Hortatory Address to the Greeks

Holy Martyr Justin the Philosopher · c. 160 AD

Ante-Nicene Fathers (Roberts–Donaldson), Roberts, Donaldson, and Coxe (eds.), Ante-Nicene Fathers, Buffalo: Christian Literature Publishing, 1885–1887; digitized by CCEL.

Greek philosopher converted to Christianity at Ephesus; opened a school of Christian philosophy at Rome; first major Christian apologist. Wrote two apologies to the Roman emperors and the Dialogue with Trypho the Jew. Martyred c. 165 under Marcus Aurelius.

Contents

1. Main text
2. Chapter I.—Reasons for addressing the Greeks.
3. Chapter II—The poets are unfit to be religious teachers.
4. Chapter III.—Opinions of the school of Thales.
5. Chapter IV.—Opinions of Pythagoras and Epicurus.
6. Chapter V.—Opinions of Plato and Aristotle.
7. Chapter VI.—Further disagreements between Plato and Aristotle.
8. Chapter VII.—Inconsistencies of Plato’s doctrine.
9. Chapter VIII.—Antiquity, inspiration, and harmony of Christian teachers.
10. Chapter IX.—The antiquity of Moses proved by Greek writers.
11. Chapter X—Training and inspiration of Moses.
12. Chapter XI.—Heathen oracles testify of Moses.
13. Chapter XII.—Antiquity of Moses proved.
14. Chapter XIII.—History of the Septuagint.
15. Chapter XIV.—A warning appeal to the Greeks.
16. Chapter XV.—Testimony of Orpheus to monotheism.
17. Chapter XVI.—Testimony of the Sibyl.
18. Chapter XVII.—Testimony of Homer.
19. Chapter XVIII.—Testimony of Sophocles.
20. Chapter XIX.—Testimony of Pythagoras.
21. Chapter XX.—Testimony of Plato.
22. Chapter XXI.—The namelessness of God.
23. Chapter XXII.—Studied ambiguity of Plato.
24. Chapter XXIII.—Plato’s self-contradiction.
25. Chapter XXIV.—Agreement of Plato and Homer.
26. Chapter XXV.—Plato’s knowledge of God’s eternity.
27. Chapter XXVI.—Plato indebted to the prophets.
28. Chapter XXVII.—Plato’s knowledge of the judgment.
29. Chapter XXVIII.—Homer’s obligations to the sacred writers.
30. Chapter XXIX.—Origin of Plato’s doctrine of form.
31. Chapter XXX.—Homer’s knowledge of man’s origin.
32. Chapter XXXI.—Further proof of Plato’s acquaintance with Scripture.
33. Chapter XXXII.—Plato’s doctrine of the heavenly gift.
34. Chapter XXXIII.—Plato’s idea of the beginning of time drawn from Moses.
35. Chapter XXXIV.—Whence men attributed to God human form.
36. Chapter XXXV.—Appeal to the Greeks.
37. Chapter XXXVI.—True knowledge not held by the philosophers.
38. Chapter XXXVII.—Of the Sibyl.
39. Chapter XXXVIII.—Concluding appeal.