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A Plea for the Christians

Athenagoras of Athens

Chapter 12

About this work

A polished petition to Roman emperors rebutting charges of atheism, incest, and cannibalism while explaining Christian monotheism, moral discipline, and belief in Father, Son, and Spirit.

Author: Athenagoras of Athens
Date: c. AD 176–177
Origin: Athens (traditional)
Genre: Apology

Chapter XII.—Consequent Absurdity of the Charge of Atheism.

Should we, then, unless we believed

‹ Chapter 11 Chapter 13 ›

that

a

God

presides

over

the

human

race

,

thus

purge

ourselves

from

evil

?

Most

certainly

not

.

But

,

because

we

are

persuaded

that

we

shall

give

an

account

of

everything

in

the

present

life

to

God

,

who

made

us

and

the

world

,

we

adopt

a

temperate

and

benevolent

and

generally

despised

method

of

life

,

believing

that

we

shall

suffer

no

such

great

evil

here

,

even

should

our

lives

be

taken

from

us

,

compared

with

what

we

shall

there

receive

for

our

meek

and

benevolent

and

moderate

life

from

the

great

Judge

.

Plato

indeed

has

said

that

Minos

and

Rhadamanthus

will

judge

and

punish

the

wicked

;

but

we

say

that

,

even

if

a

man

be

Minos

or

Rhadamanthus

himself

,

or

their

father

,

even

he

will

not

escape

the

judgment

of

God

.

Are

,

then

,

those

who

consider

life

to

be

comprised

in

this

,

“

Let

us

eat

and

drink

,

for

to

-

morrow

we

die

,

”

and

who

regard

death

as

a

deep

sleep

and

forgetfulness

(

“

sleep

and

death

,

twin

brothers

”

)

,

to

be

accounted

pious

;

while

men

who

reckon

the

present

life

of

very

small

worth

indeed

,

and

who

are

conducted

to

the

future

life

by

this

one

thing

alone

,

that

they

know

God

and

His

Logos

,

what

is

the

oneness

of

the

Son

with

the

Father

,

what

the

communion

of

the

Father

with

the

Son

,

what

is

the

Spirit

,

what

is

the

unity

of

these

three

,

the

Spirit

,

the

Son

,

the

Father

,

and

their

distinction

in

unity

;

and

who

know

that

the

life

for

which

we

look

is

far

better

than

can

be

described

in

words

,

provided

we

arrive

at

it

pure

from

all

wrong

-

doing

;

who

,

moreover

,

carry

our

benevolence

to

such

an

extent

,

that

we

not

only

love

our

friends

(

“

for

if

ye

love

them

,

”

He

says

,

“

that

love

you

,

and

lend

to

them

that

lend

to

you

,

what

reward

will

ye

have

?

”

)

,

—

shall

we

,

I

say

,

when

such

is

our

character

,

and

when

we

live

such

a

life

as

this

,

that

we

may

escape

condemnation

at

last

,

not

be

accounted

pious

?

These

,

however

,

are

only

small

matters

taken

from

great

,

and

a

few

things

from

many

,

that

we

may

not

further

trespass

on

your

patience

;

for

those

who

test

honey

and

whey

,

judge

by

a

small

quantity

whether

the

whole

is

good

.

Notes

38
Hom., Il., xvi. 672.
39
Luke vi. 32, 34; Matt. v. 46.