# Hortatory Address to the Greeks - Author: Anonymous - Latin title: *Cohortatio ad Graecos* - Date: 2nd–3rd century (disputed) (disputed) - Source: J.-P. Migne, ed., Patrologiae cursus completus, Series Graeca 6 (Paris: Migne, 1857), cols. 241–312 - Translation: Claude, from the original text, unless a passage says otherwise; each passage below gives the translator - Editions and translations: Miroslav Marcovich, ed., Pseudo-Iustinus: Cohortatio ad Graecos; De monarchia; Oratio ad Graecos, PTS 32 (Berlin: de Gruyter, 1990) - Work page: https://sophiascriptura.com/fathers/ps-justin-cohortatio/ - Passages: 38 ## Hortatory Address to the Greeks 1 - URL: https://sophiascriptura.com/fathers/ps-justin-cohortatio/1/#p-1 - Source: PG 6:241b–241d - Translation: Claude (claude-opus-5-5), 2026-09-27 Summary: The author proposes to compare the teachers of Greek religion with those of the Christians, to free the Greeks from ancestral error. ### Greek text Ἀρχόμενος τῆς πρὸς ὑμᾶς παραινέσεως, ὦ, ἇνδρες Ἕλληνες, εὔχομαι τῷ Θεῷ, ἐμοὶ μὲν ὑπάρξαι τὰ δέοντα πρὸς ὑμᾶς εἰπεῖν ’ ὑμᾶς δὲ, τῆς προτέρας ἀφεμένους φιλονεικίας, καὶ τῆς τῶν προγόνων πλάνης ἀπαλλαγέντας, ἑλέσθαι τὰ λυσιτελοῦντα νυνί · οὐδὲν οἰομένους περὶ τοὺς προγόνους ὑμῶν ἔσεσθαι πλημμελὲς παρʼ ὑμῶν, εί τάναντία νυνὶ τῶν πρότερον μὴ καλῶς δοξάντων αὐτοῖς χρήσιμα φαίνοιτο παρʼ ὑμῖν. Ἣ γὰρ τῶν πραγμάτων ἀκριβὴς ἐξέτασις, καὶ τὰ δόξαντα πολλάκις καλῶς ἔχειν ἁλλοιότερα δείκνυσιν, ἀκριβεστέρα πείρᾳ τάληθὲς βασανίσασα. Ἑπεὶ τοίνυν ἡμῖν ὁ περὶ τῆς ἀληθοῦς θεοσεβείας πρόκειται λόγος, (ἧς οὐδὲν, οἶμαι, προτιμότερον τοῖς ἀκινδύνως βιοῦν προῃρημένοις εἶναι νενόμισται, διὰ τὴν μέλλουσαν μετά τὴν τελευτὴν τοῦδε τοῦ βίου ἔσεσθαι κρίσινʼ ἣν οὐ μόνον οἱ ἡμέτεροι κατὰ Θεὸν κηρύττουσι πρόγονοι, προφῆταί τε καὶ νομοθέται, ἀλλὰ καί οἱ παρʼ ὑμῖν νομισθέντες εἶναι σοφοὶ, οὐ ποιηταὶ μόνον, ἀλλὰ καὶ φιλόσοφοι οἱ τὴν ἀληθῆ καὶ θείαν ἐπαγγελλόμενοι παρʼ ὑμῖν εἰδέναι γνῶσιν·) ἔδοξέ μοι καλῶς ἔχειν, πρῶτον μὲν τοὺς τῆς Θεοσεβείας ἡμῶν τε καὶ ὑμῶν ἐξετάσαι διδασκάλους, οἵ τινες καὶ ὅσοι, καὶ καθʼ οὒς γεγόνασι χρόνους· ἶνʼ οἱ μὲν πρότερον τὴν ψευδώνυμον θεοσέβειαν παρὰ τῶν προγόνων παρειληφότες, νῦν γοῦν αἰσθόμενοι, τῆς παλαιᾶς ἐκείνης ἀπαλλαγῶσι πλάνης· ἡμεῖς δὲ, σαφῶς καὶ φανερῶς ἡμᾶς αὐτοὺς ἀποδείξωμεν τῇ τῶν κατὰ θεὸν προγόνων ἑπομένους θεοσεβείᾳ. ### English translation (Claude) As I begin my exhortation to you, men of Greece, I pray to God that it may be granted to me to say to you what I ought, and to you, putting aside your former contentiousness and freed from the error of your ancestors, to choose now what is profitable; not supposing that you will be committing any offence against your ancestors if the opposite of what they formerly wrongly thought should now appear useful to you. For an exact examination of matters often shows that even things that seemed to be right are otherwise, testing the truth by a more exact trial. Since, then, the subject before us is the true worship of God (than which nothing, I think, is held more precious by those who have chosen to live without danger, because of the judgment that is to come after the end of this life; a judgment proclaimed not only by our ancestors according to God, prophets and lawgivers, but also by those among you who were thought to be wise, not only poets but also philosophers, who profess among you to know the true and divine knowledge), it seemed good to me first to examine the teachers of religion, both ours and yours: who and how many they were, and at what times they lived; so that those who formerly received from their ancestors a falsely named religion may now at least perceive it and be freed from that old error, while we may show clearly and plainly that we follow the religion of our ancestors according to God. ### Translation notes - "Worship of God" and "religion" render θεοσέβεια throughout this work. ### Citation (SBL) Ps.-Justin, Cohort. Graec. 1 (PG 6:241b–241d; trans. Sophia Scriptura, https://sophiascriptura.com/fathers/ps-justin-cohortatio/1/#p-1). ## Hortatory Address to the Greeks 2 - URL: https://sophiascriptura.com/fathers/ps-justin-cohortatio/1/#p-2 - Source: PG 6:241d–245d - Translation: Claude (claude-opus-5-5), 2026-09-27 Summary: The poets cannot be teachers of religion, for Homer portrays the gods as lustful, wounded, weeping, and warring with one another. ### Greek text Τίνας τοίνυν, ὦ ἄνδρες Ἕλληνες, τῆς θεοσεβείας ὑμῶν διδασκάλους εἶναί φατε; Τοὺς ποιητάς; Ἀλλʼ οὐ συνοίσει ὑμῖν πρὸς ἄνδρας τὰ τῶν ποιητῶν εἰδότας λέγειν· ἴσασι γὰρ τὴν ὑπʼ αὐτῶν γελοιοτάτην περὶ θεῶν θεογονίαν λεγομένην, ὡς ἔστιν ἡμῖν ἀπὸ τοῦ κορυφαιοτάτου παρʼ ὑμῖν καὶ πρώτου τῶν ποιητῶν Ὁμήρου μανθάνειν. Οὗτος γὰρ πρῶτον μὲν τὴν τῶν θεῶν γένεσιν ἐξ ὕδατος τὴν ἀρχὴν ἐσχηκέναι φησίν· οὕτω γὰρ γέγραφεν· « Ὠκεανόν τε θεῶν γένεσιν, καὶ μητέρα Τηθύν. » Ἔπειτα δὲ καὶ ἃ περὶ τοῦ πρώτου παρʼ αὐτοῖς νομιζομένου θεοῦ λέγει, ὃν καὶ πατέρα ὀνομάζει πολλάκις ἀνδρῶν τε θεῶν τε, ἀναγκαῖον ὑπομνῆσαι· ἔφη γάρ· « Ζεύς, ὅς τʼ ἀνθρώπων ταμίης πολέμοιο τέτυκται. » Αὐτὸν τοίνυν οὐ πολέμου ταμίαν μόνον τῷ στρατεύματι, ἀλλὰ καὶ ἐπιορκίας Τρωσὶ διὰ τῆς αὐτοῦ θυγατρὸς αἴτιον γεγενῆσθαί φησι· καὶ τοῦτον ἐρῶντα, καὶ σχετλιάζοντα, καὶ ὀλοφυρόμενον, καὶ τῶν ἄλλων θεῶν ἐπιβουλευόμενον Ὅμηρος εἰσάγει, καὶ ποτὲ μὲν ἐπὶ τοῦ ἑαυτοῦ παιδὸς λέγοντα· « Ὤ μοι ἐγών, ὅτε μοι Σαρπηδόνα φίλτατον ἀνδρῶν μοῖρʼ ὑπὸ Πατρόκλοιο Μενοιτιάδαο δαμῆναι· » ποτὲ δὲ ὑπὲρ τοῦ Ἕκτορος· « Ὢ πόποι, ἦ φίλον ἄνδρα διωκόμενον περὶ τεῖχος ὀφθαλμοῖσιν ὁρῶμαι, ἐμὸν δʼ ὀλοφύρεται ἦτορ. » Τίνα δὲ καὶ περὶ τῆς τῶν ἄλλων θεῶν κατὰ τοῦ Διὸς ἐπιβουλῆς λέγει, ἴσασιν οἱ ἐντυγχάνοντες τοῖς ἔπεσι τούτοις· « Ὁππότε μιν ξυνδῆσαι Ὀλύμπιοι ἤθελον ἄλλοι, Ἥρη τʼ ἠδὲ Ποσειδάων καὶ Παλλὰς Ἀθήνη. » Καὶ εἰ μὴ τόν, ὃν Βριάρεων καλέουσι θεοί, ὑπέδεισαν οἱ μάκαρες θεοί, ἐδέδετο ἂν ὑπʼ αὐτῶν ὁ Ζεύς. Ὅσα δὲ καὶ περὶ τῆς ἐρωτικῆς τοῦ Διὸς ἀκολασίας Ὅμηρος λέγει, ἀναγκαῖον διʼ αὐτῶν ὑμᾶς ὑπομνῆσαι ὧν εἴρηκε ῥητῶν. Ἔφη γὰρ αὐτὸν οὕτω πρὸς τὴν Ἥραν λέγειν· « Οὐ γάρ πώποτέ μʼ ὧδε θεᾶς ἔρος οὐδὲ γυναικὸς θυμὸν ἐνὶ στήθεσσι περιπροχυθεὶς ἐδάμασσεν· οὐδʼ ὁπότʼ ἠρασάμην Ἰξιονίης ἀλόχοιο, οὐδʼ ὅτε περ Δανάης καλλισφύρου Ἀκρισιώνης, οὐδʼ ὅτε Φοίνικος κούρης τηλεκλειτοῖο, οὐδʼ ὅτε περ Σεμέλης, οὐδʼ Ἀλκμήνης ἐνὶ Θήβῃ, οὐδʼ ὅτε Δήμητρος καλλιπλοκάμοιο ἀνάσσης, οὐδʼ ὁπότε Λητοῦς ἐρικυδέος, οὐδὲ σευ αὐτῆς. » Τίνα δὲ καὶ περὶ τῶν ἄλλων θεῶν ἐκ τῆς Ὁμήρου ποιήσεως ἔξεστι μανθάνειν, καὶ ὅσα ὑπὸ ἀνθρώπων πεπόνθασιν, ἀκόλουθόν ἐστιν ὑπομνῆσαι νυνί. Ἄρεα μὲν γὰρ καὶ Ἀφροδίτην ὑπὸ Διομήδους τετρῶσθαι λέγει, πολλῶν δὲ καὶ ἄλλων θεῶν διηγεῖται πάθη. Οὕτω γάρ ἐστιν ἡμῖν ἀπὸ τῆς παραμυθουμένης τὴν θυγατέρα Διώνης μανθάνειν· ἔφη γὰρ πρὸς αὐτήν· « Τέτλαθι, τέκνον ἐμόν, καὶ ἀνάσχεο κηδομένη περ· πολλοὶ γὰρ δὴ τλῆμεν Ὀλύμπια δώματʼ ἔχοντες ἐξ ἀνδρῶν, χαλέπʼ ἄλγεʼ ἐπʼ ἀλλήλοισι τιθέντες. Τλῆ μὲν Ἄρης, ὅτε μιν Ὦτος κρατερός τʼ Ἐφιάλτης, παῖδες Ἀλωῆος, δῆσαν κρατερῷ ἐνὶ δεσμῷ· χαλκέῳ δʼ ἐν κεράμῳ δέδετο τρισκαίδεκα μῆνας. Τλῆ δʼ Ἥρη, ὅτε μιν κρατερὸς πάϊς Ἀμφιτρύωνος δεξιτερὸν κατὰ μαζὸν ὀϊστῷ τριγλώχινι βεβλήκει· τότε κέν μιν ἀνήκεστον λάβεν ἄλγος. Τλῆ δʼ Ἀΐδης ἐν τοῖσι πελώριος ὠκὺν ὀϊστόν, εὖτέ μιν ωὑτὸς ἀνήρ, υἱὸς Διὸς αἰγιόχοιο, ἐν Πύλῳ ἐν νεκύεσσι βαλὼν ὀδύνῃσιν ἔδωκεν· αὐτὰρ ὁ βῆ πρὸς δῶμα Διὸς καὶ μακρὸν Ὄλυμπον, κῆρ ἀχέων, ὀδύνῃσι πεπαρμένος· αὐτὰρ ὀϊστὸς ὤμῳ ἔνι στιβαρῷ ἠλήλατο, κῆδε δὲ θυμόν. » Εἰ δὲ καὶ τῆς τῶν λοιπῶν θεῶν ἐξ ἐναντίας μάχης ὑπομνησθῆναι ὑμᾶς προσήκει, αὐτὸς ὑμᾶς ὁ ὑμέτερος ποιητὴς ὑπομνήσει λέγων· « Τόσσος ἄρα κτύπος ὦρτο θεῶν ἔριδι ξυνιόντων. Ἤτοι μὲν γὰρ ἔναντα Ποσειδάωνος ἄνακτος ἵστατʼ Ἀπόλλων Φοῖβος ἔχων ἰὰ πτερόεντα· ἄντα δʼ Ἐνυαλίοιο θεὰ γλαυκῶπις Ἀθήνη· Ἥρῃ δʼ ἀντέστη χρυσηλάκατος κελαδεινὴ Ἄρτεμις ἰοχέαιρα, κασιγνήτη Ἑκάτοιο· Λητοῖ δʼ ἀντέστη σῶκος ἐριούνιος Ἑρμῆς. » Ταῦτα καὶ τοιαῦτα περὶ θεῶν ἐδίδαξεν ὑμᾶς Ὅμηρος, καὶ οὐχ Ὅμηρος μόνον, ἀλλὰ καὶ Ἡσίοδος. Ὥστε εἰ μὲν πιστεύετε τοῖς κορυφαιοτάτοις ὑμῶν ποιηταῖς τοῖς γενεαλογήσασι τοὺς θεοὺς ὑμῶν, ἀνάγκη ὑμᾶς ἢ τοιούτους αὐτοὺς εἶναι νομίζειν, ἢ μηδʼ ὅλως θεοὺς αὐτοὺς εἶναι πιστεύειν. ### English translation (Claude) Whom, then, men of Greece, do you claim as the teachers of your religion? The poets? It will not help you with men who know the writings of the poets; for they know the most ridiculous theogony of the gods told by them, as we can learn from Homer, the foremost and first of your poets. For he says, first, that the generation of the gods had its beginning from water; for he wrote thus: "Ocean, the origin of the gods, and mother Tethys." Then it is necessary to recall what he says about the one considered among them the first god, whom he often calls "father of men and gods"; for he said: "Zeus, who is the steward of war for men." He says that this god was not only the steward of war for the army, but also the cause of perjury to the Trojans through his own daughter; and Homer brings him on stage as in love, complaining, lamenting, and plotted against by the other gods; at one time saying over his own son: "Ah me, that it is fated that Sarpedon, dearest of men to me, be subdued by Patroclus son of Menoetius"; and at another over Hector: "Alas, I see with my eyes a man dear to me chased around the wall, and my heart laments." What he says also about the plot of the other gods against Zeus, those who read these verses know: "when the other Olympians wished to bind him, Hera and Poseidon and Pallas Athena"; … and if the blessed gods had not feared him whom the gods call Briareus, Zeus would have been bound by them. And what Homer says about the amorous licentiousness of Zeus it is necessary to recall through the very words he spoke. For he represents him as speaking thus to Hera: "For never yet did love of goddess or of woman so flood the heart in my breast and overcome it, not when I loved the wife of Ixion, nor Danaë of the fair ankles, daughter of Acrisius, nor the daughter of far-famed Phoenix, nor Semele, nor Alcmene in Thebes, nor Demeter, the fair-tressed queen, nor glorious Leto, nor yet yourself." And what we may learn from Homer's poetry about the other gods too, and all they suffered at the hands of men, it is fitting to recall now. For he says that Ares and Aphrodite were wounded by Diomedes, and he recounts (the sufferings) of many other gods. For we can learn it from (Dione) consoling her daughter; for she said to her: "Endure, my child, and bear up, though grieved; for many of us who have dwellings on Olympus have endured things from men, laying grievous pains on one another. Ares endured it, when Otus and mighty Ephialtes, sons of Aloeus, bound him in a strong bond, and he lay in a bronze jar for thirteen months. Hera endured it, when the mighty son of Amphitryon struck her on the right breast with a three-barbed arrow; then incurable pain seized her. Huge Hades too endured a swift arrow among them, when the same man, son of aegis-bearing Zeus, struck him at Pylos among the dead and gave him over to pains; but he went to the house of Zeus and to high Olympus, grieving at heart, pierced through with pains, for the arrow had been driven into his strong shoulder and was distressing his spirit." And if it is fitting to recall also the battle of the rest of the gods against one another, your own poet reminds you, saying: "So great a din arose as the gods came together in strife. For against lord Poseidon stood Phoebus Apollo with his winged arrows, and against Enyalius the goddess grey-eyed Athena; against Hera stood the huntress of the golden distaff, Artemis of the loud cry, sister of the Far-Shooter; against Leto stood the strong helper Hermes." Such things about the gods Homer has taught you, and not Homer only, but also Hesiod. So if you believe your foremost poets, who drew up the genealogies of your gods, you must either believe them to be such, or not believe them to be gods at all. ### Extrabiblical texts - Homer, Il. 14.201 (Homer, Iliad): quotation, high confidence - Homer, Il. 19.224 (Homer, Iliad): quotation, high confidence - Homer, Il. 16.433-434 (Homer, Iliad): quotation, high confidence - Homer, Il. 22.168-169 (Homer, Iliad): quotation, high confidence - Homer, Il. 1.399-406 (Homer, Iliad): quotation, high confidence - Homer, Il. 14.315-328 (Homer, Iliad): quotation, high confidence - Homer, Il. 5.382-404 (Homer, Iliad): quotation, high confidence - Homer, Il. 20.66-72 (Homer, Iliad): quotation, high confidence ### Translation notes - The Greek of this chapter is rebuilt from the four library scans of PG 6, which agree where the first scan was garbled; Migne's Latin column, margins, and notes are dropped. In the Homeric verses, where every scan is corrupt, the words are given in the standard form of the Iliad (e.g. ἐμόν, Ὀλύμπια, κεράμῳ, Τόσσος for the scans' Τόπος); the last word, πιστεύειν, is completed from the scans' πι-. Iliad 14.201 (Ocean); 19.224 (Zeus, steward of war); 16.433–434 (Sarpedon); 22.168–169 (Hector); 1.399–400 and 403–406 (the plot to bind Zeus; Briareus); 14.315–327 (Zeus's loves); 5.382–404 (Dione consoles Aphrodite); 20.66–72 (the battle of the gods). - "Perjury … through his own daughter": Athena's prompting of Pandarus to break the truce (Iliad 4). ### Citation (SBL) Ps.-Justin, Cohort. Graec. 