The Apology of Aristides the Philosopher.

 I.  I, O King, by the grace of God came into this world and when I had considered the heaven and the earth and the seas, and had surveyed the sun and

 II.  Since, then, we have addressed you concerning God, so far as our discourse can bear upon him, let us now come to the race of men, that we may kno

 III.  Let us begin, then, with the Barbarians, and go on to the rest of the nations one after another, that we may see which of them hold the truth as

 IV.  Let us turn now, O King, to the elements in themselves, that we may make clear in regard to them, that they are not gods, but a created thing, li

 V.  In the same way, again, those erred who believed the waters to be gods.  For the waters were created for the use of man, and are put under his rul

 VI.  So also they erred who believed that the sun is a god.  For we see that it is moved by the compulsion of another, and revolves and makes its jour

 VII.  And those who believed of the men of the past, that some of them were gods, they too were much mistaken.  For as you yourself allow, O King, man

 VIII.  Let us turn further to the Greeks also, that we may know what opinion they hold as to the true God.  The Greeks, then, because they are more su

 IX.  Let us proceed further to their account of their gods that we may carefully demonstrate all that is said above.  First of all, the Greeks bring f

 X.  Again they bring forward as another god Hephaistos.  And they say of him, that he is lame, and a cap is set on his head, and he holds in his hands

 XI.  And after him they bring forward another god and call him Apollon.  And they say that he is jealous and inconstant, and at times he holds the bow

 XII.  The Egyptians, moreover, because they are more base and stupid than every people that is on the earth, have themselves erred more than all.  For

 XIII.  But it is a marvel, O King, with regard to the Greeks, who surpass all other peoples in their manner of life and reasoning, how they have gone

 XIV.  Let us come now, O King, to the history of the Jews also, and see what opinion they have as to God.  The Jews then say that God is one, the Crea

 XV.  But the Christians, O King, while they went about and made search, have found the truth and as we learned from their writings, they have come ne

 XVI.  Such, O King, is the commandment of the law of the Christians, and such is their manner of life.  As men who know God, they ask from Him petitio

 XVII.  Thus far, O King, I have spoken for concerning that which remains, as is said above, there are found in their other writings things which are

IX.  Let us proceed further to their account of their gods that we may carefully demonstrate all that is said above.  First of all, the Greeks bring forward as a god Kronos, that is to say Chiun8    Cf. Amos v. 26, “Chiun, your star god,” and Acts vii. 43. (Saturn).  And his worshippers sacrifice their children to him, and they burn some of them alive in his honour.  And they say that he took to him among his wives Rhea, and begat many children by her.  By her too he begat Dios, who is called Zeus.  And at length he (Kronos) went mad, and through fear of an oracle that had been made known to him, he began to devour his sons.  And from him Zeus was stolen away without his knowledge; and at length Zeus bound him, and mutilated the signs of his manhood, and flung them into the sea.  And hence, as they say in fable, there was engendered Aphrodite, who is called Astarte.  And he (Zeus) cast out Kronos fettered into darkness.  Great then is the error and ignominy which the Greeks have brought forward about the first of their gods, in that they have said all this about him, O King.  It is impossible that a god should be bound or mutilated; and if it be otherwise, he is indeed miserable.

And after Kronos they bring forward another god Zeus.  And they say of him that he assumed the sovereignty, and was king over all the gods.  And they say that he changed himself into a beast and other shapes in order to seduce mortal women, and to raise up by them children for himself.  Once, they say, he changed himself into a bull through love of Europe and Pasiphae.9    Pasiphae’s unnatural passion for Taurus is not in the Greek mythology charged to Zeus.  And again he changed himself into the likeness of gold through love of Danae, and to a swan through love of Leda, and to a man through love of Antiope, and to lightning through love of Luna,10    The visit of Zeus to Semele (not Selene) is evidently referred to.  Σελήνη Luna would give the Syriac ***. and so by these he begat many children.  For by Antiope, they say, that he begat Zethus and Amphion, and by Luna Dionysos, by Alcmena Hercules, and by Leto, Apollo and Artemis, and by Danae Perseus, and by Leda, Castor and Polydeuces, and Helene and Paludus,11    Professor Rendel Harris pronounces “Paludus” a vox nihili, and explains its presence as due to a corrupt repetition of the preceding Polydeuces.  The Syriac word in the text suggests Pollux—the Latin equivalent of Polydeuces.  Clytemnestra is the name required. and by Mnemosyne he begat nine daughters whom they styled the Muses, and by Europe, Minos and Rhadamanthos and Sarpedon.  And lastly he changed himself into the likeness of an eagle through his passion for Ganydemos (Ganymede) the shepherd.

