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Hortatory Address to the Greeks

Justin Martyr

Chapter 6

About this work

Author: Justin Martyr

Chapter VI.—Further disagreements between Plato and Aristotle.

And that these very wonderful sages of yours do not

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even

agree

in

other

respects

,

can

be

easily

learned

from

this

.

For

while

Plato

says

that

there

are

three

first

principles

of

all

things

,

God

,

and

matter

,

and

form

,

—

God

,

the

maker

of

all

;

and

matter

,

which

is

the

subject

of

the

first

production

of

all

that

is

produced

,

and

affords

to

God

opportunity

for

His

workmanship

;

and

form

,

which

is

the

type

of

each

of

the

things

produced

,

—

Aristotle

makes

no

mention

at

all

of

form

as

a

first

principle

,

but

says

that

there

are

two

,

God

and

matter

.

And

again

,

while

Plato

says

that

the

highest

God

and

the

ideas

exist

in

the

first

place

of

the

highest

heavens

,

and

in

fixed

sphere

,

Aristotle

says

that

,

the

most

high

God

,

there

are

,

not

ideas

,

but

certain

gods

,

who

can

be

perceived

by

the

mind

.

Thus

,

then

,

do

they

differ

concerning

things

heavenly

.

So

that

one

can

see

that

they

not

only

are

unable

to

understand

our

earthly

matters

,

but

also

,

being

at

variance

among

themselves

regarding

these

things

,

they

will

appear

unworthy

of

credit

when

they

treat

of

things

heavenly

.

And

that

even

their

doctrine

regarding

the

human

soul

as

it

now

is

does

not

harmonize

,

is

manifest

from

what

has

been

said

by

each

of

them

concerning

it

.

For

Plato

says

that

it

is

of

three

parts

,

having

the

faculty

of

reason

,

of

affection

,

and

of

appetite

.

But

Aristotle

says

that

the

soul

is

not

so

comprehensive

as

to

include

also

corruptible

parts

,

but

only

reason

.

And

Plato

loudly

maintains

that

“

the

whole

soul

is

immortal

.

”

But

Aristotle

,

naming

it

“

the

actuality

,

”

would

have

it

to

be

mortal

,

not

immortal

.

And

the

former

says

it

is

always

in

motion

;

but

Aristotle

says

that

it

is

immoveable

,

since

it

must

itself

precede

all

motion

.

Notes

21
τὸ λογικόν τὸ θυμικόν, τὸ ἐπιθυμητικόν, —corresponding to what we roughly speak of as reason, the heart, and the appetites.
22
ἐντελέχεια, —the completion or actuality to which each thing, by virtue of its peculiar nature (or potentiality, δύναμις), can arrive.