Justin Martyr, On the Sole Government of God

Chapter II.—Testimonies to the unity of God.

First, then, Æschylus,3 Grotius supposes this to be Æschylus the younger in some prologue. in expounding the arrangement of his work,4 This may also be translated: “expounding the set of opinions prevalent in his day.” expressed himself also as follows respecting the only God:—

“Afar from mortals place the holy God,

Nor ever think that He, like to thyself,

In fleshly robes is clad; for all unknown

Is the great God to such a worm as thou.

Divers similitudes He bears; at times

He seems as a consuming fire that burns

Unsated; now like water, then again

In sable folds of darkness shrouds Himself.

Nay, even the very beasts of earth reflect

His sacred image; whilst the wind, clouds, rain,

The roll of thunder and the lightning flash,

Reveal to men their great and sovereign Lord.

Before Him sea and rocks, with every fount,

And all the water floods, in reverence bend;

And as they gaze upon His awful face,

Mountains and earth, with the profoundest depths

Of ocean, and the highest peaks of hills,

Tremble: for He is Lord Omnipotent;

And this the glory is of God Most High.”

But he was not the only man initiated in the knowledge of God; for Sophocles also thus describes the nature of the only Creator of all things, the One God:—

“There is one God, in truth there is but one,

Who made the heavens and the broad earth beneath,

The glancing waves of ocean, and the winds;

But many of us mortals err in heart,

And set up, for a solace in our woes,

Images of the gods in stone and brass,

Or figures carved in gold or ivory;

And, furnishing for these, our handiworks,

Both sacrifice and rite magnificent,

We think that thus we do a pious work.”

And Philemon also, who published many explanations of ancient customs, shares in the knowledge of the truth; and thus he writes:—

“Tell me what thoughts of God we should conceive?

One, all things seeing, yet Himself unseen.”

Even Orpheus, too, who introduces three hundred and sixty gods, will bear testimony in my favour from the tract called Diathecæ, in which he appears to repent of his error by writing the following:—

“I’ll speak to those who lawfully may hear;

All others, ye profane, now close the doors!

And, O Musæus, hearken thou to me,

Who offspring art of the light-bringing moon.

The words I tell thee now are true indeed,

And if thou former thoughts of mine hast seen,

Let them not rob thee of the blessed life;

But rather turn the depths of thine own heart

Unto that place where light and knowledge dwell.

Take thou the word divine to guide thy steps;

And walking well in the straight certain path,

Look to the one and universal King,

One, self-begotten, and the only One

Of whom all things, and we ourselves, are sprung.

All things are open to His piercing gaze,

While He Himself is still invisible;

Present in all His works, though still unseen,

He gives to mortals evil out of good,

Sending both chilling wars and tearful griefs;

And other than the Great King there is none.

The clouds for ever settle round His throne;

And mortal eyeballs in mere mortal eyes

Are weak to see Jove, reigning over all.

He sits established in the brazen heavens

Upon His throne; and underneath His feet

He treads the earth, and stretches His right hand

To all the ends of ocean, and around

Tremble the mountain ranges, and the streams,

The depths, too, of the blue and hoary sea.”

He speaks indeed as if he had been an eyewitness of God’s greatness. And Pythagoras5 “Pythagorei cujusdam fetus.”—Otto, after Goezius. agrees with him when he writes:—

“Should one in boldness say, Lo, I am God!

Besides the One—Eternal—Infinite,

Then let him from the throne he has usurped

Put forth his power and form another globe,

Such as we dwell in, saying, This is mine.

Nor only so, but in this new domain

For ever let him dwell. If this he can,

Then verily he is a god proclaimed.”