2 (PG 6:241d–245d; trans. Sophia Scriptura, https://sophiascriptura.com/fathers/ps-justin-cohortatio/1/#p-2). ## Hortatory Address to the Greeks 3 - URL: https://sophiascriptura.com/fathers/ps-justin-cohortatio/1/#p-3 - Source: PG 6:245d–248a - Translation: Claude (claude-opus-5-5), 2026-09-27 Summary: The early Greek philosophers disagree about the first principle of things: water, the infinite, air, fire, or like parts. ### Greek text Εἰ δὲ τοὺς ποιητὰς παραιτεῖσθε λέγειν, ἐπειδὴ μύθους τε αὐτοῖς πλάττειν ἐξεῖναί φατε, καὶ πολλὰ τῆς ἀληθείας περὶ θεῶν μυθωδῶς διεξιέναι, τίνας ἑτέρους τῆς θεοσεβείας ὑμῶν διδασκάλους ἔχειν οἴεσθε, ἢ πῶς ταύτην αὐτοὺς μεμαθηκέναι φατέ; Ἀδύνατον γὰρ τοὺς μὴ πρότερον παρὰ τῶν εἰδότων μεμαθηκότας τὰ οὕτω μεγάλα καὶ θεῖα πράγματα γινώσκειν. Τοὺς σοφοὺς πάντως δήπου καὶ φιλοσόφους λέξετε· ἐπὶ τούτους γάρ, ὥσπερ ἐπὶ τεῖχος ὀχυρόν, καταφεύγειν εἰώθατε, ἐπειδάν τις ὑμῖν τὰς τῶν ποιητῶν περὶ θεῶν ἀπαγγέλλῃ δόξας. Οὐκοῦν ἐπειδήπερ ἀπὸ τῶν παλαιῶν καὶ πρώτων ἄρξασθαι προσήκει, ἐντεῦθεν ἀρξάμενος, τὴν ἑκάστου δόξαν ἐκθήσομαι, πολλῷ γελοιοτέραν τῆς τῶν ποιητῶν θεολογίας οὖσαν. Θαλῆς μὲν γὰρ ὁ Μιλήσιος, ὁ πρῶτος τῆς φυσικῆς φιλοσοφίας ἄρξας, ἀρχὴν εἶναι τῶν ὄντων ἁπάντων τὸ ὕδωρ ἀπεφήνατο· ἐξ ὕδατος γάρ φησι τὰ πάντα εἶναι, καὶ εἰς ὕδωρ τὰ πάντα ἀναλύεσθαι. Ἀναξίμανδρος δὲ μετὰ τοῦτον, ἀπὸ τῆς αὐτῆς ὁρμώμενος Μιλήτου, τὸ ἄπειρον ἀρχὴν ἁπάντων ἔφησεν εἶναι· ἐκ τούτου γὰρ δὴ τὰ πάντα γίνεσθαι, καὶ εἰς τοῦτο τὰ πάντα φθείρεσθαι. Τρίτος Ἀναξιμένης, καὶ οὗτος ἐκ τῆς Μιλήτου ὑπάρχων, ἀέρα τοῦ παντὸς ἀρχὴν εἶναι λέγει· ἐκ γὰρ τούτου τὰ πάντα γίνεσθαι, καὶ εἰς τοῦτον πάντα ἀναλύεσθαί φησιν. Ἡράκλειτος καὶ Ἵππασος ὁ Μεταπόντιος ἀρχὴν τῶν πάντων τὸ πῦρ εἶναι· ἐκ τοῦ πυρὸς γὰρ τὰ πάντα γίνεσθαι, καὶ εἰς τὸ πῦρ τὰ πάντα τελευτᾶν, λέγουσι. Ἀναξαγόρας ὁ Κλαζομένιος ἀρχὰς τῶν πάντων τὰς ὁμοιομερείας εἶναι ἔφη. Ἀρχέλαος ὁ Ἀπολλοδώρου … ### English translation (Claude) And if you excuse the poets, saying that they are permitted to invent myths and to relate in myth many things about the gods that are contrary to the truth, whom else do you think you have as teachers of your religion, or how do you say they learned it? For it is impossible for those who have not first learned from those who know to know matters so great and divine. You will surely say: the wise men and philosophers. For to them, as to a strong wall, you are accustomed to flee whenever anyone reports to you the opinions of the poets about the gods. Since it is fitting to begin from the ancient and first ones, beginning there I will set out the opinion of each, which is much more ridiculous than the theology of the poets. Thales of Miletus, who first began natural philosophy, declared that water is the first principle of all beings; for he says that all things are from water and all are dissolved into water. Anaximander after him, setting out from the same Miletus, said that the infinite is the principle of all things; for from it all things come to be, and into it all things perish. Third, Anaximenes, also from Miletus, says that air is the principle of the universe; for he says that from it all things come to be, and into it all are again dissolved. Heraclitus and Hippasus of Metapontum (say) that fire is the principle of all things; for from fire all things come to be, and in fire all things end. Anaxagoras of Clazomenae said that the principles of all things are the homoeomeries (parts like the whole). Archelaus son of Apollodorus … ### Translation notes - The Greek of this chapter is rebuilt from the library scans of PG 6, which supply the words lost in the first scan ("whenever anyone reports to you the opinions of the poets"); Migne's notes are dropped. The chapter breaks off after "Archelaus son of Apollodorus" in every scan; the rest of the sentence (his doctrine of first principles) is lost and shown as "…". "Many things about the gods contrary to the truth": the scans read only "many things of the truth about the gods"; a word such as "contrary to" seems to be missing, and the sense is given. ### Citation (SBL) Ps.-Justin, Cohort. Graec. 3 (PG 6:245d–248a; trans. Sophia Scriptura, https://sophiascriptura.com/fathers/ps-justin-cohortatio/1/#p-3). ## Hortatory Address to the Greeks 4 - URL: https://sophiascriptura.com/fathers/ps-justin-cohortatio/1/#p-4 - Source: PG 6:248a–249b - Translation: Claude (claude-opus-5-5), 2026-09-27 Summary: Pythagoras, Epicurus, and Empedocles add more conflicting principles; such quarrelsome teachers cannot teach true religion. ### Greek text Εἶθʼ ἐξῆς ἀφʼ ἕτέρας ἀρχῆς Πυθαγόρας Μνησάρχου Σάμιος, ἀρχὰς τοὺς ἀριθμοὺς, καὶ τὰς συμμετρίας καὶ τὰς ἐν αὒτοῖς ἁρμονίας καλεῖ, τά τʼ ἐξ ἀμφοτέρων σύνθετα στοιχεῖα ’ ἔτι μέντοι μονάδα καὶ τὴν ἀόριστον δυάδα. Ἐπίκουρος Νεοκλέους, Ἀθηναῖος, ἀρχὰς τῶν ὄντων σώματα λόγῳ θεωρητα εἶναι λέγει, ἀμέτοχα κενοῦ, ἁγέννητα, ἄφθαρτα, οὔτε θραυσθῆναι δυνάμενα, οὕτε διάπλασιν ἐκ τῶν μερῶν λαβεῖν, οὕτε ἀλλοιωθῆναι ‘ διὰ τοῦτο καὶ λόγῳ θεωρητά, Ἐμπεδοκλῆς Μέτωνος, ὁ Ἀκραγαντῖνος, τέσσαρα στοιχεῖα, πῦρ, ἀέρα, ὕδωρ, γῆν δύο δὲ ἆρχικὰς δυνάμεις, φιλίαν τε καὶ νεῖκος ” ών ἡ μὲν ἔστιν ἑνωτικὴ, τὸ δὲ διαιρετικόν. Ὀρᾶτε τοίνυν τὴν ἀταξίαν τῶν παρʼ ὑμῖν νομισθέντων γεγενῆσθαι σοφῶν, οὕς διδασκάλους ὑμῶν τῆς θεοσεβείας γεγενῆσθαί φατε, τῶν μὲν, ὕδωρ ἀποφηναμένων ἀρχὴν ἁπάντων εἶναι ” τῶν δὲ ἀέρα ' τῶν δὲ πῦρθ τῶν δὲ ἄλλο τι τῶν προειρημένων · καὶ πάντων τούτων πιθανοῖς τισι λόγοις πρὸς κατασκευὴν τῶν μὴ καλῶς δοξάντων αὐτοῖς χρωμένων, καὶ τὸ ἴδιον δόγμα προτιμότερον ἐπιχειρούντων δεικνύναι. Ταύθʼ ὑπʼ αὗτῶν εἴρηται. Πῶς οὖν ἀσφαλὲς, ὦ ἄνδρεςʼΕλληνες, τοῖς σώζεσθαι βουλομένοις, παρὰ τούτων οἴεσθαι δύνασθαι τὴν ἄληθῆ θεοσέβειαν μανθάνειν, τῶν μηδὲ αὐτοὺς πεῖσαι δυνηθέντων τὸ μὴ πρὸς ἀλλήλους gentiam, μηδʼ ἐναντίοι τῆς ἀλλήλων φαίνεσθαι τιςῖ ### English translation (Claude) Then in turn, from another starting point, Pythagoras son of Mnesarchus, of Samos, calls the numbers the principles, with their symmetries and the harmonies in them, and the elements compounded of both; and further the monad and the indefinite dyad. Epicurus son of Neocles, an Athenian, says that the principles of beings are bodies perceptible by reason, having no share of void, unbegotten, imperishable, unable to be broken, to take on shaping from parts, or to be altered; and therefore perceptible by reason. Empedocles son of Meton, of Acragas, (holds) four elements, fire, air, water, earth, and two original powers, love and strife, of which the one unites and the other divides. See, then, the disorder of those who were thought among you to be wise, whom you claim as the teachers of your religion: some declaring water to be the principle of all things, others air, others fire, others something else of those mentioned; and all of them using certain plausible arguments to establish their mistaken opinions, and trying to show their own doctrine to be superior. These things were said by them. How, then, is it safe, men of Greece, for those who wish to be saved to think that they can learn the true religion from these men, who could not even persuade themselves not to quarrel with one another, nor to appear opposed to one another's opinions? ### Translation notes - The last words of the chapter are damaged in the scan (a Latin word from Migne's column has intruded); the sense is clear. ### Citation (SBL) Ps.-Justin, Cohort. Graec. 4 (PG 6:248a–249b; trans. Sophia Scriptura, https://sophiascriptura.com/fathers/ps-justin-cohortatio/1/#p-4). ## Hortatory Address to the Greeks 5 - URL: https://sophiascriptura.com/fathers/ps-justin-cohortatio/1/#p-5 - Source: PG 6:249b–253a - Translation: Claude (claude-opus-5-5), 2026-09-27 Summary: Plato and Aristotle contradict each other about where God dwells, and Aristotle appeals to Homer, who also supports Thales against him. ### Greek text Ἀλλʼ ἴσως οἱ τῆς ἀρχαίας καὶ παλαιᾶς ἐκείνης ἀποστῆναι μὴ βουλόμενοι πλάνης, οὔ φασι παρὰ τῶν προειρημένων, ἂλλὰ παρὰ τῶν ἐνδοξοτάτων καὶ τελειοτάτων ἓν ἀρετῇ νομισθέντων εἶναι παρʼ αὑτοῖς φιλοσόφων, τὸν περὶ τῆς θεοσεβείας παρειληφέναι λόγον, Πλάτωνός τε καὶ Ἀριστοτέλους. Τούτους γὰρ τὴν τελείαν καὶ ἀληθῆ φασι μεμαθηκέναι θεοσέβειαν. Ἐγὼ δὲ πρῶτον μὲν ἡδέως ἂν πυθοίμην τῶν ταῦτα λεγόντων, παρὰ τίνων αὖτοὺς μεμαθηκότας εἰδέναι φασίν · ἀδύνατον γὰρ τοὺς τὰ οὕτω μεγάλα καὶ θεῖα μη παρά τινων εἰδότων μεμαθηκότας, ἢ αὐτοὺς εἰδέναι, ἢ ἑτέρους δύνασθαι διδάσκειν ὀρθῶς δεύτερον δὲ οἶμαι δεῖν καὶ τὰς τούτων ἐξετάσαι δόξας, Εἰσόμεθα γὰρ εἰ μὴ καὶ τούτων ἑκάτερος τάναντία θατέρῳ φανήσεται λέγων. Εἰ δὲ καὶ τούτους μὴ συμφωνοῦντας ἀλλήλοις εὕροιμεν, ῥᾴδιον οἶμαι καὶ τὴν τούτων ἄγνοιαν γινώσκειν σαφῶς, Πλάτων μὲν γὰρ, ὡς ἄνωθεν κατεληλυθὼς, καὶ τὰ ἓν οὖρκνοϊς ἅπαντι ἀκριβῶς μεμαθηκὼς καὶ ἑωρακὼς, τὸν ἀνωτάτω Θεὸν ἐν τῇ πυρώδει οὐσίᾳ εἶναι. λέγει ' Ἀριστοτέλης δὲ, ἒν τῷ πρὸς Ἀλέξανδρον τὸν Μακεδόνα λόγῳ σύντομόν τινα τῆς ἑαυτοῦ φιλοσοφίας ἐκτιθέμενος ὅρον, σαφῶς καὶ φανερῶς τὴν Πλάτωνος ἀναιρεῖ δόξαν, οὒκ ἐν τῇ πυρώδει οὒσίᾳ τὸν Θεὸν εἶναι λέγων ” ἀλλὰ πέμπτον αἰθέριόν τι καὶ ἀμετάβλητον ἀναπλάττων σῶμα, ὲν τούτῳ αὺτὸν εἶναι φησι. Γέγραφε γοῦν οὕτως · Οὒχ ὡς ’ένιοι τῶν περὶ τὸ Θεΐον πλημμελούντων, ἐν πυρώδει οὐσίᾳ τὸν Θεὸν εἷναί φασιν. Εῖτα, ὥσπερ μὴ ἀρκιύμενος ἐπὶ τῇ κατὰ Πλάτωνος βλασφημίᾳ, και τὸν ὑπʼ αὺτοῦ τῆς πολιτείας ἐκβληθέντα ὡς ψεύστην καὶ τρίτον τῶν ἀπὸ τῆς ἀληθείας εἰδώλων, ὡς αΰτὸς ἔφη, μιμητὴν ὄντα ’Όμηρον, εἰς ὰπόδειξιν τῶν ὑπʼ αὖτοῡ περὶ τοῦ αἰθερίου σώματος λεγομένων καλεῖ μάρτυρα· γέγραφε γάρ Οὕτω γοῦν κα ’Όμηρος ἔφη ' Ζεὺς δʼ ἔλαχʼ οὐρανὸν εὐρὺν ἐν αἱθέρὶ καὶ νιφέλῃσι Ιο · βουλόμενος ἐκ τῆς Ὀμήρου μαρτυρίας ἀξιόπιστον τὴν ἑαυτοῦ δεικνύναι δόξαν, ἀγνοῶν ὅτι εἰ Ὀμήρῳ πρὸς ἀπόδειξιν τοῦ ἀληθῆ ἑαυτὸν λέγειν μάρτυρι χρῷτο, πολλὰ τῶν αὐτῷ δοξάντων οὒκ ἀληθῆ φανήσεται ὄντα. Θαλῆς γὰρ ὁ Μιλήσιος ὁ πρῶτος παρʼ αὐτοῖς τῆς φιλοσοφίας ἄρξας, τὴν πρόφασιν παρʼ αὐτοῦ λαβὼν, τὰς πρώτας αὖτοῦ περὶ ἀρχῶν ἀθετήσει δόξας. Αὒτοί γὰρ Ἀριστοτέλους Θεὸν καὶ ὕλην ἀρχὰς εἶναι τῶν πάντων είρηκότος, ὁ πρεσβύτατος τῶν κατʼ αὒτοὺς ἁπάντων Θαλῆς ἀρχὴν τῶν ὄντων ὕδωρ εἶναι λέγει ἐξ ὕδατος γάρ φησι τὰ πάντα εἶναι, καὶ εἱς ὕδωρ ἀναλύεσθαι τὰ πάντα. Στοχάζεται δὲ πρῶτον μὲν ἀπὸ τοῦ, πάντων τῶν ζώων τὴν γονὴν, ἀρχὴν οὖσαν, ὑγρὰν εἶναι · δεύτερον δὲ, ὅτι πάντα τὰ φυτὰ ὑγρῷ τρέφεται καὶ καρποφορεῖ, ἀμοιροῦντα δὲ τοῦ ὑγροῦ, ξηραίνεται. Εἶθʼ ὥσπερ μὴ ἀρκούμενος οἷς στοχάζεται, καὶ τὸν Ὅμηρον ὡς ἀξιόπιστον μάρτυρα … οὕτως λέγοντα· « Ὠκεανός, ὅσπερ γένεσις πάντεσσι τέτυκται. » Ἆρʼ οὖν οὐκ εἰκότως πρὸς αὺτὸν ὁ Θαλῆς φήσει ; Διʼ ἣν αἰτίαν, ὦ Ἀριστότελες, τὰς μὲν Πλάτωνος ἀναιρεῖν ἐθέλων δόξας, ὡς ἀληθεύοντι προσέχεις Ὁμήρῳ, ἡμῶν δὲ τὴν ἐναντίαν ἀποφηνάμενος δόξαν, οὐκ ἀληθεύειν Ὅμηρον οἴει; ### English translation (Claude) But perhaps those who do not wish to depart from that ancient and old error say that they have received the doctrine of religion not from those mentioned, but from the philosophers who are thought among them the most renowned and most perfect in virtue, Plato and Aristotle; for these, they say, learned the perfect and true religion. But I would gladly first ask those who say this from whom they say these men learned it; for it is impossible for those who have not learned matters so great and divine from some who know either to know them themselves or to be able to teach others rightly. Second, I think we must examine their opinions too; for we shall see whether each of them too does not appear to say the opposite of the other. And if we find that these too do not agree with each other, it is easy, I think, to recognize their ignorance clearly. For Plato, as if he had come down from above and had accurately learned and seen everything in heaven, says that the highest God is in the fiery substance. But Aristotle, setting out a short definition of his own philosophy in his discourse to Alexander the Macedonian, clearly and plainly overthrows Plato's opinion, saying that God is not in the fiery substance; but fashioning a fifth, ethereal and unchangeable body, he says that God is in it. At any rate he wrote thus: "Not, as some of those who err about the divine say, that God is in a fiery substance." Then, as if not content with his blasphemy against Plato, he also calls as witness, in proof of what he says about the ethereal body, Homer, whom Plato expelled from his republic as a liar and, as he himself said, an imitator third from the truth; for he wrote: "Thus Homer too said: Zeus obtained the broad heaven in the ether and the clouds"; wishing to make his own opinion credible from Homer's testimony, not knowing that if he used Homer as a witness to prove that he speaks the truth, many of his own opinions will appear untrue. For Thales of Miletus, the first among them to begin philosophy, taking his pretext from him, will overturn Aristotle's first opinions about principles. For whereas Aristotle has said that God and matter are the principles of all things, Thales, the oldest of all of them, says that water is the principle of beings; for he says that all things are from water and all are dissolved into water. He conjectures this, first, from the fact that the seed of all living things, which is their beginning, is moist; second, that all plants are nourished by moisture and bear fruit, but wither when they have no share of moisture. Then, as if not content with what he conjectures, he (calls) Homer as a credible witness, who says: "Ocean, which is the origin of all." Will not Thales, then, rightly say to him: "For what reason, Aristotle, when you wish to overthrow Plato's opinions, do you heed Homer as speaking the truth, but when we have declared an opinion opposite to yours, you think that Homer does not speak the truth?" ### Extrabiblical texts - Plato, Resp. 595a-598b (Plato (works)): allusion, medium confidence - Aristotle, Mund. 392a (Aristotle (works)): quotation, medium confidence - Homer, Il. 15.192 (Homer, Iliad): quotation, high confidence - Homer, Il. 14.246 (Homer, Iliad): quotation, high confidence ### Translation notes - The "discourse to Alexander" is the treatise On the Cosmos ascribed to Aristotle (De mundo); Plato's expulsion of Homer: Republic 10 (595a–598b, the imitator "third from the truth"). Homeric lines: Iliad 15.192; 14.246. - Several garbled lines are corrected from the other library scans of PG 6 (a leaked note of Migne's on "evil and the material multitude" is removed). The verb after "credible witness" is illegible in every scan and shown as "…"; "calls" gives the sense. ### Citation (SBL) Ps.-Justin, Cohort. Graec. 