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Hortatory Address to the Greeks

Justin Martyr

Chapter 22

About this work

Author: Justin Martyr

Chapter XXII.—Studied ambiguity Plato.

Plato accordingly having learned this in Egypt, and being

‹ Chapter 21 Chapter 23 ›

greatly

taken

with

what

was

said

about

one

God

,

did

indeed

consider

it

unsafe

to

mention

the

name

of

Moses

,

on

account

of

his

teaching

the

doctrine

of

one

only

God

,

for

he

dreaded

the

Areopagus

;

but

what

is

very

well

expressed

by

him

in

his

elaborate

treatise

,

the

Timæus

,

he

has

written

in

exact

correspondence

with

what

Moses

said

regarding

God

,

though

he

has

done

so

,

not

as

if

he

had

learned

it

from

him

,

but

as

if

he

were

expressing

his

own

opinion

.

For

he

said

,

“

In

my

opinion

,

then

,

we

must

first

define

what

that

is

which

exists

eternally

,

and

has

no

generation

,

and

what

that

is

which

is

always

being

generated

,

but

never

really

is

.

”

Does

not

this

,

ye

men

of

Greece

,

seem

to

those

who

are

able

to

understand

the

matter

to

be

one

and

the

same

thing

,

saving

only

the

difference

of

the

article

?

For

Moses

said

,

“

He

who

is

,

”

and

Plato

,

“

That

which

is

.

”

But

either

of

the

expressions

seems

to

apply

to

the

ever

-

existent

God

.

For

He

is

the

only

one

who

eternally

exists

,

and

has

no

generation

.

What

,

then

,

that

other

thing

is

which

is

contrasted

with

the

ever

-

existent

,

and

of

which

he

said

,

“

And

what

that

is

which

is

always

being

generated

,

but

never

really

is

,

”

we

must

attentively

consider

.

For

we

shall

find

him

clearly

and

evidently

saying

that

He

who

is

unbegotten

is

eternal

,

but

that

those

that

are

begotten

and

made

are

generated

and

perish

—

as

he

said

of

the

same

class

,

“

gods

of

gods

,

of

whom

I

am

maker

”

—

for

he

speaks

in

the

following

words

:

“

In

my

opinion

,

then

,

we

must

first

define

what

that

is

which

is

always

existent

and

has

no

birth

,

and

what

that

is

which

is

always

being

generated

but

never

really

is

.

The

former

,

indeed

,

which

is

apprehended

by

reflection

combined

with

reason

,

always

exists

in

the

same

way

;

while

the

latter

,

on

the

other

hand

,

is

conjectured

by

opinion

formed

by

the

perception

of

the

senses

unaided

by

reason

,

since

it

never

really

is

,

but

is

coming

into

being

and

perishing

.

”

These

expressions

declare

to

those

who

can

rightly

understand

them

the

death

and

destruction

of

the

gods

that

have

been

brought

into

being

.

And

I

think

it

necessary

to

attend

to

this

also

,

that

Plato

never

names

him

the

creator

,

but

the

fashioner

of

the

gods

,

although

,

in

the

opinion

of

Plato

,

there

is

considerable

difference

between

these

two

.

For

the

creator

creates

the

creature

by

his

own

capability

and

power

,

being

in

need

of

nothing

else

;

but

the

fashioner

frames

his

production

when

he

has

received

from

matter

the

capability

for

his

work

.

Notes

45
That is, “is not produced or created; has no birth.”
46
Or, “are born and die.”
47
κατὰ ταὐτά “according to the same things,” i.e., in eternal immutability.
48
Or, “demiurge or maker.”