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Address to the Greeks

Tatian

Chapter 34

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

Ridicule of the Statues Erected by the Greeks.

Worthy of very great honour, certainly, was the

‹ Chapter 33 Chapter 35 ›

tyrant

Bhalaris

,

who

devoured

sucklings

,

and

accordingly

is

exhibited

by

the

workmanship

of

Polystratus

the

Ambraciot

,

even

to

this

day

,

as

a

very

wonderful

man

!

The

Agrigentines

dreaded

to

look

on

that

countenance

of

his

,

because

of

his

cannibalism

;

but

people

of

culture

now

make

it

their

boast

that

they

behold

him

in

his

statue

!

Is

it

not

shameful

that

fratricide

is

honoured

by

you

who

look

on

the

statues

of

Polynices

and

Eteocles

,

and

that

you

have

not

rather

buried

them

with

their

maker

Pythagoras

?

Destroy

these

memorials

of

iniquity

!

Why

should

I

contemplate

with

admiration

the

figure

of

the

woman

who

bore

thirty

children

,

merely

for

the

sake

of

the

artist

Periclymenus

?

One

ought

to

turn

away

with

disgust

from

one

who

bore

off

the

fruits

of

great

incontinence

,

and

whom

the

Romans

compared

to

a

sow

,

which

also

on

a

like

account

,

they

say

,

was

deemed

worthy

of

a

mystic

worship

.

Ares

committed

adultery

with

Aphrodité

,

and

Andron

made

an

image

of

their

offspring

Harmonia

.

Sophron

,

who

committed

to

writing

trifles

and

absurdities

,

was

more

celebrated

for

his

skill

in

casting

metals

,

of

which

specimens

exist

even

now

.

And

not

only

have

his

tales

kept

the

fabulist

Æsop

in

everlasting

remembrance

,

but

also

the

plastic

art

of

Aristodemus

has

increased

his

celebrity

.

How

is

it

then

that

you

,

who

have

so

many

poetesses

whose

productions

are

mere

trash

,

and

innumerable

courtezans

,

and

worthless

men

,

are

not

ashamed

to

slander

the

reputation

of

our

women

?

What

care

I

to

know

that

Euanthé

gave

birth

to

an

infant

in

the

Peripatus

,

or

to

gape

with

wonder

at

the

art

of

Callistratus

,

or

to

fix

my

gaze

on

the

Neæra

of

Calliades

?

For

she

was

a

courtezan

.

Laïs

was

a

prostitute

,

and

Turnus

made

her

a

monument

of

prostitution

.

Why

are

you

not

ashamed

of

the

fornication

of

Hephæstion

,

even

though

Philo

has

represented

him

very

artistically

?

And

for

what

reason

do

you

honour

the

hermaphrodite

Ganymede

by

Leochares

,

as

if

you

possessed

something

admirable

?

Praxiteles

even

made

a

statue

of

a

woman

with

the

stain

of

impurity

upon

it

.

It

behoved

you

,

repudiating

everything

of

this

kind

,

to

seek

what

is

truly

worthy

of

attention

,

and

not

to

turn

with

disgust

from

our

mode

of

life

while

receiving

with

approval

the

shameful

productions

of

Philænis

and

Elephantis

.