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The First Apology

Justin Martyr

Chapter 21

About this work

Justin addresses Roman rulers on behalf of Christians, challenging accusations against them while explaining Christian ethics, worship, baptism, Eucharist, prophecy, and belief in Christ in his own day.

Author: Justin Martyr
Date: c. AD 150–155
Origin: Rome
Genre: Apology

Chapter XXI.—Analogies to the history of Christ.

And when we say also that the Word, who

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is

the

first

-

birth

of

God

,

was

produced

without

sexual

union

,

and

that

He

,

Jesus

Christ

,

our

Teacher

,

was

crucified

and

died

,

and

rose

again

,

and

ascended

into

heaven

,

we

propound

nothing

different

from

what

you

believe

regarding

those

whom

you

esteem

sons

of

Jupiter

.

For

you

know

how

many

sons

your

esteemed

writers

ascribed

to

Jupiter

:

Mercury

,

the

interpreting

word

and

teacher

of

all

;

Æsculapius

,

who

,

though

he

was

a

great

physician

,

was

struck

by

a

thunderbolt

,

and

so

ascended

to

heaven

;

and

Bacchus

too

,

after

he

had

been

torn

limb

from

limb

;

and

Hercules

,

when

he

had

committed

himself

to

the

flames

to

escape

his

toils

;

and

the

sons

of

Leda

,

and

Dioscuri

;

and

Perseus

,

son

of

Danae

;

and

Bellerophon

,

who

,

though

sprung

from

mortals

,

rose

to

heaven

on

the

horse

Pegasus

.

For

what

shall

I

say

of

Ariadne

,

and

those

who

,

like

her

,

have

been

declared

to

be

set

among

the

stars

?

And

what

of

the

emperors

who

die

among

yourselves

,

whom

you

deem

worthy

of

deification

,

and

in

whose

behalf

you

produce

some

one

who

swears

he

has

seen

the

burning

Cæsar

rise

to

heaven

from

the

funeral

pyre

?

And

what

kind

of

deeds

are

recorded

of

each

of

these

reputed

sons

of

Jupiter

,

it

is

needless

to

tell

to

those

who

already

know

.

This

only

shall

be

said

,

that

they

are

written

for

the

advantage

and

encouragement

of

youthful

scholars

;

for

all

reckon

it

an

honourable

thing

to

imitate

the

gods

.

But

far

be

such

a

thought

concerning

the

gods

from

every

well

-

conditioned

soul

,

as

to

believe

that

Jupiter

himself

,

the

governor

and

creator

of

all

things

,

was

both

a

parricide

and

the

son

of

a

parricide

,

and

that

being

overcome

by

the

love

of

base

and

shameful

pleasures

,

he

came

in

to

Ganymede

and

those

many

women

whom

he

had

violated

and

that

his

sons

did

like

actions

.

But

,

as

we

said

above

,

wicked

devils

perpetrated

these

things

.

And

we

have

learned

that

those

only

are

deified

who

have

lived

near

to

God

in

holiness

and

virtue

;

and

we

believe

that

those

who

live

wickedly

and

do

not

repent

are

punished

in

everlasting

fire

.

Notes

45
i.e., first-born.
46
διαφορὰν καὶ προτροπήν. The irony here is so obvious as to make the proposed reading (διαφθορὰν καὶ παρατροπήν, corruption and depravation) unnecessary. Otto prefers the reading adopted above. Trollope, on the other hand, inclines to the latter reading, mainly on the score of the former expressions being unusual. See his very sensible note in loc.