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The Discourse to the Greeks

Justin Martyr

Chapter 5

About this work

Author: Justin Martyr

Chapter V.—Closing appeal.

Henceforth, ye Greeks, come and partake of incomparable wisdom

‹ Chapter 4

,

and

be

instructed

by

the

Divine

Word

,

and

acquaint

yourselves

with

the

King

immortal

;

and

do

not

recognise

those

men

as

heroes

who

slaughter

whole

nations

.

For

our

own

Ruler

,

the

Divine

Word

,

who

even

now

constantly

aids

us

,

does

not

desire

strength

of

body

and

beauty

of

feature

,

nor

yet

the

high

spirit

of

earth’s

nobility

,

but

a

pure

soul

,

fortified

by

holiness

,

and

the

watchwords

of

our

King

,

holy

actions

,

for

through

the

Word

power

passes

into

the

soul

.

O

trumpet

of

peace

to

the

soul

that

is

at

war

!

O

weapon

that

puttest

to

flight

terrible

passions

!

O

instruction

that

quenches

the

innate

fire

of

the

soul

!

The

Word

exercises

an

influence

which

does

not

make

poets

:

it

does

not

equip

philosophers

nor

skilled

orators

,

but

by

its

instruction

it

makes

mortals

immortal

,

mortals

gods

;

and

from

the

earth

transports

them

to

the

realms

above

Olympus

.

Come

,

be

taught

;

become

as

I

am

,

for

I

,

too

,

was

as

ye

are

.

These

have

conquered

me

—

the

divinity

of

the

instruction

,

and

the

power

of

the

Word

:

for

as

a

skilled

serpent

-

charmer

lures

the

terrible

reptile

from

his

den

and

causes

it

to

flee

,

so

the

Word

drives

the

fearful

passions

of

our

sensual

nature

from

the

very

recesses

of

the

soul

;

first

driving

forth

lust

,

through

which

every

ill

is

begotten

—

hatreds

,

strife

,

envy

,

emulations

,

anger

,

and

such

like

.

Lust

being

once

banished

,

the

soul

becomes

calm

and

serene

.

And

being

set

free

from

the

ills

in

which

it

was

sunk

up

to

the

neck

,

it

returns

to

Him

who

made

it

.

For

it

is

fit

that

it

be

restored

to

that

state

whence

it

departed

,

whence

every

soul

was

or

is

.

Notes

12
Αὐτὸς γὰρ ἡμῶν.
13
[He seems to quote Gal. iv. 12.]
14
[N. B. —It should be stated that modern critics consider this work as not improbably by another author.]