5 (PG 6:249b–253a; trans. Sophia Scriptura, https://sophiascriptura.com/fathers/ps-justin-cohortatio/1/#p-5). ## Hortatory Address to the Greeks 6 - URL: https://sophiascriptura.com/fathers/ps-justin-cohortatio/1/#p-6 - Source: PG 6:253a–253b - Translation: Claude (claude-opus-5-5), 2026-09-27 Summary: Plato and Aristotle disagree about the principles, about the heavens, and about the nature and immortality of the soul. ### Greek text Ὅτι τοίνυν οἱ σφόδρα θαυμαστοὶ καθʼ ὑμᾶς σοφοὶ οὐδʼ ἐν τοῖς ἄλλοις συμφωνοῦντες φαίνονται, καὶ ἀπὸ τούτων γνῶναι ῥᾴδιον. Τοῦ γὰρ Πλάτωνος τρεῖς ἀρχὰς τοῦ παντὸς εἶναι λέγοντος, Θεὸν καὶ ὕλην καὶ εἶδος· Θεὸν μέν, τὸν πάντων ποιητήν· ὕλην δέ, τὴν ὑποκειμένην τῇ πρώτῃ τῶν γενομένων γενέσει, τὴν πρόφασιν αὐτῷ τῆς δημιουργίας παρέχουσαν· εἶδος δέ, τὸ ἑκάστου τῶν γινομένων παράδειγμα· Ἀριστοτέλης τοῦ μὲν εἴδους ὡς ἀρχῆς οὐδαμῶς μέμνηται, δύο δὲ ἀρχὰς Θεὸν καὶ ὕλην εἶναί φησι. Καὶ αὖθις τοῦ Πλάτωνος ἐν τῇ πρώτῃ τοῦ ἀνωτάτω τοῦ οὐρανοῦ ἀπλανεῖ σφαίρᾳ τόν τε πρῶτον Θεὸν καὶ τὰς ἰδέας εἶναι λέγοντος, Ἀριστοτέλης μετὰ τὸν πρῶτον Θεὸν οὐ τὰς ἰδέας, ἀλλά τινας νοητοὺς θεοὺς εἶναι λέγει. Οὕτω μὲν οὖν περὶ τῶν ἐν οὐρανοῖς πρὸς ἀλλήλους διαφέρονται πραγμάτων. Ὥστε εἰδέναι προσήκει ὅτι οἱ μηδὲ τὰ παρʼ ἡμῖν ἐνταῦθα γνῶναι δυνηθέντες, ἀλλὰ καὶ περὶ τούτων πρὸς ἀλλήλους διενεχθέντες, οὐκ ἀξιόπιστοι φανήσονται περὶ τῶν ἐν οὐρανοῖς διηγούμενοι. Ὅτι τοίνυν οὐδὲ ὁ περὶ τῆς ἐνταῦθα ἀνθρωπίνης ψυχῆς αὐτοῖς συμφωνήσει λόγος, δῆλον ἀπὸ τῶν ὑφʼ ἑκατέρου αὐτῶν περὶ αὐτῆς λεχθέντων. Πλάτων μὲν γὰρ τριμερῆ αὐτὴν εἶναί φησι, καὶ τὸ μὲν λογικὸν αὐτῆς, τὸ δὲ θυμικόν, τὸ δὲ ἐπιθυμητικὸν εἶναι λέγει. Ἀριστοτέλης δὲ οὐ κοινοτέραν τὴν ψυχὴν εἶναί φησιν, ἐν ᾧ περιείληπται καὶ τὰ φθαρτὰ μόρια, ἀλλὰ τὸ λογικὸν μόνον. Καὶ ὁ μὲν Πλάτων· « Ψυχὴ πᾶσα ἀθάνατος, » κέκραγε λέγων· Ἀριστοτέλης δέ, ἐντελέχειαν αὐτὴν ὀνομάζων, οὐκ ἀθάνατον, ἀλλὰ θνητὴν αὐτὴν εἶναι βούλεται. Καὶ ὁ μέν, ἀεικίνητον αὐτὴν εἶναι λέγει· Ἀριστοτέλης δὲ ἀκίνητον αὐτὴν εἶναί φησιν, ἀπάσης κινήσεως προηγουμένην. ### English translation (Claude) That your exceedingly admired sages do not agree even in other matters is easy to recognize from these points too. For whereas Plato says there are three principles of the universe, God, matter, and form (God, the maker of all things; matter, which underlies the first coming-to-be of the things that come to be and furnishes him the occasion for his craftsmanship; and form, the pattern of each of the things that come to be), Aristotle makes no mention at all of form as a principle, but says that there are two principles, God and matter. And whereas Plato says that the first God and the ideas are in the first, unwandering sphere of the highest heaven, Aristotle says that after the first God there are not ideas but certain intelligible gods. So they differ from one another about the things in heaven; so that one should know that those who could not even know the things here among us, but differed from one another about these too, will not appear trustworthy when they tell of the things in heaven. That their account of the human soul within us does not agree either is plain from what each of them said about it. For Plato says it is threefold, calling one part rational, another spirited, and another appetitive; but Aristotle says that the soul is not the common (whole), in which the perishable parts are also included, but only the rational part. And Plato cries out, saying, "Every soul is immortal"; but Aristotle, calling it an entelechy, holds it to be not immortal but mortal. And the one says that it is ever-moving; but Aristotle says that it is unmoved, preceding all motion. ### Extrabiblical texts - Plato, Phaedr. 245c (Plato (works)): quotation, high confidence - Aristotle, De an. 412a (Aristotle (works)): allusion, medium confidence ### Translation notes - Plato, Phaedrus 245c ("Every soul is immortal"); the threefold soul: Republic 4. Aristotle's "entelechy": On the Soul 2.1. - The Greek of this chapter is rebuilt from the four library scans of PG 6, which agree where the first scan was garbled; Migne's Latin column is dropped. ### Citation (SBL) Ps.-Justin, Cohort. Graec. 6 (PG 6:253a–253b; trans. Sophia Scriptura, https://sophiascriptura.com/fathers/ps-justin-cohortatio/1/#p-6). ## Hortatory Address to the Greeks 7 - URL: https://sophiascriptura.com/fathers/ps-justin-cohortatio/1/#p-7 - Source: PG 6:253b–256b - Translation: Claude (claude-opus-5-5), 2026-09-27 Summary: Plato contradicts himself, and the philosophers disagree endlessly about the soul, because they relied on human cleverness. ### Greek text Ἀλλʼ ἐν τούτοις μὲν ὑπεναντία φρονοῦντες ἀλλήλοις ἐλέγχονται. Εἰ δέ τις ἀκριβῶς-τὰ κατʼ αὐτοὺς σκοπεῖν ἐθέλοι, οὐδὲ ταῖς ἑαυτῶν δόξαις ὲμμέἀρχὰς τοῦ παντὸς εἶναι λέγει, Θεὸν καὶ ὕλην καὶ εἶδος ' ποτὲ δὲ τέσσαρας προστίθησι γὰρ καὶ τὴν καθόλου ψυχήν, Καὶ αὖθις τὴν ὕλην ἀγέννητον πρὸ· τερον εἰρηκὼς, ὕστερον γεννητὴν αὐτὴν εἶναι λέγει · καὶ τῷ εἴδει δὲ ἀρχὴν ἰδίαν πρότερον δεδωκὼς, καὶ καθʼ ἑαυτὸ οὖσιῶσθαι ἀποφήσας, ὕστερον ὲν τοῖς νοήμασιν me. τοῦτʼ εῖναι λέγει. "Eu μέν τοί γε καὶ πᾶν τὶ γενόμενον φθαρτὸν πρότερον ἀποφηνάμενος εἶναι, ὕστερον ἔνια τῶι γινομένων ἄλυτα καὶ ἄφθαρτα δύνασθαι εἷναί φησι, Τί τοίνυν αἴτιον τοῦ μὴ πρὸς ἀλλήλους μόνον, ἀλλὰ καὶ πρὸς ἑαυτοὺς στασιάζειν τοὺς παρʼ ὑμῖν νομισθέντας γεγενῆσθαι σοφούς ;Τὶι μὴ βουληθῆναι δηλονότι παρᾶ τῶν εἰδότων μανθάνειν, ἀλλʼ ἑαυτοὺς οἴεσθαι τῇ ἀνθρωπίνῃ «sum περινοίᾳ ἐν οὖρανοΐς δύνασθαι γινώσκειν σαφῶς καίτοι γε μηδὲ τὰ ἐπὶ τῆς γῆς γνῶναι δυνηθέντες. Τὴν γοίν ἀνθρωπίνην ψυχὴν ἔνιοι μὲν τῶν παρʼ ὑμῖν φιλοσόφων, ἓν ἡμῖν, ἕτεροι δὲ περὶ ἡμᾶς εἶναί φασι. οόδὲ γὰρ ἓν τούτῳ συμφωνεῖν ἀλλήλοις προῄρηνται, ἀλλʼ ὥσπερ τὴν ἄγνοιαν διαφόρως μερισάμενοι, καὶ περὶ ψυχῆς φιλονεικεῖν καὶ στασιάζειν πρὸς ἀλλήλους προῄρηνται, Οἱ μὲν γὰρ αὐτῶν φασι πῦρ εῖναι τὴν ψυχὴν, οὶ δὲ τὴν ἀέρα ος δὲ τὸν νοῦν· οἱ δὲ τὴν κίνησιν · οἱ δὲ τὴν ἂναθυμίασιν ' ἄλλοι δέ τινες δύναμιν ἀπὸ τῶν ἄστρων ρἑ ουσαν · οἱ δὲ ἀριθμὸν κινητικόν ' ἓτεροι δὲ ὕδωρ γονοποιόν, Καὶ ὅλως ἄτακτός τις καὶ ἀσύμφωνος ἡ παρʼ αὐτοῖς κεκράτηκε adit. ἑνὶ μόνω τοϊς ὀρθῶς κρίνειν δυναμένοις ἐπαίνου ἀξία φαινομένη, ὅτι πλανωμένους καὶ μὴ τάληθῆ λέγοντας ἀλλήλους ἐλέγχειν προῄρηνται. ### English translation (Claude) But in these matters they are convicted of thinking the opposite of each other. And if one wished to examine their teachings carefully, (it would be seen that) they do not even abide by their own opinions. (For Plato at one time) says that there are three principles of the universe, God and matter and form; at another, four, for he adds the universal soul. And again, having first said that matter is unbegotten, he later says that it is begotten; and having first given form a principle of its own and declared that it subsists by itself, later he says that it is among the objects of thought. And having first declared that everything that has come to be is perishable, he later says that some of the things that have come to be can be indissoluble and imperishable. What, then, is the cause of those who were thought to be wise among you being at odds not only with one another but also with themselves? Clearly, that they were unwilling to learn from those who know, but thought that by human cleverness they could know clearly the things in heaven, though they could not even know the things on earth. At any rate, some of your philosophers say that the human soul is in us, others that it is around us. For they have chosen not to agree with one another even in this, but, as if they had divided ignorance among themselves in different shares, they have chosen to quarrel and be at odds with one another about the soul too. For some of them say the soul is fire, others air, others mind, others motion, others an exhalation, others a power flowing from the stars, others a self-moving number, others generative water. And altogether a disordered and discordant (teaching) prevails among them, appearing worthy of praise to those able to judge rightly in one thing only: that they have chosen to convict one another of error and of not speaking the truth. ### Translation notes - A line is lost in the scan near the beginning (where Plato is named as the subject); the words in parentheses supply the sense. "A self-moving number": Xenocrates' definition of the soul. ### Citation (SBL) Ps.-Justin, Cohort. Graec. 7 (PG 6:253b–256b; trans. Sophia Scriptura, https://sophiascriptura.com/fathers/ps-justin-cohortatio/1/#p-7). ## Hortatory Address to the Greeks 8 - URL: https://sophiascriptura.com/fathers/ps-justin-cohortatio/1/#p-8 - Source: PG 6:256b–257a - Translation: Claude (claude-opus-5-5), 2026-09-27 Summary: The Hebrew prophets, older than the Greek teachers, received their knowledge from God and taught in perfect agreement. ### Greek text Οὐκοῦν ἐπειδήπερ οὐδὲν ἀληθὲς περὶ θεοσεβείας παρὰ τῶν ὑμετέρων διδασκάλων μανθάνειν ἐστὶ δυνατὸν, ἱκανὴν ὗμῖν ἀπόδειξιν τῆς ἑαυτῶν ἀγνοίας διὰ τῆς πρὸς ἀλλήλους στάσεως παρεσχηκότων, ἀκόλουθον ἠγοῦμαι ἀνελθεῖν ἐπὶ τοὺς ἡμετέρους προγόνους, τοῖις καὶ τοὺς χρόνους τῶν παρʼ ὑμῖν διδασκάλων πολλῷ προειληφότας, καὶ μηδὲν ἀπὸ τῆς ἰδίας αὐτῶν φαντασίας διδάξαντας ἡμᾶς, μηδὲ πρὸς ἀλλήλους διενεχθέντας, ἣ τὰ αλλήλων ἀνατρέπειν πειρωμένους, ἀλλʼ ἀφιλονείκως καὶ ἀστασιάστοις τὴν παρὰ θεοῦ δεξαμένους γνῶσιν, καὶ ταύτην διδάσκοντας ἡμᾶς. Οῧτε γὰρ φύσει, οὔτε ἀνθρωπίνῃ ἐννοίᾳ οὕτω μεγάλα καὶ (ista γινώσκειν ἀνθρώποις δυνατὸν, ἁλλὰ τῇ ἄνωθεν ἐπὶ τοὺς ἁγίους ἄνδρας τηνικαῦτα κατελθούσῃ δωρεᾷ, οἶς οὗ λόγων ὶδέησε ἀλλὰ καθαροὺς ἑαυτοὺς τῇ τοῦ θείου Πνεΰματος παρασχεῖν ἐνεργείᾳ, ’ἔνʼ uitro τὸ θετον ἐξ οὖρανοῦ κατλύρας, τος δικαίοις ἀνδράσι χρώμενον, τὴν τῶν ,θείων ἡμῖν καὶ οὒρανίων ἀποκαλύψῃ γνῶσιν. Διὰ τοῦτο τοίνυν ὥσπερ ἐξ ἐνὸς στόματος καὶ μιᾶς γλώττης καί περὶ Θεοῦ, καὶ περὶ κόσμου κτίσεως, καὶ περὶ πλάσεως ἀνθρώπου, καὶ περὶ ἀνθρωπίνης ψυχῆς ἀθανασίας καὶ τῆς μετὰ τὸν βίον τοῦτον μελλούσης ἔσεσθαι κρίσεως, καὶ περὶ παντων ὤν ἀναγκαῖον ἡμῖν ἐστιν εἰδέναι, ἀκολούθως καὶ συμφώνως ἀλλήλοις ἐδίδαξαν ἡμᾶς, mi. ταῦτα ἒν διαφόροις τόποις τε καὶ χρόνοις τὴν θείαν ἡμῖν διδασκαλίαν παρεσχηκότες. ### English translation (Claude) Since, then, it is impossible to learn anything true about religion from your teachers, who by their discord with one another have furnished you sufficient proof of their own ignorance, I think it follows to go back to our ancestors, who far preceded the times of your teachers, and who taught us nothing from their own fancy, nor differed with one another, nor tried to overturn one another's teachings, but without contention and discord received the knowledge from God and taught it to us. For neither by nature nor by human thought is it possible for men to know things so great and divine, but by the gift that then came down from above upon the holy men, who had no need of skill in words …, but to present themselves pure to the working of the divine Spirit, so that the divine (plectrum) itself, coming down from heaven and using righteous men … a lyre …, might reveal to us the knowledge of things divine and heavenly. Therefore, as if from one mouth and one tongue, they taught us consistently and in agreement with one another about God, about the creation of the world, about the formation of man, about the immortality of the human soul and the judgment that is to come after this life, and about all things we need to know; and that although they gave us the divine teaching in different places and times. ### Scripture references - 2 Pet 1:21: echo, medium confidence ### Translation notes - The image of the Spirit playing on the prophets as on an instrument is partly lost in the scan; lost words are shown as "…" and "plectrum" is supplied in parentheses by sense from the surviving letters (compare Hippolytus, Antichrist 2). ### Citation (SBL) Ps.-Justin, Cohort. Graec. 8 (PG 6:256b–257a; trans. Sophia Scriptura, https://sophiascriptura.com/fathers/ps-justin-cohortatio/1/#p-8). ## Hortatory Address to the Greeks 9 - URL: https://sophiascriptura.com/fathers/ps-justin-cohortatio/1/#p-9 - Source: PG 6:257a–261a - Translation: Claude (claude-opus-5-5), 2026-09-27 Summary: Greek, Egyptian, and Jewish historians, including Diodorus, show that Moses was older than any Greek sage or lawgiver. ### Greek text ’Ἃρξομαι τοίνυν ἀπὸ τοῦ πρώτου παρʼ ἡμῖν προφήτου τε και νομοθέτου Μωϋσὲως, πρότερον τοὺς χρόνους καθʼ οὓς γέγονε, μετὰ πάσης ἀξιοπίστου παρʼ ὑμῖν μαρτυρίας ἐκθέμενος. Οὐ γὰρ ἀπὸ τῶν θείων καὶ παρʼ ἡμῖν ἱστοριῶν μόνον ταυτα ἀποδεῖξαι πειρῶμαι, αῖς ὑμεῖς οὶδέπω διὰ τὴν παλαιὰν τῶν προγόνων ὑμῶν πλάνην πιστεύειν βούλεσθε, ἀλλʼ ἀπὸ τῶν ὑμετέρων, καὶ μηδὲν τῇ ἡμετέρᾳ θρησκείᾳ διαφερουσῶν ἱστοριῶν· ’ίια γνῶτε ὅτι πάντων τῶν παρʼ ὑμῖν εἴτε σοφῶν, εἴτε ποιητῶν, εἴτε ἱσέυριηγρέ· φων, ἥφιλοσόξςων, ἢ νομοθετῶν, πολλῷ πρεσβύτατος γέγονεν ὁ πρῶτος τῆς θεοσεβείας ὂιῖλίσιαλος θιμῶι Μωυσῆς γεγονὼς, ὡς δηλοῦσι- ἡμῖν αἱ τῶν Ἐλλήνων ἱστορίαι. Ἐν γὰρ τοῖς χρόνοις Ὠγύγου τε καὶ ’Ῑνπὶχου, οὖς καὶ γηγενεῖς τινες τῶν παρʼ ὑμῖν ὑπειλήυ φασι γεγενῆσθαι Μωυσέως μέμνηνται ὼς ἡγεμόνος τε καὶ ἄρχοντος τοῦ τῶν Ἰουδαίων γένους, Οὕτω γὰρ Πολέμων τε ἐν τῇ πρώτῃ τῶν Ἑλληνικῶν μέμνηται, καὶ Ἀππίων ὁ Ποσειδωνίου ἐν τῇ κατὰ Ἰουδαίων βίὅλ·;›, καὶ ἐν τῇ τετάρτῃ τῶν ἱστοριῶν λέγων1 κατὰ ’ἶναχον ’Ἄργους βασιλέα, Ἀμάσιδος Αἰγυπτίων βασιλεύοντος ἀποστῆναι Ἰουδαίους, ὧν ἡγεῖσθαι Μωυσέα. Καὶ Πτολεμαῖος δὲ ὁ Μενδήσιος, τὰ Αἰγυπτίων ἱστορῶν, ἅπασι τού-τοις συντρέχει, Καὶ οἱ τὰ ἡΆθηναίωι δὲ ἱστοροῦντες, ιΕλλάιικός τε καὶ Φιλόχορος ὁ τὰς Ἀτθίδας, Κάστωρ τε καὶ Θειιλλὶις καὶ Ἀλέξανδρος ὁ Πολυΐστωρ, ἔτι δὲ καὶ οἱ σοφώτατοι Φίλων τε καὶ Ἰώσηπος, οἵ τὰ κατὰ Ἰουδαίους ἱστορήσαντες1 ὡς σφόδρα ἀρχαίου καὶ παλαιοῦ τῶν Ἰουδαίων ἄρχοντος Μωυσέως μὲμνηνται, ’0 γοῦν Ἰώσηπος, τὸ ἀρχαῖον καὶ τὸ παλαιὸν τῆς ἱστορίας καὶ διὰ τῆς Επιγραφῆς τῶν βιβλίων σημῆναι βουλόμενος, ἀρχόμενος τλῇς-ἱστορίας, οὕτω γέγραφε”’ ’Φλαέίου "malm Ἰουδαϊκῇ ἀρχαιολογίας· τὸ παλαιὸν τῆς ἱστορίας ἀρχαιολογίαν ὀνομάζων, Καὶ ὁ ἐνδοξότατος δὲ παρʼ ὑμῖν τῶν ἱστοριογράφων ΔιόδωροςΙ ὁ τὰσ βιβλιοθήκας ἐπιτεμὼν ἒν τριάκοντα ὅλοις ἔτεσιν, Ἀσίαν τε καὶ …, ὡς αὐτὸς γέγραφε, … περιελθὼν, καὶ αὐτόπτης τῶν πλείστων γεγονὼς, τεσσαράκοντα ὅλα τῆς ἑαυτοῦ ἱστορίας