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Hortatory Address to the Greeks

Justin Martyr

Chapter 21

About this work

Author: Justin Martyr

Chapter XXI.—The namelessness of God.

For God cannot be called by any proper name,

‹ Chapter 20 Chapter 22 ›

for

names

are

given

to

mark

out

and

distinguish

their

subject

-

matters

,

because

these

are

many

and

diverse

;

but

neither

did

any

one

exist

before

God

who

could

give

Him

a

name

,

nor

did

He

Himself

think

it

right

to

name

Himself

,

seeing

that

He

is

one

and

unique

,

as

He

Himself

also

by

His

own

prophets

testifies

,

when

He

says

,

“

I

God

am

the

first

,

”

and

after

this

,

“

And

beside

me

there

is

no

other

God

.

”

On

this

account

,

then

,

as

I

before

said

,

God

did

not

,

when

He

sent

Moses

to

the

Hebrews

,

mention

any

name

,

but

by

a

participle

He

mystically

teaches

them

that

He

is

the

one

and

only

God

.

“

For

,

”

says

He

;

“

I

am

the

Being

;

”

manifestly

contrasting

Himself

,

“

the

Being

,

”

with

those

who

are

not

,

that

those

who

had

hitherto

been

deceived

might

see

that

they

were

attaching

themselves

,

not

to

beings

,

but

to

those

who

had

no

being

.

Since

,

therefore

,

God

knew

that

the

first

men

remembered

the

old

delusion

of

their

forefathers

,

whereby

the

misanthropic

demon

contrived

to

deceive

them

when

he

said

to

them

,

“

If

ye

obey

me

in

transgressing

the

commandment

of

God

,

ye

shall

be

as

gods

,

”

calling

those

gods

which

had

no

being

,

in

order

that

men

,

supposing

that

there

were

other

gods

in

existence

,

might

believe

that

they

themselves

could

become

gods

.

On

this

account

He

said

to

Moses

,

“

I

am

the

Being

,

”

that

by

the

participle

“

being

”

He

might

teach

the

difference

between

God

who

is

and

those

who

are

not

.

Men

,

therefore

,

having

been

duped

by

the

deceiving

demon

,

and

having

dared

to

disobey

God

,

were

cast

out

of

Paradise

,

remembering

the

name

of

gods

,

but

no

longer

being

taught

by

God

that

there

are

no

other

gods

.

For

it

was

not

just

that

they

who

did

not

keep

the

first

commandment

,

which

it

was

easy

to

keep

,

should

any

longer

be

taught

,

but

should

rather

be

driven

to

just

punishment

.

Being

therefore

banished

from

Paradise

,

and

thinking

that

they

were

expelled

on

account

of

their

disobedience

only

,

not

knowing

that

it

was

also

because

they

had

believed

in

the

existence

of

gods

which

did

not

exist

,

they

gave

the

name

of

gods

even

to

the

men

who

were

afterwards

born

of

themselves

.

This

first

false

fancy

,

therefore

,

concerning

gods

,

had

its

origin

with

the

father

of

lies

.

God

,

therefore

,

knowing

that

the

false

opinion

about

the

plurality

of

gods

was

burdening

the

soul

of

man

like

some

disease

,

and

wishing

to

remove

and

eradicate

it

,

appeared

first

to

Moses

,

and

said

to

him

,

“

I

am

He

who

is

.

”

For

it

was

necessary

,

I

think

,

that

he

who

was

to

be

the

ruler

and

leader

of

the

Hebrew

people

should

first

of

all

know

the

living

God

.

Wherefore

,

having

appeared

to

him

first

,

as

it

was

possible

for

God

to

appear

to

a

man

,

He

said

to

him

,

“

I

am

He

who

is

;

”

then

,

being

about

to

send

him

to

the

Hebrews

,

He

further

orders

him

to

say

,

“

He

who

is

hath

sent

me

to

you

.

”

Notes

42
Isa. xliv. 6.
43
Literally, “with the not-beings.”
44
Literally, “between the God being and not-beings.”