment of fire; but would by all means restrain himself, and adorn himself withvirtue, that he might obtain the good gifts ofGod, and escape the punishments. For those who, on account of thelaws and punishments you impose, endeavour to escape detection when they offend (and they offend, too, under the impression that it is quite possible to escape your detection, since you are but men), thosepersons, if they learned and were convinced that nothing, whether actually done or only intended, can escape theknowledge ofGod, would by all means live decently on account of the penalties threatened, as even you yourselves will admit. But you seem tofear lest allmen become righteous, and you no longer have any to punish. Such would be the concern of public executioners, but not of good princes. But, as we before said, we are persuaded that these things are prompted byevil spirits, who demandsacrifices and service even from those who live unreasonably; but as for you, we presume that you who aim at [areputation for]piety andphilosophy will do nothing unreasonable. But if you also, like the foolish, prefer custom totruth, do what you have power to do. But just so much power have rulers who esteem opinion more thantruth, asrobbers have in a desert. And that you will not succeed is declared by the Word, than whom, after God who begot Him, weknow there is no ruler more kingly and just. For as all shrink from succeeding to the poverty or sufferings or obscurity of their fathers, so whatever the Word forbids us to choose, the sensible man will not choose. That all these things should come to pass, I say, our Teacher foretold, He who is both Son and Apostle ofGod the Father of all and the Ruler,Jesus Christ; from whom also we have the name ofChristians. Whence we become more assured of all the things He taught us, since whatever He beforehand foretold should come to pass, is seen in fact coming to pass; and this is the work ofGod, to tell of a thing before it happens, and as it was foretold so to show it happening. It were possible to pause here and add no more, reckoning that we demand what is just andtrue; but because we are well aware that it is not easy suddenly to change amind possessed byignorance, we intend to add a few things, for the sake of persuading those wholove thetruth,knowing that it is not impossible to putignorance to flight by presenting thetruth.
What sober-minded man, then, will not acknowledge that we are notatheists, worshipping as we do the Maker of thisuniverse, and declaring, as we have been taught, that He has no need of streams of blood and libations andincense; whom we praise to the utmost of our power by the exercise ofprayer and thanksgiving for all things wherewith we are supplied, as we have been taught that the onlyhonour that is worthy of Him is not to consume by fire what He has brought into being for our sustenance, but to use it for ourselves and those who need, and with gratitude to Him to offer thanks by invocations andhymns for our creation, and for all the means of health, and for the various qualities of the different kinds of things, and for the changes of the seasons; and to present before Him petitions for our existing again in incorruption throughfaith in Him. Our teacher of these things isJesus Christ, who also was born for this purpose, and was crucified underPontius Pilate,procurator of Judæa, in the times ofTiberius Cæsar; and that we reasonably worship Him, having learned that He is the Son of thetrue God Himself, and holding Him in the second place, and the prophetic Spirit in the third, we will prove. For they proclaim ourmadness to consist in this, that we give to a crucified man a place second to the unchangeable andeternalGod, the Creator of all; for they do not discern themystery that is herein, to which, as we make it plain to you, wepray you to give heed.
For we forewarn you to be on your guard, lest thosedemons whom we have been accusing should deceive you, and quite divert you from reading and understanding what we say. For they strive to hold you their slaves and servants; and sometimes by appearances in dreams, and sometimes by magical impositions, they subdue all who make no strong opposing effort for their ownsalvation. And thus do we also, since our persuasion by the Word, stand aloof from them (i.e., thedemons), and follow the only unbegotten God through His Son — we who formerly delighted in fornication, but now embracechastity alone; we who formerly used magical arts, dedicate ourselves to the good and unbegottenGod; we who valued above all things the acquisition ofwealth and possessions, now bring what we have into a common stock, and communicate to every one in need; we whohated and destroyed one another, and on account of their different manners would not live with men of a different tribe, now, since the coming ofChrist, live familiarly with them, andpray for our enemies, and endeavour to persuade those whohate usunjustly to live conformably to the good precepts ofChrist, to the end that they may become partakers with us of the same joyful hope of a reward from God the ruler of all. But lest we should seem to be reasoning sophistically, we consider it right, before giving you the promised explanation, to cite a few precepts given by Christ Himself. And be it yours, as powerful rulers, to inquire whether we have been taught and do teach these thingstruly. Brief and concise utterances fell from Him, for He was no sophist, but His word was the power ofGod.
Concerningchastity, He uttered such sentiments as these:Whosoever looks upon awoman tolust after her, has committedadultery with her already in his heart before God.
And,If your right eye offend you, cut it out; for it is better for you to enter into thekingdom of heaven with one eye, than, having two eyes, to be cast intoeverlasting fire.
And,Whosoever shall marry her that isdivorced from another husband, commitsadultery.
And,There are some who have been made eunuchs ofmen, and some who were born eunuchs, and some who have made themselves eunuchs for thekingdom of heaven's sake; but all cannot receive this saying.
Matthew 19:12 So that all who, byhuman law, are twice married, are in the eye of our Master sinners, and those who look upon awoman tolust after her. For not only he who in act commitsadultery is rejected by Him, but also he who desires to commitadultery: since not only our works, but also our thoughts, are open before God. And many, both men andwomen, who have been Christ'sdisciples from childhood, remain pure at the age of sixty or seventy years; and I boast that I could produce such from every race of men. For what shall I say, too, of the countless multitude of those who have reformed intemperate habits, and learned these things? For Christ called not the just nor the chaste to repentance, but the ungodly, and the licentious, and theunjust; His words being,I came not to call the righteous, but sinners to repentance.
Matthew 9:13 For the heavenly Father desires rather the repentance than the punishment of the sinner. And of ourlove to all, He taught thus:If youlove them thatlove you, what new thing are you doing? For even fornicators do this. But I say unto you, Pray for your enemies, andlove them thathate you, and bless them that curse you, andpray for them that despitefully use you.
Matthew 5:46, 44;Luke 6:28 And that we should communicate to the needy, and do nothing forglory, He said,Give to him that asks, and from him that would borrow turn not away; for if you lend to them of whom you hope to receive, what new thing are you doing? Even thepublicans do this. Lay not up for yourselves treasure upon earth, where moth and rust does corrupt, and whererobbers break through; but lay up for yourselves treasure in heaven, where neither moth nor rust does corrupt. For what is a man profited, if he shall gain the whole world, and lose his ownsoul? Or what shall a man give in exchange for it? Lay up treasure, therefore, in heaven, where neither moth nor rust does corrupt.
And,Be kind and merciful, as your Father also is kind and merciful, and makes His sun to rise on sinners, and the righteous, and thewicked. Take no thought what you shall eat, or what you shall put on: are you not better than the birds and the beasts? And God feeds them. Take no thought, therefore, what you shall eat, or what you shall put on; for your heavenly Fatherknows that you have need of these things. But seek thekingdom of heaven, and all these things shall be added unto you. For where his treasure is, there also is the mind of aman.
And,Do not these things to be seen of men; otherwise you have no reward from your Father which is in heaven.
Matthew 6:1
And concerning our being patient of injuries, and ready to serve all, and free fromanger, this is what He said:To him that smites you on the one cheek, offer also the other; and him that takes away your cloak or coat, forbid not. And whosoever shall beangry, is in danger of the fire. And every one that compels you to go with him a mile, follow him two. And let your good works shine before men, that they, seeing them, may glorify your Father which is in heaven.
For we ought not to strive; neither has He desired us to be imitators ofwicked men, but He has exhorted us to lead allmen, by patience and gentleness, from shame and thelove ofevil. And this indeed isproved in the case of many who once were of your way of thinking, but have changed their violent and tyrannical disposition, being overcome either by the constancy which they have witnessed in their neighbours' lives, or by the extraordinary forbearance they have observed in their fellow-travellers when defrauded, or by the honesty of those with whom they have transacted business.
And with regard to our not swearing at all, and always speaking thetruth, He enjoined as follows:Swear not at all; but let your yea be yea, and your nay, nay; for whatsoever is more than these comes ofevil.
Matthew 5:34, 27 And that we ought to worship God alone, He thus persuaded us:The greatest commandment is, You shall worship the Lord yourGod, and Him only shall you serve, with all your heart, and with all your strength, the Lord God that made you.
Mark 12:30 And when a certain man came to Him and said,Good Master,
He answered and said,There is none good butGod only, who made all things.
Matthew 19:6, 17 And let those who are not found living as He taught, be understood to be noChristians, even though they profess with the lip the precepts of Christ; for not those who make profession, but those who do the works, shall be saved, according to His word:Not every one who says to Me, Lord, Lord, shall enter into thekingdom of heaven, but he that does thewill of My Father which is in heaven. For whosoever hears Me, and does My sayings, hears Him that sent Me. And many will say unto Me, Lord, Lord, have we not eaten and drunk in Your name, and done wonders? And then will I say unto them, Depart from Me, you workers of iniquity. Then shall there be wailing and gnashing of teeth, when the righteous shall shine as the sun, and thewicked are sent intoeverlasting fire. For many shall come in My name, clothed outwardly in sheep's clothing, but inwardly being ravening wolves. By their works you shallknow them. And every tree that brings not forth good fruit, is hewn down and cast into the fire.
And as to those who are not living pursuant to these His teachings, and areChristians only in name, we demand that all such be punished by you.
And everywhere we, more readily than allmen, endeavour to pay to those appointed by you the taxes both ordinary and extraordinary, as we have been taught by Him; for at that time some came to Him and asked Him, if one ought to pay tribute to Cæsar; and He answered,Tell Me, whose image does the coin bear?
And they said,Cæsar's.
And again He answered them,Render therefore to Cæsar the things that are Cæsar's, and to God the things that are God's.
Whence to God alone we render worship, but in other things we gladly serve you, acknowledging you as kings and rulers ofmen, andpraying that with your kingly power you be found to possess also sound judgment. But if you pay no regard to ourprayers and frank explanations, we shall suffer no loss, since webelieve (or rather, indeed, are persuaded) that every man will suffer punishment ineternal fire according to the merit of his deed, and will render account according to the power he has received fromGod, as Christ intimated when He said,To whomGod has given more, of him shall more be required.
