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Address to the Greeks

Tatian

Chapter 19

About this work

Tatian attacks Greek claims to cultural and philosophical superiority, defends Christian teaching about God, creation, resurrection, and ethics, and argues for the antiquity of biblical wisdom.

Author: Tatian
Date: c. AD 165–175
Origin: Rome or the eastern Mediterranean
Genre: Apology

Depravity Lies at the Bottom of Demon-Worship.

But do you, who have not the perception of

‹ Chapter 18 Chapter 20 ›

these

things

,

be

instructed

by

us

who

know

them

:

though

you

do

profess

to

despise

death

,

and

to

be

sufficient

of

yourselves

for

everything

.

But

this

is

a

discipline

in

which

your

philosophers

are

so

greatly

deficient

,

that

some

of

them

receive

from

the

king

of

the

Romans

600

aurei

yearly

,

for

no

useful

service

they

perform

,

but

that

they

may

not

even

wear

a

long

beard

without

being

paid

for

it

!

Crescens

,

who

made

his

nest

in

the

great

city

,

surpassed

all

men

in

unnatural

love

(

παιδεραστία

)

,

and

was

strongly

addicted

to

the

love

of

money

.

Yet

this

man

,

who

professed

to

despise

death

,

was

so

afraid

of

death

,

that

he

endeavoured

to

inflict

on

Justin

,

and

indeed

on

me

,

the

punishment

of

death

,

as

being

an

evil

,

because

by

proclaiming

the

truth

he

convicted

the

philosophers

of

being

gluttons

and

cheats

.

But

whom

of

the

philosophers

,

save

you

only

,

was

he

accustomed

to

inveigh

against

?

If

you

say

,

in

agreement

with

our

tenets

,

that

death

is

not

to

be

dreaded

,

do

not

court

death

from

an

insane

love

of

fame

among

men

,

like

Anaxagoras

,

but

become

despisers

of

death

by

reason

of

the

knowledge

of

God

.

The

construction

of

the

world

is

excellent

,

but

the

life

men

live

in

it

is

bad

;

and

we

may

see

those

greeted

with

applause

as

in

a

solemn

assembly

who

know

not

God

.

For

what

is

divination

?

and

why

are

ye

deceived

by

it

?

It

is

a

minister

to

thee

of

worldly

lusts

.

You

wish

to

make

war

,

and

you

take

Apollo

as

a

counsellor

of

slaughter

.

You

want

to

carry

off

a

maiden

by

force

,

and

you

select

a

divinity

to

be

your

accomplice

.

You

are

ill

by

your

own

fault

;

and

,

as

Agamemnon

wished

for

ten

councillors

,

so

you

wish

to

have

gods

with

you

.

Some

woman

by

drinking

water

gets

into

a

frenzy

,

and

loses

her

senses

by

the

fumes

of

frankincense

,

and

you

say

that

she

has

the

gift

of

prophecy

.

Apollo

was

a

prognosticator

and

a

teacher

of

soothsayers

:

in

the

matter

of

Daphne

he

deceived

himself

.

An

oak

,

forsooth

,

is

oracular

,

and

birds

utter

presages

!

And

so

you

are

inferior

to

animals

and

plants

!

It

would

surely

be

a

fine

thing

for

you

to

become

a

divining

rod

,

or

to

assume

the

wings

of

a

bird

!

He

who

makes

you

fond

of

money

also

foretells

your

getting

rich

;

he

who

excites

to

seditions

and

wars

also

predicts

victory

in

war

.

If

you

are

superior

to

the

passions

,

you

will

despise

all

worldly

things

.

Do

not

abhor

us

who

have

made

this

attainment

,

but

,

repudiating

the

demons

,

follow

the

one

God

.

“

All

things

were

made

by

Him

,

and

without

Him

not

one

thing

was

made

.

”

If

there

is

poison

in

natural

productions

,

this

has

supervened

through

our

sinfulness

.

I

am

able

to

show

the

perfect

truth

of

these

things

;

only

do

you

hearken

,

and

he

who

believes

will

understand

.

Notes

57
Comp. Hom. Il., ii. 372.
58
[The baptismal renunciation.]
59
John i. 3.