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Theophilus to Autolycus

Theophilus of Antioch

Book 2 · Chapter 35

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 XXXV.—Precepts from the Prophetic Books.

The divine law, then, not only

‹ Book 2 · Chapter 34 Book 2 · Chapter 36 ›

forbids

the

worshipping

of

idols

,

but

also

of

the

heavenly

bodies

,

the

sun

,

the

moon

,

or

the

other

stars

;

yea

,

not

heaven

,

nor

earth

,

nor

the

sea

,

nor

fountains

,

nor

rivers

,

must

be

worshipped

,

but

we

must

serve

in

holiness

of

heart

and

sincerity

of

purpose

only

the

living

and

true

God

,

who

also

is

Maker

of

the

universe

.

Wherefore

saith

the

holy

law

:

“

Thou

shalt

not

commit

adultery

;

thou

shalt

not

steal

;

thou

shalt

not

bear

false

witness

;

thou

shalt

not

desire

thy

neighbour’s

wife

.

”

So

also

the

prophets

.

Solomon

indeed

teaches

us

that

we

must

not

sin

with

so

much

as

a

turn

of

the

eye

,

saying

,

“

Let

thine

eyes

look

right

on

,

and

let

thy

eyelids

look

straight

before

thee

.

”

And

Moses

,

who

himself

also

was

a

prophet

,

says

,

concerning

the

sole

government

of

God

:

“

Your

God

is

He

who

establishes

the

heaven

,

and

forms

the

earth

,

whose

hands

have

brought

forth

all

the

host

of

heaven

;

and

He

has

not

set

these

things

before

you

that

you

should

go

after

them

.

”

And

Isaiah

himself

also

says

:

“

Thus

saith

the

Lord

God

who

established

the

heavens

,

and

founded

the

earth

and

all

that

is

therein

,

and

giveth

breath

unto

the

people

upon

it

,

and

spirit

to

them

that

walk

therein

.

This

is

the

Lord

your

God

.

”

And

again

,

through

him

He

says

:

“

I

have

made

the

earth

,

and

man

upon

it

.

I

by

my

hand

have

established

the

heavens

.

”

And

in

another

chapter

,

“

This

is

your

God

,

who

created

the

ends

of

the

earth

;

He

hungereth

not

,

neither

is

weary

,

and

there

is

no

searching

of

His

understanding

.

”

So

,

too

,

Jeremiah

says

:

“

Who

hath

made

the

earth

by

His

power

,

and

established

the

world

by

His

wisdom

,

and

by

His

discretion

hath

stretched

out

the

heavens

,

and

a

mass

of

water

in

the

heavens

,

and

He

caused

the

clouds

to

ascend

from

the

ends

of

the

earth

;

He

made

lightnings

with

rain

,

and

brought

forth

winds

out

of

His

treasures

.

”

One

can

see

how

consistently

and

harmoniously

all

the

prophets

spoke

,

having

given

utterance

through

one

and

the

same

spirit

concerning

the

unity

of

God

,

and

the

creation

of

the

world

,

and

the

formation

of

man

.

Moreover

,

they

were

in

sore

travail

,

bewailing

the

godless

race

of

men

,

and

they

reproached

those

,

who

seemed

to

be

wise

,

for

their

error

and

hardness

of

heart

.

Jeremiah

,

indeed

,

said

:

“

Every

man

is

brutishly

gone

astray

from

the

knowledge

of

Him

;

every

founder

is

confounded

by

his

graven

images

;

in

vain

the

silversmith

makes

his

molten

images

;

there

is

no

breath

in

them

:

in

the

day

of

their

visitation

they

shall

perish

.

”

The

same

,

too

,

says

David

:

“

They

are

corrupt

,

they

have

done

abominable

works

;

there

is

none

that

doeth

good

,

no

,

not

one

;

they

have

all

gone

aside

,

they

have

together

become

profitless

.

”

So

also

Habakkuk

:

“

What

profiteth

the

graven

image

that

he

has

graven

it

a

lying

image

?

Woe

to

him

that

saith

to

the

stone

,

Awake

;

and

to

the

wood

,

Arise

.

”

Likewise

spoke

the

other

prophets

of

the

truth

.

And

why

should

I

recount

the

multitude

of

prophets

,

who

are

numerous

,

and

said

ten

thousand

things

consistently

and

harmoniously

?

For

those

who

desire

it

,

can

,

by

reading

what

they

uttered

,

accurately

understand

the

truth

,

and

no

longer

be

carried

away

by

opinion

and

profitless

labour

.

These

,

then

,

whom

we

have

already

mentioned

,

were

prophets

among

the

Hebrews

,

—

illiterate

,

and

shepherds

,

and

uneducated

.

Notes

71
Literally, “a nod.”
72
Prov. iv. 25.
73
Cf. Deut. iv. 19.
74
Isa. xlii. 5.
75
Isa. xlv. 12.
76
Isa. xl. 28.
77
Jer. x. 12, 13.
78
Jer. li. 17, 18.
79
Ps. xiv. 1, 3.
80
Hab. ii. 18.