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Theophilus to Autolycus

Theophilus of Antioch

Book 1 · Chapter 11

About this work

Three books addressed to a pagan friend defending the invisible God, creation, resurrection, Christian morality, and the antiquity of the Hebrew Scriptures against Greco-Roman religion and literature.

Author: Theophilus of Antioch
Date: c. AD 180–185
Origin: Antioch
Genre: Apology

Chapter XI.—The King to Be Honoured, God to Be Worshipped.

Wherefore I will rather honour the king [

‹ Book 1 · Chapter 10 Book 1 · Chapter 12 ›

than

your

gods

]

,

not

,

indeed

,

worshipping

him

,

but

praying

for

him

.

But

God

,

the

living

and

true

God

,

I

worship

,

knowing

that

the

king

is

made

by

Him

.

You

will

say

,

then

,

to

me

,

“

Why

do

you

not

worship

the

king

?

”

Because

he

is

not

made

to

be

worshipped

,

but

to

be

reverenced

with

lawful

honour

,

for

he

is

not

a

god

,

but

a

man

appointed

by

God

,

not

to

be

worshipped

,

but

to

judge

justly

.

For

in

a

kind

of

way

his

government

is

committed

to

him

by

God

:

as

He

will

not

have

those

called

kings

whom

He

has

appointed

under

Himself

;

for

“

king

”

is

his

title

,

and

it

is

not

lawful

for

another

to

use

it

;

so

neither

is

it

lawful

for

any

to

be

worshipped

but

God

only

.

Wherefore

,

O

man

,

you

are

wholly

in

error

.

Accordingly

,

honour

the

king

,

be

subject

to

him

,

and

pray

for

him

with

loyal

mind

;

for

if

you

do

this

,

you

do

the

will

of

God

.

For

the

law

that

is

of

God

,

says

,

“

My

son

,

fear

thou

the

Lord

and

the

king

,

and

be

not

disobedient

to

them

;

for

suddenly

they

shall

take

vengeance

on

their

enemies

.

”

Notes

16
Prov. xxiv. 21, 22. The Greek of Theophilus has “honour” instead of “fear.”