Chapter XXI.—Impure Loves Ascribed to the Gods.
A Plea for the Christians · Athenagoras of Athens
But should it be said that they only had fleshly forms, and possess blood and seed, and the affections of anger and sexual desire, even then we must regard such assertions as nonsensical and ridiculous; for there is neither anger, nor desire and appetite, nor procreative seed, in gods. Let them, then, have fleshly forms, but let them be superior to wrath and anger, that Athênâ may not be seen
Plea 22.1
For I call even men rude and stupid who give way to anger and grief. But when the “father of men and gods” mourns for his son,—
Plea 22.4
who would not blame the folly of those who, with tales like these, are lovers of the gods, or rather, live without any god? Let them have fleshly forms, but let not Aphrodité be wounded by Diomedes in her body:—
Plea 22.6
He who was terrible in battle, the ally of Zeus against the Titans, is shown to be weaker than Diomedes:—
Plea 22.8
Hush! Homer, a god never rages. But you describe the god to me as blood-stained, and the bane of mortals:—
Plea 22.9
Do they not pour forth impious stuff of this sort in abundance concerning the gods? Ouranos is mutilated; Kronos is bound, and thrust down to Tartarus; the Titans revolt; Styx dies in battle: yea, they even represent them as mortal; they are in love with one another; they are in love with human beings:—
Plea 22.11
Are they not in love? Do they not suffer? Nay, verily, they are gods, and desire cannot touch them! Even though a god assume flesh in pursuance of a divine purpose, he is therefore the slave of desire.
Plea 22.12
He is created, he is perishable, with no trace of a god in him. Nay, they are even the hired servants of men:—
Plea 22.13
Admetus, therefore, was superior to the god. Prophet and wise one, and who canst foresee for others the things that shall be, thou didst not divine the slaughter of thy beloved, but didst even kill him with thine own hand, dear as he was:—
Plea 22.15