By reason of these tales, O King, much evil has arisen among men, who to this day are imitators of their gods, and practise adultery and defile themselves with their mothers and their sisters, and by lying with males, and some make bold to slay even their parents.  For if he who is said to be the chief and king of their gods do these things how much more should his worshippers imitate him?  And great is the folly which the Greeks have brought forward in their narrative concerning him.  For it is impossible that a god should practise adultery or fornication or come near to lie with males, or kill his parents; and if it be otherwise, he is much worse than a destructive demon.

[9] Ἀλλὰ καὶ καθ' ἕκαστον τῶν θεῶν αὐτῶν εἰ θελήσομεν ἐπεξελθεῖν τῷ λόγῳ, πολλὴν ὄψει ἀτοπίαν. οὕτως παρεισάγεται αὐτοῖς πρὸ πάντων θεὸς ὁ λεγόμενος Κρόνος καὶ τούτῳ θύουσι τὰ ἴδια τέκνα. ὃς ἔσχε παῖδας πολλοὺς ἐκ τῆς Ῥέας καὶ μανεὶς ἤσθιε τὰ ἴδια τέκνα. φασὶ δὲ τὸν Δία κόψαι αὐτοῦ τὰ ἀναγκαῖα καὶ βαλεῖν εἰς τὴν θάλασσαν, ὅθεν Ἀφροδίτη μυθεύεται γεννηθῆναι. δήσας οὖν τὸν ἴδιον πατέρα ὁ Ζεὺς ἔβαλεν εἰς τὸν Τάρταρον. ὁρᾷς τὴν πλάνην καὶ ἀσέλγειαν, ἣν παρεισάγουσι κατὰ τοῦ θεοῦ αὐτῶν: ἐνδέχεται οὖν θεὸν εἶναι δέσμιον καὶ ἀπόκοπον; ὢ τῆς ἀνοίας: τίς τῶν νοῦν ἐχόντων ταῦτα φήσειεν; δεύτερος παρεισάγεται ὁ Ζεύς, ὅν φασι βασιλεῦσαι τῶν θεῶν αὐτῶν καὶ μεταμορφοῦσθαι εἰς ζῷα, ὅπως μοιχεύσῃ θνητὰς γυναῖκας. παρεισάγουσι γὰρ τοῦτον μεταμορφούμενον εἰς ταῦρον πρὸς Εὐρώπην, καὶ εἰς χρυσὸν πρὸς Δανάην, καὶ εἰς κύκνον πρὸς Λήδαν, καὶ εἰς σάτυρον πρὸς Ἀντιόπην, καὶ εἰς κεραυνὸν πρὸς Σεμέλην: εἶτα γενέσθαι ἐκ τούτων τέκνα πολλά, Διόνυσον, καὶ Ζῆθον καὶ Ἀμφίονα, καὶ Ἡρακλῆν, καὶ Ἀπόλλωνα καὶ Ἄρτεμιν, καὶ Περσέα, Κάστορά τε καὶ Ἑλένην καὶ Πολυδεύκην, καὶ Μίνωα, καὶ Ῥαδάμανθυν, καὶ Σαρπηδόνα, καὶ τὰς ἐννέα θυγατέρας ἃς προσηγόρευσαν Μούσας. εἶθ' οὕτως παρεισάγουσι τὰ κατὰ τὸν Γανυμήδην. συνέβη οὖν, βασιλεῦ, τοῖς ἀνθρώποις μιμεῖσθαι ταῦτα πάντα, καὶ γίνεσθαι μοιχοὺς καὶ ἀρρενομανεῖς, καὶ ἄλλων δεινῶν ἔργων ἐργάτας, κατὰ μίμησιν τοῦ θεοῦ αὐτῶν. πῶς οὖν ἐνδέχεται θεὸν εἶναι μοιχὸν ἢ ἀνδροβάτην ἢ πατροκτόνον;