βιβλία γέγραφεν. "Ioc ἐν τῇ πρώτῃ βίβλῳ, φὴσας παρὰ τῶν ἐν Ξγύπτνμ ἱερέων μεμαθηκένπι, ὅτι ἀρχαῖος uati. πρῶης νομοθέτης Μωϋτῆς γέγονεν, αὐτῆς λέξεσιν οὓτω ιρὶ αὖτοῦ finit-98' Μετὰ γὰρ τήν πιλκιὰν τοῦ ιτʼ Αἴγυπτον βίου κιτάστκσιν τὴν μυθολογουἔνην γενέσθιι ἐπὶ Θεῶν χιὶ ἡρώων, πεῖσαί φιν ἐγγράφοις νόμοις πρῶτον χρῆσθαι τὰ πὶήβη ιὶ βιοῦν Μωυσῆν ἄνδρα καὶ τῆ ψυχῇ μέγιν, ιὶ τῷ βίῳ ἱκανώτατον μνημονευόμενον, Ἐἶτα ῖαχύ τι προελθὼν mi τῶν παλαιῶν νομοθετῶν μνησθήιι βουλόμενος, πρώτου Μωυσέως μέμνηται, ’Ἔφη γὰρ 31:11; λέξεσιν οὕτωςʼ Παρὰ μὲν τοῖς Ἰουδαίοις Μωυσῆν τὸν καλούμενον Θεόν, εἴτε θαυμαστὴν αἱ Oetam ὅλως ἔννοιαν εἶναι κρίναντας τὴν ἑλλουσςιν ὠφελήσειν ἀνθρώπων πλῆθος, εἴτε ρὸς ’τὴν ὑπεροχὴν καὶ δύναμιν τῶν εὑρεῖν λεγοἐνων τοὺς νόμους ἀποβλέψαντι τὸν ὄχλον, μᾶλνει ὒπακούεσθπι διαλαβόντας. Δεύτερον δένομοθὲ, συνέσει διαφέροντα. Τρίτον δὲ λέγουσι Σεσόγχωσιν τὸν βασιλέπ, μὴ μόνον κολεμικόις πράξεις ἐπιφανεστάτος κατεργάσασθαι τῶν κατʼ Αʼἷγοπτον, ἆ)λὰ καὶ τὸ μάχιμον ἔθνος νομοθεσίαις στήσασθαι. Τέταρτον δὲ φασι νομοθέτην γεγενῆσθαι Βόκχοριν τὸν βασιλέα, σοφόν τινα ni πανουργίᾳ διαφὲροντα. Μετὰ δὲ τοῦτον προσελθεῖν λέγεται τοῖς νόμοις ’Ἀμασιν τὸν βασιλέα, ὄν ἱστοροῦσι τὰ πατέρα Δαρεῖον τοις νόμοις ἐπιστῆναι τοῖς τῶν Αἰγυπτίων, ### English translation (Claude) I will begin, then, with the first of our prophets and lawgivers, Moses, first setting out the times in which he lived, with every testimony that is credible among you. For I do not try to show this only from the divine histories among us, which you do not yet wish to believe because of the old error of your ancestors, but from your own histories, which have nothing to do with our worship; so that you may know that by far the oldest of all those among you, whether sages, poets, historians, philosophers, or lawgivers, was Moses, who became the first teacher of our religion, as the histories of the Greeks show us. For in the times of Ogyges and Inachus, whom some among you have supposed to be earth-born, Moses is mentioned as the leader and ruler of the race of the Jews. Thus Polemon mentions him in the first book of his Greek Histories, and Apion son of Posidonius in his book against the Jews and in the fourth book of his histories, saying that in the time of Inachus king of Argos, when Amasis reigned over the Egyptians, the Jews revolted, and Moses led them. And Ptolemy of Mendes, writing the history of Egypt, concurs with all these. And those who write the history of Athens, Hellanicus and Philochorus the author of the Atthis, Castor and Thallus and Alexander Polyhistor, and further the very wise Philo and Josephus, who wrote the history of the Jews, mention Moses as a very ancient and old ruler of the Jews. Josephus, at any rate, wishing to indicate the antiquity and age of his history also by the title of his books, wrote thus at the beginning of his history: "The Jewish Antiquities of Flavius Josephus," calling the old history "antiquities." And the most renowned of your historians, Diodorus, who spent thirty whole years epitomizing the libraries, and travelled through Asia and …, as he himself wrote, …, and became an eyewitness of most things, wrote forty whole books of his history. In the first book, saying that he learned from the priests in Egypt that Moses was an ancient and the first lawgiver, he writes about him in these very words: "After the ancient settlement of life in Egypt, which is told in myth to have taken place under gods and heroes, they say that Moses first persuaded the multitudes to use written laws, a man both great in soul and recorded as most capable in his life." Then, going on a little, and wishing to mention the ancient lawgivers, he mentions Moses first. For he said, in these words: "Among the Jews (they say) that Moses (referred his laws) to the one called God, either judging it a wonderful and wholly divine conception that would benefit a multitude of people, or looking to the superiority and power of those said to have found the laws, judging that the crowd would obey them more. Second … lawgiver …, excelling in understanding. Third they say was Sesonchosis the king, who not only accomplished the most illustrious warlike deeds of those in Egypt, but also organized the warrior class by legislation. Fourth they say became lawgiver Bocchoris the king, a wise man excelling in shrewdness. After him Amasis the king is said to have applied himself to the laws, whom they record …; … Darius the father … to have attended to the laws of the Egyptians." ### Extrabiblical texts - Diodorus Siculus, 1.94.1-95.5 (Diodorus Siculus, Library of History): quotation, high confidence - Josephus, Ant. 1.1 (Josephus (works)): allusion, medium confidence ### Translation notes - The first Diodorus passage (Library 1.94.1) in Diodorus's own text names Mneves, not Moses; the second (1.94.2–95.5) names Moses among the Jews, and there Diodorus's text has "the god invoked as Iao" where this work has "the one called God". The author's quotations are free. Josephus's title: Jewish Antiquities. - The scan of this chapter is badly garbled; the other library scans of PG 6 restore Polemon's name and the corrupt words in the Moses quotation. Still lost in every scan, and shown as "…": a word or two in the sentence on Diodorus's travels (Diodorus, Library 1.4.1, says Asia and Europe), the name of the second Egyptian lawgiver, and part of the sentence on Amasis and Darius. ### Citation (SBL) Ps.-Justin, Cohort. Graec. 9 (PG 6:257a–261a; trans. Sophia Scriptura, https://sophiascriptura.com/fathers/ps-justin-cohortatio/1/#p-9). ## Hortatory Address to the Greeks 10 - URL: https://sophiascriptura.com/fathers/ps-justin-cohortatio/1/#p-10 - Source: PG 6:261a–261c - Translation: Claude (claude-opus-5-5), 2026-09-27 Summary: Moses, raised in all the learning of Egypt, was the first to receive the prophetic gift and the first teacher of the Christians' religion. ### Greek text Ταῦτα, ὦ ἄνδρες Ἐλληνες, οἰ ἔξωθεν τῆς ἡμετέρας θεοσεβείας περὶ τῆς ἀρχαιότητας Momsen); ἱστοροῦντες γεγράφασι· καὶ ταῦτα πάντα παρʼ Αἰγυπτίων ἱερέων μεμαθηκέναι φήσαντες, παρʼ νίς οὒκ ἐτέχθη Μωϋσῆς μόνον, ἀλλὰ καὶ πάσης τῆς Αἰγυπτίων παιδεύσεως μετασχεῖν ἠξιώθη, διὰ τὸ ὕπὸ θυγατρὸς βασιλέως εἷς παιδὸς ὠκειῶσθαι χώραν, καὶ ista: τὴν προειρημένην πρόφασιν πολλῆς ἠξιῶσθαι σπουδῆς, ὡς inope-inv οἱ σοφώτατοι τῶνὶποριοη γράφων, οἱ καὶτὸν βίον αὑτοῦ καὶ τὰς πράξεις καὶ τὸ τοῦ γένους ἀξίωμα ἀναγράψασθαι προελόμενοι, Φίλων τε καὶ Ἰώσηπος, Οὗτοι γὰρ, τὰς Ἰουδαίων ἱστοροῦντι» πράξεις, ἀπὸ μὲν τοῦ Χαλῖαἱων γένους τὸν Matrinia γεγενῆσθαί «paco τῶν δὲ προγόνων αὐτου διὰ λιμοῦ πρόφασιν sine) τῆς Φοινίκης ἰ-πὶ τὴν Αἴγυπτον μεταναστάντων, εκεῖ τὸν ἄνδρα τετέχθαι φασίν· ὅν διʼ ὑπερβάλλουσαν ἀρετὴν ὁ Θεὸς τιμῆσαι προῦθετο, καί ἄρχοντα καὶ νομοθέτην γενέσθαι τοῦ ἑαυτοῦ γένους ἠξίωσεν, ὁπηνίκα ἀπὸ τῆς Αἰγύπτου τὸ τῷν Ἐβραίων πλῆθος ἐπὶ τὴν οἰκείαν χώραν ἐπανελθεῖν ἐδικαίωσε, Τούτῴ πρῶτον ὁ est} sui τὴν ἄνωθεν ἐπὶ τοὺς ἁγίους ἄνδρας θείαν καὶ προφητικὴν τηνικαυτα κατιοῦσαν παρέσχετο δωρεὰν, καὶ πρῶτον τῆς θεοσεβείας ἡμῶν διδάσκαλον γενέσθαι παρεσκεύασεν· εἶτα μετʼ αὐτὸν τοὺς λοιποὺς προφήτας, τοὺς καὶ αὐτοὺς τῆς αὗτῆς αὐτῷ τυχόντας δωρεᾶς, καὶτὰ αὐτὰ περῖ τῶν αὐτῶν διδάξαντας fill-5:. Τούτους ἡμεῖς τῆς ’ἡμετέρας θρησκείας διπαρὰ θεοῦ δοθείσης δωρεᾶς. ### English translation (Claude) These things, men of Greece, those outside our religion have written in their histories about the antiquity of Moses; and they say they learned all these things from the Egyptian priests, among whom Moses was not only born but was also thought worthy to share in all the education of the Egyptians, because he was adopted by the king's daughter as a son, and for that reason was thought worthy of much care, as the wisest of the historians relate, who chose to record his life and deeds and the dignity of his race, Philo and Josephus. For these, narrating the deeds of the Jews, say that Moses was of the race of the Chaldeans, and that, his ancestors having moved from Phoenicia to Egypt because of famine, the man was born there; and that God, because of his surpassing virtue, chose to honour him, and thought him worthy to become ruler and lawgiver of his own race, when he decided that the multitude of the Hebrews should return from Egypt to their own land. To him first God granted the divine and prophetic gift that then came down from above upon holy men, and prepared him to become the first teacher of our religion; and then, after him, the other prophets, who received the same gift as he and taught the same things about the same matters. These we (hold to be the teachers) of our religion, … (who taught from the) gift given by God. ### Scripture references - Exod 2:10: allusion, high confidence - Acts 7:22: allusion, high confidence ### Extrabiblical texts - Philo, Mos. 1.5 (Philo of Alexandria (works)): allusion, medium confidence ### Translation notes - Exod 2:10; Acts 7:22. The last sentence is damaged in the scan; lost words are shown as "…" and the sense is supplied in parentheses. ### Citation (SBL) Ps.-Justin, Cohort. Graec. 10 (PG 6:261a–261c; trans. Sophia Scriptura, https://sophiascriptura.com/fathers/ps-justin-cohortatio/1/#p-10). ## Hortatory Address to the Greeks 11 - URL: https://sophiascriptura.com/fathers/ps-justin-cohortatio/1/#p-11 - Source: PG 6:261d–264b - Translation: Claude (claude-opus-5-5), 2026-09-27 Summary: Even the Greek oracle says that only the Chaldeans and Hebrews had wisdom; so it is no wonder Moses, of that race, was the first prophet. ### Greek text Ὑμεῖς δὲ, ἐπειδὴ ’διὰ τὴν προτέραν τῶν πατέξων ὑμῶν πλάνην, τούτοις ἀποθέσθαι οὐκ οἴεσθε δεῖν, τινας διδασκάλους ὑμῶν ἀξιοπίστους τῆς θεοσεβείας γεγενῆσθαί φατες ἀδύνατον γὰρ, ὥσπερ πολλάκις ἔφην, τὰ οὕτω μεγάλα καὶ θεῖα τοὺς μὴ πρότερον παρὰ τῶν εἰδότων μεμαθηκότας ἢ αὖ· τοὺς εἰδέναι, ἢ ἐτέρους δύνασθαι διδάσκειν ὀρθῶς. Οὐκοῦν ἒπιιδήπερ ἱκανῶς ἐκ τὼν προειρημένων τὰ τῶν φιλοσόφων ὑμῶν ἐλήλεγκται πράγματα πάσης ἀγνοίας καί ἀπάτη) φανέντα πλήρη, ἀφέμειοί που λοιπὸν πάντως τῶν φιλοσόφων ὥσπερ πρότερον τῶν ποιητῶν, ἒπὶ τὴν τῶν χρηστηρίων ὶπάτην τραπήσεσθε· ουτω γάρ ἀκήκοα λεγόντων τινῶν. Οὐκοῦν ἀκόλουθον ἡγοῦμαι, ἃ. παρʼ ὑμῖν πρότερον περὶ αὐτῶν ἀκήκοα λεγόντων, ταῦτα ἐν καιρῷ νυνὶ πρὸς ὑμᾶς εἰπεῖν. Ἐρομένου γάρ τινος, ὡς αὐτοί φατε, τοῦ παρʼ ὑμῖν χρηστηρίου τίνας συνέβη θεοσεβεῖς ἄνδρας γεγενῆσθαί ποτε, οὓτω τὸ χρηστήριον εἰρηκέναι φατέο Μοῦνοι Χαλδαῖοι σοφίην λάχον, ἠδʼ ἄρʼ Ἑβραῖοι, Αὑτογένητον ἄνακτα σεβαζόμενοι [ἳεὸῖηαύ- τ ν ·. Οὐκοῦν ἐπειδήπερ οἴεσθε παρὰ τῶν χρηστηρίων ὑμῶν δύνασθαι τάληθῆ μανθάνειν, ἐντυχόντες ταῖς ἱστορίαις καὶ τοῖς περὶ τοῦ βίου Μωΰσέως γραφεῖσιν ὑπὸ τῶν ἔξωθεν τῆς ἡμετέρας θρησκείας, καὶ γνόντες ὅτι ἐκ τοῦ τῶν Χαλδαίων καὶ Ἐβραίων γένους ὥρμητο Μωῦσῆς, καὶ οἱ λοιποὶ προφῆται, μηδὲν πα- Β ράδοξον γεγενῆσθαι νομίζετε, εί ἐκ γένους ὄντα θεοσεβῶν τὸν ἄνδρα, καὶ ἀξίως τῆς τῶν προγόνων θεοσεβείας βεβιωκότα, ὁ Θεὸς τῇ μεγάλῃ ταύτῃ δωρεᾷ τιμῆσαι προῦθετο, καὶ πρῶτον ἁπάντων ἀποφῆναι τῶν προφητῶν. ### English translation (Claude) But you, since because of the former error of your fathers you do not think you should give it up in favour of these, whom do you say have been trustworthy teachers of your religion? For it is impossible, as I have often said, for those who have not first learned such great and divine things from those who know either to know them themselves or to be able to teach others rightly. Since, then, the teachings of your philosophers have been sufficiently refuted by what has been said, having appeared full of all ignorance and deceit, perhaps, having now altogether given up the philosophers as earlier the poets, you will turn to the deceit of the oracles; for so I have heard some say. I think it follows, then, to tell you now, at the right moment, what I formerly heard among you said about them. For when someone, as you yourselves say, asked your oracle what men had ever been godly, you say the oracle said thus: "Only the Chaldeans obtained wisdom, and the Hebrews, worshipping the self-begotten King, God himself." Since, then, you think you can learn the truth from your oracles, read the histories and what was written about the life of Moses by those outside our religion; and knowing that Moses and the other prophets sprang from the race of the Chaldeans and Hebrews, do not think it strange if God chose to honour with this great gift, and to show forth as the first of all the prophets, a man of a godly race who had lived worthily of the godliness of his ancestors. ### Translation notes - The oracle is an Apollo oracle also quoted by Porphyry (Philosophy from Oracles, in Eusebius, Preparation for the Gospel 9.10). The end of the verse is garbled in the scan and is translated by sense. ### Citation (SBL) Ps.-Justin, Cohort. Graec. 11 (PG 6:261d–264b; trans. Sophia Scriptura, https://sophiascriptura.com/fathers/ps-justin-cohortatio/1/#p-11). ## Hortatory Address to the Greeks 12 - URL: https://sophiascriptura.com/fathers/ps-justin-cohortatio/1/#p-12 - Source: PG 6:264b–268a - Translation: Claude (claude-opus-5-5), 2026-09-27 Summary: The Greek philosophers are recent, while Moses' writings are older than Greek letters; the Seventy translated them into Greek with miraculous agreement. ### Greek text Ἀναγκαῖον δὲ οἶμαι καὶ τοὺς χρόνους σκοπεῖν, καθʼ οὓς οἱ καθʼ ὑμᾶς γεγόνασι φιλόσοφοι, ὅπως γνῶτε ὅτι νέος σφόδρα καὶ βραχύς ἐστιν ό τούτους ὑμῖν ἐνεγκὼν χρόνος. Οὕτω γὰρ ὑμῖν ἔσται δυνατὸν καὶ τὴν Μωῦσέως ἀρχαιότητα ῥᾳδίως γνῶναι· ἵνα δὲ μὴ, περὶ τῶν χρόνων διεξιὼν, παρέλκειν δόξω, πλείοσιν ἀποδείξεσι χρώμενος, ἀποχρώντως οἶμαι τούτων δεικνύναι. Σωκράτης μὲν γάρ Πλάτωνος, Πλάτων δὲ Ἀριστοτέλους διδάσκαλος γέγονεν. Οὗτοι δὲ κατά τοὺς Φιλίππου καὶ Ἀλεξάνδρου τοῦ Μακεδόνος ήκμασαν χρόνους, καθʼ οὓς καὶ oi Ἀθηναίων ῥήτορες, ὡς δηλοῦσιν ἡμῖν σαφῶς καὶ οἱ Δημοσθένει κατὰ Φιλίππου γραφέντες λόγοι. ’Ὀτι δέ καὶ Ἀριστοτέλης Ἀλεξάνδρῳ συνῆν ὲν τῷ τῆς βασιλείας χρόνῳ, ol τὰς Ἀλεξάνδρου ἱστορήσαντες πράξεις ἱκανῶς δηλοῦσι. Πανταχόθεν οὖν γνῶναι ῥᾴδιον, ὅτι πολλῷ ἀρχαιοτάτην πασῶν τῶν ἔξωθεν ἱστοριῶν τὴν Μωϋσέως ἱστορίαν εἶναι συμβαίνει. Ἀλλως τε οὐδὲ τοῦτο ἀγνοεῖν ὑμᾶς προσήκει, ὅτι οὐδὲν Ἕλλησι πρὸ τῶν Ὀλυμπιάδων ἀκριβὲς ἱστόρηται, οὐδʼ ἐστί τι σύγγραμμα παλαιὸν, Ἑλλήνων ἢ βαρβάρων σημαῖνον πρᾶξιν. Μόνη δὲ ή τοῦ προφήτου Μωῡσέως προϋπῆρχεν ἱστορία, ἦν ἐκ τῆς θείας ἐπιπνοίας Μωῦσῆς γέγραφε τοῖς τῶν Ἐβραίων γράμμασι. Τά γάρ τῶν Ἑλλήνων οὐδέπω ἦν, ὡς δηλοῦσι καὶ αὐτοὶ οι τῶν γραμμάτων διδάσκαλοι, φάσκοντες Κάδμον πρῶτον ἐκ Φοινίκης αὐτὰ κομίσαντα, Ἕλλησι μεταδοῦναι.