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Address to the Greeks

Tatian

Chapter 41

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

But the matter of principal importance is to endeavour with

‹ Chapter 40 Chapter 42 ›

all

accuracy

to

make

it

clear

that

Moses

is

not

only

older

than

Homer

,

but

than

all

the

writers

that

were

before

him

—

older

than

Linus

,

Philammon

,

Thamyris

,

Amphion

,

Musæus

,

Orpheus

,

Demodocus

,

Phemius

,

Sibylla

,

Epimenides

of

Crete

,

who

came

to

Sparta

,

Aristæus

of

Proconnesus

,

who

wrote

the

Arimaspia

,

Asbolus

the

Centaur

,

Isatis

,

Drymon

,

Euclus

the

Cyprian

,

Horus

the

Samian

,

and

Pronapis

the

Athenian

.

Now

,

Linus

was

the

teacher

of

Hercules

,

but

Hercules

preceded

the

Trojan

war

by

one

generation

;

and

this

is

manifest

from

his

son

Tlepolemus

,

who

served

in

the

army

against

Troy

.

And

Orpheus

lived

at

the

same

time

as

Hercules

;

moreover

,

it

is

said

that

all

the

works

attributed

to

him

were

composed

by

Onomacritus

the

Athenian

,

who

lived

during

the

reign

of

the

Pisistratids

,

about

the

fiftieth

Olympiad

.

Musæus

was

a

disciple

of

Orpheus

.

Amphion

,

since

he

preceded

the

siege

of

Troy

by

two

generations

,

forbids

our

collecting

further

particulars

about

him

for

those

who

are

desirous

of

information

.

Demodocus

and

Phemius

lived

at

the

very

time

of

the

Trojan

war

;

for

the

one

resided

with

the

suitors

,

and

the

other

with

the

Phœacians

.

Thamyris

and

Philammon

were

not

much

earlier

than

these

.

Thus

,

concerning

their

several

performances

in

each

kind

,

and

their

times

and

the

record

of

them

,

we

have

written

very

fully

,

and

,

as

I

think

,

with

all

exactness

.

But

,

that

we

may

complete

what

is

still

wanting

,

I

will

give

my

explanation

respecting

the

men

who

are

esteemed

wise

.

Minos

,

who

has

been

thought

to

excel

in

every

kind

of

wisdom

,

and

mental

acuteness

,

and

legislative

capacity

,

lived

in

the

time

of

Lynceus

,

who

reigned

after

Danaus

in

the

eleventh

generation

after

Inachus

.

Lycurgus

,

who

was

born

long

after

the

taking

of

Troy

,

gave

laws

to

the

Lacedemonians

.

Draco

is

found

to

have

lived

about

the

thirty

-

ninth

Olympiad

,

Solon

about

the

forty

-

sixth

,

and

Pythagoras

about

the

sixty

-

second

.

We

have

shown

that

the

Olympiads

commenced

407

years

after

the

taking

of

Troy

.

These

facts

being

demonstrated

,

we

shall

briefly

remark

concerning

the

age

of

the

seven

wise

men

.

The

oldest

of

these

,

Thales

,

lived

about

the

fiftieth

Olympiad

;

and

I

have

already

spoken

briefly

of

those

who

came

after

him

.