Luke 12:48
For reflect upon the end of each of the preceding kings, how they died the death common to all, which, if it issued in insensibility, would be a godsend to all thewicked. But since sensation remains to all who have ever lived, andeternal punishment is laid up (i.e., for thewicked), see that you neglect not to be convinced, and to hold as your belief, that these things aretrue. For let even necromancy, and the divinations you practise by immaculate children, and the evoking of departedhumansouls, and those who are called among themagi, Dream-senders and Assistant-spirits (Familiars), and all that is done by those who are skilled in such matters — let these persuade you that even after deathsouls are in a state of sensation; and those who are seized and cast about by the spirits of the dead, whom all call dæmoniacs or madmen; and what you repute as oracles, both of Amphilochus, Dodana, Pytho, and as many other such as exist; and the opinions of your authors, Empedocles and Pythagoras,Plato and Socrates, and the pit of Homer, and the descent of Ulysses to inspect these things, and all that has been uttered of a like kind. Such favour as you grant to these, grant also to us, who not less but more firmly than theybelieve inGod; since we expect to receive again our own bodies, though they be dead and cast into the earth, for we maintain that with God nothing is impossible.
And to any thoughtful person would anything appear more incredible, than, if we were not in the body, and some one were to say that it was possible that from a small drop ofhuman seed bones and sinews and flesh be formed into a shape such as we see? For let this now be said hypothetically: if you yourselves were not such as you now are, and born of suchparents [and causes], and one were to show youhuman seed and a picture of aman, and were to say with confidence that from such a substance such a being could be produced, would youbelieve before you saw the actual production? No one will dare to deny [that such a statement would surpass belief]. In the same way, then, you are now incredulous because you have never seen a dead man rise again. But as at first you would not havebelieved it possible that suchpersons could be produced from the small drop, and yet now you see them thus produced, so also judge that it is not impossible that the bodies ofmen, after they have been dissolved, and like seeds resolved into earth, should in God's appointed time rise again and put on incorruption. For what power worthy of God thoseimagine who say, that each thing returns to that from which it was produced, and that beyond this not even God Himself can do anything, we are unable to conceive; but this we see clearly, that they would not havebelieved it possible that they could have become such and produced from such materials, as they now see both themselves and the whole world to be. And that it is better tobelieve even what is impossible to our own nature and tomen, than to be unbelieving like the rest of the world, we have learned; for weknow that our MasterJesus Christ said, thatwhat is impossible with men is possible withGod,
Matthew 19:26 and,Fear not them that kill you, and after that can do no more; butfear Him who after death is able to cast bothsoul and body intohell.
Matthew 10:28 Andhell is a place where those are to be punished who have lived wickedly, and who do notbelieve that those things whichGod has taught us by Christ will come to pass.
And the Sibyl and Hystaspes said that there should be a dissolution byGod of things corruptible. And thephilosophers calledStoics teach that even God Himself shall be resolved into fire, and they say that the world is to be formed anew by this revolution; but we understand thatGod, the Creator of all things, is superior to the things that are to be changed. If, therefore, on some points we teach the same things as the poets andphilosophers whom youhonour, and on other points are fuller and more divine in our teaching, and if we alone affordproof of what we assert, why are weunjustlyhated more than all others? For while we say that all things have been produced and arranged into a world byGod, we shall seem to utter the doctrine ofPlato; and while we say that there will be a burning up of all, we shall seem to utter the doctrine of theStoics: and while we affirm that thesouls of thewicked, being endowed with sensation even after death, are punished, and that those of the good being delivered from punishment spend a blessedexistence, we shall seem to say the same things as the poets andphilosophers; and while we maintain that men ought not to worship the works of their hands, we say the very things which have been said by the comic poet Menander, and other similar writers, for they have declared that the workman is greater than the work.
And when we say also that the Word, who is the first-birth ofGod, was produced without sexual union, and that He,Jesus Christ, our Teacher, was crucified and died, and rose again, and ascended into heaven, we propound nothing different from what youbelieve regarding those whom you esteem sons of Jupiter. For youknow how many sons your esteemed writers ascribed to Jupiter: Mercury, the interpreting word and teacher of all; Æsculapius, who, though he was a great physician, was struck by a thunderbolt, and so ascended to heaven; and Bacchus too, after he had been torn limb from limb; and Hercules, when he had committed himself to the flames to escape his toils; and the sons of Leda, and Dioscuri; and Perseus, son of Danae; and Bellerophon, who, though sprung from mortals, rose to heaven on the horse Pegasus. For what shall I say of Ariadne, and those who, like her, have been declared to be set among the stars? And what of the emperors who die among yourselves, whom you deem worthy of deification, and in whose behalf you produce some one who swears he has seen the burning Cæsar rise to heaven from the funeral pyre? And what kind ofdeeds are recorded of each of these reputed sons of Jupiter, it is needless to tell to those who alreadyknow. This only shall be said, that they are written for the advantage and encouragement of youthful scholars; for all reckon it anhonourable thing to imitate the gods. But far be such a thought concerning the gods from every well-conditionedsoul, as tobelieve that Jupiter himself, the governor and creator of all things, was both a parricide and the son of a parricide, and that being overcome by thelove of base and shameful pleasures, he came in to Ganymede and those manywomen whom he had violated and that his sons did like actions. But, as we said above,wicked devils perpetrated these things. And we have learned that those only are deified who have lived near toGod inholiness andvirtue; and webelieve that those who live wickedly and do not repent are punished ineverlasting fire.
Moreover, theSon of God calledJesus, even if only a man by ordinary generation, yet, on account of His wisdom, is worthy to be called theSon of God; for all writers callGod the Father ofmen and gods. And if we assert that theWord of God was born ofGod in a peculiar manner, different from ordinary generation, let this, as said above, be no extraordinary thing to you, who say that Mercury is the angelic word ofGod. But if any one objects that He was crucified, in this also He is on a par with those reputed sons of Jupiter of yours, who suffered as we have now enumerated. For their sufferings at death are recorded to have been not all alike, but diverse; so that not even by the peculiarity of His sufferings does He seem to be inferior to them; but, on the contrary, as we promised in the preceding part of this discourse, we will now prove Him superior — or rather have alreadyproved Him to be so — for the superior is revealed by His actions. And if we even affirm that He was born of avirgin, accept this in common with what you accept of Perseus. And in that we say that He made whole the lame, the paralytic, and those born blind, we seem to say what is very similar to thedeeds said to have been done by Æsculapius.
And that this may now become evident to you — (firstly ) that whatever we assert in conformity with what has been taught us by Christ, and by theprophets who preceded Him, are alonetrue, and are older than all the writers who haveexisted; that we claim to be acknowledged, not because we say the same things as these writers said, but because we saytrue things: and (secondly) thatJesus Christ is the only proper Son who has been begotten byGod, being His Word and first-begotten, and power; and, becoming man according to Hiswill, He taught us these things for the conversion and restoration of thehuman race: and (thirdly) that before He became a man amongmen, some, influenced by thedemons before mentioned, related beforehand, through the instrumentality of the poets, those circumstances as having really happened, which, having fictitiously devised, they narrated, in the same manner as they have caused to be fabricated the scandalous reports against us ofinfamous and impious actions, of which there is neitherwitness norproof— we shall bring forward the followingproof.
In the first place [we furnishproof], because, though we say things similar to what the Greeks say, we only arehated on account of the name ofChrist, and though we do no wrong, areput to death as sinners; other men in other places worshipping trees and rivers, and mice and cats and crocodiles, and many irrational animals. Nor are the same animals esteemed by all; but in one place one is worshipped, and another in another, so that all are profane in the judgment of one another, on account of their not worshipping the same objects. And this is the sole accusation you bring against us, that we do not reverence the same gods as you do, nor offer to the dead libations and the savour of fat, and crowns for theirstatues, andsacrifices. For you very wellknow that the same animals are with some esteemed gods, with others wild beasts, and with others sacrificial victims.
And, secondly, because we — who, out of every race ofmen, used to worship Bacchus the son of Semele, and Apollo the son of Latona (who in their loves with men did such things as it is shameful even to mention), and Proserpine and Venus (who were maddened withlove of Adonis, and whosemysteries also you celebrate), or Æsculapius, or some one or other of those who are called gods — have now, throughJesus Christ, learned to despise these, though we be threatened with death for it, and have dedicated ourselves to the unbegotten and impassibleGod; of whom we are persuaded that never was he goaded bylust of Antiope, or such otherwomen, or of Ganymede, nor was rescued by that hundred-handed giant whose aid was obtained through Thetis, nor was anxious on this account that her son Achilles should destroy many of the Greeks because of his concubine Briseis. Those whobelieve these things we pity, and those who invented them weknow to be devils.
And, thirdly, because after Christ's ascension into heaven the devils put forward certain men who said that they themselves were gods; and they were not only notpersecuted by you, but even deemed worthy of honours. There was aSamaritan, Simon, a native of the village called Gitto, who in the reign of Claudius Cæsar, and in your royal city ofRome, did mighty acts of magic, by virtue of the art of the devils operating in him. He was considered a god, and as a god was honoured by you with astatue, whichstatue was erected on the river Tiber, between the two bridges, and bore this inscription, in the language of Rome: —Simoni Deo Sancto,
To Simon theholy God.
And almost all theSamaritans, and a few even of other nations, worship him, and acknowledge him as the first god; and awoman, Helena, who went about with him at that time, and had formerly been a prostitute, they say is the first idea generated by him. And aman, Menander, also aSamaritan, of the town Capparetæa, adisciple of Simon, and inspired by devils, weknow to have deceived many while he was inAntioch by his magical art. He persuaded those who adhered to him that they should never die, and even now there are some living who hold this opinion of his. And there isMarcion, a man ofPontus, who is even at this day alive, and teaching hisdisciples tobelieve in some other god greater than the Creator. And he, by the aid of the devils, has caused many of every nation to speakblasphemies, and to deny that God is the maker of thisuniverse, and to assert that some other being, greater than He, has done greater works. All who take their opinions from these men, are, as we before said, calledChristians; just as also those who do not agree with thephilosophers in their doctrines, have yet in common with them the name ofphilosophers given to them. And whether they perpetrate those fabulous and shamefuldeeds — the upsetting of the lamp, and promiscuous intercourse, and eatinghuman flesh — weknow not; but we doknow that they are neitherpersecuted norput to death by you, at least on account of their opinions. But I have a treatise against all theheresies that haveexisted already composed, which, if you wish to read it, I will give you.
