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Hortatory Address to the Greeks

Justin Martyr

Chapter 36

About this work

Author: Justin Martyr

Chapter XXXVI.—True knowledge not held by the philosophers.

And if “the discovery of the truth” be

‹ Chapter 35 Chapter 37 ›

given

among

them

as

one

definition

of

philosophy

,

how

are

they

who

are

not

in

possession

of

the

true

knowledge

worthy

of

the

name

of

philosophy

?

For

if

Socrates

,

the

wisest

of

your

wise

men

,

to

whom

even

your

oracle

,

as

you

yourselves

say

,

bears

witness

,

saying

,

“

Of

all

men

Socrates

is

the

wisest

”

—

if

he

confesses

that

he

knows

nothing

,

how

did

those

who

came

after

him

profess

to

know

even

things

heavenly

?

For

Socrates

said

that

he

was

on

this

account

called

wise

,

because

,

while

other

men

pretended

to

know

what

they

were

ignorant

of

,

he

himself

did

not

shrink

from

confessing

that

he

knew

nothing

.

For

he

said

,

“

I

seem

to

myself

to

be

wisest

by

this

little

particular

,

that

what

I

do

not

know

,

I

do

not

suppose

I

know

.

”

Let

no

one

fancy

that

Socrates

ironically

feigned

ignorance

,

because

he

often

used

to

do

so

in

his

dialogues

.

For

the

last

expression

of

his

apology

which

he

uttered

as

he

was

being

led

away

to

the

prison

,

proves

that

in

seriousness

and

truth

he

was

confessing

his

ignorance

:

“

But

now

it

is

time

to

go

away

,

I

indeed

to

die

,

but

you

to

live

.

And

which

of

us

goes

to

the

better

state

,

is

hidden

to

all

but

God

.

”

Socrates

,

indeed

,

having

uttered

this

last

sentence

in

the

Areopagus

,

departed

to

the

prison

,

ascribing

to

God

alone

the

knowledge

of

those

things

which

are

hidden

from

us

;

but

those

who

came

after

him

,

though

they

are

unable

to

comprehend

even

earthly

things

,

profess

to

understand

things

heavenly

as

if

they

had

seen

them

.

Aristotle

at

least

—

as

if

he

had

seen

things

heavenly

with

greater

accuracy

than

Plato

—

declared

that

God

did

not

exist

,

as

Plato

said

,

in

the

fiery

substance

(

for

this

was

Plato’s

doctrine

)

but

in

the

fifth

element

,

air

.

And

while

he

demanded

that

concerning

these

matters

he

should

be

believed

on

account

of

the

excellence

of

his

language

,

he

yet

departed

this

life

because

he

was

overwhelmed

with

the

infamy

and

disgrace

of

being

unable

to

discover

even

the

nature

of

the

Euripus

in

Chalcis

.

Let

not

any

one

,

therefore

,

of

sound

judgment

prefer

the

elegant

diction

of

these

men

to

his

own

salvation

,

but

let

him

,

according

to

that

old

story

,

stop

his

ears

with

wax

,

and

flee

the

sweet

hurt

which

these

sirens

would

inflict

upon

him

.

For

the

above

-

mentioned

men

,

presenting

their

elegant

language

as

a

kind

of

bait

,

have

sought

to

seduce

many

from

the

right

religion

,

in

imitation

of

him

who

dared

to

teach

the

first

men

polytheism

.

Be

not

persuaded

by

these

persons

,

I

entreat

you

,

but

read

the

prophecies

of

the

sacred

writers

.

And

if

any

slothfulness

or

old

hereditary

superstition

prevents

you

from

reading

the

prophecies

of

the

holy

men

through

which

you

can

be

instructed

regarding

the

one

only

God

,

which

is

the

first

article

of

the

true

religion

,

yet

believe

him

who

,

though

at

first

he

taught

you

polytheism

,

yet

afterwards

preferred

to

sing

a

useful

and

necessary

recantation

—

I

mean

Orpheus

,

who

said

what

I

quoted

a

little

before

;

and

believe

the

others

who

wrote

the

same

things

concerning

one

God

.

For

it

was

the

work

of

Divine

Providence

on

your

behalf

,

that

they

,

though

unwillingly

,

bore

testimony

that

what

the

prophets

said

regarding

one

God

was

true

,

in

order

that

,

the

doctrine

of

a

plurality

of

gods

being

rejected

by

all

,

occasion

might

be

afforded

you

of

knowing

the

truth

.

Notes

81
This is now supposed to be fable.
82
Literally, “sacred men.”