- Kal. ὁ πρῶτος δὲ τῶν παρʼ ὑμῖν φιλοσόφων μαρτυρεῖ Πλάτων, ὕστερον εὑρίσκειν αὑτάε Γέ- ΞΒ γριφε γὰρ ὲν τῷ τιμαίῳ τὸν τῶν σοφῶν σοφώται τον Σόλωνα, ὲκ τῆς Αἰγύπτου ἐπανελθόντα, Κριτίᾳ λέγειν ταῦτα ἀκηκοέναι Αἰγυπτίου τινὸς ἱερέως εὖ μάλα παλαιοῦ, πρὸς αὑτὸν λέγοντος· Ἦ Σόλων, Σόλων, Ἕλληνες παῖδές ἐστέ ἀεὶ, γέρων δὲ Ἕλλην οὐκ ἐστιν. Εἶτα αὖθις, Νέοι, ἔφη, ἐστὲ τὰς ψυχὰς πάντες. Οὐδεμίαν γὰρ ἐν αὐταῖς διʼ ἀρχαίαν ἀκοὴν ἔχετε παλαιὰ-ν δόξαν, οὐδὲ μάθημα χρόνῳ πολιὸν οὐδέν· ἀλλʼ ὑμᾶς λέληθε, διὰ τὸ τοὺς περιγενομένους ἐπὶ πολλὰς γενεὰς γράμμασι τελευτᾶν ἀφώνους. Εἰδέναι τοίνυν προσήκει, ὅτι πᾶσαν ἱστορίαν τοῖς τῶν Ἐλλήνων ὕστερον εὑρεθεῖσι γράμμασι γεγράφθαι συμβαίνει· καὶ είτε ποιητῶν τις ἀρχαίων, εἰτε νομοθετῶν, εἴτε ἱστοριογράφων, εἴτε φιλοσόφων, ἢ ρητόρων μνημονεῦσαι βούλοιτο, εὑρήσει τούτους τά ἑαυτῶν συγγράμματα τοῖς τῶν Ἑλλήνων γεγραφότας γράμμασιν. Εἰ δέ τις φάσκοι καὶ τοῦ Μωῦσέως καὶ τῶν ἄλλων προφητῶν τοίς τῶν Ἑλλήνων γεγράφθαι γράμμασι, γνώτω ταῖς ἔξωθεν ἐντυχὼν ἱστορίαις, ὅτι Πτολεμαῖος ὁ τῆς Αἰγύπτου βασιλεὺς, βιβλιοθήκην ἑν τῇ Ἀλεξανδρείᾳ κατασκευάσας, καὶ πανταχόθεν συναγαγὼν βιβλία, καὶ πληρώσας αὐτὴν, ἔπειτα μαθὼν ὅτι ἀρχαίας ἱστορίας τοῖς τῶν Ἐβραίων γράμμασι γεγραμμένας σώζεσθαι ἀκριβῶς συμβαίνει, γνῶναι τὰ γεγραμμένα βουλόμενος, σοφοὺς άνδρας ἑβδομήκοντα, τοὺς καὶ τὴν Ἐλλήνων καὶ Ἑβραίων διάλεκτον εἰδότας, ἑρμηνεῦσαι αὐτοῖς τὰς βίβλους προσέταξεν, ἀπὸ τῆς Ἰερουσαλὴμ μεταστειλάμενοςο καὶ ἶνα πάσης ὀχλήσεως ἐκτὸς ὄντες θᾶττον ἑρμηνεύσωσι, προσέταξεν αὐτοῖς μὴ ἐν αὐτῇ τῇ πόλει, ἀλλὰ ἀπὸ ἑπτὰ σταδίων, ἔνθα τὴν Φάρον ᾠκοδομῆσθαι συμβαίνει, ἰσαρίθμους τῶν ἐρμηνευόντων οἱκὶσκους γενέσθαι μικροὺς, ἐπὶ τῷ ἕκαστον ἰδία καθ“ ἑαυτὸν τὴν ἑρμηνείαν πληρῶσαι* προστάξας τοῖς ἐφεστῶσιν ὑπηρέταις, πάσης μὲν αὐτοὺς θεραπείας τυγχάνειν, εἴργεσθαι δὲ τῆς πρὸς ἀλλήλους ὁμιλίας, ἵνα τὸ τῆς ἑρμηνείας ἀκριβὲς, καὶ διὰ τῆς τούτων συμφωνίας, γνωσθῆναι δυνηθῇ. Ἐπεὶ δὲ ἔγνω τοὺς ἐβδομήκοντα ἄνδρας μὴ μόνον τῇ αὐτῇ διανοίᾳ, ἀλλὰ καὶ ταῖς αὐταῖς λέξεσι χρησαμένους, καὶ μηδὲ ἄχρι μιᾶς λέξεως τῆς πρὸς ἀλλήλους συμφωνίας διημαρτηκότας, ἀλλὰ τὰ αὐτὰ καὶ περὶ τῶν αὐτῶν γεγραφότας, ἐκπλαγεὶς, καὶ θείᾳ δυνάμει τὴν ἑρμηνείαν γεγράφθαι πιστεύσας, πάσης μὲν τιμῆς ἀξίους αὐτοὺς, ὡς Θεοφιλεῖς ἄνδρας διέγνω ’ μετὰ πολλῶν δὲ δώρων αὐτοὺς εἰς τὴν ὲαυτῶν πατρίδα ἐπανελθεῖν προσέταξε · τὰς δὲ βίβλους θαυμάσας, ῶς εἰκὸς, καὶ ἐκθειάσας, ἐκεῖσε ἀνέθηκε. Ταῦτα οὐ μῦθος ὑμῖν, ὧ ἄνδρες Ἕλληνες, οὐδὲ πεπλασμένας ἱστορίας ἀπαγγέλλομεν ο ἀλλʼ αὐτοὶ ὲν τῇ Ἀλεξανδρείᾳ γενόμενοι, καὶ τὰ ῐχνη, τῶν οἱκίσκων ἐν τῇ Φάρῳ ἑωρακότες ἔτι σωζόμενα, έ κα) παρά τῶν ἐκεῖ, ὡς τὰ πάτρια, παρειληφότων · ἀκηκοότες, ταῦτα ἀπαγγέλλομεν, ἃ καὶ παρʼ ἐτέρων ἔξεστιν ὑμῖν μανθάνειν, καὶ μάλιστα παρʼ αὐτῶν τῶν περὶ τούτων ἱστορησάντων σοφῶν καὶ δοκίμων ἀνδρῶν, Φίλωνός τε [καὶ] Ἰωσήπου, καὶ έτέ ρων πλειόνων- ### English translation (Claude) I think it necessary also to consider the times in which your philosophers lived, so that you may know that the time that produced them for you is very recent and short. For in this way you will also be able easily to know the antiquity of Moses. But lest, in going through the times, I seem to drag out (the discourse) by using many proofs, I think I can show it sufficiently from these. Socrates was the teacher of Plato, and Plato of Aristotle. These flourished in the times of Philip and Alexander of Macedon, in which also the orators of Athens (flourished), as the speeches of Demosthenes written against Philip clearly show us. And that Aristotle was with Alexander during the time of his reign, those who wrote the history of Alexander's deeds sufficiently show. From every side, then, it is easy to know that the history of Moses is by far the most ancient of all the histories outside (ours). Besides, you ought not to be ignorant of this either: that nothing accurate was recorded by the Greeks before the Olympiads, nor is there any ancient writing indicating any deed of Greeks or barbarians. Only the history of the prophet Moses existed before, which Moses wrote by divine inspiration in the letters of the Hebrews. For the letters of the Greeks did not yet exist, as even the teachers of letters themselves show, saying that Cadmus first brought them from Phoenicia and gave them to the Greeks. And Plato, the first of your philosophers, bears witness that they were found later. For he wrote in the Timaeus that Solon, the wisest of the wise, on his return from Egypt, told Critias that he had heard these things from a very old Egyptian priest, who said to him: "O Solon, Solon, you Greeks are always children; there is no old Greek." Then again he said: "You are all young in soul; for you have in them no ancient opinion through old tradition, nor any learning grey with time; but it has escaped you, because those who survived through many generations died without letters." One should know, then, that all history happens to have been written in the Greek letters that were found later; and if anyone wished to mention any of the ancient poets, lawgivers, historians, philosophers, or orators, he will find that they wrote their works in the letters of the Greeks. And if anyone should say that the writings of Moses and the other prophets were written in the letters of the Greeks, let him learn, by reading the histories of those outside, that Ptolemy king of Egypt, having built a library in Alexandria, collected books from everywhere and filled it; then, learning that ancient histories written in the letters of the Hebrews happened to be carefully preserved, and wishing to know what was written, he sent for seventy wise men from Jerusalem who knew both the Greek and the Hebrew language, and ordered them to translate the books for him. And so that, free from all disturbance, they might translate more quickly, he ordered that, not in the city itself but seven stades away, where the Pharos has been built, small cells equal in number to the translators should be made, so that each might complete the translation by himself; and he instructed the attendants set over them to give them every care but to keep them from talking with one another, so that the accuracy of the translation might be known also through their agreement. And when he learned that the seventy men had used not only the same sense but the same words, and had not missed agreement with one another even in a single word, but had written the same things about the same matters, he was amazed; and believing that the translation had been written by divine power, he judged them worthy of every honour as men dear to God, and ordered them to return to their own country with many gifts; and the books, admiring them, as was fitting, and regarding them as divine, he deposited there. These things, men of Greece, we do not report to you as myths or invented histories; but we ourselves, having been in Alexandria and seen the remains of the cells on the Pharos still preserved, and having heard it from those there who had received it as an ancestral tradition, report these things, which you may also learn from others, and especially from those wise and esteemed men who wrote about them, Philo and Josephus, and many others. ### Extrabiblical texts - Plato, Tim. 22b (Plato (works)): quotation, high confidence - Let. Aris. 301-307 (Letter of Aristeas): allusion, medium confidence - Philo, Mos. 2.25-44 (Philo of Alexandria (works)): allusion, medium confidence - Josephus, Ant. 12.11-118 (Josephus (works)): allusion, medium confidence ### Translation notes - Plato, Timaeus 22b–23a. The story of the seventy translators in separate cells is a later expansion of the Letter of Aristeas; compare Philo, Life of Moses 2.25–44, and Josephus, Jewish Antiquities 12.11–118. A stray page note ("p15") and a doubled syllable are removed. ### Citation (SBL) Ps.-Justin, Cohort. Graec. 12 (PG 6:264b–268a; trans. Sophia Scriptura, https://sophiascriptura.com/fathers/ps-justin-cohortatio/1/#p-12). ## Hortatory Address to the Greeks 13 - URL: https://sophiascriptura.com/fathers/ps-justin-cohortatio/1/#p-13 - Source: PG 6:268a–268c - Translation: Claude (claude-opus-5-5), 2026-09-27 Summary: The Jewish scriptures, preserved in the synagogues, belong to the Christians' teaching, and their Jewish custody guards against charges of forgery. ### Greek text Εἰ δέ τις φάσκοι τῶν προχείρως ἀντιλέγειν εἰθισμένων, μὴ ἡμῖν τὰς βίβλους ταύτας, ἀλλά Ἰουδαίοις προσήκειν, διὰ τὸ ἔτι καὶ νῦν ἐν ταῖς συναγωγαῖς αὐτῶν σώζεσθαι, καὶ μάτην ἡμᾶς ὲκ τούτων φάσκειν τὴν θεοσέβειαν μεμαθηκέναι λέγοι, γνώτω ἀπʼ αὐτῶν τῶν ὲν ταῖς βίβλοις γεγραμμένων, ὅτι οὐκ αὐτοῖς, ἀλλά ἡμῖν ἡ ἐκ τούτων διαφέρει διδασκαλία. Τὸ δὲ παρά Ἰουδαίοις ἔτι καὶ νῦν τὰς τῇ ἡμετέρᾳ θεοσεβείᾳ διαφερούσας σώζεσθαι βίβλους, θείας προνοίας ἔργον ὑπὲρ ήμῶν γέγονεν. Ἵνα γὰρ μὴ ὲκ τῆς Ἐκκλησίας προκομίζοντες, πρόφασιν ῥᾳδιουργίας τοῖς βουλομένοις βλασφημεῖν ἡμᾶς παράσχωμεν, ἀπὸ τῆς τῶν Ἰουδαίων συναγωγῆς ταύτας ἀξιοῦμεν προκομίζεσθαι, ἵνα ἀπʼ αὐτῶν τῶν ἔτι παρʼ αὐτοῖς σωζομένων βιβλίων, ὡς ἡμῖν τὰ πρὸς διδασκαλίαν ὑπὸ τῶν ἁγίων ἀνδρῶν γραφέντα δίκαια σαφῶς καὶ φανερῶς προσήκει, φανῇ. ### English translation (Claude) And if any of those who are accustomed to contradict rashly should say that these books belong not to us but to the Jews, because they are still preserved even now in their synagogues, and should say that we claim in vain to have learned religion from them, let him know, from the very things written in the books, that the teaching from them concerns not them but us. That the books relating to our religion are still preserved even now among the Jews has been a work of divine providence on our behalf. For lest, by producing them from the church, we should give those who wish to slander us a pretext for (charging us with) tampering, we ask that they be produced from the synagogue of the Jews, so that from the very books still preserved among them it may appear clearly and plainly that the righteous (teachings) written by the holy men for instruction belong to us. ### Translation notes - The claim that the Scriptures of Israel belong to the church is the author's polemical argument; it is translated as written. ### Citation (SBL) Ps.-Justin, Cohort. Graec. 13 (PG 6:268a–268c; trans. Sophia Scriptura, https://sophiascriptura.com/fathers/ps-justin-cohortatio/1/#p-13). ## Hortatory Address to the Greeks 14 - URL: https://sophiascriptura.com/fathers/ps-justin-cohortatio/14/#p-14 - Source: PG 6:268c–269a - Translation: Claude (claude-opus-5-5), 2026-09-27 Summary: The Greeks should examine their own teachers, for Orpheus, Homer, Solon, Pythagoras, and Plato learned from Moses in Egypt and changed their views. ### Greek text Δεῖ τοίνυν ὑμᾶς, ὧ ἄνδρες Ἕλληνες, τὰ μέλλοντα προορωμένους, καὶ είς τὴν ὑπὸ πάντων, οὐ μόνον θεοσεβῶν, ἀλλὰ καὶ τῶν ἔξωθεν κηρυττομένην ἀφορῶντας κρίσιν, μὴ τῇ τῶν προγόνων ὑμῶν ἀβασανίστῳ προσέχειν πλάνῃ, μηδʼ εἴ τι σφαλέντες αὐτοὶ παρέδοσαν ὑμῖν, τοῦτʼ ἀληθὲς εἶναι νομίζειν ο ἀλλʼ είς τὸν τῆς οὕτω δεινῆς ἀποτυχίας ἀφορῶντας κίνδυνον, ζητεῖν καὶ ἑρευνᾷν ἀκριβῶς καὶ τά ὑπʼ αὐτῶν τῶν ὑμετέρων, ὡς αὐτοί φατε, διδασκάλων εἰρημένα. Πολλά γὰρ καὶ αὐτοὶ ὑπὸ τῆς θείας τῶν ἀνθρώπων προνοίας καὶ ἄκοντες ὑπὲρ ήμῶν εἰπεῖν ἡναγκάσθησαν, καὶ μάλιστα οἱ ὲν Αἰγύπτῳ γενόμενοι, καὶ ἀπὸ τῆς Μωῦσέως καὶ τῶν προγόνων αὐτοῦ θεοσεβείας ὠφεληθέντες. Οὐ γάρ λανθάνειν ἐνίους ὑμῶν οἶμαι, ἐντυχόντας πάντως που τῇ τε Διοδώρου ίστορίᾳ, καὶ ταῖς τῶν λοιπῶν τῶν περὶ τούτων ἱστορησάντων, ὅτι καὶ Ὀρφεὺς, καὶ Ὄμηρος, καὶ Σόλων ὁ τοὺς νόμους Ἀθηναίοις γεγραφὼς, καὶ Πυθαγόρας, καὶ Πλάτων, καὶ ἄλλοι τινὲς, ὲν τῇ Αἰγύπτῳ γενόμενοι, καὶ ὲκ τῆς Μωῦσέως ἱστορίας ὠφεληθέντες, ὓστερον ἐναντία τῶν πρότερον μὴ καλῶς περὶ θεῶν δοξάντων αὐτοῖς ἀπεφήναντο. ### English translation (Claude) You must, then, men of Greece, foreseeing what is to come and looking to the judgment proclaimed by all, not only the godly but also those outside, not give heed to the unexamined error of your ancestors, nor think that whatever they handed down to you in their own mistake is true; but, looking to the danger of so terrible a failure, seek and search out carefully what was said even by those whom you yourselves call your teachers. For they too, even against their will, were compelled by the divine providence for men to say many things in our favour, especially those who had been in Egypt and had profited from the religion of Moses and his ancestors. For I think some of you are not unaware, having surely read the history of Diodorus and those of others who have written about these matters, that Orpheus and Homer and Solon, who wrote laws for the Athenians, and Pythagoras and Plato and some others, having been in Egypt and having profited from the history of Moses, afterwards declared the opposite of what they had earlier wrongly thought about the gods. ### Extrabiblical texts - Diodorus Siculus, 1.96 (Diodorus Siculus, Library of History): allusion, medium confidence ### Translation notes - Diodorus, Library 1.96, lists Greek sages who visited Egypt; the claim that they learned from Moses is the author's. ### Citation (SBL) Ps.-Justin, Cohort. Graec. 