But as for us, we have been taught that to expose newly-born children is the part ofwicked men; and this we have been taught lest we should do any one an injury, and lest we shouldsin againstGod, first, because we see that almost all so exposed (not only the girls, but also the males) are brought up to prostitution. And as the ancients are said to have reared herds of oxen, or goats, or sheep, or grazing horses, so now we see you rear children only for this shameful use; and for this pollution a multitude offemales and hermaphrodites, and those who commit unmentionable iniquities, are found in every nation. And you receive the hire of these, and duty and taxes from them, whom you ought to exterminate from your realm. And any one who uses suchpersons, besides the godless andinfamous and impure intercourse, may possibly be having intercourse with his own child, or relative, or brother. And there are some who prostitute even their own children and wives, and some are openly mutilated for the purpose of sodomy; and they refer thesemysteries to the mother of the gods, and along with each of those whom you esteem gods there is painted a serpent, a greatsymbol andmystery. Indeed, the things which you do openly and with applause, as if the divine light were overturned and extinguished, these you lay to our charge; which, intruth, does no harm to us who shrink from doing any such things, but only to those who do them and bear falsewitness against us.
For among us the prince of thewicked spirits is called the serpent, andSatan, and thedevil, as you can learn by looking into our writings. And that he would be sent into the fire with his host, and the men who follow him, and would be punished for an endless duration, Christ foretold. For the reason why God has delayed to do this, is His regard for thehuman race. For He foreknows that some are to be saved by repentance, some even that are perhaps not yet born. In the beginning He made thehuman race with the power of thought and of choosing thetruth and doing right, so that allmen are without excuse beforeGod; for they have been born rational and contemplative. And if any one disbelieves that God cares for these things, he will thereby either insinuate that God does not exist, or he will assert that though He exists He delights invice, or exists like a stone, and that neithervirtue norvice are anything, but only in the opinion of men these things are reckoned good orevil. And this is the greatest profanity andwickedness.
And again [wefear to expose children], lest some of them be not picked up, but die, and we become murderers. But whether we marry, it is only that we may bring up children; or whether we decline marriage, we live continently. And that you may understand that promiscuous intercourse is not one of ourmysteries, one of our number a short time ago presented to Felix the governor inAlexandria a petition, craving that permission might be given to a surgeon to make him an eunuch. For the surgeons there said that they were forbidden to do this without the permission of the governor. And when Felix absolutely refused to sign such a permission, the youth remained single, and was satisfied with his own approvingconscience, and the approval of those who thought as he did. And it is not out of place, we think, to mention here Antinous, who was alive but lately, and whom all were prompt, throughfear, to worship as a god, though theyknew both who he was and what was his origin.
But lest any one should meet us with the question, What should prevent that He whom we call Christ, being a man born ofmen, performed what we call His mighty works by magical art, and by this appeared to be theSon of God? We will now offerproof, not trusting mere assertions, but being of necessity persuaded by those who prophesied [of Him] before these things came to pass, for with our own eyes we behold things that have happened and are happening just as they were predicted; and this will, we think appear even to you the strongest and truest evidence.
There were, then, among theJews certain men who wereprophets ofGod, through whom the prophetic Spirit published beforehand things that were to come to pass, ere ever they happened. And their prophecies, as they were spoken and when they were uttered, the kings who happened to be reigning among theJews at the several times carefully preserved in their possession, when they had been arranged in books by theprophets themselves in their own Hebrew language. And when Ptolemy king ofEgypt formed alibrary, and endeavoured to collect the writings of allmen, he heard also of theseprophets, and sent toHerod, who was at that time king of theJews, requesting that the books of theprophets be sent to him. AndHerod the king did indeed send them, written, as they were, in the foresaid Hebrew language. And when their contents were found to be unintelligible to theEgyptians, he again sent and requested that men be commissioned to translate them into the Greek language. And when this was done, the books remained with theEgyptians, where they are until now. They are also in the possession of allJews throughout the world; but they, though they read, do not understand what is said, but count us foes and enemies; and, like yourselves, they kill and punish us whenever they have the power, as you can wellbelieve. For in the Jewishwar which lately raged, Barchochebas, the leader of the revolt of theJews, gave orders thatChristians alone should be led to cruel punishments, unless they would denyJesus Christ and utterblasphemy. In these books, then, of theprophets we found Jesus our Christ foretold as coming, born of avirgin, growing up to man's estate, and healing every disease and every sickness, and raising the dead, and beinghated, and unrecognised, and crucified, and dying, and rising again, and ascending into heaven, and being, and being called, theSon of God. We find it also predicted that certainpersons should be sent by Him into every nation to publish these things, and that rather among theGentiles [than among theJews] men shouldbelieve in Him. And He was predicted before He appeared, first 5000 years before, and again 3000, then 2000, then 1000, and yet again 800; for in the succession of generationsprophets afterprophets arose.
Moses then, who was the first of theprophets, spoke in these very words:The sceptre shall not depart from Judah, nor a lawgiver from between his feet, until He come for whom it is reserved; and He shall be the desire of thenations, binding His foal to the vine, washing His robe in the blood of the grape.
Genesis 49:10 It is yours to make accurate inquiry, and ascertain up to whose time theJews had a lawgiver and king of their own. Up to the time ofJesus Christ, who taught us, and interpreted the prophecies which were not yet understood, [they had a lawgiver] as was foretold by theholy and divine Spirit ofprophecy throughMoses,that a ruler would not fail theJews until He should come for whom the kingdom was reserved
(for Judah was the forefather of theJews, from whom also they have their name ofJews); and after He (i.e., Christ) appeared, you began to rule theJews, and gained possession of all their territory. And theprophecy,He shall be the expectation of thenations,
signified that there would be some of all nations who should look for Him to come again. And this indeed you can see for yourselves, and be convinced of by fact. For of all races of men there are some who look for Him who was crucified in Judæa, and after whose crucifixion the land was straightway surrendered to you as spoil ofwar. And theprophecy,binding His foal to the vine, and washing His robe in the blood of the grape,
was a significantsymbol of the things that were to happen toChrist, and of what He was to do. For the foal of an ass stood bound to a vine at the entrance of a village, and He ordered His acquaintances to bring it to Him then; and when it was brought, He mounted and sat upon it, and entered Jerusalem, where was the vast temple of theJews which was afterwards destroyed by you. And after this He was crucified, that the rest of theprophecy might be fulfilled. For thiswashing His robe in the blood of the grape
was predictive of the passion He was to endure, cleansing by His blood those whobelieve in Him. For what is called by the Divine Spirit through theprophetHis robe,
are those men whobelieve in Him in whom abides the seed ofGod, the Word. And what is spoken of asthe blood of the grape,
signifies that He who should appear would have blood, though not of the seed ofman, but of the power ofGod. And the first power afterGod the Father and Lord of all is the Word, who is also the Son; and of Him we will, in what follows, relate how He took flesh and became man. For as man did not make the blood of the vine, butGod, so it was hereby intimated that the blood should not be ofhuman seed, but of divine power, as we have said above. And Isaiah, anotherprophet, foretelling the same things in other words, spoke thus: A star shall rise out of Jacob, and a flower shall spring from the root of Jesse; and His arm shall the nations trust.Isaiah 11:1 And a star of light has arisen, and a flower has sprung from the root of Jesse — this Christ. For by the power of God He was conceived by avirgin of the seed of Jacob, who was the father of Judah, who, as we have shown, was the father of theJews; and Jesse was His forefather according to the oracle, and He was the son of Jacob and Judah according to lineal descent.
And hear again how Isaiah in express words foretold that He should be born of avirgin; for he spoke thus:Behold, avirgin shall conceive, and bring forth a son, and they shall say for His name, 'God with us.'
Isaiah 7:14 For things which were incredible and seemed impossible with men, these God predicted by the Spirit ofprophecy as about to come to pass, in order that, when they came to pass, there might be no unbelief, butfaith, because of their prediction. But lest some, not understanding theprophecy now cited, should charge us with the very things we have been laying to the charge of the poets who say that Jupiter went in towomen throughlust, let us try to explain the words. This, then,Behold, avirgin shall conceive,
signifies that avirgin should conceive without intercourse. For if she had had intercourse with any one whatever, she was no longer avirgin; but the power of God having come upon the virgin, overshadowed her, and caused her while yet avirgin to conceive. And theangel of God who was sent to the same virgin at that time brought her good news, saying,Behold, you shall conceive of theHoly Ghost, and shall bear a Son, and He shall be called the Son of the Highest, and you shall call His name Jesus; for He shall save His people from theirsins,
Luke 1:32;Matthew 1:21 — as they who have recorded all that concerns our SaviourJesus Christ have taught, whom webelieved, since by Isaiah also, whom we have now adduced, the Spirit ofprophecy declared that He should be born as we intimated before. It is wrong, therefore, to understand the Spirit and the power of God as anything else than the Word, who is also thefirst-born ofGod, as the foresaidprophetMoses declared; and it was this which, when it came upon the virgin and overshadowed her, caused her to conceive, not by intercourse, but by power. And the name Jesus in the Hebrew language meansΣωτήρ (Saviour) in the Greek tongue. Wherefore, too, theangel said to the virgin,You shall call His name Jesus, for He shall save His people from theirsins.
And that theprophets are inspired by no other than the Divine Word, even you, as I fancy, will grant.
And hear what part of earth He was to be born in, as anotherprophet, Micah, foretold. He spoke thus:And you,Bethlehem, the land of Judah, are not the least among the princes of Judah; for out of you shall come forth a Governor, who shall feed My people.
