Justin Martyr, First Apology 21

We also affirm that the Word, who is the firstborn of God, was born without sexual union—Jesus Christ our teacher—and that He was crucified, died, rose again, and was taken up into heaven. In saying this, we introduce nothing new compared to the sons of Zeus spoken of among you. You yourselves know how many sons of Zeus the writers honored in your tradition claim: Hermes, the interpretive Word and teacher of all; Asclepius, who became a healer, was struck by lightning and taken up into heaven; Dionysus, who was torn apart; Heracles, who gave himself to fire to escape his labors; the Dioscuri born of Leda; Perseus born of Danaë; and Bellerophon, born of a human, who rode the horse Pegasus. What are we to say of Ariadne and those said to have been placed among the stars like her? And what of the emperors who die among you, whom you always deem worthy of immortality, even swearing that some have seen the deified Caesar rise from his funeral pyre into heaven? As for the deeds recounted of each so‑called son of Zeus, there is no need to detail them for those who already know; suffice it to say that these stories were written for the distinction and encouragement of the young, since everyone considers it good to imitate the gods. But such a conception of the gods is unworthy of a sober‑minded soul: it would make even the leader and father of all, Zeus himself, a parricide and the son of such a father, overcome by base and shameful pleasures—pursuing Ganymede and many women who were adulterously defiled—and accepting his own children when they did the same. As we said before, the evil demons perpetrated these deeds. We, on the other hand, have been taught that only those who live near to God in a holy and virtuous manner are made immortal, and we believe that those who act unjustly and do not repent are punished in eternal fire.