Πρῶτος μὲν γὰρ Αἰσχύλος, τὴν τῶν καθ' ἑαυτὸν λόγων σύνταξιν ἐκθείς, καὶ τὴν περὶ θεοῦ τοῦ μόνου ἐξήνεγκε φωνήν, ὡς λέγει: Χώριζε θνητῶν τὸν θεόν, καὶ μὴ δόκει Ὅμοιον αὑτῷ σάρκινον καθεστάναι. Οὐκ οἶσθα δ' αὐτόν: ποτὲ μὲν ὡς πῦρ φαίνεται Ἄπλατος ὁρμή, ποτὲ δ' ὕδωρ, ποτὲ γνόφος: Καὶ θηρσὶν αὐτὸς γίνεται παρεμφερής, Ἀνέμῳ, νεφέλῃ τε κἀστραπῇ, βροντῇ, βροχῇ. Ὑπηρετεῖ δ' αὐτῷ θάλασσα καὶ πέτραι Καὶ πᾶσα πηγὴ χὔδατος συστήματα: Τρέμει δ' ὄρη καὶ γαῖα καὶ πελώριος Βυθὸς θαλάσσης κὠρέων ὕψος μέγα, Ὅταν ἐπιβλέψῃ γοργὸν ὄμμα δεσπότου. Πάντα δύναται γάρ: δόξα δ' ὑψίστου θεοῦ. Οὐ μόνον δὲ οὗτος τὴν περὶ θεοῦ ἐμυήθη γνῶσιν, ἀλλὰ καὶ Σοφοκλῆς τὴν τοῦ μόνου ποιητοῦ τῶν ὅλων καὶ ἑνὸς θεοῦ ἱστορεῖ τάξιν οὕτως: Εἷς ταῖς ἀληθείαισιν, εἷς ἔστιν θεός, Ὃς οὐρανόν τ' ἔτευξε καὶ γαῖαν μακράν, Πόντου τε χαροπὸν οἶδμα κἀνέμων βίας. Θνητοὶ δὲ πολλοὶ καρδίαν πλανώμενοι Ἱδρυσάμεσθα πημάτων παραψυχάς, Θεῶν ἀγάλματ' ἐκ λίθων ἢ χαλκέων, Ἢ χρυσοτεύκτων ἢ ἐλεφαντίνων τύπους: Θυσίας τε τούτοις καὶ καλὰς πανηγύρεις Τεύχοντες, οὕτως εὐσεβεῖν νομίζομεν. Ἀλλὰ καὶ Φιλήμων, τὰ ἀρχαῖα εὐπορήσας φράσαι, κοινωνεῖ τῇ περὶ τῶν ὄντων γνώσει, ὡς γράφει: Θεὸν δὲ ποῖον, εἰπέ μοι, νομιστέον; Τὸν πάνθ' ὁρῶντα καὐτὸν οὐχ ὁρώμενον. Μαρτυρήσει δέ μοι καὶ Ὀρφεύς, ὁ παρεισαγαγὼν τοὺς τριακοσίους ἑξήκοντα θεούς, ἐν τῷ Διαθῆκαι ἐπιγραφομένῳ βιβλίῳ, ὁπότε μετανοῶν ἐπὶ τούτῳ φαίνεται ἐξ ὧν γράφει: Μουσαῖ'! Ἐξερέω γὰρ ἀληθέα: μηδέ σε τὰ πρὶν Ἐν στήθεσσι φανέντα φίλης αἰῶνος ἀμέρσῃ. Εἰς δὲ λόγον θεῖον βλέψας τούτῳ προσέδρευε, Ἰθύνων κραδίης νοερὸν κύτος, εὖ τ' ἐπίβαινε Ἀτραπιτοῦ, μοῦνον δ' ἐσόρα κόσμοιο ἄνακτα. Εἷς ἔστ', αὐτογενής, ἑνὸς ἔκγονα πάντα τέτυκται: Ἐν δ' αὐτοῖς αὐτὸς περιγίνεται, οὐδέ τις αὐτὸν Εἰσοράᾳ θνητῶν, αὐτὸς δέ γε πάντας ὁρᾶται. Οὗτος δ' ἐξ ἀγαθοῖο κακὸν θνητοῖσι δίδωσι Καὶ πόλεμον κρυόεντα καὶ ἄλγεα δακρυόεντα. Οὐδέ τις ἔσθ' ἕτερος χωρὶς μεγάλοιο ἄνακτος. Αὐτὸν δ' οὐχ ὁρόω: περὶ γὰρ νέφος ἐστήρικται. Πᾶσιν γὰρ θνητοῖς θνηταὶ κόραι εἰσὶν ἐν ὄσσοις, Ἀσθενέες δ' ἰδέειν Δία τὸν πάντων μεδέοντα. Οὗτος γὰρ χάλκειον ἐπ' οὐρανὸν ἐστήρικται Χρυσέῳ ἐνὶ θρόνῳ, γαίης δ' ἐπὶ ποσσὶ βέβηκε Χεῖρά τε δεξιτερὴν ἐπὶ τέρματος ὠκεανοῖο Πάντοθεν ἐκτέτακεν: περὶ γὰρ τρέμει οὔρεα μακρὰ Καὶ ποταμοὶ πολιῆς τε βάθος χαροποῖο θαλάσσης. Καὶ ταῦτα οὕτως φράζει, ὡς αὐτόπτης γεγονὼς τοῦ μεγέθους θεοῦ. Κοινωνεῖ δ' αὐτῷ καὶ Πυθαγόρας ἐν οἷς γράφει: Εἴ τις ἐρεῖ Θεός εἰμι πάρεξ ἑνός, οὗτος ὀφείλει Κόσμον ἴσον τούτῳ στήσας εἰπεῖν Ἐμὸς οὗτος: Κοὐχὶ μόνον στήσας εἰπεῖν Ἐμός, ἀλλὰ κατοικεῖν Αὐτὸς ἐν ᾧ πεποίηκε: πεποίηται δ' ὑπὸ τούτου.