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Hortatory Address to the Greeks

Justin Martyr

Chapter 27

About this work

Author: Justin Martyr

Chapter XXVII.—Plato’s knowledge of the judgment.

And in the tenth book he plainly and manifestly wrote

‹ Chapter 26 Chapter 28 ›

what

he

had

learned

from

the

prophets

about

the

judgment

,

not

as

if

he

had

learned

it

from

them

,

but

,

on

account

of

his

fear

of

the

Greeks

,

as

if

he

had

heard

it

from

a

man

who

has

been

slain

in

battle

—

for

this

story

he

thought

fit

to

invent

—

and

who

,

when

he

was

about

to

be

buried

on

the

twelfth

day

,

and

was

lying

on

the

funeral

pile

,

came

to

life

again

,

and

described

the

other

world

.

The

following

are

his

very

words

:

“

For

he

said

that

he

was

present

when

one

was

asked

by

another

person

where

the

great

Ardiæus

was

.

This

Ardiæus

had

been

prince

in

a

certain

city

of

Pamphylia

,

and

had

killed

his

aged

father

and

his

elder

brother

,

and

done

many

other

unhallowed

deeds

,

as

was

reported

.

He

said

,

then

that

the

person

who

was

asked

said

:

He

neither

comes

nor

ever

will

come

hither

.

For

we

saw

,

among

other

terrible

sights

,

this

also

.

When

we

were

close

to

the

mouth

[

of

the

pit

]

,

and

were

about

to

return

to

the

upper

air

,

and

had

suffered

everything

else

,

we

suddenly

beheld

both

him

and

others

likewise

,

most

of

whom

were

tyrants

.

But

there

were

also

some

private

sinners

who

had

committed

great

crimes

.

And

these

,

when

they

thought

they

were

to

ascend

,

the

mouth

would

not

permit

,

but

bellowed

when

any

of

those

who

were

so

incurably

wicked

attempted

to

ascend

,

unless

they

had

paid

the

full

penalty

.

Then

fierce

men

,

fiery

to

look

at

,

stood

close

by

,

and

hearing

the

din

,

took

some

and

led

them

away

;

but

Ardiæus

and

the

rest

,

having

bound

hand

and

foot

,

and

striking

their

heads

down

,

and

flaying

,

they

dragged

to

the

road

outside

,

tearing

them

with

thorns

,

and

signifying

to

those

who

were

present

the

cause

of

their

suffering

these

things

,

and

that

they

were

leading

them

away

to

cast

them

into

Tartarus

.

Hence

,

he

said

,

that

amidst

all

their

various

fears

,

this

one

was

the

greatest

,

lest

the

mouth

should

bellow

when

they

ascended

,

since

if

it

were

silent

each

one

would

most

gladly

ascend

;

and

that

the

punishments

and

torments

were

such

as

these

,

and

that

,

on

the

other

hand

,

the

rewards

were

the

reverse

of

these

.

”

Here

Plato

seems

to

me

to

have

learnt

from

the

prophets

not

only

the

doctrine

of

the

judgment

,

but

also

of

the

resurrection

,

which

the

Greeks

refuse

to

believe

.

For

his

saying

that

the

soul

is

judged

along

with

the

body

,

proves

nothing

more

clearly

than

that

he

believed

the

doctrine

of

the

resurrection

.

Since

how

could

Ardiæus

and

the

rest

have

undergone

such

punishment

in

Hades

,

had

they

left

on

earth

the

body

,

with

its

head

,

hands

,

feet

,

and

skin

?

For

certainly

they

will

never

say

that

the

soul

has

a

head

and

hands

,

and

feet

and

skin

.

But

Plato

,

having

fallen

in

with

the

testimonies

of

the

prophets

in

Egypt

,

and

having

accepted

what

they

teach

concerning

the

resurrection

of

the

body

,

teaches

that

the

soul

is

judged

in

company

with

the

body

.

Notes

57
Plato, Rep., p. 615, [lib. x. p. 325. Ed. Bipont, 1785.]
58
The bellowing of the mouth of the pit.