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A Plea for the Christians

Athenagoras of Athens

Chapter 31

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 XXXI.—Confutation of the Other Charges Brought Against the Christians.

But they have further also made up stories

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against

us

of

impious

feasts

and

forbidden

intercourse

between

the

sexes

,

both

that

they

may

appear

to

themselves

to

have

rational

grounds

of

hatred

,

and

because

they

think

either

by

fear

to

lead

us

away

from

our

way

of

life

,

or

to

render

the

rulers

harsh

and

inexorable

by

the

magnitude

of

the

charges

they

bring

.

But

they

lose

their

labour

with

those

who

know

that

from

of

old

it

has

been

the

custom

,

and

not

in

our

time

only

,

for

vice

to

make

war

on

virtue

.

Thus

Pythagoras

,

with

three

hundred

others

,

was

burnt

to

death

;

Heraclitus

and

Democritus

were

banished

,

the

one

from

the

city

of

the

Ephesians

,

the

other

from

Abdera

,

because

he

was

charged

with

being

mad

;

and

the

Athenians

condemned

Socrates

to

death

.

But

as

they

were

none

the

worse

in

respect

of

virtue

because

of

the

opinion

of

the

multitude

,

so

neither

does

the

undiscriminating

calumny

of

some

persons

cast

any

shade

upon

us

as

regards

rectitude

of

life

,

for

with

God

we

stand

in

good

repute

.

Nevertheless

,

I

will

meet

these

charges

also

,

although

I

am

well

assured

that

by

what

has

been

already

said

I

have

cleared

myself

to

you

.

For

as

you

excel

all

men

in

intelligence

,

you

know

that

those

whose

life

is

directed

towards

God

as

its

rule

,

so

that

each

one

among

us

may

be

blameless

and

irreproachable

before

Him

,

will

not

entertain

even

the

thought

of

the

slightest

sin

.

For

if

we

believed

that

we

should

live

only

the

present

life

,

then

we

might

be

suspected

of

sinning

,

through

being

enslaved

to

flesh

and

blood

,

or

overmastered

by

gain

or

carnal

desire

;

but

since

we

know

that

God

is

witness

to

what

we

think

and

what

we

say

both

by

night

and

by

day

,

and

that

He

,

being

Himself

light

,

sees

all

things

in

our

heart

,

we

are

persuaded

that

when

we

are

removed

from

the

present

life

we

shall

live

another

life

,

better

than

the

present

one

,

and

heavenly

,

not

earthly

(

since

we

shall

abide

near

God

,

and

with

God

,

free

from

all

change

or

suffering

in

the

soul

,

not

as

flesh

,

even

though

we

shall

have

flesh

,

but

as

heavenly

spirit

)

,

or

,

falling

with

the

rest

,

a

worse

one

and

in

fire

;

for

God

has

not

made

us

as

sheep

or

beasts

of

burden

,

a

mere

by

-

work

,

and

that

we

should

perish

and

be

annihilated

.

On

these

grounds

it

is

not

likely

that

we

should

wish

to

do

evil

,

or

deliver

ourselves

over

to

the

great

Judge

to

be

punished

.

Notes

121
[“Thyestian feasts” (p. 130, supra); a charge which the Christian Fathers perpetually repel. Of course the sacrament of the Lord’s Supper lent colour to this charge; but it could not have been repelled, had they believed the material body and blood of the “man Christ Jesus,” present in this sacrament. See cap. iii., note.]
122
[1 Cor. xv. 44. A very clear representation of the apostle’s doctrine. See Kaye, 199; and compare On the Resurrection, cap. xiii.]