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

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 petitions which are fitting for Him to grant and for them to receive.  And thus they employ their whole lifetime.  And since they know the loving-kindnesses of God toward them, behold! for their sake the glorious things which are in the world flow forth to view.  And verily, they are those who found the truth when they went about and made search for it; and from what we considered, we learned that they alone come near to a knowledge of the truth.  And they do not proclaim in the ears of the multitude the kind deeds they do, but are careful that no one should notice them; and they conceal their giving just as he who finds a treasure and conceals it.  And they strive to be righteous as those who expect to behold their Messiah, and to receive from Him with great glory the promises made concerning them.  And as for their words and their precepts, O King, and their glorying in their worship, and the hope of earning according to the work of each one of them their recompense which they look for in another world, you may learn about these from their writings.  It is enough for us to have shortly informed your Majesty concerning the conduct and the truth of the Christians.  For great indeed, and wonderful is their doctrine to him who will search into it and reflect upon it.  And verily, this is a new people, and there is something divine (lit:  a divine admixture) in the midst of them.

Take, then, their writings, and read therein, and lo! you will find that I have not put forth these things on my own authority, nor spoken thus as their advocate; but since I read in their writings I was fully assured of these things as also of things which are to come.  And for this reason I was constrained to declare the truth to such as care for it and seek the world to come.  And to me there is no doubt but that the earth abides through the supplication of the Christians.  But the rest of the nations err and cause error in wallowing before the elements of the world, since beyond these their mental vision will not pass.  And they search about as if in darkness because they will not recognize the truth; and like drunken men they reel and jostle one another and fall.

[16] Ὄντως οὖν αὕτη ἐστὶν ἡ ὁδὸς τῆς ἀληθείας, ἥτις τοὺς ὁδεύοντας αὐτὴν εἰς τὴν αἰώνιον χειραγωγεῖ βασιλείαν τὴν ἐπηγγελμένην παρὰ Χριστοῦ ἐν τῇ μελλούσῃ ζωῇ. καὶ ἵνα γνῷς, βασιλεῦ, ὅτι οὐκ ἀπ' ἐμαυτοῦ ταῦτα λέγω, ταῖς γραφαῖς ἐγκύψας τῶν Χριστιανῶν εὐρήσεις οὐδὲν ἔξω τῆς ἀληθείας με λέγειν. καλῶς οὖν συνῆκεν ὁ υἱός σου καὶ δικαίως ἐδιδάχθη λατρεύειν ζῶντι θεῷ καὶ σωθῆναι εἰς τὸν μέλλοντα ἐπέρχεσθαι αἰῶνα. μεγάλα γὰρ καὶ θαυμαστὰ τὰ ὑπὸ τῶν Χριστιανῶν λεγόμενα καὶ πραττόμενα; οὐ γὰρ ἀνθρώπων ῥήματα λαλοῦσιν, ἀλλὰ τὰ τοῦ θεοῦ. τὰ δὲ λοιπὰ ἔθνη πλανῶνται καὶ πλανῶσιν ἑαυτούς: ὁδεύοντες γὰρ ἐν σκότει προσρήσσονται ἑαυτοῖς ὡς μεθύοντες.