Micah 5:2 Now there is a village in the land of theJews, thirty-five stadia from Jerusalem, in whichJesus Christ was born, as you can ascertain also from the registers of the taxing made under Cyrenius, your firstprocurator in Judæa.
And how Christ after He was born was to escape the notice of other men until He grew to man's estate, which also came to pass, hear what was foretold regarding this. There are the following predictions: —Unto us a child is born, and unto us a young man is given, and the government shall be upon His shoulders;
Isaiah 9:6 which is significant of the power of thecross, for to it, when He was crucified, He applied His shoulders, as shall be more clearly made out in the ensuing discourse. And again the sameprophet Isaiah, being inspired by the prophetic Spirit, said,I have spread out my hands to a disobedient and gainsaying people, to those who walk in a way that is not good. They now ask of me judgment, and dare to draw near toGod.
Isaiah 65:2, Isaiah 58:2 And again in other words, through anotherprophet, He says,They pierced My hands and My feet, and for My vesture they cast lots.
And indeed David, the king andprophet, who uttered these things, suffered none of them; butJesus Christ stretched forth His hands, being crucified by theJews speaking against Him, and denying that He was the Christ. And as theprophet spoke, they tormented Him, and set Him on the judgment-seat, and said, Judge us. And the expression,They pierced my hands and my feet,
was used in reference to the nails of the cross which were fixed in His hands and feet. And after He was crucified they cast lots upon His vesture, and they that crucified Him parted it among them. And that these things did happen, you can ascertain from the Acts ofPontius Pilate. And we will cite the prophetic utterances of anotherprophet, Zephaniah, to the effect that He was foretold expressly as to sit upon the foal of an ass and to enter Jerusalem. The words are these:Rejoice greatly, O daughter of Zion; shout, O daughter of Jerusalem: behold, your King comes unto you; lowly, and riding upon an ass, and upon a colt the foal of an ass.
Zechariah 9:9
But when you hear the utterances of theprophets spoken as it were personally, you must not suppose that they are spoken by the inspired themselves, but by the Divine Word who moves them. For sometimes He declares things that are to come to pass, in the manner of one who foretells the future; sometimes He speaks as from the person of God the Lord and Father of all; sometimes as from the person of Christ; sometimes as from the person of the people answering the Lord or His Father, just as you can see even in your own writers, one man being the writer of the whole, but introducing thepersons who converse. And this theJews who possessed the books of theprophets did not understand, and therefore did not recognise Christ even when He came, but evenhate us who say that He has come, and who prove that, as was predicted, He was crucified by them.
And that this too may be clear to you, there were spoken from the person of the Father throughIsaiah the Prophet, the following words:The oxknows his owner, and the ass his master's crib; butIsrael does notknow, and My people has not understood. Woe,sinful nation, a people full ofsins, awicked seed, children that are transgressors, you have forsaken the Lord.
And again elsewhere, when the sameprophet speaks in like manner from the person of theFather,What is the house that you will build for Me? Says the Lord. The heaven is My throne, and the earth is My footstool.
Isaiah 66:1 And again, in another place,Your new moons and your sabbaths Mysoulhates; and the great day of the fast and of ceasing from labour I cannot away with; nor, if you come to be seen of Me, will I hear you: your hands are full of blood; and if you bring fine flour,incense, it is abomination unto Me: the fat of lambs and the blood of bulls I do not desire. For who has required this at your hands? But loose every bond ofwickedness, tear asunder the tight knots of violent contracts, cover the houseless and naked, deal your bread to the hungry.
Isaiah 1:14, Isaiah 58:6 What kind of things are taught through theprophets from [the person of]God, you can now perceive.
And when the Spirit ofprophecy speaks from the person ofChrist, the utterances are of this sort:I have spread out My hands to a disobedient and gainsaying people, to those who walk in a way that is not good.
Isaiah 65:2 And again:I gave My back to the scourges, and My cheeks to the buffetings; I turned not away My face from the shame of spittings; and the Lord was My helper: therefore was I not confounded: but I set My face as a firm rock; and Iknew that I should not be ashamed, for He is near that justifies Me.
Isaiah 50:6 And again, when He says,They cast lots upon My vesture, and pierced My hands and My feet. And I lay down and slept, and rose again, because the Lord sustained Me.
And again, when He says,They spoke with their lips, they wagged the head, saying, Let Him deliver Himself.
And that all these things happened to Christ at the hands of theJews, you can ascertain. For when He was crucified, they did shoot out the lip, and wagged their heads, saying,Let Him who raised the dead save Himself.
Matthew 27:39
And when the Spirit ofprophecy speaks as predicting things that are to come to pass, He speaks in this way:For out of Zion shall go forth the law, and the word of the Lord from Jerusalem. And He shall judge among thenations, and shall rebuke many people; and they shall beat their swords into ploughshares, and their spears into pruning-hooks: nation shall not lift up sword against nation, neither shall they learnwar any more.
Isaiah 2:3 And that it did so come to pass, we can convince you. For from Jerusalem there went out into the world, men, twelve in number, and these illiterate, of no ability in speaking: but by the power of God they proclaimed to every race of men that they were sent by Christ to teach to all the word ofGod; and we who formerly used tomurder one another do not only now refrain from makingwar upon our enemies, but also, that we may not lie nor deceive our examiners, willingly die confessing Christ. For that saying,The tongue hassworn but the mind is unsworn,
might be imitated by us in this matter. But if the soldiers enrolled by you, and who have taken the militaryoath, prefer their allegiance to their own life, andparents, and country, and all kindred, though you can offer them nothing incorruptible, it were verily ridiculous if we, who earnestly long for incorruption, should not endure all things, in order to obtain what we desire from Him who is able to grant it.
And hear how it was foretold concerning those who published His doctrine and proclaimed His appearance, the above-mentionedprophet and king speaking thus by the Spirit ofprophecyDay unto day utters speech, and night unto night showsknowledge. There is no speech nor language where their voice is not heard. Their voice has gone out into all the earth, and their words to the ends of the world. In the sun has He set His tabernacle, and he as a bridegroom going out of his chamber shallrejoice as a giant to run his course.
And we have thought it right and relevant to mention some other prophetic utterances of David besides these; from which you may learn how the Spirit ofprophecy exhorts men to live, and how He foretold the conspiracy which was formed against Christ byHerod the king of theJews, and theJews themselves, andPilate, who was your governor among them, with his soldiers; and how He should bebelieved on by men of every race; and how God calls Him His Son, and has declared that He will subdue all His enemies under Him; and how the devils, as much as they can, strive to escape the power ofGod the Father and Lord of all, and the power of Christ Himself; and how God calls all to repentance before the day of judgment comes. These things were uttered thus:Blessed is the man who has not walked in the counsel of the ungodly, nor stood in the way of sinners, nor sat in the seat of the scornful: but his delight is in the law of the Lord; and in His law will he meditate day and night. And he shall be like a tree planted by the rivers of waters, which shall give his fruit in his season; and his leaf shall not wither, and whatsoever he does shall prosper. The ungodly are not so, but are like the chaff which the wind drives away from the face of the earth. Therefore the ungodly shall not stand in the judgment, nor sinners in the council of the righteous. For the Lordknows the way of the righteous; but the way of the ungodly shall perish. Why do theheathen rage, and the peopleimagine new things? The kings of the earth set themselves, and the rulers take counsel together, against the Lord, and against His Anointed, saying, Let us break their bands asunder, and cast their yoke from us. He that dwells in the heavens shall laugh at them, and the Lord shall have them in derision. Then shall He speak to them in Hiswrath, and vex them in His sore displeasure. Yet have I been set by Him a King on Zion Hisholy hill, declaring the decree of the Lord. The Lord said to Me, You are My Son; this day have I begotten You. Ask of Me, and I shall give You theheathen for Your inheritance, and the uttermost parts of the earth as Your possession. You shall herd them with a rod of iron; as the vessels of a potter shall You dash them in pieces. Be wise now, therefore, O you kings; be instructed, all you judges of the earth. Serve the Lord withfear, andrejoice with trembling. Embrace instruction, lest at any time the Lord beangry, and you perish from the right way, when Hiswrath has been suddenly kindled. Blessed are all they that put their trust in Him.
And again, in anotherprophecy, the Spirit ofprophecy, through the same David, intimated thatChrist, after He had been crucified, should reign, and spoke as follows:Sing to the Lord, all the earth, and day by day declare Hissalvation. For great is the Lord, and greatly to be praised, to be feared above all the gods. For all the gods of the nations areidols of devils; but God made the heavens. Glory and praise are before His face, strength and glorying are in the habitation of Hisholiness. Give Glory to the Lord, the Father everlasting. Receivegrace, and enter His presence, and worship in Hisholy courts. Let all the earthfear before His face; let it be established, and not shaken. Let themrejoice among the nations. The Lord has reigned from the tree.
But when the Spirit ofprophecy speaks of things that are about to come to pass as if they had already taken place, — as may be observed even in the passages already cited by me, — that this circumstance may afford no excuse to readers [for misinterpreting them], we will make even this also quite plain. The things which He absolutelyknows will take place, He predicts as if already they had taken place. And that the utterances must be thus received, you will perceive, if you give your attention to them. The words cited above, David uttered 1500 years before Christ became a man and was crucified; and no one of those who lived before Him, nor yet of His contemporaries, affordedjoy to theGentiles by being crucified. But ourJesus Christ, being crucified and dead, rose again, and having ascended to heaven, reigned; and by those things which were published in His name among all nations by theapostles, there isjoy afforded to those who expect theimmortality promised by Him.