14 (PG 6:268c–269a; trans. Sophia Scriptura, https://sophiascriptura.com/fathers/ps-justin-cohortatio/14/#p-14). ## Hortatory Address to the Greeks 15 - URL: https://sophiascriptura.com/fathers/ps-justin-cohortatio/14/#p-15 - Source: PG 6:269a–272b - Translation: Claude (claude-opus-5-5), 2026-09-27 Summary: Orpheus, the first teacher of polytheism, later proclaimed one self-begotten God and spoke of the Father's voice, that is, his Word. ### Greek text Ὀρφεὺς γοῦν, ὁ τῆς πολυθεότητος ὑμῶν, ὡς ἂν εἴποι τις, πρῶτος διδάσκαλος γεγονώς, οἷα πρὸς τὸν υἱὸν αὐτοῦ Μουσαῖον καὶ τοὺς λοιποὺς γνησίους ἀκροατὰς ὕστερον περὶ ἑνὸς καὶ μόνου Θεοῦ κηρύττει λέγων, ἀναγκαῖον ὑπομνῆσαι ὑμᾶς. Ἔφη δὲ οὕτως· « Φθέγξομαι οἷς θέμις ἐστί· θύρας δʼ ἐπίθεσθε βέβηλοι πάντες ὁμῶς· σὺ δʼ ἄκουε, φαεσφόρου ἔκγονε Μήνης, Μουσαῖʼ· ἐξερέω γὰρ ἀληθέα· μηδέ σε τὰ πρὶν ἐν στήθεσσι φανέντα φίλης αἰῶνος ἀμέρσῃ. Εἰς δὲ λόγον θεῖον βλέψας, τούτῳ προσέδρευε, ἰθύνων κραδίης νοερὸν κύτος· εὖ δʼ ἐπίβαινε ἀτραπιτοῦ, μοῦνον δʼ ἐσόρα κόσμοιο ἄνακτα. Εἷς ἔστʼ, αὐτογενής, ἑνὸς ἔκγονα πάντα τέτυκται· ἐν δʼ αὐτοῖς αὐτὸς περιγίγνεται· οὐδέ τις αὐτὸν εἰσοράᾳ θνητῶν, αὐτὸς δέ γε πάντας ὁρᾶται. Οὗτος δʼ ἐξ ἀγαθοῖο κακὸν θνητοῖσι δίδωσι καὶ πόλεμον κρυόεντα καὶ ἄλγεα δακρυόεντα· οὐδέ τις ἔσθʼ ἕτερος χωρὶς μεγάλου βασιλῆος. Αὐτὸν δʼ οὐχ ὁρόω· περὶ γὰρ νέφος ἐστήρικται· πᾶσιν γὰρ θνητοῖς θνηταὶ κόραι εἰσὶν ἐν ὄσσοις, ἀσθενέες δʼ ἰδέειν Δία τὸν πάντων μεδέοντα. Οὗτος γὰρ χάλκειον ἐς οὐρανὸν ἐστήρικται χρυσέῳ εἰνὶ θρόνῳ, γαίης δʼ ἐπὶ ποσσὶ βέβηκε, χεῖρά τε δεξιτερὴν ἐπὶ τέρματος Ὠκεανοῖο ἐκτέτακεν· περὶ γὰρ τρέμει οὔρεα μακρὰ καὶ ποταμοί, πολιῆς τε βάθος χαροποῖο θαλάσσης. » Καὶ αὖθις ἀλλαχοῦ που οὕτως λέγει· « Εἷς Ζεύς, εἷς Ἀΐδης, εἷς Ἥλιος, εἷς Διόνυσος, εἷς Θεὸς ἐν πάντεσσι· τί σοι δίχα ταῦτʼ ἀγορεύω; » Καὶ ἐν τοῖς ὅρκοις δὲ οὕτως· « Οὐρανὸν ὁρκίζω σε, Θεοῦ μεγάλου σοφὸν ἔργον· αὐδὴν ὁρκίζω σε Πατρός, τὴν φθέγξατο πρῶτον, ἡνίκα κόσμον ἅπαντα ἑαῖς στηρίξατο βουλαῖς. » Τί βούλεται τὸ λέγειν αὐτόν· « Αὐδὴν ὁρκίζω σε Πατρός, τὴν φθέγξατο πρῶτον »; Αὐδὴν ἐνταῦθα τὸν τοῦ Θεοῦ ὀνομάζει Λόγον, διʼ οὗ οὐρανὸς καὶ γῆ καὶ ἡ πᾶσα ἐγένετο κτίσις, ὡς διδάσκουσιν ἡμᾶς αἱ θεῖαι τῶν ἁγίων ἀνδρῶν προφητεῖαι, αἷς ἐν μέρει καὶ αὐτὸς ἐν τῇ Αἰγύπτῳ προσσχών, ἔγνω ὅτι τῷ Λόγῳ τοῦ Θεοῦ ἡ πᾶσα ἐγένετο κτίσις. Διὸ καὶ μετὰ τὸ φῆσαι· « Αὐδὴν ὁρκίζω σε Πατρός, τὴν φθέγξατο πρῶτον, » παρʼ αὐτὰ συνάπτει λέγων· « Ἡνίκα κόσμον ἅπαντα ἑαῖς στηρίξατο βουλαῖς. » Ἐνταῦθα τὸν Λόγον αὐδὴν διὰ τὸ ποιητικὸν ὀνομάζει μέτρον. Ὅτι δὲ τοῦθʼ οὕτως ἔχει, δῆλον ἀπὸ τοῦ μικρῷ πρόσθεν, τοῦ μέτρου συγχωροῦντος αὐτῷ, Λόγον αὐτὸν ὀνομάζειν. Ἔφη γάρ· « Εἰς δὲ Λόγον θεῖον βλέψας, τούτῳ προσέδρευε. » ### English translation (Claude) Orpheus, then, who was, as one might say, the first teacher of your polytheism, what he later proclaims to his son Musaeus and his other genuine hearers about one and only God, it is necessary to remind you. He said thus: "I will speak to those for whom it is lawful; shut the doors, you profane, all alike. But you, hear, Musaeus, child of the light-bearing Moon, Musaeus; for I will declare the truth; and let not what appeared before in your breast rob you of your dear life. Look to the divine Word and attend to it, directing the intelligent vessel of your heart; walk well on the path, and look only to the King of the world. He is one, self-begotten; from him alone all things are made, and he himself goes about among them; nor does any mortal see him, but he himself sees all. He gives to mortals evil after good, and chilling war and tearful pains; nor is there any other besides the great King. Him I do not see, for a cloud is set about him; for in mortal eyes there are mortal pupils, too weak to see Zeus who rules all. For he is established in the bronze heaven on a golden throne, and treads the earth with his feet; and he has stretched out his right hand over all the bounds of Ocean; and around him the great mountains tremble, and the rivers, and the depth of the grey-blue sea." And again elsewhere he says thus: "One Zeus, one Hades, one Helios, one Dionysus, one God in all; why should I speak of these to you separately?" And in the Oaths thus: "I adjure you by heaven, the wise work of the great God; I adjure you by the voice of the Father, which he first uttered, when he established the whole world by his counsels." What does he mean by saying, "I adjure you by the voice of the Father, which he first uttered"? Here he calls "voice" the Word of God, through whom heaven and earth and the whole creation came to be, as the divine prophecies of the holy men teach us; to these he himself paid some attention in Egypt, and learned that the whole creation came to be by the Word of God. Therefore, after saying, "I adjure you by the voice of the Father, which he first uttered," he adds to it, saying, "when he established the whole world by his counsels." Here he calls the Word "voice" because of the poetic metre. And that this is so is plain from what he said a little before, where the metre allowed him to call it Word. For he said: "Look to the divine Word, and attend to it." ### Scripture references - John 1:3: allusion, medium confidence - Ps 33:6 (32:6 LXX): echo, medium confidence ### Extrabiblical texts - Orpheus (attributed), Orph. frag. 245 (Orpheus (attributed), Orphic poems (fragments)): quotation, high confidence - Orpheus (attributed), Orph. frag. 239 (Orpheus (attributed), Orphic poems (fragments)): quotation, medium confidence - Orpheus (attributed), Orph. frag. 300 (Orpheus (attributed), Orphic poems (fragments)): quotation, medium confidence ### Translation notes - The "Testament of Orpheus" is a Jewish-Hellenistic poem circulated under Orpheus's name (Kern, Orphic fragments 245–247); "One Zeus, one Hades" and the Oaths are also Orphic fragments. - The Greek of this chapter is rebuilt from the four library scans of PG 6; Migne's Latin column and his notes on variant readings are dropped. The verses are corrupt in every scan; where the scans fail, the wording of the same verses in Clement of Alexandria, Exhortation 7.74 (for the opening lines, e.g. "Musaeus; for I will declare the truth") and in De monarchia 2 is followed. "Having paid attention" (προσσχών) after "in Egypt" is read from damaged letters. ### Citation (SBL) Ps.-Justin, Cohort. Graec. 15 (PG 6:269a–272b; trans. Sophia Scriptura, https://sophiascriptura.com/fathers/ps-justin-cohortatio/14/#p-15). ## Hortatory Address to the Greeks 16 - URL: https://sophiascriptura.com/fathers/ps-justin-cohortatio/14/#p-16 - Source: PG 6:272b–273a - Translation: Claude (claude-opus-5-5), 2026-09-27 Summary: The Sibyl too teaches one invisible God and blesses those who renounce temples and sacrifices. ### Greek text Τίνα δὲ καὶ τὴν ἀρχαίαν καὶ σφόδρα παλαιὰν Σίβυλλαν, ἧς καὶ Πλάτων καὶ Ἀριστοφάνης καὶ ἕτεροι πλείους ὡς χρησμῳδοῦ μέμνηνται, διὰ χρησμῶν ὑμᾶς διδάσκειν περὶ ἑνὸς καὶ μόνου Θεοῦ συμβαίνει, ἀναγκαῖον ὑπομνῆσαι. Λέγει δὲ οὕτως· « Εἷς Θεός, ὃς μόνος ἐστίν, ὑπερμεγέθης, ἀγένητος, παντοκράτωρ, ἀόρατος, ὁρῶν μόνος αὐτὸς ἅπαντα· αὐτὸς δʼ οὐ βλέπεται θνητῆς ὑπὸ σαρκὸς ἁπάσης. » Εἶτα ἀλλαχοῦ που οὕτως· « Ἡμεῖς δʼ ἀθανάτοιο τρίβους πεπλανημένοι ἦμεν, ἔργα δὲ χειροποίητα γεραίρομεν ἄφρονι θυμῷ, εἴδωλα ξοάνων τε καταφθιμένων ἀνθρώπων. » Καὶ πάλιν ἀλλαχοῦ που οὕτως· « Ὄλβιοι ἄνθρωποι κεῖνοι κατὰ γαῖαν ἔσονται, ὅσσοι δὴ στέρξουσι μέγαν Θεὸν εὐλογέοντες πρὶν φαγέειν πιέειν τε, πεποιθότες εὐσεβίῃσιν· οἳ νηοὺς μὲν ἅπαντας ἀπαρνήσονται ἰδόντες, καὶ βωμούς, εἰκαῖα λίθων ἀφιδρύματα κωφῶν, αἵμασιν ἐμψύχων μεμιασμένα καὶ θυσίαισι τετραπόδων, βλέψουσι δʼ ἑνὸς Θεοῦ ἐς μέγα κῦδος. » Ταῦτα μὲν οὖν ἡ Σίβυλλα. ### English translation (Claude) And what the ancient and very old Sibyl, whom Plato and Aristophanes and many others mention as a prophetess, teaches you through her oracles about one and only God, it is necessary to remind you. She speaks thus: "One God, who alone is, exceedingly great, unbegotten, almighty, invisible, himself alone seeing all things, but himself not seen by any mortal flesh." Then elsewhere thus: "But we had wandered from the paths of the Immortal, and honour with foolish heart handmade works, idols and carved images of men who have perished." And again elsewhere thus: "Blessed on earth will be those men who love the great God, blessing him before they eat and drink, trusting in godliness; who, when they see them, will renounce all temples and altars, vain foundations of dumb stones, defiled with the blood of living creatures and with sacrifices of four-footed beasts, and will look to the great glory of the one God." So, then, the Sibyl. ### Extrabiblical texts - Sib. Or. frag. 1.7-9 (Sibylline Oracles): quotation, high confidence - Sib. Or. 4.24-30 (Sibylline Oracles): quotation, high confidence ### Translation notes - Sibylline Oracles, fragment 1.7–9 (also in Theophilus, To Autolycus 2.36); the lines "we had wandered" are from another Sibylline fragment, not certainly identified; 4.24–30 (also in Clement, Exhortation 4.62). - The Greek of this chapter is rebuilt from the library scans of PG 6 (only two cover it), which supply the introduction of the second quotation lost in the first scan. The verses are corrupt in every scan; where the scans fail, the wording of the same verses in Theophilus, To Autolycus 2.36 ("seeing all things alone") and Clement, Exhortation 4.62 is followed. Migne's notes on variant readings, which the scans mix into the verses, are dropped. ### Citation (SBL) Ps.-Justin, Cohort. Graec. 16 (PG 6:272b–273a; trans. Sophia Scriptura, https://sophiascriptura.com/fathers/ps-justin-cohortatio/14/#p-16). ## Hortatory Address to the Greeks 17 - URL: https://sophiascriptura.com/fathers/ps-justin-cohortatio/14/#p-17 - Source: PG 6:273a–273c - Translation: Claude (claude-opus-5-5), 2026-09-27 Summary: Homer, though he names many gods, shows his belief in one God through the words of Phoenix and Odysseus. ### Greek text Ὁ δὲ ποιητὴς Ὅμηρος, τῇ τῆς ποιῇσεως ἀπο. χρώμενος ἐξουσίᾳ, καὶ τὴν ἐν ἀρχῇ τῆς πολυθεότητι Ὀρφέως ζηλώσας δόξιν, μυθωδῶς μὲν πλειόνων θεῶν μέμνηται, ’ἔνι μὴ δόξῃ τῆς Ὀρφέως ἀπᾴδειν ποιήσεως, ἦν εῧτως ζηλῶσαι προῦθετο, ὡς καὶ διὰ τοῦ πρώτου τῆς ποιήσεως ἔπους τὴν πρὸς αὑτὸν σημῆνιι σχέσιν, Τοῦ γὰρ Ὀρφέως, Μῆνιν ἄειδε, θεέι Δημήτερος ἀγλαοκάρπου, ἓν ἀρχῇ τῆς ποιήσεως εἰρηκότος, αὖτὸς, Μῆνιν ἄειδε, θεὰ, Πηληϊάδεω Ἀχιλῆος, γέγραφεν· ἑλόμενος, ὡς ὶμοὶ δοκιϊξέν ἀρχῇ καὶ τοῦ κλιτᾶ τὴν ποίησιν ἐκπεσεῖν μέτρου, ’ἔνι μὴ δόξῃ (Ml τοῦ τῶν θεῶν ὀνόματος μὴ μεμνῆσθαι πρῶτον, Μικρὸν δέ ὕστερον καὶ τὴν ἑαυτοῦ περὶ ἑνὸς καὶ p.6νου Θεοῦ σαφῶς καὶ φανερῶς ἐκτίθεται δόξαν, πῆ μὲν διὰ τ·λῦ Φοίνικος πρὸς Ἀχιλλέι λέγων, ΟξθΤ εἴ κέν μοι ὑποπιίη Θεὸς ὠτὸς, Γῆρις ἀποξύσας. Θήσειν νέον ἡβώοντα η· διὰ τῆς ἀντωνυμία( τὸν ὅντως ὄντι σημιίνων Θεξν· πῆ δὲ διὰ τοῦ Ὀδυσσέως πρὸς τὸ τῶν Ἐλλήνων πλῆθος οὕτω λέγων. 03x ἁγιθὸν πολυκοιρινῖηʼ εἷς χοίρκνος ἔστω t3. ""cv. δὲ οὒκ ἆγιθὸν πολυγοιρκνίη, ἀλλὰ τοῦναντίον ξιικέιν, ἔργῳ δηλῶσιι προῦθετο, πολέμους τε τὸτών ξιὰ τὸ πλῆθος, καὶ μάχας, mi στάσεις, καὶ κατʼ ἆλσ ὶξπῆλων ἓπιβουλῖις διηγουμένος. Τὴν γὰρ μοναρχίαν ξμαχον sivetu. συμβαίνει, Τιιῖτα μέν ουν ὁποιητής ’Ὁμὴροςσ ### English translation (Claude) And the poet Homer, using the licence of poetry and emulating at the beginning the opinion of Orpheus about the plurality of gods, mentions many gods in a mythical way, lest he seem to depart from the poetry of Orpheus, which he chose to emulate so closely as to indicate his relation to him even by the first line of his poem. For whereas Orpheus said at the beginning of his poem, "Sing, goddess, the wrath of Demeter of the glorious fruit," he wrote, "Sing, goddess, the wrath of Achilles son of Peleus," choosing, as it seems to me, even to fall out of correct metre at the beginning, lest he seem not to mention the name of the gods first. But a little later he sets out clearly and plainly his own opinion about one and only God, at one point saying through Phoenix to Achilles, "Not even if God himself should promise me, scraping off old age, to make me young again in my prime," indicating by the pronoun the God who truly is; and at another point through Odysseus, speaking thus to the multitude of the Greeks: "The rule of many is not good; let there be one ruler." And that the rule of many is not good, but on the contrary bad, he chose to show in deed, recounting the wars caused by the multitude (of rulers), and battles and factions and plots against one another. For monarchy happens to be free of strife. So much, then, for the poet Homer. ### Extrabiblical texts - Homer, Il. 1.1 (Homer, Iliad): quotation, high confidence - Homer, Il. 9.445-446 (Homer, Iliad): quotation, high confidence - Homer, Il. 2.204 (Homer, Iliad): quotation, high confidence - Orpheus (attributed), Orph. frag. 48 (Orpheus (attributed), Orphic poems (fragments)): quotation, low confidence ### Translation notes - Iliad 1.1; 9.445–446; 2.204. The verse ascribed to Orpheus is otherwise unknown. Several words are garbled in the scan and read by sense. ### Citation (SBL) Ps.-Justin, Cohort. Graec. 17 (PG 6:273a–273c; trans. Sophia Scriptura, https://sophiascriptura.com/fathers/ps-justin-cohortatio/14/#p-17). ## Hortatory Address to the Greeks 18 - URL: https://sophiascriptura.com/fathers/ps-justin-cohortatio/14/#p-18 - Source: PG 6:273c–276a - Translation: Claude (claude-opus-5-5), 2026-09-27 Summary: Sophocles is quoted as confessing one God and condemning images made by mortals. ### Greek text Εἰ δὲ καὶ τῶν ἀπὸ τῆς σκηνῆς περὶ ἐνὸς Θεοῦ "apt-ipim ἡμᾶς προσθεῐνιι δέοι, ἀκούσατε καὶ Σοψοκλέους οὕτω λέγοντος· (ᾆδʼ) Εἷς ut: ἂληθείςιιτιν, εἷς ἐστιν Θεὸς, Ος οὐρανὸν τέτευχε, καί γιταν μακρὰν, Πόντου τε χιροπὸνόϊδμτίκαινέμζων βίές, Ἱδρυσάμεσθα πημ άτων γπαράψυχὴν ρεῶν ἀγάλματʼ ἐκγλίρων τε καὶ ξύλων, Ἢ χρυσοτεύκτων ἢ ἐλεφαντίνων τύπους· Θυσίας τε τούτοις καὶ κενὰς πανηγύρεις Τεύχοντες, οὕτως εὐσεβεῖν νομίζομεν, Ταῦτα μὲν οὖν ὁ Σοφοκλῆς. ### English translation (Claude) And if we must also add the (testimonies) from the stage about one God, hear Sophocles too, speaking thus: "One in truth, one is God, who made heaven and the broad earth, the grey-blue swell of the sea and the might of the winds. But we mortals, much deceived in heart, set up as a consolation for our pains images of gods of stone and wood, or figures wrought of gold or ivory; and furnishing these with sacrifices and vain festivals, we think that so we are pious." So, then, Sophocles. ### Extrabiblical texts - Sophocles, frag. 1025 (Sophocles (plays and fragments)): quotation, high confidence ### Translation notes - The lines (Sophocles fragment 1025 Nauck) are generally thought to be a Jewish-Hellenistic forgery. They are garbled in the scan; a line printed twice (once with Latin letters) is removed. ### Citation (SBL) Ps.