Justin Martyr, First Apology 21

We also declare that the Word, who is the firstborn of God, was begotten without intercourse. Our teacher, Jesus Christ, was crucified, died, rose again, and ascended into heaven. In this we bring nothing new compared to what you say about the sons of Zeus. You know how many sons of Zeus your honored writers claim: Hermes, the interpretive Word and teacher of all; Asclepius, who became a healer, was struck by lightning and ascended into heaven; Dionysus was torn apart; Hercules gave himself to fire to escape his labors; the Dioscuri came from Leda; Perseus from Danae; Bellerophon, born of a human, rode the horse Pegasus. What shall we say of Ariadne and those said to have been similarly catasterized? What of your dying emperors, whom you always deem worthy of immortality and swear that some have seen rising from the pyre into heaven — the deified Caesar? It is unnecessary to detail the deeds attributed to each so-called son of Zeus to those who know them, except to note that these stories were written for the distinction and encouragement of the educated, since all consider it good to be imitators of the gods. But such ideas about the gods are unworthy of a sober-minded soul — as if even their leader and father of all, Zeus, according to them, became a parricide and fathered such a son, and was overcome by base and shameful desires for Ganymede and the many women adulterously defiled, and accepted his own children doing the same. As we said before, the evil demons did these things. We, however, 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.