But lest some suppose, from what has been said by us, that we say that whatever happens, happens by a fatal necessity, because it is foretold asknown beforehand, this too we explain. We have learned from theprophets, and we hold it to betrue, that punishments, and chastisements, and good rewards, are rendered according to the merit of each man's actions. Since if it be not so, but all things happen byfate, neither is anything at all in our own power. For if it be fated that this man, e.g., be good, and this otherevil, neither is the former meritorious nor the latter to be blamed. And again, unless thehuman race have the power of avoidingevil and choosing good by free choice, they are not accountable for their actions, of whatever kind they be. But that it is by free choice they both walk uprightly and stumble, we thus demonstrate. We see the same man making a transition to opposite things. Now, if it had been fated that he were to be either good or bad, he could never have been capable of both the opposites, nor of so many transitions. But not even would some be good and others bad, since we thus makefate thecause ofevil, and exhibit her as acting in opposition to herself; or that which has been already stated would seem to betrue, that neithervirtue norvice is anything, but that things are only reckoned good orevil by opinion; which, as thetrue word shows, is the greatest impiety andwickedness. But this we assert is inevitablefate, that they who choose the good have worthy rewards, and they who choose the opposite have their merited awards. For not like other things, as trees and quadrupeds, which cannot act by choice, did God make man: for neither would he be worthy of reward or praise did he not of himself choose thegood, but were created for this end; nor, if he wereevil, would he be worthy of punishment, not beingevil of himself, but being able to be nothing else than what he was made.
And theholy Spirit ofprophecy taught us this, telling us byMoses that God spoke thus to the man first created:Behold, before your face are good andevil: choose the good.
And again, by the otherprophet Isaiah, that the following utterance was made as if fromGod the Father and Lord of all:Wash you, make you clean; put awayevils from yoursouls; learn to do well; judge the orphan, and plead for thewidow: and come and let us reason together, says the Lord: And if yoursins be as scarlet, I will make them white as wool; and if they be red like as crimson, I will make them white as snow. And if you be willing andobey Me, you shall eat the good of the land; but if you do notobey Me, the sword shall devour you: for the mouth of the Lord has spoken it.
Isaiah 1:16, etc. And that expression,The sword shall devour you,
does not mean that the disobedient shall be slain by the sword, but the sword of God is fire, of which they who choose to do wickedly become the fuel. Wherefore He says,The sword shall devour you: for the mouth of the Lord has spoken it.
And if He had spoken concerning a sword that cuts and at once dispatches, He would not have said, shalldevour. And so, too,Plato, when he says,The blame is his who chooses, and God is blameless,
took this from theprophetMoses and uttered it. ForMoses is more ancient than all the Greek writers. And whatever bothphilosophers and poets have said concerning theimmortality of thesoul, or punishments after death, orcontemplation of things heavenly, or doctrines of the like kind, they have received such suggestions from theprophets as have enabled them to understand and interpret these things. And hence there seem to be seeds oftruth among allmen; but they are charged with not accurately understanding [thetruth] when they assert contradictories. So that what we say about future events being foretold, we do not say it as if they came about by a fatal necessity; but God foreknowing all that shall be done by allmen, and it being His decree that the future actions of men shall all be recompensed according to their several value, He foretells by the Spirit ofprophecy that He will bestow meet rewards according to the merit of the actions done, always urging thehuman race to effort and recollection, showing that He cares and provides for men. But by the agency of the devils death has been decreed against those who read the books of Hystaspes, or of the Sibyl, or of theprophets, that throughfear they may prevent men who read them from receiving theknowledge of thegood, and may retain them in slavery to themselves; which, however, they could not always effect. For not only do we fearlessly read them, but, as you see, bring them for your inspection,knowing that their contents will be pleasing to all. And if we persuade even a few, our gain will be very great; for, as good husbandmen, we shall receive the reward from the Master.
And thatGod the Father of all would bring Christ to heaven after He had raised Him from the dead, and would keep Him there until He has subdued His enemies the devils, and until the number of those who are foreknown by Him as good andvirtuous is complete, on whose account He has still delayed the consummation — hear what was said by theprophet David. These are his words:The Lord said to My Lord, Sit at My right hand, until I make Your enemies Your footstool. The Lord shall send to You the rod of power out of Jerusalem; and rule You in the midst of Your enemies. With You is the government in the day of Your power, in the beauties of Yoursaints: from the womb of morning have I begotten You.
That which he says,He shall send to You the rod of power out of Jerusalem,
is predictive of the mighty word, which Hisapostles, going forth from Jerusalem, preached everywhere; and though death is decreed against those who teach or at all confess the name ofChrist, we everywhere both embrace and teach it. And if you also read these words in a hostile spirit, you can do no more, as I said before, than kill us; which indeed does no harm to us, but to you and all whounjustlyhate us, and do not repent, bringseternal punishment by fire.
But lest some should, without reason, and for the perversion of what we teach, maintain that we say that Christ was born one hundred and fifty years ago under Cyrenius, and subsequently, in the time ofPontius Pilate, taught what we say He taught; and should cry out against us as though allmen who were born before Him were irresponsible — let us anticipate and solve the difficulty. We have been taught thatChrist is thefirst-born ofGod, and we have declared above that He is the Word of whom every race of men were partakers; and those who lived reasonably areChristians, even though they have been thoughtatheists; as, among the Greeks, Socrates and Heraclitus, and men like them; and among the barbarians,Abraham, and Ananias, and Azarias, and Misael, and Elias, and many others whose actions and names we now decline to recount, because weknow it would be tedious. So that even they who lived before Christ, and lived without reason, werewicked and hostile toChrist, and slew those who lived reasonably. But who, through the power of the Word, according to thewill ofGod the Father and Lord of all, He was born of avirgin as aman, and was named Jesus, and was crucified, and died, and rose again, and ascended into heaven, an intelligent man will be able to comprehend from what has been already so largely said. And we, since theproof of this subject is less needful now, will pass for the present to theproof of those things which are urgent.
That the land of theJews, then, was to be laid waste, hear what was said by the Spirit ofprophecy. And the words were spoken as if from the person of the people wondering at what had happened. They are these:Sion is a wilderness, Jerusalem a desolation. The house of our sanctuary has become a curse, and theglory which our fathers blessed is burned up with fire, and all itsglorious things are laid waste: and You refrain Yourself at these things, and have held Your peace, and have humbled us very sore.
Isaiah 64:10-12 And you are convinced that Jerusalem has been laid waste, as was predicted. And concerning its desolation, and that no one should be permitted to inhabit it, there was the followingprophecy by Isaiah:Their land is desolate, their enemies consume it before them, and none of them shall dwell therein.
Isaiah 1:7 And that it is guarded by you lest any one dwell in it, and that death is decreed against a Jew apprehended entering it, youknow very well.
And that it was predicted that our Christ should heal all diseases and raise the dead, hear what was said. There are these words:At His coming the lame shall leap as an hart, and the tongue of the stammerer shall be clear speaking: the blind shall see, and thelepers shall be cleansed; and the dead shall rise, and walk about.
Isaiah 35:6 And that He did those things, you can learn from the Acts ofPontius Pilate. And how it was predicted by the Spirit ofprophecy that He and those who hoped in Him should be slain, hear what was said by Isaiah. These are the words:Behold now the righteous perishes, and no man lays it to heart; and just men are taken away, and no man considers. From the presence ofwickedness is the righteous man taken, and his burial shall be in peace: he is taken from our midst.
Isaiah 57:1
And again, how it was said by the same Isaiah, that the Gentile nations who were not looking for Him should worship Him, but theJews who always expected Him should not recognise Him when He came. And the words are spoken as from the person of Christ; and they are theseI was manifest to them that asked not for Me; I was found of them that sought Me not: I said, Behold Me, to a nation that called not on My name. I spread out My hands to a disobedient and gainsaying people, to those who walked in a way that is not good, but follow after their ownsins; a people that provokes Me toanger to My face.
Isaiah 65:1-3 For theJews having the prophecies, and being always in expectation of the Christ to come, did not recognise Him; and not only so, but even treated Him shamefully. But theGentiles, who had never heard anything aboutChrist, until theapostles set out from Jerusalem and preached concerning Him, and gave them the prophecies, were filled withjoy andfaith, and cast away theiridols, and dedicated themselves to the Unbegotten God through Christ. And that it was foreknown that theseinfamous things should be uttered against those who confessed Christ, and that those whoslandered Him, and said that it was well to preserve the ancient customs, should be miserable, hear what was briefly said by Isaiah; it is this:Woe unto them that call sweet bitter, and bitter sweet.
Isaiah 5:20
But that, having become man for our sakes, He endured to suffer and to be dishonoured, and that He shall come again withglory, hear the prophecies which relate to this; they are these:Because they delivered Hissoul unto death, and He was numbered with the transgressors, He has borne thesin of many, and shall make intercession for the transgressors. For, behold, My Servant shall deal prudently, and shall be exalted, and shall be greatly extolled. As many were astonished at You, so marred shall Your form be before men, and so hidden from them Yourglory; so shall many nations wonder, and the kings shall shut their mouths at Him. For they to whom it was not told concerning Him, and they who have not heard, shall understand. O Lord, who hasbelieved our report? And to whom is the arm of the Lord revealed? We have declared before Him as a child, as a root in a dry ground. He had no form, norglory; and we saw Him, and there was no form nor comeliness: but His form was dishonoured and marred more than the sons of men. A man under the stroke, andknowing how to bear infirmity, because His face was turned away: He was despised, and of noreputation. It is He who bears oursins, and is afflicted for us; yet we did esteem Him smitten, stricken, and afflicted. But He was wounded for our transgressions, He was bruised for our iniquities, the chastisement of peace was upon Him, by His stripes we are healed. All we, like sheep, have gone astray; every man has wandered in his own way. And He delivered Him for oursins; and He opened not His mouth for all His affliction. He was brought as a sheep to the slaughter, and as a lamb before his shearer is dumb, so He opens not His mouth. In His humiliation, His judgment was taken away.
Isaiah 52:13-15, Isaiah 53:1-8 Accordingly, after He was crucified, even all His acquaintances forsook Him, having denied Him; and afterwards, when He had risen from the dead and appeared to them, and had taught them to read the prophecies in which all these things were foretold as coming to pass, and when they had seen Him ascending into heaven, and hadbelieved, and had received power sent thence by Him upon them, and went to every race ofmen, they taught these things, and were calledapostles.
