Justin Martyr

“ Him who has created them. But forgetfulness having taken possession of the minds of men, through the long-suffering of God, has acted recklessly in transferring to mortals the name which is applicable to the only true God; and from the few the infection of sin spread to the many, who were blinded by popular usage to the knowledge of that which was lasting and unchangeable. For the men of former generations, who instituted private and public rites in honour of such as were more powerful, caused forgetfulness of the Catholic [2] faith to take possession of their posterity ”

“ Æsculapius and Apollo are taught to heal by Chiron the Centaur,—a very novel thing indeed, for gods to be taught by a man. What need I speak of Bacchus, who the poet says is mad? or of Hercules, who he says is unhappy? What need to speak of Mars and Venus, the leaders of adultery; and by means of all these to establish the proof which has been undertaken? For if some one, in ignorance, should imitate the deeds which are said to be divine, he would be reckoned among impure men, and a stranger to life and humanity ”

“ But many of you hastily commit
A twofold sin, and say there is no God.
But, ah! there is; there is. Then see that he
Who, being wicked, prospers, may redeem
The time so precious, else hereafter waits
For him the due reward of punishment.”
Chapter IV.—God desires not sacrifices, but righteousness.
And that God is not appeased by the libations and incense of evil-doers, but awards vengeance in righteousness to each one, Philemon [11] again shall bear testimony to me:—
“If any one should dream, O Pamphilus,
By sacrifice of bulls or goats—nay, then,
By Jupiter—of any such like things ”

“ Chapter V.—The vain pretensions of false gods.
But concerning those who think that they shall share the holy and perfect name, which some have received by a vain tradition as if they were gods, Menander in the Auriga says:—
“If there exists a god who walketh out
With an old woman, or who enters in
By stealth to houses through the folding-doors,
He ne’er can please me; nay, but only he
Who stays at home, a just and righteous God,
To give salvation to His worshippers.”
The same Menander, in the Sacerdos, says:—
“There is no God, O woman, that can save
One man by another ”

“ To be like gods, from thus accepting gain?”
In Hecuba:—
“O Jupiter I whoever thou mayest be,
Of whom except in word all knowledge fails;”
and,—
“Jupiter, whether thou art indeed
A great necessity, or the mind of man,
I worship thee!”
Chapter VI.—We should acknowledge one only God.
Here, then, is a proof of virtue, and of a mind loving prudence, to recur to the communion of the unity, [18] and to attach one’s self to prudence for salvation, and make choice of the better things according to the free-will placed in man ”

“ Again, the same Menander, stating his opinion about those who are received as gods, proving rather that they are not so, says:—
“Yea, if I this beheld, I then should wish
That back to me again my soul returned.
For tell me where, O Getas, in the world
’Tis possible to find out righteous gods?”
And in the Depositum:—
“There’s an unrighteous judgment, as it seems,
Even with the gods.”
And Euripides the tragedian, in Orestes, says:—
“Apollo having caused by his command
The murder of the mother, knoweth not
What honesty and justice signify.
We serve the gods, whoever they may be ”

“ It is necessary, then, to accept the true and invariable Name, not proclaimed by my words only, but by the words of those who have introduced us to the elements of learning, in order that we may not, by living idly in this present state of existence, not only as those who are ignorant of the heavenly glory, but also as having proved ourselves ungrateful, render our account to the Judge. ”

“ They seem to read, and one actually does read, “all” for “many.” “Many” is in Plato, and the clause in brackets is taken from Plato to fill up the sense. ↑ κακά in Euripedes, καλά in text. ↑ [See Warburton’s Divine Legation (book ii. § 4) , vol. ii. p. 20. Ed. London, 1811.] ↑ These lines are assigned to Diphilus. ↑ The words from “but” to “all” are assigned by Otto to Justin, not to Menander. ↑ See chap. i., the opening sentence. ↑ Odyssey, xxii. 347. ↑ [N. B.—This tractate is probably the genuine work of Justin.] ”