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The First Apology

Justin Martyr

Chapter 64

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 LXIV.—Further misrepresentations of the truth.

From what has been already said, you can

‹ Chapter 63 Chapter 65 ›

understand

how

the

devils

,

in

imitation

of

what

was

said

by

Moses

,

asserted

that

Proserpine

was

the

daughter

of

Jupiter

,

and

instigated

the

people

to

set

up

an

image

of

her

under

the

name

of

Kore

[

Cora

,

i

.

e

.

,

the

maiden

or

daughter

]

at

the

spring

-

heads

.

For

,

as

we

wrote

above

,

Moses

said

,

“

In

the

beginning

God

made

the

heaven

and

the

earth

.

And

the

earth

was

without

form

and

unfurnished

:

and

the

Spirit

of

God

moved

upon

the

face

of

the

waters

.

”

In

imitation

,

therefore

,

of

what

is

here

said

of

the

Spirit

of

God

moving

on

the

waters

,

they

said

that

Proserpine

[

or

Cora

]

was

the

daughter

of

Jupiter

.

And

in

like

manner

also

they

craftily

feigned

that

Minerva

was

the

daughter

of

Jupiter

,

not

by

sexual

union

,

but

,

knowing

that

God

conceived

and

made

the

world

by

the

Word

,

they

say

that

Minerva

is

the

first

conception

[

ἔννοια

]

;

which

we

consider

to

be

very

absurd

,

bringing

forward

the

form

of

the

conception

in

a

female

shape

.

And

in

like

manner

the

actions

of

those

others

who

are

called

sons

of

Jupiter

sufficiently

condemn

them

.

Notes

139
Chap. lix.
140
And therefore caused her to preside over the waters, as above.