And that the Spirit ofprophecy might signify to us that He who suffers these things has an ineffable origin, and rules His enemies, He spoke thus:His generation who shall declare? Because His life is cut off from the earth: for their transgressions He comes to death. And I will give thewicked for His burial, and the rich for His death; because He did noviolence, neither was any deceit in His mouth. And the Lord is pleased to cleanse Him from the stripe. If He be given forsin, yoursoul shall see His seed prolonged in days. And the Lord is pleased to deliver Hissoul from grief, to show Him light, and to form Him withknowledge, to justify the righteous who richly serves many. And He shall bear our iniquities. Therefore He shall inherit many, and He shall divide the spoil of the strong; because Hissoul was delivered to death: and He was numbered with the transgressors; and He bore thesins of many, and He was delivered up for their transgressions.
Isaiah 53:8-12 Hear, too, how He was to ascend into heaven according toprophecy. It was thus spoken:Lift up the gates of heaven; be opened, that the King ofglory may come in. Who is this King ofglory? The Lord, strong and mighty.
And how also He should come again out of heaven withglory, hear what was spoken in reference to this by theprophet Jeremiah. His words are:Behold, as theSon of man He comes in the clouds of heaven, and Hisangels with Him.
Daniel 7:13
Since, then, we prove that all things which have already happened had been predicted by theprophets before they came to pass, we must necessarilybelieve also that those things which are in like manner predicted, but are yet to come to pass, shall certainly happen. For as the things which have already taken place came to pass when foretold, and even though unknown, so shall the things that remain, even though they be unknown and disbelieved, yet come to pass. For theprophets have proclaimed two advents of His: the one, that which is already past, when He came as a dishonoured and suffering Man; but the second, when, according toprophecy, He shall come from heaven withglory, accompanied by His angelic host, when also He shall raise the bodies of allmen who have lived, and shall clothe those of the worthy withimmortality, and shall send those of thewicked, endued witheternal sensibility, intoeverlasting fire with thewicked devils. And that these things also have been foretold as yet to be, we will prove. By Ezekiel theprophet it was said:Joint shall be joined to joint, and bone to bone, and flesh shall grow again; and every knee shall bow to the Lord, and every tongue shall confess Him.
Ezekiel 37:7-8;Isaiah 45:24 And in what kind of sensation and punishment thewicked are to be, hear from what was said in like manner with reference to this; it is as follows:Their worm shall not rest, and their fire shall not be quenched;
Isaiah 66:24 and then shall they repent, when it profits them not. And what the people of theJews shall say and do, when they see Him coming inglory, has been thus predicted by Zechariah theprophet:I will command the four winds to gather the scattered children; I will command the north wind to bring them, and the south wind, that it keep not back. And then in Jerusalem there shall be great lamentation, not the lamentation of mouths or of lips, but the lamentation of the heart; and they shall rend not their garments, but their hearts. Tribe by tribe they shall mourn, and then they shall look on Him whom they have pierced; and they shall say, Why, O Lord, have You made us toerr from Your way? Theglory which our fathers blessed, has for us been turned into shame.
Though we could bring forward many other prophecies, we forbear, judging these sufficient for the persuasion of those who have ears to hear and understand; and considering also that thosepersons are able to see that we do not make mere assertions without being able to produceproof, like those fables that are told of the so-called sons of Jupiter. For with what reason should webelieve of a crucified man that He is thefirst-born of the unbegottenGod, and Himself will pass judgment on the wholehuman race, unless we had found testimonies concerning Him published before He came and was born as man, and unless we saw that things had happened accordingly — the devastation of the land of theJews, and men of every race persuaded by His teaching through theapostles, and rejecting their old habits, in which, being deceived, they had their conversation; yea, seeing ourselves too, andknowing that theChristians from among theGentiles are both more numerous and moretrue than those from among theJews andSamaritans? For all the otherhuman races are calledGentiles by the Spirit ofprophecy; but the Jewish andSamaritan races are called the tribe ofIsrael, and the house of Jacob. And theprophecy in which it was predicted that there should be morebelievers from theGentiles than from theJews andSamaritans, we will produce: it ran thus:Rejoice, O barren, you that do not bear; break forth and shout, you that do not travail, because many more are the children of the desolate than of her that has an husband.
Isaiah 54:1 For all theGentiles weredesolate
of thetrueGod, serving the works of their hands; but theJews andSamaritans, having the word of God delivered to them by theprophets, and always expecting theChrist, did not recognise Him when He came, except some few, of whom the Spirit ofprophecy by Isaiah had predicted that they should be saved. He spoke as from their person:Unless the Lord had left us a seed, we should have been asSodom andGomorrha.
Isaiah 1:9 ForSodom andGomorrha are related byMoses to have been cities of ungodly men, whichGod burned with fire and brimstone, and overthrew, no one of their inhabitants being saved except a certain stranger, a Chaldæan by birth, whose name wasLot; with whom also his daughters were rescued. And those who care may yet see their whole country desolate and burned, and remaining barren. And to show how those from among theGentiles were foretold as moretrue and more believing, we will cite what was said by Isaiah theprophet; for he spoke as followsIsrael is uncircumcised in heart, but theGentiles are uncircumcised in the flesh.
So many things therefore, as these, when they are seen with the eye, are enough to produce conviction and belief in those who embrace thetruth, and are not bigoted in their opinions, nor are governed by theirpassions.
But those who hand down the myths which the poets have made, adduce noproof to the youths who learn them; and we proceed to demonstrate that they have been uttered by the influence of thewickeddemons, to deceive and lead astray thehuman race. For having heard it proclaimed through theprophets that the Christ was to come, and that the ungodly amongmen were to be punished by fire, they put forward many to be called sons of Jupiter, under the impression that they would be able to produce in men the idea that the things which were said with regard to Christ were mere marvellous tales, like the things which were said by the poets. And these things were said both among the Greeks and among all nations where they [thedemons] heard theprophets foretelling that Christ would specially bebelieved in; but that in hearing what was said by theprophets they did not accurately understand it, but imitated what was said of our Christ, like men who are inerror, we will make plain. TheprophetMoses, then, was, as we have already said, older than all writers; and by him, as we have also said before, it was thus predicted:There shall not fail a prince from Judah, nor a lawgiver from between his feet, until He come for whom it is reserved; and He shall be the desire of theGentiles, binding His foal to the vine, washing His robe in the blood of the grape.
Genesis 49:10 The devils, accordingly, when they heard these prophetic words, said that Bacchus was the son of Jupiter, and gave out that he was the discoverer of the vine, and they number wine [or, the ass] among hismysteries; and they taught that, having been torn in pieces, he ascended into heaven. And because in theprophecy ofMoses it had not been expressly intimated whether He who was to come was theSon of God, and whether He would, riding on the foal, remain on earth or ascend into heaven, and because the name offoal
could mean either the foal of an ass or the foal of a horse, they, notknowing whether He who was foretold would bring the foal of an ass or of a horse as the sign of His coming, nor whether He was theSon of God, as we said above, or ofman, gave out that Bellerophon, a man born ofman, himself ascended to heaven on his horse Pegasus. And when they heard it said by the otherprophet Isaiah, that He should be born of avirgin, and by His own means ascend into heaven, they pretended that Perseus was spoken of. And when theyknew what was said, as has been cited above, in the prophecies written aforetime,Strong as a giant to run his course,
they said that Hercules was strong, and had journeyed over the whole earth. And when, again, they learned that it had been foretold that He should heal every sickness, and raise the dead, they produced Æsculapius.
But in no instance, not even in any of those called sons of Jupiter, did they imitate the being crucified; for it was not understood by them, all the things said of it having been putsymbolically. And this, as theprophet foretold, is the greatestsymbol of His power and role; as is alsoproved by the things which fall under our observation. For consider all the things in the world, whether without this form they could be administered or have any community. For the sea is not traversed except that trophy which is called a sail abide safe in the ship; and the earth is not ploughed without it: diggers and mechanics do not their work, except with tools which have this shape. And thehuman form differs from that of the irrational animals in nothing else than in its being erect and having the hands extended, and having on the face extending from the forehead what is called the nose, through which there is respiration for the living creature; and this shows no other form than that of the cross. And so it was said by theprophet,The breath before our face is the Lord Christ.
And the power of this form is shown by your ownsymbols on what are calledvexilla
[banners] and trophies, with which all your state possessions are made, using these as the insignia of your power and government, even though you do so unwittingly. And with this form you consecrate the images of your emperors when they die, and you name them gods by inscriptions. Since, therefore, we have urged you both by reason and by an evident form, and to the utmost of our ability, weknow that now we are blameless even though you disbelieve; for our part is done and finished.
But theevil spirits were not satisfied with saying, before Christ's appearance, that those who were said to be sons of Jupiter were born of him; but after He had appeared, and been born amongmen, and when they learned how He had been foretold by theprophets, andknew that He should bebelieved on and looked for by every nation, they again, as was said above, put forward other men, theSamaritans Simon and Menander, who did many mighty works by magic, and deceived many, and still keep them deceived. For even among yourselves, as we said before, Simon was in the royal city Rome in the reign of Claudius Cæsar, and so greatly astonished the sacred senate and people of the Romans, that he was considered a god, and honoured, like the others whom youhonour as gods, with astatue. Wherefore wepray that the sacred senate and your people may, along with yourselves, be arbiters of this our memorial, in order that if any one be entangled by that man's doctrines, he may learn thetruth, and so be able to escapeerror; and as for thestatue, if you please, destroy it.
Nor can the devils persuade men that there will be no conflagration for the punishment of thewicked; as they were unable to effect that Christ should be hidden after He came. But this only can they effect, that they who live irrationally, and were brought up licentiously inwicked customs, and are prejudiced in their own opinions, should kill andhate us; whom we not only do nothate, but, as isproved, pity and endeavour to lead to repentance. For we do notfear death, since it is acknowledged we must surely die; and there is nothing new, but all things continue the same in this administration of things; and if satiety overtakes those who enjoy even one year of these things, they ought to give heed to our doctrines, that they may liveeternally free both from suffering and from want. But if theybelieve that there is nothing after death, but declare that those who die pass into insensibility, then they become our benefactors when they set us free from sufferings and necessities of this life, and prove themselves to bewicked, and inhuman, and bigoted. For they kill us with no intention of delivering us, but cut us off that we may be deprived of life and pleasure.
