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Address to the Greeks

Tatian

Chapter 20

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

Thanks are Ever Due to God.

Even if you be healed by drugs (I grant

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you

that

point

by

courtesy

)

,

yet

it

behoves

you

to

give

testimony

of

the

cure

to

God

.

For

the

world

still

draws

us

down

,

and

through

weakness

I

incline

towards

matter

.

For

the

wings

of

the

soul

were

the

perfect

spirit

,

but

,

having

cast

this

off

through

sin

,

it

flutters

like

a

nestling

and

falls

to

the

ground

.

Having

left

the

heavenly

companionship

,

it

hankers

after

communion

with

inferior

things

.

The

demons

were

driven

forth

to

another

abode

;

the

first

created

human

beings

were

expelled

from

their

place

:

the

one

,

indeed

,

were

cast

down

from

heaven

;

but

the

other

were

driven

from

earth

,

yet

not

out

of

this

earth

,

but

from

a

more

excellent

order

of

things

than

exists

here

now

.

And

now

it

behoves

us

,

yearning

after

that

pristine

state

,

to

put

aside

everything

that

proves

a

hindrance

.

The

heavens

are

not

infinite

,

O

man

,

but

finite

and

bounded

;

and

beyond

them

are

the

superior

worlds

which

have

not

a

change

of

seasons

,

by

which

various

diseases

are

produced

,

but

,

partaking

of

every

happy

temperature

,

have

perpetual

day

,

and

light

unapproachable

by

men

below

.

Those

who

have

composed

elaborate

descriptions

of

the

earth

have

given

an

account

of

its

various

regions

so

far

as

this

was

possible

to

man

;

but

,

being

unable

to

speak

of

that

which

is

beyond

,

because

of

the

impossibility

of

personal

observation

,

they

have

assigned

as

the

cause

the

existence

of

tides

;

and

that

one

sea

is

filled

with

weed

,

and

another

with

mud

;

and

that

some

localities

are

burnt

up

with

heat

,

and

others

cold

and

frozen

.

We

,

however

,

have

learned

things

which

were

unknown

to

us

,

through

the

teaching

of

the

prophets

,

who

,

being

fully

persuaded

that

the

heavenly

spirit

along

with

the

soul

will

acquire

a

clothing

of

mortality

,

foretold

things

which

other

minds

were

unacquainted

with

.

But

it

is

possible

for

every

one

who

is

naked

to

obtain

this

apparel

,

and

to

return

to

its

ancient

kindred

.

Notes

60
[The flavour of this passage comes out with more sweetness in Kaye’s note (p. 198, Justin M.), thus: “Above the visible heavens exist the better ages, αἰῶνες οἰ κρείττονες, having no change of seasons from which various diseases take their orgin; but, blest with a uniform goodness of temperature, they enjoy perpetual day, and light inaccessible to men who dwell here below.” Here Tatian seems to me to have had in mind a noble passage from Pindar, one of the most exquisite specimens of Greek poetry, which he baptizes and sanctifies. Ἴσον δὲ νύκτεσσιν αἰεὶ Ἴσα δ᾽ἐν ἁμέραις ἄλι- ον ἔχοντες, ἀπονέστερον Ἐσθλοὶ νέμονται βίο- τον, οὐ χθόνα ταράσσον- τες ἀλκᾷ χερῶν, Οὐδὲ πόντιον ὕδωρ, Κεινὰν παρὰ δίαιταν · κ.τ.λ. Olymp. ii. Truly the Gentiles reflect some light from the window in the ark of their father Noah. How sweet what follows: ἄδακρυν νέμονται αἰῶνα. Comp. Rev. vii. 7, xxi. 4, xxii.]
61
[Kaye thus renders this passage: “the spirit together with the soul will receive immortality, the heavenly covering of mortality.” Justin, p. 288.]