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The Discourse to the Greeks

Justin Martyr

Chapter 2

About this work

Author: Justin Martyr

Chapter II.—The Greek theogony exposed.

But since, next to Homer, Hesiod wrote his Works

‹ Chapter 1 Chapter 3 ›

and

Days

,

who

will

believe

his

drivelling

theogony

?

For

they

say

that

Chronos

,

the

son

of

Ouranos

,

in

the

beginning

slew

his

father

,

and

possessed

himself

of

his

rule

;

and

that

,

being

seized

with

a

panic

lest

he

should

himself

suffer

in

the

same

way

,

he

preferred

devouring

his

children

;

but

that

,

by

the

craft

of

the

Curetes

,

Jupiter

was

conveyed

away

and

kept

in

secret

,

and

afterwards

bound

his

father

with

chains

,

and

divided

the

empire

;

Jupiter

receiving

,

as

the

story

goes

,

the

air

,

and

Neptune

the

deep

,

and

Pluto

the

portion

of

Hades

.

But

Pluto

ravished

Proserpine

;

and

Ceres

sought

her

child

wandering

through

the

deserts

.

And

this

myth

was

celebrated

in

the

Eleusinian

fire

.

Again

,

Neptune

ravished

Melanippe

when

she

was

drawing

water

,

besides

abusing

a

host

of

Nereids

not

a

few

,

whose

names

,

were

we

to

recount

them

,

would

cost

us

a

multitude

of

words

.

And

as

for

Jupiter

,

he

was

a

various

adulterer

,

with

Antiope

as

a

satyr

,

with

Danaë

as

gold

,

and

with

Europa

as

a

bull

;

with

Leda

,

moreover

,

he

assumed

wings

.

For

the

love

of

Semele

proved

both

his

unchastity

and

the

jealousy

of

Semele

.

And

they

say

that

he

carried

off

the

Phrygian

Ganymede

to

be

his

cup

-

bearer

.

These

,

then

,

are

the

exploits

of

the

sons

of

Saturn

.

And

your

illustrious

son

of

Latona

[

Apollo

]

,

who

professed

soothsaying

,

convicted

himself

of

lying

.

He

pursued

Daphne

,

but

did

not

gain

possession

of

her

;

and

to

Hyacinthus

,

who

loved

him

,

he

did

not

foretell

his

death

.

And

I

say

nothing

of

the

masculine

character

of

Minerva

,

nor

of

the

feminine

nature

of

Bacchus

,

nor

of

the

fornicating

disposition

of

Venus

.

Read

to

Jupiter

,

ye

Greeks

,

the

law

against

parricides

,

and

the

penalty

of

adultery

,

and

the

ignominy

of

pæderasty

.

Teach

Minerva

and

Diana

the

works

of

women

,

and

Bacchus

the

works

of

men

.

What

seemliness

is

there

in

a

woman’s

girding

herself

with

armour

,

or

in

a

man’s

decorating

himself

with

cymbals

,

and

garlands

,

and

female

attire

,

and

accompanied

by

a

herd

of

bacchanalian

women

?

Notes

5
Or, Saturn son of Heaven.
6
In the mysteries of Eleusis, the return of Proserpine from the lower world was celebrated.
7
Apollo accidentally killed Hyacinthus by striking him on the head with a quoit.