And, as we said before, the devils put forwardMarcion ofPontus, who is even now teaching men to deny that God is the maker of all things in heaven and on earth, and that the Christ predicted by theprophets is His Son, and preaches another god besides the Creator of all, and likewise another son. And this man many havebelieved, as if he aloneknew thetruth, and laugh at us, though they have noproof of what they say, but are carried away irrationally as lambs by a wolf, and become the prey ofatheistical doctrines, and of devils. For they who are called devils attempt nothing else than to seduce men from God who made them, and from Christ His first-begotten; and those who are unable to raise themselves above the earth they have riveted, and do now rivet, to things earthly, and to the works of their own hands; but those who devote themselves to thecontemplation of things divine, they secretly beat back; and if they have not a wise sober-mindedness, and a pure and passionless life, they drive them into godlessness.
And that you may learn that it was from our teachers — we mean the account given through theprophets— thatPlato borrowed his statement thatGod, having altered matter which was shapeless, made the world, hear the very words spoken throughMoses, who, as above shown, was the firstprophet, and of greater antiquity than the Greek writers; and through whom the Spirit ofprophecy, signifying how and from what materials God at first formed the world, spoke thus:In the beginning God created the heaven and the earth. And the earth was invisible and unfurnished, and darkness was upon the face of the deep; and theSpirit of God moved over the waters. And God said, Let there be light; and it was so.
So that bothPlato and they who agree with him, and we ourselves, have learned, and you also can be convinced, that by the word of God the whole world was made out of the substance spoken of before byMoses. And that which the poets call Erebus, weknow was spoken of formerly byMoses.Deuteronomy 32:22
And the physiological discussion concerning theSon of God in theTimæus ofPlato, where he says,He placed him crosswise in theuniverse,
he borrowed in like manner fromMoses; for in the writings ofMoses it is related how at that time, when theIsraelites went out ofEgypt and were in the wilderness, they fell in with poisonous beasts, both vipers and asps, and every kind of serpent, which slew the people; and thatMoses, by the inspiration and influence ofGod, took brass, and made it into the figure of a cross, and set it in theholy tabernacle, and said to the people,If you look to this figure, andbelieve, you shall be saved thereby.
Numbers 21:8 And when this was done, it is recorded that the serpents died, and it is handed down that the people thus escaped death. Which thingsPlato reading, and not accurately understanding, and not apprehending that it was the figure of thecross, but taking it to be a placing crosswise, he said that the power next to the first God was placed crosswise in theuniverse. And as to his speaking of a third, he did this because he read, as we said above, that which was spoken byMoses,that theSpirit of God moved over the waters.
For he gives the second place to theLogos which is withGod, who he said was placed crosswise in theuniverse; and the third place to the Spirit who was said to be borne upon the water, saying,And the third around the third.
And hear how the Spirit ofprophecy signified throughMoses that there should be a conflagration. He spoke thus:Everlasting fire shall descend, and shall devour to the pit beneath.
Deuteronomy 32:22 It is not, then, that we hold the same opinions as others, but that all speak in imitation of ours. Among us these things can be heard and learned frompersons who do not evenknow the forms of the letters, who are uneducated and barbarous in speech, though wise and believing in mind; some, indeed, even maimed and deprived of eyesight; so that you may understand that these things are not the effect ofhuman wisdom, but are uttered by the power ofGod.
I will also relate the manner in which we dedicated ourselves to God when we had been made new through Christ; lest, if we omit this, we seem to be unfair in the explanation we are making. As many as are persuaded andbelieve that what we teach and say istrue, and undertake to be able to live accordingly, are instructed topray and to entreat God withfasting, for the remission of theirsins that are past, wepraying andfasting with them. Then they are brought by us where there is water, and are regenerated in the same manner in which we were ourselves regenerated. For, in the name ofGod, the Father and Lord of theuniverse, and of our SaviourJesus Christ, and of theHoly Spirit, they then receive the washing with water. For Christ also said,Unless you be born again, you shall not enter into thekingdom of heaven.
John 3:5 Now, that it is impossible for those who have once been born to enter into their mothers' wombs, is manifest to all. And how those who havesinned and repent shall escape theirsins, is declared by Esaias theprophet, as I wrote above; he thus speaks:Wash you, make you clean; put away theevil of your doings from yoursouls; learn to do well; judge the fatherless, and plead for thewidow: and come and let us reason together, says the Lord. And though yoursins be as scarlet, I will make them white like wool; and though they be as crimson, I will make them white as snow. But if you refuse and rebel, the sword shall devour you: for the mouth of the Lord has spoken it.
Isaiah 1:16-20
And for this [rite] we have learned from theapostles this reason. Since at our birth we were born without our ownknowledge or choice, by ourparents coming together, and were brought up in bad habits andwicked training; in order that we may not remain the children of necessity and ofignorance, but may become the children of choice andknowledge, and may obtain in the water the remission ofsins formerly committed, there is pronounced over him who chooses to be born again, and has repented of hissins, the name ofGod the Father and Lord of theuniverse; he who leads to the laver the person that is to be washed calling him by this name alone. For no one can utter the name of the ineffableGod; and if any one dare to say that there is a name, he raves with a hopelessmadness. And this washing is called illumination, because they who learn these things are illuminated in their understandings. And in the name ofJesus Christ, who was crucified underPontius Pilate, and in the name of theHoly Ghost, who through theprophets foretold all things aboutJesus, he who is illuminated is washed.
And the devils, indeed, having heard this washing published by theprophet, instigated those who enter their temples, and are about to approach them with libations and burnt-offerings, also to sprinkle themselves; and theycause them also to wash themselves entirely, as they depart [from thesacrifice], before they enter into the shrines in which their images are set. And the command, too, given by thepriests to those who enter and worship in the temples, that they take off their shoes, the devils, learning what happened to the above-mentionedprophetMoses, have given in imitation of these things. For at that juncture, whenMoses was ordered to go down intoEgypt and lead out the people of theIsraelites who were there, and while he was tending the flocks of his maternal uncle in the land of Arabia, our Christ conversed with him under the appearance of fire from a bush, and said,Put off your shoes, and draw near and hear.
And he, when he had put off his shoes and drawn near, heard that he was to go down intoEgypt and lead out the people of theIsraelites there; and he received mighty power from Christ, who spoke to him in the appearance of fire, and went down and led out the people, having done great and marvellous things; which, if you desire toknow, you will learn them accurately from his writings.
And all theJews even now teach that the nameless God spoke toMoses; whence the Spirit ofprophecy, accusing them by Isaiah theprophet mentioned above, saidThe oxknows his owner, and the ass his master's crib; butIsrael does notknow Me, and My people do not understand.
Isaiah 1:3 And Jesus theChrist, because theJewsknew not what the Father was, and what theSon, in like manner accused them; and Himself said,No oneknows theFather, but the Son; nor theSon, but theFather, and they to whom the Son reveals Him.
Matthew 11:27 Now theWord of God is His Son, as we have before said. And He is called Angel and Apostle; for He declares whatever we ought toknow, and is sent forth to declare whatever is revealed; as our Lord Himself says,He that hears Me, hears Him that sent Me.
Luke 10:16 From the writings ofMoses also this will be manifest; for thus it is written in them,And the Angel of God spoke toMoses, in a flame of fire out of the bush, and said, I am that I am, theGod ofAbraham, theGod of Isaac, theGod of Jacob, theGod of your fathers; go down intoEgypt, and bring forth My people.
Exodus 3:6 And if you wish to learn what follows, you can do so from the same writings; for it is impossible to relate the whole here. But so much is written for the sake of proving thatJesus the Christ is theSon of God and His Apostle, being of old the Word, and appearing sometimes in the form of fire, and sometimes in the likeness ofangels; but now, by thewill ofGod, having become man for thehuman race, He endured all the sufferings which the devils instigated the senselessJews to inflict upon Him; who, though they have it expressly affirmed in the writings ofMoses,And theangel of God spoke toMoses in a flame of fire in a bush, and said, I am that I am, theGod ofAbraham, and theGod of Isaac, and theGod of Jacob,
yet maintain that He who said this was the Father and Creator of theuniverse. Whence also the Spirit ofprophecy rebukes them, and says,Israel does notknow Me, my people have not understood Me.
Isaiah 1:3 And again,Jesus, as we have already shown, while He was with them, said,No oneknows theFather, but the Son; nor the Son but theFather, and those to whom the Son will reveal Him.
Matthew 11:27 TheJews, accordingly, being throughout of opinion that it was the Father of theuniverse who spoke toMoses, though He who spoke to him was indeed theSon of God, who is called both Angel and Apostle, arejustly charged, both by the Spirit ofprophecy and by Christ Himself, withknowing neither the Father nor the Son. For they who affirm that the Son is theFather, areproved neither to have become acquainted with theFather, nor toknow that the Father of theuniverse has a Son; who also, being the first-begottenWord of God, is even God. And of old He appeared in the shape of fire and in the likeness of anangel toMoses and to the otherprophets; but now in the times of your reign, having, as we before said, become Man by avirgin, according to the counsel of theFather, for thesalvation of those whobelieve in Him, He endured both to be set at nought and to suffer, that by dying and rising again He might conquer death. And that which was said out of the bush toMoses,I am that I am, theGod ofAbraham, and theGod of Isaac, and theGod of Jacob, and theGod of your fathers,
Exodus 3:6 this signified that they, even though dead, are yet inexistence, and are men belonging to Christ Himself. For they were the first of allmen to busy themselves in the search afterGod;Abraham being the father of Isaac, and Isaac of Jacob, asMoses wrote.