-Justin, Cohort. Graec. 18 (PG 6:273c–276a; trans. Sophia Scriptura, https://sophiascriptura.com/fathers/ps-justin-cohortatio/14/#p-18). ## Hortatory Address to the Greeks 19 - URL: https://sophiascriptura.com/fathers/ps-justin-cohortatio/14/#p-19 - Source: PG 6:276a - Translation: Claude (claude-opus-5-5), 2026-09-27 Summary: Pythagoras, having been in Egypt, taught through the monad that God is one, the mind and soul of the whole. ### Greek text Ὀ δὲ τοῦ Μνησάρχου Πυθαγόρας, ὁ τὰ δόγματα τῆς ἑαυτοῦ φιλοσοφίας διὰ συμβόλων μυστικῶς ἐκθέμενος, ὡς δηλοῦσιν οἱ τὸν βίον αὐτοῦ γεγραφότες ξια καὶ αὐτὸς τῆς εἷς Αἴγυπτον ἀποδημίας περὶ ἑνὸς Θεοῦ φρονῶν φαὶνεται. Τὴν γὰρ μονάδα ἀρχὴν πάντων λέγων, καὶ ταύτην τῶν ἀγαθῶν ἁπάντων αἰτίαν εἶναι, διʼ ἀλληγορίας ἕνα τε καὶ μόνον διδάσκει Θεὸν εἶναι, ’Ὅτι δὲ τοῦθʼ οὕτως ἔχει, δῆλον ἀφʼ ὧν ,ονάδα καὶ ἕν πολλῷ διαφέρειν αλλήλων Etim. Τὴν ,ὲν γὰρ μονάδα ὲν τοῖς νοητοῖς εἶναι λέγει, τὸ δὲ ἓν ἒν τοῖς ἀριθμοῖς, Εἰ δὲ καὶ σαφεστέραν ἀπόδειξιν περὶ ἐνὸς Θεοῦ τῆς Πυθαγόρου δόξης ποθεῖτε γνῶναι, ἀκούσατε καὶ τῆς αὐτοῦ δόξηςʼ οὕτω γὰρ ἔφη· α ’0 μὲν Θεὸς εἰςʼ αὐτὸς δὲ οὐχ ὣς τινες ὑπονοοῦσιν, ἐκτὸς τᾶς διοκοσμήσιος ἀλλʼ ἐν αὗτᾷ , ὅλος ἐν ὅλῳ τῷ κύκλῳ ἐπισκοπῶν πάσας τὰς γενέσιάς ἐστι, κρᾶσις ἐὼν τῶν ὅλων αἰώνων, καὶ ἐργάτας τῶν αὐτοῦ δυνάμεων καὶ ἕργων· ἀρχὰ πάντων, ὲν οὖρανῷ φωστὴρ, καὶ πάντων Πατὴρ, νοῦς καὶ ψύχωσις τῶν ὅλων, κύκλων ἁπάντων κίνασις. » Οὕτω μὲν οὖν ὁ Πυθαγόρας. ### English translation (Claude) And Pythagoras son of Mnesarchus, who set out the doctrines of his philosophy mystically through symbols, as those who have written his life show, he too, from his journey to Egypt, evidently holds (the doctrine) of one God. For in calling the monad the principle of all things, and saying that it is the cause of all good things, he teaches through allegory that God is one and only. That this is so is plain from his saying that the monad and the one differ greatly from each other: for he says that the monad is among the intelligible things, but the one among the numbers. And if you long to know a clearer proof of Pythagoras's opinion about one God, hear his own opinion; for he said thus: "God is one; and he himself is not, as some suppose, outside the ordering (of the world), but within it, wholly in the whole circle, overseeing all generations; he is the blending of all the ages, and the worker of his own powers and works; the principle of all things, the light-giver in heaven, and Father of all, mind and soul of the whole, the motion of all the circles." So, then, Pythagoras. ### Translation notes - The saying is preserved in Doric Greek and is of uncertain origin (a Neopythagorean text). ### Citation (SBL) Ps.-Justin, Cohort. Graec. 19 (PG 6:276a; trans. Sophia Scriptura, https://sophiascriptura.com/fathers/ps-justin-cohortatio/14/#p-19). ## Hortatory Address to the Greeks 20 - URL: https://sophiascriptura.com/fathers/ps-justin-cohortatio/14/#p-20 - Source: PG 6:276a–277b - Translation: Claude (claude-opus-5-5), 2026-09-27 Summary: Plato learned of the one God in Egypt but, fearing Socrates' fate, spoke ambiguously about the gods. ### Greek text Πλάτων δὲ, ἀποδεξάμενος μὲν, ὡς ἔοικεν, τὴν περὶ ἑνὸς καὶ μόνου Θεοῦ Μωϋσέως καὶ τῶν ἄλλων προφητῶν διδασκαλίαν, ἥν ἐν Αἰγύπτῳ γενόμενος ,Ι κ \ ΝΚ \ Ω β γ 7 ἢ κ ιγνω, om οε τα συμοεοηκοτα Σωκρατει δεοιως μήπως καὶ αὐτὸς "Avuth τινα ἤ καὶ Μέλητον καθʼ ἑαυτοῦ γενέσθαι παρασκευάσῃ κατηγοροῦντα αὒτοῦ παρʼ Ἀθηναίοις καὶ λέγοντι· Πλάτων ἂδικετ καὶ περιεργάζεται, θεοὺς οὕς ἡ πολις νομίζει οὒ νομίζων· φόβῳ τοῦ κωνείου ποικίλον τινὰ καὶ ἐσχηματισμενον τὸν περὶ Θεῶν γυμνάζει λόγον, εἶναί τε θεοὺς τοῖς βουλομένοις, καὶ μὴ εἶναι οἷς τάναντία δοκεῖ, τῷ λόγῳ κατασκευάζων, ὡς ἔσται ῥᾴδιον ἀπʼ αὐτῶν τῶν ὑπʼ αὒτοῦ λεχθέντων γνῶναι, Πᾶν γὰρ τὸ γενόμενον θνητὸν προαποφηνάμενος εἶναι, ὕστερον θεούς γεγενῆσθαι λέγειʼ El. τοίνυν ἀρχὴν ἁπάντων τὸν Θεὸν καὶ τὴν ὕλην εἶναι βούλεται, δῆλον ὅτι εἶναι τοὺς Θεοὺς τοὺς ἔξ ὕλης γενομένους οἵεσθαιδ προσηκει, τοʼς εὖφρονοῦσι παρῆκε σκοπεῖν. Διὰ τοῦτο γὰρ καὶ ἀγέννητον τὴν ὕλην ἔφησεν εἶναι, ἱνα μὴ δόξῃ τὸν Θεὸν τοῦ κακοῦ ποιητὴν εἶναι λέγειν. Καὶ περὶ μὲν τῶν ὑπὸ τοῦ Θεοῦ δημιουργηθέντων θεῶν ταῦτʼ εἰρηκὼς φαίνεται· « Θεοὶ θεῶν ὤν ἐγὼ δημιουργός. » Περὶ δὲ τοῦ ὄντως ὄντος Θεοῦ τὴν ὀρθὴν ἔχων quive-.11. δόξαν. Ἀκηκοὼς γὰρ ὲν Αἰγύπτῳ τόν Θεὸν τῷ Μωϋσῇ εἰρηκέναι, Ἐγώ εἰμι ὀ ὢν, ὁπηνίκι πρὸς τοὺς Ἐβριίους cf:va ἀποστέλλειν ἕμελλεν,ἕγνω ὅτι οὗ κύριον ὄνομα ἑαυτοῦ ὁ Θεὸς πρὸς αὺτὸν ἔφη. ### English translation (Claude) Plato, having accepted, as it seems, the teaching of Moses and the other prophets about one and only God, which he learned when he was in Egypt, but fearing, because of what happened to Socrates, that he too might raise up against himself some Anytus or Meletus to accuse him before the Athenians, saying, "Plato does wrong and meddles, not believing in the gods that the city believes in," out of fear of the hemlock presents an intricate and veiled discourse about gods, establishing by argument both that there are gods, for those who wish it, and that there are not, for those who think the opposite, as it will be easy to know from what he himself said. For having first declared that everything that has come to be is mortal, he later says that gods have come to be. If, then, he holds that God and matter are the principle of all things, it is plain that one must think that the gods came from matter; this he left for the sensible to consider. For this reason too he said that matter is unbegotten, lest he seem to say that God is the maker of evil. And about the gods fashioned by God he evidently said this: "Gods of gods, of whom I am the maker." But about the God who truly is he held the right opinion. For having heard in Egypt that God had said to Moses, "I am He Who Is," when he was about to send him to the Hebrews, he knew that God had not told him his own proper name. ### Scripture references - Exod 3:14: quotation, high confidence ### Extrabiblical texts - Plato, Apol. 24b (Plato (works)): allusion, high confidence - Plato, Tim. 41a (Plato (works)): quotation, high confidence ### Translation notes - Plato, Apology 24b (the charge against Socrates); Timaeus 41a ("Gods of gods"); Exod 3:14 ("I am He Who Is", Septuagint ὁ ὤν). The scan is garbled after "in Egypt"; the sense is clear. ### Citation (SBL) Ps.-Justin, Cohort. Graec. 20 (PG 6:276a–277b; trans. Sophia Scriptura, https://sophiascriptura.com/fathers/ps-justin-cohortatio/14/#p-20). ## Hortatory Address to the Greeks 21 - URL: https://sophiascriptura.com/fathers/ps-justin-cohortatio/14/#p-21 - Source: PG 6:277b–280b - Translation: Claude (claude-opus-5-5), 2026-09-27 Summary: God has no proper name; his self-designation "He Who Is" distinguishes him from the non-existent gods that the devil taught men to believe in. ### Greek text t. Οὐδὲν γὰρ ὄνομα ἐπὶ Θεοῦ κυριολογεῖσθαι δυνατόν· τὰ γὰρ ὀνόματα εἰς δήλωσιν καὶ διάγνωσιν τῶν ὑποκειμένων κεῖται πραγμάτων, πολλῶν καὶ διαφόρων ὄντων. Θεῷ δὲ οὔτε ὁ τιθεὶς ὄνομα προϋπῆρχεν, οὔτε αὖτὸς ἑαυτὸν ὀνομάζειν ᾠήθη δεῖν, εἷς καὶ μόνος ὑπάρχων, ὡς καὶ αὖτὸς διὰ τῶν ἑαυτοῦ προφητῶν μαρτυρεῖ λέγων, Ἐγὼ Θεὸς πρῶτος· καὶ μετὰ ταῦτα· Καὶ πλὴν ἐμοῦ Θεὸς ἕτερος οὔκ ἔστι. Διὰ τοῦτο τοίνυν, ὡς καὶ πρότερον ἔφην, οὐδενὸς ὀνόματός τινος ὁ Θεὸς, ἀποστέλλων πρὸς τοὺς Ἐβραίους τὸν Munia-£1, μὲμνητιι, ἀλλὰ διά τινος μετοχῆς ἕνα καὶ μόνον Θεὸν ἑαυτὸν εἶναι μυστικῶς διδάσκει. Ἐγὼ γὰρ, φησὶν, εἰμὶ ὁ ὤν ἀντιδιαστέλλων ἑαυτὸν, δηλονότι ὸ ὥν, τοῖς μὴ οὖσιν, ’ἔνι γνῶσιν ot πρότερον ἅπειτηθέντες, ὁτι οὖχὶ τοῖς οὖσιν, ἀλλὰ τοῖς μὴ οὖσι προσέσχον, Ἐπεὶ τοίνυν ὁ Θεὸς ἠπίστατο τοὺς πρώτους ἀνθρώπους τῆς πτιλιιᾶς τῶν προγόνων μεμνημένους ἆππίτης, ἧν ὶπκτῆηι αὖτοὺς '.l πεισθείητέ μοι τὴν τοῦ Θεοῦν παρελθεῖν ἐντολ ὴν, ἔσεσθε ὡς θεοὶ, θεοὺς ὀνομάζων τοὺς μὴ ὄντας, ἵνα οἱ ἅνθρωποι, οἰηθέντες καὶ ἑτέρους εἶναι θεοὺς, καὶ ἑαυτοὺς δύνασθαι γενέσθαι θεοὺς πιστεύσωσι· διὰ τοῦτο πρὸς τὸν Montius: ἔφη, Ἐγώ, εἰμι ὁ ὤν, ’ίνα διὰ τῆς μετοχῆς, ὄντος, τοῦ Θεοῦ ὄντος καὶ μη ὅντων διαφορὰν διδάξῃ, Πεισθέντες τοίνυν οἱ ἅνθρωποι τῷ ἧπατηκότι δαίμονι, καὶ Θεοῦ παρακοῦσαι τολμήσαντες, ἐξῆλθον τοῦ παραδείσου, τοῦ μὲν ὀνόματος τῶν θεῶν μεμνημένοι, μηκέτι δὲ παρὰ Θεοῦ μὴ εἶναι θεοὺς ἑτέρους διδαχθέντες, Οὔ γὰρ δίκαιον ἧν τόὺς τὴν πρώτην ἐντολὴν μὴ φυλάξαντας, ἥν φυλάξαι ῥᾴδιον ἧν, διδάσκειν ἔτι, ἀλλὰ τιμωρίαν αὐτοῖς ἐπάγειν δικαίαν. Ἐκβληθέντες τοίνυν τοῦ παραδείσου, καὶ οἰόμενοι διὰ τὴν παρακοῆν ἐκβεβλῆσθαι μόνη), οὐ μὴν εἰδότες διότι καὶ θεοὺς μὴ ὄντας ἐπείσθησαν εἶναι, τὸ τῶν θεῶν ὄνομα καὶ τοῖς μετὰ ταῦτα ἐξ αῦτίυν γενομένοις ἀνθρώποις παρέδοσαν. Αὕτη τοίνυν πρώτη περὶ θεῶν ψευδὴς φαντασία, ἀπὸ τοῦ ψεύστου πατρὸς ἀρχὴν ἐσχηκυῖα. Εἰδὼς τοίνυν ὁ Θεὸς τὴν τῆς πολυθεότητος μὴ ἀληθῆ δόξαν, ὥσπερ τινὰ νόσον τῇ τῶν ἀνθρώπων ἐνοχλοῦσαν ψυχῇ, ἀνελεῖν καὶ ἀνατρέψαι βουλόμενος, πρῶτον μὲν τῷ Μοϋσῇ φανεὶς ἔφη πρὸς αὐτόν· Ἐγώ εἶμι ὁ ὥν. ’Ἔδει γὰρ, οἶμαι, τὸν ἄρχοντα καὶ στρατηγὸν τοῦ τῶν Ἐβραίων γένους ’έσεσθαι μέλλοντα, πρῶτον ἁπάντων τὸν ὅντα γινώσκειν Θεόν. Διὸ καὶ τούτῳ πρώτῳ φανεὶς, ὡς ἦν δυ·νατὸν ἀνθρώπῳ φανῆναι Θεὸν, ἔφη. πρὸς αὐτόν. Ἐγώ εἰμι ὁ ὤν· εἶτα ἀποστέλλειν αὑτὸν πρὸς τοὺς Ἐβραίους μέλλων, κᾶκείνοις αὺτὸν τὰ αὐτὰ προστάττει λέγειν· '0 ὤν ἀπέσταλκε με πρὸς ὑμᾶς, ### English translation (Claude) For no name can be applied to God in the proper sense; for names are given to indicate and distinguish the things they refer to, which are many and different. But for God there was no one before him to give him a name, nor did he think he should name himself, being one and only, as he himself bears witness through his own prophets, saying: "I, God, am first"; and after that: "And besides me there is no other God." For this reason, then, as I said before, God, in sending Moses to the Hebrews, does not mention any name, but by means of a participle teaches in a hidden way that he is the one and only God. For "I am," he says, "He Who Is," contrasting himself, plainly, as "He Who Is," with those who are not, so that those who had formerly been deceived might know that they had given heed not to beings but to non-beings. Since, then, God knew that the first men remembered the old deceit of their forefathers, by which … deceived them, (saying): "If you obey me and transgress the commandment of God, you will be as gods," calling gods those that are not, so that men, thinking that there are other gods too, might believe that they themselves could become gods; for this reason he said to Moses, "I am He Who Is," so that by the participle "being" he might teach the difference between God who is and those who are not. Persuaded, then, by the demon that deceived them, and daring to disobey God, men went out of paradise, remembering the name of gods, but no longer taught by God that there are no other gods. For it was not just to go on teaching those who had not kept the first commandment, which was easy to keep, but rather to bring just punishment upon them. Cast out, then, from paradise, and thinking they had been cast out only for their disobedience, not knowing that it was also because they had been persuaded that gods who are not exist, they handed down the name of gods to those who were born of them afterwards too. This, then, was the first false fancy about gods, having its origin from the father of lies. God, then, knowing that the false opinion of polytheism troubled the soul of men like a disease, and wishing to remove and overthrow it, first appeared to Moses and said to him: "I am He Who Is." For it was necessary, I think, that the one who was to be ruler and general of the race of the Hebrews should first of all know the God who is. Therefore, appearing to him first, as far as it was possible for God to appear to a man, he said to him: "I am He Who Is"; then, being about to send him to the Hebrews, he commands him to say the same things to them: "He Who Is has sent me to you." ### Scripture references - Isa 44:6: quotation, high confidence - Exod 3:14: quotation, high confidence - Gen 3:5: quotation, high confidence - Gen 3:23: allusion, medium confidence - John 8:44: allusion, medium confidence ### Translation notes - Isa 44:6; Gen 3:5; Exod 3:14; John 8:44 ("the father of lies"). The name of the deceiver in the sentence on the serpent's words is garbled in the scan and shown as "…" (the sense is "the demon hostile to men"). ### Citation (SBL) Ps.-Justin, Cohort. Graec. 21 (PG 6:277b–280b; trans. Sophia Scriptura, https://sophiascriptura.com/fathers/ps-justin-cohortatio/14/#p-21). ## Hortatory Address to the Greeks 22 - URL: https://sophiascriptura.com/fathers/ps-justin-cohortatio/14/#p-22 - Source: PG 6:280b–281c - Translation: Claude (claude-opus-5-5), 2026-09-27 Summary: Plato, fearing the Areopagus, borrowed Moses' "He Who Is" as "that which always is", and called God the craftsman, not the maker, of the gods. ### Greek text Ταῦτα τοίνυν ἓν Atria-mli) μαθὼν ὁ Πλάτων, καὶ σφόδρα ἀρεσθεὶς τοῖς περὶ ἑνὸς Θεοῦ εἰρημένοις, τοῦ μὲν ὀνόματος Μωϋσέως, διὰ τὸ ἕνα καὶ μόνον διδάσκειν Θεὸν, μνημονεῦσαι, παρʼ Ἀθηναίοις οὐκ ἀσφαλὲς ἡγεῖτο, δεδιὼς τὸν ’Ἀρειον πάγον· τὸ δὲ καλῶς εἰρημένον ὑπʼ αὐτοῦ, οὔχ ὡς παρʼ ἐκείνου μαθὼν, ἀλλʼ ὡς ἑαυτοῦ ἐκτιθέμενος δόξαν, ἐν τῷ ἐσπουδασμένῳ αὐτοῦ λόγῳ Τιμαίῳ, ὲν ᾧ καὶ θεολογεῖν ἐπεχείρει, τὸ αὐτὸ ὃ καὶ περὶ Θεοῦ Μωΰσῆς, γέγραφεν, ’Ἔφη γάρʼ ι ’Ἐστιν οῦν κατʼ ἐμὴν δοξαν διαιρετέον πρῶτον, τί τὸ ὅν μὲν ἀεὶ, γένεσιν δὲ οὐκ ἕχον· καὶ τί τὸ γινόμενον μὲν ἀεὶ, ὃν δὲ οὐδέποτε, ι Τοῦτο, ὧένδρες τὸν εἶναι, τῷ ἄρθρῳ μόνῳ διαλλάττον ; I0 μὲν γὰρ Matii-tie, ὁ ὢν, ἔφη· ὁ δὲ Πλάτων, τὸ ὅν. .