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Against Idols

God · 6 passages · 33 more on file · Broad agreement in this library

Apologetic monotheism for pagan hearers.

  1. 2nd century6 passages

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Justin Martyr — First Apology 9

Justin Martyr · c. 100–c. 165 AD · First Apology

And neither do we honour with many sacrifices and garlands of flowers such deities as men have formed and set in shrines and called gods; since we see that these are soulless and dead, and have not the form of God (for we do not consider that God has such a form as some say that they imitate to His honour), but have…

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Greek

Ἀλλ᾿ οὐδὲ θυσίαις πολλαῖς καὶ πλοκαῖς ἀνθῶν τιμῶμεν, οὓς ἄνθρωποι μορφώσαντες καὶ ἐν ναοῖς ἱδρύσαντες θεοὺς προσωνόμασαν, ἐπεὶ ἄψυχα καὶ νεκρὰ ταῦτα γινώσκομεν καὶ θεοῦ μορφὴν μὴ ἔχοντα (οὐ γὰρ τοιαύτην ἡγούμεθα τὸν θεὸν ἔχειν τὴν μορφήν, ἣν φασί τινες εἰς τιμὴν μεμιμῆσθαι), ἀλλ᾿…

Mathetes — Epistle to Diognetus 2

Mathetes (Epistle to Diognetus) · fl. c. 150 AD · Epistle to Diognetus

Come, then, after you have freed yourself from all prejudices possessing your mind, and laid aside what you have been accustomed to, as something apt to deceive you, and being made, as if from the beginning, a new man, inasmuch as, according to your own confession, you are to be the hearer of a new system of doctrine;

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Greek

Ἄγε δή, καθάρας σεαυτὸν ἀπὸ πάντων τῶν προκατεχόντων σου τὴν διάνοιαν λογισμῶν καὶ τὴν ἀπατῶσάν σε συνήθειαν ἀποσκευασάμενος καὶ γενόμενος ὥσπερ ἐξ ἀρχῆς καινὸς ἄνθρωπος, ὡς ἂν καὶ λόγου καινοῦ, καθάπερ καὶ αὐτὸς ὡμολόγησας, ἀκροατὴς ἐσόμενος: ἴδε μὴ μόνον τοῖς ὀφθαλμοῖς, ἀλλὰ…

Athenagoras — Plea for the Christians 15

Athenagoras · fl. c. 177 AD · Plea for the Christians

Because the multitude, who cannot distinguish between matter and God, or see how great is the interval which lies between them, pray to idols made of matter, are we therefore, who do distinguish and separate the uncreated and the created, that which is and that which is not, that which is apprehended by the…

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Greek

Ἀλλ᾿ ἔστωσαν τοὺς αὐτοὺς ἄγοντες. Τί οὖν; Ἐπεὶ οἱ πολλοί, διακρῖναι οὐ δυνάμενοι τί μὲν ὕλη τί δὲ θεὸς πόσον δὲ τὸ διὰ μέσου αὐτῶν, προσίασι τοῖς ἀπὸ τῆς ὕλης εἰδώλοις, δι᾿ ἐκείνους καὶ ἡμεῖς, οἱ διακρίνοντες καὶ χωρίζοντες τὸ ἀγένητον καὶ τὸ γενητόν, τὸ ὂν καὶ τὸ οὐκ ὄν, τὸ…

Athenagoras — Plea for the Christians 17

Athenagoras · fl. c. 177 AD · Plea for the Christians

An apologist must adduce more precise arguments than I have yet given, both concering the names of the gods, to show that they are of recent origin, and concerning their images, to show that they are, so to say, but of yesterday.

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Greek

Ἀνάγκη δὲ ἀπολογούμενον ἀκριβεστέρους παρέχειν τοὺς λογισμοὺς καὶ περὶ τῶν ὀνομάτων, ὅτι νεώτερα, καὶ περὶ τῶν εἰκόνων, ὅτι χθὲς καὶ πρώην γεγόνασιν, ὡς λόγῳ εἰπεῖν· ἴστε δὲ καὶ ὑμεῖς ταῦτα ἀξιολογώτερον, ὡς ἂν ἐν πᾶσι καὶ ὑπὲρ πάντας τοῖς παλαιοῖς συγγινόμενοι.

Athenagoras — Plea for the Christians 26

Athenagoras · fl. c. 177 AD · Plea for the Christians

They who draw men to idols, then, are the aforesaid demons, who are eager for the blood of the sacrifices, and lick them; but the gods that please the multitude, and whose names are given to the images, were men, as may be learned from their history.

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Greek

Καὶ οἱ μὲν περὶ τὰ εἴδωλα αὐτοὺς ἕλκοντες οἱ δαίμονές εἰσιν οἱ προειρημένοι, οἱ προστετηκότες τῷ ἀπὸ τῶν ἱερείων αἵματι καὶ ταῦτα περιλιχμώμενοι· οἱ δὲ τοῖς πολλοῖς ἀρέσκοντες θεοὶ καὶ ταῖς εἰκόσιν ἐπονομαζόμενοι, ὡς ἔστιν ἐκ τῆς κατ᾿ αὐτοὺς ἱστορίας εἰδέναι, ἄνθρωποι γεγόνασιν.

Athenagoras — Plea for the Christians 8

Athenagoras · fl. c. 177 AD · Plea for the Christians

As regards, then, the doctrine that there was from the beginning one God, the Maker of this universe, consider it in this wise, that you may be acquainted with the argumentative grounds also of our faith.

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Greek

Ὅτι τοίνυν εἷς ἐξ ἀρχῆς ὁ τοῦδε τοῦ παντὸς ποιητὴς θεὸς οὑτωσὶ σκέψασθε, ἵν᾿ ἔχητε καὶ τὸν λογισμὸν ἡμῶν τῆς πίστεως. Εἰ δύο ἐξ ἀρχῆς ἢ πλείους ἦσαν θεοί, ἤτοι ἐν ἑνὶ καὶ ταὐτῷ ἦσαν ἢ ἰδίᾳ ἕκαστος αὐτῶν. Ἐν μὲν οὖν ἑνὶ καὶ ταὐτῷ εἶναι οὐκ ἠδύναντο.

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