From what has been already said, you can understand how the devils, in imitation of what was said byMoses, asserted that Proserpine was the daughter of Jupiter, and instigated the people to set up an image of her under the name of Kore [Cora, i.e., the maiden or daughter] at the spring-heads. For, as we wrote above,Moses said,In the beginning God made the heaven and the earth. And the earth was withoutform and unfurnished: and theSpirit of God moved upon the face of the waters.
In imitation, therefore, of what is here said of theSpirit of God moving on the waters, they said that Proserpine [or Cora] was the daughter of Jupiter. And in like manner also they craftily feigned that Minerva was the daughter of Jupiter, not by sexual union, but,knowing that God conceived and made the world by the Word, they say that Minerva is the first conception [ἔννοια]; which we consider to be very absurd, bringing forward the form of the conception in a female shape. And in like manner the actions of those others who are called sons of Jupiter sufficiently condemn them.
But we, after we have thus washed him who has been convinced and has assented to our teaching, bring him to the place where those who are called brethren are assembled, in order that we may offer heartyprayers in common for ourselves and for thebaptized [illuminated] person, and for all others in every place, that we may be counted worthy, now that we have learned thetruth, by our works also to be found good citizens and keepers of the commandments, so that we may be saved with an everlastingsalvation. Having ended theprayers, we salute one another with akiss. There is then brought to the president of the brethren bread and a cup of wine mixed with water; and he taking them, gives praise andglory to the Father of theuniverse, through the name of the Son and of theHoly Ghost, and offers thanks at considerable length for our being counted worthy to receive these things at His hands. And when he has concluded theprayers and thanksgivings, all the people present express their assent by sayingAmen. This wordAmen answers in the Hebrew language toγένοιτο [so be it]. And when the president has given thanks, and all the people have expressed their assent, those who are called by usdeacons give to each of those present to partake of the bread and wine mixed with water over which the thanksgiving was pronounced, and to those who are absent they carry away a portion.
And this food is called among usΕὐχαριστία [theEucharist], of which no one is allowed to partake but the man who believes that the things which we teach aretrue, and who has been washed with the washing that is for the remission ofsins, and unto regeneration, and who is so living as Christ has enjoined. For not as common bread and common drink do we receive these; but in like manner asJesus Christ our Saviour, having been made flesh by theWord of God, had both flesh and blood for oursalvation, so likewise have we been taught that the food which is blessed by theprayer of His word, and from which our blood and flesh by transmutation are nourished, is the flesh and blood of thatJesus who was made flesh. For theapostles, in the memoirs composed by them, which are calledGospels, have thus delivered unto us what was enjoined upon them; thatJesus took bread, and when He had given thanks, said,This do in remembrance of Me,Luke 22:19 this is My body;
and that, after the same manner, having taken the cup and given thanks, He said,This is My blood;
and gave it to them alone. Which thewicked devils have imitated in themysteries ofMithras, commanding the same thing to be done. For, that bread and a cup of water are placed with certain incantations in the mysticrites of one who is being initiated, you eitherknow or can learn.
And we afterwards continually remind each other of these things. And thewealthy among us help the needy; and we always keep together; and for all things wherewith we are supplied, we bless the Maker of all through His SonJesus Christ, and through theHoly Ghost. And on the day called Sunday, all who live in cities or in the country gather together to one place, and the memoirs of theapostles or the writings of theprophets are read, as long as time permits; then, when the reader has ceased, the president verbally instructs, and exhorts to the imitation of thesegood things. Then we all rise together andpray, and, as we before said, when ourprayer is ended, bread and wine and water are brought, and the president in like manner offersprayers and thanksgivings, according to his ability, and the people assent, sayingAmen; and there is a distribution to each, and a participation of that over which thanks have been given, and to those who are absent a portion is sent by thedeacons. And they who are well to do, and willing, give what each thinks fit; and what is collected is deposited with the president, who succours theorphans andwidows and those who, through sickness or any othercause, are in want, and those who are in bonds and the strangers sojourning among us, and in a word takes care of all who are in need. But Sunday is the day on which we all hold our common assembly, because it is the first day on whichGod, having wrought a change in the darkness and matter, made the world; andJesus Christ our Saviour on the same day rose from the dead. For He was crucified on the day before that of Saturn (Saturday); and on the day after that of Saturn, which is the day of the Sun, having appeared to Hisapostles anddisciples, He taught them these things, which we have submitted to you also for your consideration.
And if these things seem to you to be reasonable andtrue,honour them; but if they seem nonsensical, despise them as nonsense, and do not decree death against those who have done no wrong, as you would against enemies. For we forewarn you, that you shall not escape the coming judgment ofGod, if you continue in yourinjustice; and we ourselves will invite you to do that which is pleasing toGod. And though from the letter of the greatest and most illustrious Emperor Adrian, your father, we could demand that you order judgment to be given as we have desired, yet we have made this appeal and explanation, not on the ground of Adrian's decision, but because weknow that what we ask is just. And we have subjoined the copy of Adrian's epistle, that you mayknow that we are speakingtruly about this. And the following is the copy:—
I have received the letter addressed to me by your predecessor Serenius Granianus, a most illustrious man; and this communication I am unwilling to pass over in silence, lest innocentpersons be disturbed, and occasion be given to the informers for practising villany. Accordingly, if the inhabitants of your province will so far sustain this petition of theirs as to accuse theChristians in some court of law, I do not prohibit them from doing so. But I will not suffer them to make use of mere entreaties and outcries. For it is far more just, if any one desires to make an accusation, that you give judgment upon it. If, therefore, any one makes the accusation, and furnishesproof that the said men do anything contrary to thelaws, you shall adjudge punishments in proportion to the offenses. And this, by Hercules, you shall give special heed to, that if any man shall, through merecalumny, bring an accusation against any of thesepersons, you shall award to him more severe punishments in proportion to hiswickedness.
TheEmperor Cæsar Titus Ælius Adrianus Antoninus Augustus Pius, Supreme Pontiff, in the fifteenth year of his tribuneship, Consul for the third time, Father of the fatherland, to the Common Assembly of Asia, greeting: I should have thought that the gods themselves would see to it that such offenders should not escape. For if they had the power, they themselves would much rather punish those who refuse to worship them; but it is you who bring trouble on thesepersons, and accuse as the opinion ofatheists that which they hold, and lay to their charge certain other things which we are unable to prove. But it would be advantageous to them that they should be thought to die for that of which they are accused, and they conquer you by being lavish of their lives rather than yield thatobedience which you require of them. And regarding the earthquakes which have already happened and are now occurring, it is not seemly that you remind us of them, losing heart whenever they occur, and thus set your conduct in contrast with that of these men; for they have much greater confidence towards God than you yourselves have. And you, indeed, seem at such times to ignore the gods, and you neglect the temples, and make no recognition of the worship ofGod. And hence you are jealous of those who do serve Him, andpersecute them to the death. Concerning suchpersons, some others also of the governors of provinces wrote to my most divine father; to whom he replied that they should not at all disturb suchpersons, unless they were found to be attempting anything against the Roman government. And to myself many have sent intimations regarding suchpersons, to whom I also replied in pursuance of my father's judgment. But if any one has a matter to bring against any person of this class, merely as such a person, let the accused be acquitted of the charge, even though he should be found to be such an one; but let the accuser be amenable tojustice.
TheEmperor Cæsar Marcus Aurelius Antoninus, Germanicus, Parthicus, Sarmaticus, to the People of Rome, and to the sacred Senate greeting: I explained to you my grand design, and what advantages I gained on the confines of Germany, with much labour and suffering, in consequence of the circumstance that I was surrounded by the enemy; I myself being shut up in Carnuntum by seventy-four cohorts, nine miles off. And the enemy being at hand, the scouts pointed out to us, and our general Pompeianus showed us that there was close on us a mass of a mixed multitude of 977,000 men, which indeed we saw; and I was shut up by this vast host, having with me only a battalion composed of the first, tenth, double and marine legions. Having then examined my own position, and my host, with respect to the vast mass of barbarians and of the enemy, I quickly betook myself toprayer to the gods of my country. But being disregarded by them, I summoned those who among us go by the name ofChristians. And having made inquiry, I discovered a great number and vast host of them, and raged against them, which was by no means becoming; for afterwards I learned their power. Wherefore they began the battle, not by preparing weapons, nor arms, nor bugles; for such preparation is hateful to them, on account of the God they bear about in theirconscience. Therefore it is probable that those whom we suppose to beatheists, haveGod as their ruling power entrenched in theirconscience. For having cast themselves on the ground, theyprayed not only for me, but also for the whole army as it stood, that they might be delivered from the present thirst and famine. For during five days we had got no water, because there was none; for we were in the heart of Germany, and in the enemy's territory. And simultaneously with their casting themselves on the ground, andpraying to God (a God of whom I amignorant), water poured from heaven, upon us most refreshingly cool, but upon the enemies of Rome a withering hail. And immediately we recognised the presence of God following on theprayer — a God unconquerable and indestructible. Founding upon this, then, let us pardon such as areChristians, lest theypray for and obtain such a weapon against ourselves. And I counsel that no such person be accused on the ground of his being aChristian. But if any one be found laying to the charge of aChristian that he is aChristian, I desire that it be made manifest that he who is accused as aChristian, and acknowledges that he is one, is accused of nothing else than only this, that he is aChristian; but that he who arraigns him be burned alive. And I further desire, that he who is entrusted with the government of the province shall not compel theChristian, who confesses and certifies such a matter, to retract; neither shall he commit him. And I desire that these things be confirmed by a decree of the Senate. And I command this my edict to be published in the Forum of Trajan, in order that it may be read. The prefect Vitrasius Pollio will see that it be transmitted to all the provinces round about, and that no one who wishes to make use of or to possess it be hindered from obtaining a copy from the document I now publish.
Source.Translated by Marcus Dods and George Reith. FromAnte-Nicene Fathers,Vol. 1.Edited by Alexander Roberts, James Donaldson, and A. Cleveland Coxe. (Buffalo, NY: Christian Literature Publishing Co.,1885.)Revised and edited for New Advent by Kevin Knight.<http://www.newadvent.org/fathers/0126.htm>.
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