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Address to the Greeks

Tatian

Chapter 8

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

The Demons Sin Among Mankind.

But men form the material (ὑπόθεσις) of their

‹ Chapter 7 Chapter 9 ›

apostasy

.

For

,

having

shown

them

a

plan

of

the

position

of

the

stars

,

like

dice

-

players

,

they

introduced

Fate

,

a

flagrant

injustice

.

For

the

judge

and

the

judged

are

made

so

by

Fate

;

the

murderers

and

the

murdered

,

the

wealthy

and

the

needy

,

are

the

offspring

of

the

same

Fate

;

and

every

nativity

is

regarded

as

a

theatrical

entertainment

by

those

beings

of

whom

Homer

says

,

—

<

>

“

Among

the

gods

Rose

laughter

irrepressible

.

”

But

must

not

those

who

are

spectators

of

single

combats

and

are

partisans

on

one

side

or

the

other

,

and

he

who

marries

and

is

a

pæderast

and

an

adulterer

,

who

laughs

and

is

angry

,

who

flees

and

is

wounded

,

be

regarded

as

mortals

?

For

,

by

whatever

actions

they

manifest

to

men

their

characters

,

by

these

they

prompt

their

hearers

to

copy

their

example

.

And

are

not

the

demons

themselves

,

with

Zeus

at

their

head

,

subjected

to

Fate

,

being

overpowered

by

the

same

passions

as

men

?

And

,

besides

,

how

are

those

beings

to

be

worshipped

among

whom

there

exists

such

a

great

contrariety

of

opinions

?

For

Rhea

,

whom

the

inhabitants

of

the

Phrygian

mountains

call

Cybele

,

enacted

emasculation

on

account

of

Attis

,

of

whom

she

was

enamoured

;

but

Aphrodité

is

delighted

with

conjugal

embraces

.

Artemis

is

a

poisoner

;

Apollo

heals

diseases

.

And

after

the

decapitation

of

the

Gorgon

,

the

beloved

of

Poseidon

,

whence

sprang

the

horse

Pegasus

and

Chrysaor

,

Athené

and

Asclepios

divided

between

them

the

drops

of

blood

;

and

,

while

he

saved

men’s

lives

by

means

of

them

,

she

,

by

the

same

blood

,

became

a

homicide

and

the

instigator

of

wars

.

From

regard

to

her

reputation

,

as

it

appears

to

me

,

the

Athenians

attributed

to

the

earth

the

son

born

of

her

connection

with

Hephæstos

,

that

Athené

might

not

be

thought

to

be

deprived

of

her

virility

by

Hephæstos

,

as

Atalanta

by

Meleager

.

This

limping

manufacturer

of

buckles

and

earrings

,

as

is

likely

,

deceived

the

motherless

child

and

orphan

with

these

girlish

ornaments

.

Poseidon

frequents

the

seas

;

Ares

delights

in

wars

;

Apollo

is

a

player

on

the

cithara

;

Dionysus

is

absolute

sovereign

of

the

Thebans

;

Kronos

is

a

tyrannicide

;

Zeus

has

intercourse

with

his

own

daughter

,

who

becomes

pregnant

by

him

.

I

may

instance

,

too

,

Eleusis

,

and

the

mystic

Dragon

,

and

Orpheus

,

who

says

,

—

“

Close

the

gates

against

the

profane

!

”

Aïdoneus

carries

off

Koré

,

and

his

deeds

have

been

made

into

mysteries

;

Demeter

bewails

her

daughter

,

and

some

persons

are

deceived

by

the

Athenians

.

In

the

precincts

of

the

temple

of

the

son

of

Leto

is

a

spot

called

Omphalos

;

but

Omphalos

is

the

burial

-

place

of

Dionysus

.

You

now

I

laud

,

O

Daphne

!

—

by

conquering

the

incontinence

of

Apollo

,

you

disproved

his

power

of

vaticination

;

for

,

not

foreseeing

what

would

occur

to

you

,

he

derived

no

advantage

from

his

art

.

Let

the

far

-

shooting

god

tell

me

how

Zephyrus

slew

Hyacinthus

.

Zephyrus

conquered

him

;

and

in

accordance

with

the

saying

of

the

tragic

poet

,

—

“

A

breeze

is

the

most

honourable

chariot

of

the

gods

,

”

—

conquered

by

a

slight

breeze

,

Apollo

lost

his

beloved

.

Notes

21
Il., i. 599; Od., viii. 326.
22
On fleeing from Apollo, she became a bay-tree.
23
It is uncertain from whom this line is quoted.