The Apology of Aristides

 I.  I, O King in the providence of God came into the world and when I had considered the heaven and the earth, the sun and the moon and the rest, I m

 II.  Having thus spoken concerning God, so far as it was possible for me to speak of Him, let us next proceed to the human race, that we may see which

 III.  Let us see then which of them participate in truth and which of them in error.

 IV.  Let us proceed then, O King, to the elements themselves that we may show in regard to them that they are not gods, but perishable and mutable, pr

 V.  They also erred who believed the water to be a god.  For it, too, has been made for the use of men, and is controlled by them it is defiled and d

 VI.  They also err who believe the sun to be a god.  For we see that it moves by necessity and revolves and passes from sign to sign, setting and risi

 VII.  They also err who believe that man is a god.  For we see that he is moved by necessity, and is made to grow up, and becomes old even though he w

 VIII.  Let us proceed then to the Greeks, that we may see whether they have any discernment concerning God.  The Greeks, indeed, though they call them

 IX.  But, further, if we be minded to discuss their gods individually, you will see how great is the absurdity for instance, how Kronos is brought fo

 X.  Along with him, too, they bring forward one Hephaistos as a god, and they say that he is lame and wields a hammer and tongs, working as a smith fo

 XI.  They represent Apollo also as a jealous god, and besides as the master of the bow and quiver, and sometimes of the lyre and flute, and as divinin

 XII.  The Egyptians, again, being more stupid and witless than these have gone further astray than all the nations.  For they were not content with th

 XIII.  So the Egyptians and the Chaldæans and the Greeks made a great error in bringing forward such beings as gods, and in making images of them, and

 XIV.  Let us proceed then, O King, to the Jews also, that we may see what truth there is in their view of God.  For they were descendants of Abraham a

 XV.  Now the Christians trace their origin from the Lord Jesus Christ.  And He is acknowledged by the Holy Spirit to be the son of the most high God,

 XVI.  Verily then, this is the way of the truth which leads those who travel therein to the everlasting kingdom promised through Christ in the life to

 XVII.  Thus far, O King, extends my discourse to you, which has been dictated in my mind by the Truth.   Wherefore let thy foolish sages cease their i

XII.  The Egyptians, again, being more stupid and witless than these have gone further astray than all the nations.  For they were not content with the objects of worship of the Chaldæans and the Greeks, but in addition to these brought forward also brute creatures as gods, both land and water animals, and plants and herbs; and they were defiled with all madness and brutality more deeply than all the nations on the earth.

For originally they worshipped Isis, who had Osiris as brother and husband.  He was slain by his own brother Typhon; and therefore Isis with Horos her son fled for refuge to Byblus in Syria, mourning for Osiris with bitter lamentation, until Horos grew up and slew Typhon.  So that neither had Isis power to help her own brother and husband; nor could Osiris defend himself when he was being slain by Typhon; nor did Typhon, the slayer of his brother, when he was perishing at the hands of Horos and Isis, find means to rescue himself from death.  And though they were revealed in their true character by such mishaps, they were believed to be very gods by the simple Egyptians, who were not satisfied even with these or the other deities of the nations, but brought forward also brute creatures as gods.  For some of them worshipped the sheep, and some the goat; another tribe (worshipped) the bull and the pig; others again, the raven and the hawk, and the vulture and the eagle; and others the crocodile; and some the cat and the dog, and the wolf and the ape, and the dragon and the asp; and others the onion and the garlic and thorns and other created things.  And the poor creatures do not perceive about all these that they are utterly helpless.  For though they see their gods eaten by men of other tribes, and burnt as offerings and slain as victims and mouldering in decay, they have not perceived that they are not gods.

[12] Αἰγύπτιοι δὲ ἀβελτερώτεροι καὶ ἀφρονέστεροι τούτων ὄντες χεῖρον πάντων τῶν ἐθνῶν ἐπλανήθησαν: οὐ γὰρ ἠρκέσθησαν τοῖς τῶν Χαλδαίων καὶ Ἑλλήνων σεβάσμασιν, ἀλλ' ἔτι καὶ ἄλογα ζῷα παρεισήγαγον θεοὺς εἶναι χερσαῖά τε καὶ ἔνυδρα καὶ τὰ φυτὰ καὶ βλαστὰ καὶ ἐμιάνθησαν ἐν πάσῃ μανίᾳ καὶ ἀσελγείᾳ χεῖρον πάντων τῶν ἐθνῶν τῶν ἐπὶ τῆς γῆς. ἀρχῆθεν γὰρ ἐσέβοντο τὴν Ἶσιν, ἔχουσαν ἀδελφὸν καὶ ἄνδρα τὸν Ὄσιριν, τὸν σφαγέντα ὑπὸ τοῦ ἀδελφοῦ αὐτοῦ Τύφωνος. καὶ διὰ τοῦτο φεύγει ἡ Ἶσις μετὰ Ὥρου τοῦ υἱοῦ αὐτῆς εἰς Βύβλον τῆς Συρίας ζητοῦσα τὸν Ὄσιριν, πικρῶς θρηνοῦσα, ἕως ηὔξησεν ὁ Ὧρος καὶ ἀπέκτεινε τὸν Τύφωνα. οὔτε οὖν ἡ Ἶσις ἴσχυσε βοηθῆσαι τῷ ἰδίῳ ἀδελφῷ καὶ ἀνδρί: οὔτε ὁ Ὄσιρις σφαζόμενος ὑπὸ τοῦ Τύφωνος ἠδυνήθη ἀντιλαβέσθαι ἑαυτοῦ: οὔτε Τύφων ὁ ἀδελφοκτόνος, ἀπολλύμενος ὑπὸ τοῦ Ὥρου καὶ τῆς Ἴσιδος, εὐπόρησε ῥύσασθαι ἑαυτὸν τοῦ θανάτου. καὶ ἐπὶ τοιούτοις ἀτυχήμασι γνωρισθέντες αὐτοὶ θεοὶ ὑπὸ τῶν ἀσυνέτων Αἰγυπτίων ἐνομίσθησαν. οἵτινες, μηδ' ἐν τοιούτοις ἀρκεσθέντες ἢ τοῖς λοιποῖς σεβάσμασι τῶν ἐθνῶν, καὶ τὰ ἄλογα ζῷα παρεισήγαγον θεοὺς εἶναι. τινὲς γὰρ αὐτῶν ἐσεβάσθησαν πρόβατον, τινὲς δὲ τράγον, ἕτεροι δὲ μόσχον καὶ τὸν χοῖρον, ἄλλοι δὲ τὸν κόρακα καὶ τὸν ἱέρακα καὶ τὸν γῦπα καὶ τὸν ἀετόν, καὶ ἄλλοι τὸν κροκόδειλον, τινὲς δὲ τὸν αἴλουρον καὶ τὸν κύνα καὶ τὸν λύκον καὶ τὸν πίθηκον καὶ τὸν δράκοντα καὶ τὴν ἀσπίδα, καὶ ἄλλοι τὸ κρόμυον καὶ τὸ σκόροδον καὶ ἀκάνθας, καὶ τὰ λοιπὰ κτίσματα. καὶ οὐκ αἰσθάνονται οἱ ταλαίπωροι περὶ πάντων τούτων ὅτι οὐδὲν ἰσχύουσιν. ὁρῶντες γὰρ τοὺς θεοὺς αὐτῶν βιβρωσκομένους ὑπὸ ἑτέρων ἀνθρώπων καὶ καιομένους καὶ σφαττομένους καὶ σηπομένους, οὐ συνῆκαν περὶ αὐτῶν ὅτι οὐκ εἰσὶ θεοί.