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Hortatory Address to the Greeks

Justin Martyr

Chapter 7

About this work

Author: Justin Martyr

Chapter VII.—Inconsistencies of Plato’s doctrine.

But in these things they are convicted of thinking in

‹ Chapter 6 Chapter 8 ›

contradiction

to

each

other

.

And

if

any

one

will

accurately

criticise

their

writings

,

they

have

chosen

to

abide

in

harmony

not

even

with

their

own

opinions

.

Plato

,

at

any

rate

,

at

one

time

says

that

there

are

three

first

principles

of

the

universe

—

God

,

and

matter

,

and

form

;

but

at

another

time

four

,

for

he

adds

the

universal

soul

.

And

again

,

when

he

has

already

said

that

matter

is

eternal

,

he

afterwards

says

that

it

is

produced

;

and

when

he

has

first

given

to

form

its

peculiar

rank

as

a

first

principle

,

and

has

asserted

for

its

self

-

subsistence

,

he

afterwards

says

that

this

same

thing

is

among

the

things

perceived

by

the

understanding

.

Moreover

,

having

first

declared

that

everything

that

is

made

is

mortal

he

afterwards

states

that

some

of

the

things

that

are

made

are

indestructible

and

immortal

.

What

,

then

,

is

the

cause

why

those

who

have

been

esteemed

wise

among

you

disagree

not

only

with

one

another

but

also

with

themselves

?

Manifestly

,

their

unwillingness

to

learn

from

those

who

know

,

and

their

desire

to

attain

accurate

knowledge

of

things

heavenly

by

their

own

human

excess

of

wisdom

though

they

were

able

to

understand

not

even

earthly

matters

.

Certainly

some

of

your

philosophers

say

that

the

human

soul

is

in

us

;

others

,

that

it

is

around

us

.

For

not

even

in

this

did

they

choose

to

agree

with

one

another

,

but

,

distributing

,

as

it

were

,

ignorance

in

various

ways

among

themselves

,

they

thought

fit

to

wrangle

and

dispute

with

one

another

even

about

the

soul

.

For

some

of

them

say

that

the

soul

is

fire

,

and

some

that

it

is

the

air

;

and

others

,

the

mind

;

and

others

,

motion

;

and

others

,

an

exhalation

;

and

certain

others

say

that

it

is

a

power

flowing

from

the

stars

;

and

others

,

number

capable

of

motion

;

and

others

,

a

generating

water

.

And

a

wholly

confused

and

inharmonious

opinion

has

prevailed

among

them

,

which

only

in

this

one

respect

appears

praiseworthy

to

those

who

can

form

a

right

judgment

,

that

they

have

been

anxious

to

convict

one

another

of

error

and

falsehood

.

Notes

23
Literally, “unbegotten.”
24
Or, “liable to destruction.”