‘Exa‘répwv δὲ τῶν εἰρημένων τῷ ἀεὶ ὄντι Θεῷ προσήκειν φαίνεται, Αὐτὸς γὰρ ἔστι μόνος ὁ ἀεὶ ὢν, γὲνεσιν δὲ μὴ ἔχων. Τί τοίνυν ἐστὶν ἕτερον τὸ τῷ ἀεὶ ὄντι ἆντιδιαστιλλόμινον, περὶ οὗ αὖτός ἔφη · α Καὶ τί τὸ γινόμενον μὲν ἀεὶ, ὃν δὲ οὐδέποτε,» ἀκριβώς προσήκει. σκοπεῖν. Εὒρήσομεν γὰρ αὒτὸν σαφῶς καὶ φανερῷς τὸν μὲν ἀγέννητον ἀΐδιον εἶναι λέγοντα, τοὺς δί γεννητοὺς ἢ δημιουργητοὺς (ὡς αὐτὸς περῖ τῶν adierint εὶρῆσθαι ἔφη, Θεοὶ θεῶν ὧν ἐγὼ δημιουργός) γινομένους καὶ ἀπολλυμένους ' νοῧζ τω» γὰρ αὑτὸς λέγει “ σι ’Ἔστι γʼ οὖν κατʼ ἐμὴν δόξαν πρῶτον διαιρετέον, τί τὸ ὂν μὲν ἀεὶ, γένεσιν δὲ οὐκ ἔχον · καὶ τί τὸ γινόμενον μὲν, ὂν δὲ οὐδέποτε; Τὸ μὲν οὖν νοήσει μετὰ τοῦ λόγου περιληπτὸν, ἀεὶ κατὰ ταὐτὰ ὄν· τὸ δʼ αὖ δόξῃ μετʼ αἰσθήσεως ἀλόγου δοξαστὸν, γινόμενον καὶ ἀπολλύμενον, ὃν δὲ οὐδέποτε. » Ταῦτα τὰ ῥητὰ τοῖς ὀρθῶς νοεῖν δυναμένοις ἀναίρεσιν καὶ ἀπώλειαν τῶν γινομένων κηρύττει θεῶν. Ἀναγκαῖον δὲ οἶμαι καὶ τούτῳ προσέχειν τὸν νοῦν, ὅτι οὐδὲ ποιητὴν αὑτὸν ὁ Πλάτων, ἁλλὰ δημιουργὸν ὀνομάζει θεῶν, καίτοι πολλῆς διαφορᾶς ἐν τούτοις οὔσης κατᾶ τὴν αὑτοῦ Πλάτωνος δόξαν, ’0 μὲν γὰρ ποιητὴς, οὐδενὸς ἐτέρου προσδεόμενος, ἐκ τῆς ἑαυτοῦ δυνάμεως καὶ ἐξουσίας ποιεῖ τὸ ποιούμενον ὁ δὲ δημιουργὸς, τὴν τῆς δημιουργιας δύναμιν ἐκ τῆς ὕλης εἰληφὼς, κατασκευάζει τὸ γινόμενον. ### English translation (Claude) Having learned these things in Egypt, then, Plato, greatly pleased with what was said about one God, did not think it safe to mention the name of Moses among the Athenians, because he taught one and only God, fearing the Areopagus; but what was well said by Moses he wrote, not as having learned it from him, but as setting out his own opinion, in his most elaborate discourse, the Timaeus, in which he also undertook to speak of God, the same thing that Moses wrote about God. For he said: "In my opinion, then, we must first distinguish what is that which always is and has no becoming, and what is that which is always becoming but never is." Does not this, men …, differ only in the article? For Moses said "He who is," and Plato "that which is." Both of these expressions evidently fit the God who always is. For he alone is the one who always is and has no becoming. What, then, the other thing is that is contrasted with that which always is, of which he said, "And what is that which is always becoming but never is," we must consider carefully. For we shall find him saying clearly and plainly that the unbegotten is eternal, but that the begotten or fashioned (as he said about the gods that came to be: "Gods of gods, of whom I am the craftsman") come to be and perish. For he says this: "In my opinion, then, we must first distinguish what is that which always is and has no becoming, and what is that which becomes but never is. The one is grasped by thought with reason, being always the same; the other is the object of opinion with irrational sensation, coming to be and perishing, but never truly being." These words proclaim to those able to understand rightly the destruction and perishing of the gods that have come to be. And I think it necessary also to attend to this: that Plato calls him not the maker but the craftsman of the gods, although according to Plato's own opinion there is much difference between these. For the maker, needing nothing else, makes what is made by his own power and authority; but the craftsman, having received the capacity for his craft from matter, constructs what comes to be. ### Scripture references - Exod 3:14: allusion, high confidence ### Extrabiblical texts - Plato, Tim. 27d-28a (Plato (works)): quotation, high confidence - Plato, Tim. 41a (Plato (works)): quotation, high confidence ### Translation notes - Plato, Timaeus 27d–28a; 41a. A few words after "men" are garbled in the scan ("…"); the sense is "those able to understand". - "Maker" renders ποιητής; "craftsman" renders δημιουργός. ### Citation (SBL) Ps.-Justin, Cohort. Graec. 22 (PG 6:280b–281c; trans. Sophia Scriptura, https://sophiascriptura.com/fathers/ps-justin-cohortatio/14/#p-22). ## Hortatory Address to the Greeks 23 - URL: https://sophiascriptura.com/fathers/ps-justin-cohortatio/14/#p-23 - Source: PG 6:281c–284b - Translation: Claude (claude-opus-5-5), 2026-09-27 Summary: Plato's craftsman contradicts Plato by promising immortality to created gods, though Plato held that matter is unbegotten and cannot be forced. ### Greek text Ἀλλʼ ’ίσως τινὲς, τῶν τῆς πολυθεότητος δογμάτων ἀποστῆναι μὴ βουλόμενοι, αὐτὸν τὸν δημιουργὸν τοῖς δημιουργηθεῖσι θεοῖς ταῦτʼ εἰρηκέναι φήσουσιν· « Ἐπείπερ γεγένηθε, ἀθάνατοι μὲν οὒκ ἐστὲ, οὐδʼ ἄλυτοι τὸ παράπαν οὗτε μὲν δὴ λυθήσεσθέ γε, οὔτε τεύξεσθε θανάτου μοίρας, τῆς ἐμῆς βουλήσεως, μείζονος ἔτι δεσμοῦ καὶ ἰσχυροτέρου, λαχόντες. » Ἐνταῦθα ὁ Πλάτων, τοὺς τὴν πολυθεότητα ἀσπαζομένους δεδιὼς, ἐναντία ἑαυτῷ τὸν κατʼ αὐτὸν δημιουργὸν εἰσάγει λέγοντα. Πᾶν γὰρ τὸ γενόμενον φθαρτὸν, πρότερον εἰρηκέναι αὐτὸν φήσας, νῦν ᾤτω δυνατὸν τὸ τῆς ψευδολογίας ἐκφυγεῖν ἔγκλημα. JH γὰρ τὸ πρότερον· εἰρηκὼς, πᾶν τὸ γενόμενον φθαρτὸν, ψεύδεται, ἢ νῦν τάναντία τοῖς πρότερον ιερὶ αὖτῶν εἰρημένοις ἐπαγγελλόμενος. Εἰ γὰρ ἀνάγκη πᾶσα τὸ γεννητὸν φθαρτὸν εἶναι κατᾶ τὸν πρότερον αὒτοὺ ὅρον, πῶς συγχωρεῖ τὸ κατʼ ἀνάγκην ἀδύνατον γενέσθαι δυνατόν ; ’Ὥστε μάτην ἔοικεν ὁ Πλάτων ἀδύνατα χαρίζεσθαι τῷ κατʼ αὐτὸν δημιουργῷ, τοὺς ἅπαξ, διὰ τὸ ἒξ ὕλης γεγενῆσθαι, φθαρτοὺς καὶ αὖτοὺς γενομένους, αὖθις διʼ αὖτοῦ ἀφθάρτους καὶ ἀλύτους ἐπαγγελλόμενος ἔσεσθαι, Τὴν γὰρ τῆς ὕλης δύναμιν, ἀγέννητον καὶ ἷσόχρονον καὶ ἡλικιῶτιν κατὰ τὴν αὐτοῦ δόξαν τοῦ δημιουργοῦ οὗ· σαν, ἀντιστατεῖν εἰκὸς τῇ αὒτοῦ βουλήσει. Τῷ γὰρ μὴ πεποιηκότι οὐδεμία ἐξουσία πρὸς το μὴ γεγονός · ὥστε οὐδὲ βιασθῆναι αὐτὴν δυνατὸν τῆς ἔξωθεν πάσης ἀνάγκης ἐλευθέραν οὖσαν. Διὰ τοῦτο τοίνυν καὶ αὐτὸς ὁ Πλάτων, εἷς ταῦτα ἀφορῶν, οὕτω γέγραφεν · « Ἀνάγκην δὲ οὐδὲ Θεὸν λέγεσθαι δυνατὸν βιάζεσθαι, ι ### English translation (Claude) But perhaps some, unwilling to depart from the doctrines of polytheism, will say that the craftsman himself said these things to the gods he had fashioned: "Since you have come to be, you are not immortal nor wholly indissoluble; yet you will not be dissolved nor meet the fate of death, having obtained my will, a still greater and stronger bond." Here Plato, fearing those who embrace polytheism, brings in his craftsman saying things contrary to himself. For having said before that everything that has come to be is perishable, now he cannot escape the charge of lying. For either in saying before that everything that has come to be is perishable he lies, or now, in promising the opposite of what he said before about them. For if, according to his former definition, it is wholly necessary that what is begotten is perishable, how does he allow what is impossible by necessity to become possible? So Plato seems vainly to grant impossibilities to his craftsman, promising that those who once became perishable because they came from matter would through him be imperishable and indissoluble. For the power of matter, which according to his opinion is unbegotten and of equal time and age with the craftsman, would likely resist his will. For one who did not make has no authority over what did not come to be; so that it is not even possible to force it, since it is free of all external necessity. For this reason Plato himself, looking to these things, wrote thus: "Not even God can be said to force necessity." ### Extrabiblical texts - Plato, Tim. 41a-b (Plato (works)): quotation, high confidence - Plato, Leg. 741a (Plato (works)): quotation, high confidence ### Translation notes - Plato, Timaeus 41a–b; Laws 5.741a ("not even God is said to be able to force necessity"). ### Citation (SBL) Ps.-Justin, Cohort. Graec. 23 (PG 6:281c–284b; trans. Sophia Scriptura, https://sophiascriptura.com/fathers/ps-justin-cohortatio/14/#p-23). ## Hortatory Address to the Greeks 24 - URL: https://sophiascriptura.com/fathers/ps-justin-cohortatio/14/#p-24 - Source: PG 6:284b–285b - Translation: Claude (claude-opus-5-5), 2026-09-27 Summary: Homer, like Plato, learned of one God in Egypt and pointed to him with the word "himself", as the oracle also does. ### Greek text Πῶς οὖν ’Όμηρον τῆς ἑαυτοῦ πολιτείας ἐκβάλλει Πλάτων, ἐπειδὴ ἐν τῇ πρὸς Ἀχιλλέα πρεσβείᾳ τὸν Φοίνικα πεποίηκε τῷ Ἀχιλλεῖ λέγοντα Στρεπτοι δέ τε καὶ θεοὶ αὒτοί5, καίτοι Ὀμήρου οὗ περὶ τοῦ βασιλέως καὶ κατὰ Πλάτωνα δημιουργοῦ τῶν θεῶν τοῦτο εἰρηκότος, ἀλλὰ περῖ τινων θεῶν τῶν παρʼ ’Ἐλλησι πολλῶν εἶναι νʼ,μιζομένων, ὡς ἔστιν ἡμῖν καὶ παρὰ τοῦ Πλάτωνος μανθάνειν, « Θεοὶ θεῶν » λέγοντος ; Τῷ γὰρ ἑνὶ καὶ πρώτῳ Θεῷ τὴν ἒξουσίαν καὶ τὸ κράτος ἁπάντων Ὅμηρος διὰ τῆς χρυσῆς ἐκείνης ἀναφέρει σειρᾶς ίθ · τοὺς δὲ λοιποὺς θεοὺς τοσοῦτον ἀπέχειν ἔφη τῆς ἐκείνου θεότητος, ὥστε αὐτοὺς καὶ μετὰ ἀνθρώπων ὀνομάζειν ἀξιοῦν, Τὸν γοῦν Ὀδυσσέα κατὰ τοῦ Ἕκτορος πρὸς τὸν Ἀχιλλέα λέγοντα · Μαίνεται ἐκπάγλως πίσυνος Διὶ, οὐδέ τι τίει ἀνέρας, οὐδὲ θεούς Π. Ἐνταῦθά μοι ιὈμηρος δοκεῖ πάντως που καὶ αὖτὸς, ὥσπερ ὁ Πλάτων, ἓν Αἰγύπτῳ μαθὼν περὶ ἑνὸς Θεοῦ σαφῶς καὶ φανερῶς τουτὶ ἐμφαίνειν, ὅτι ὁ τῷ ὄντι πεποιθὼς Θεῷ τῶν μὴ ὄντων ἀμελεῖ. Οὕτω γὰρ Ξ ποιητὴς καὶ ἀλλοιχοῦ που διʼ ἑτέρας λέξεως ἱ οἶοναμούσης, τῆς ἀντωνυμίας, ταί)τῇ τῇ ὑπὸ ilicone: εἰρημένῃ μετοχῇ κέχρηται, τὸν ὄντα Θεὸν ἐπαγγελλούσῃ, περὶ οὗ ὁ Πλάτων ἔφη · ( τί τὸ ὃν μοι δοκεῖ τὸ ὑπὸ τοῦ Φοίνικος εἰρημένον · Οὐδʼ εἰ κέν μοι ὑποσταίη θεὸς αὐτὸς, Γῆρας ἀποξύσας, θήσειν νέον ἡβώοντα. Ἠ γὰρ, αὐτός, ἀντωνυμία, τὸν ὄντος ὄντα σημαίνει Θεόν, Οὕτω γὰρ καὶ ὁ περὶ τῶν Χαλδαίων ὑμῖν καὶ Ἑβραίων εἰρημένος σημαίνει χρησμός, Πυθομένου γάρ τινος, τίνας πώποτε θεοσεβεῖς ἄνδρας γεγενῆσθαι συνέβη, οὕτως εἰρηκέναι αιἠόν φατε· « Μοῦνοι Χαλδαῖοι σοφίην λάχον, ἡδʼ ἄρʼ [Ἐβρατοῃ Αὖτογένητον ἄνακτα σεβιζόμενοι Θεὸν αὖτόν. ### English translation (Claude) How, then, does Plato expel Homer from his republic because in the embassy to Achilles he made Phoenix say to Achilles, "Even the gods themselves can be turned," although Homer said this not about the king and, according to Plato, craftsman of the gods, but about some of the gods who are thought by the Greeks to be many, as we can learn also from Plato, who says "gods of gods"? For to the one and first God Homer ascribes the authority and power over all things through that golden chain; and the other gods he said to be so far removed from that one's deity that he thinks fit to name them even together with men. At any rate (he represents) Odysseus saying to Achilles about Hector: "He rages terribly, trusting in Zeus, and honours neither men nor gods." Here Homer too, it seems to me, having like Plato learned in Egypt about one God, shows this clearly and plainly: that one who trusts in the God who is pays no heed to those who are not. For thus the poet, elsewhere too, using another word of equivalent meaning, the pronoun, has used this participle spoken by (Moses), proclaiming the God who is, about whom Plato said, "what is that which is …". … it seems to me, is what was said by Phoenix: "Not even if God himself should promise me, scraping off old age, to make me young again in my prime." For the pronoun "himself" signifies the God who truly is. So too the oracle spoken to you about the Chaldeans and the Hebrews signifies. For when someone asked what men had ever been godly, you say it said thus: "Only the Chaldeans obtained wisdom, and the Hebrews, worshipping the self-begotten King, God himself." ### Scripture references - Exod 3:14: allusion, medium confidence ### Extrabiblical texts - Homer, Il. 9.497 (Homer, Iliad): quotation, high confidence - Homer, Il. 8.18-27 (Homer, Iliad): allusion, high confidence - Homer, Il. 9.237-238 (Homer, Iliad): quotation, high confidence - Homer, Il. 9.445-446 (Homer, Iliad): quotation, high confidence - Plato, Resp. 364d (Plato (works)): allusion, medium confidence ### Translation notes - Iliad 9.497 (Plato criticizes it in Republic 2.364d–e); the golden chain: Iliad 8.18–27; 9.237–238; 9.445–446. A line is garbled in the scan before "it seems to me" ("…"); the name of Moses is supplied in parentheses where the scan has an illegible word. ### Citation (SBL) Ps.-Justin, Cohort. Graec. 24 (PG 6:284b–285b; trans. Sophia Scriptura, https://sophiascriptura.com/fathers/ps-justin-cohortatio/14/#p-24). ## Hortatory Address to the Greeks 25 - URL: https://sophiascriptura.com/fathers/ps-justin-cohortatio/14/#p-25 - Source: PG 6:285b–288c - Translation: Claude (claude-opus-5-5), 2026-09-27 Summary: Plato blamed Homer for changeable gods yet made his own craftsman changeable; he learned God's eternity from Moses' "He Who Is" and called Moses' law "the ancient word". ### Greek text Πῶς οὖν ὁ Πλάτων Ὀμήρῳ μέμφεται τοὺς θεοὺς στρεπτοὺς εἶναι λέγοντι, καίτοι Ὀμήρου διὰ τὸ χρήσιμον τοῦτʼ εἰρηκότος, ὡς ἔστι δῆλον ἀπʼ αὐτῶν τῶν εἰρημένων, ’Ἱδιον γὰρ τῶν διʼ εὐχῆς καὶ θυσιῶν φιλανθρωπίας τυγχάνειν ἀξιούντων τὸ παύεσθαι καὶ μεταγινώσκειν ἔφʼ οἶς ἥμαρτον. Οἱ γὰρ ἀνεπιστρεφὲς τὸ Θεῖον οἰόμενοι εἶναι οὐδαμῶς ἀφίστασθαι τῶν ἁμαρτημάτων προῄρηνται, οὐδὲν, ὄφελος ἑκ τῆς μετανοίας ἕξειν οἰόμενοι, Πῶς οὖν Ὁμήρου τοῦ ποιητοῦ καταγνοὺς ὁ φιλόσοφος Πλάτων, Στρεπτοὶ δέ τε καὶ θεοὶ αὐτοὶ, εἰρηκότος, αὐτὸς τὸν τῶν θεῶν δημιουργὸν εἰσάγει οὕτω ῥᾳδίως τρεπόμενον, ὼς ποτὲ μὲν θεοὺς θνητοὺς, ποτὲ δὲ τοὺς αὐτοὺς ἀθανάτους εἶναι λέγειν; Καὶ οὗ μόνον περί αὖτῶν, ἀλλὰ καὶ περὶ τῆς ὕλης, ἀφʼ ἧς καὶ τοὺς δημιουργηθέντας θεοὺς, ὡς αὐτός φησι, γεγενῆσθε ἀνάγκη, ποτε μὲν ἀγέννητον, ποτὲ δὲ γεννητὴν εἶναι λέγει, ἀγνοῶν ὅτι οῖς Ὀμήρῳ μέμφεται, τούτοις αὖ· τὸς περιπίπτων ἒλέγχεται, τὸν τῶν θεῶν δημιουργὸν οὕτω ῥᾳδίως τρέπεσθαι λέγων, uitat Ὀμήρου περὶ αὖτού ἐναντία εἰρηκότος. Ἐφη γὰρ αὑτὸν οὕτω περῖ ἑαδτοῠ λέγειν 0'57 γὰρ ὶμὸν παλινάγρετον, οὖδ ἀπατηλὸν, Οὐδʼ ἀτελεύτητόν γʼ, ὅ τί κεν κεφαλῇ λκατα- [νεύσω, Ἀλλὰ ταῦτα μὲν ἄκων, ὡς ἔοικεν, ὁ Πλάτων, τοὺς τὴν πολυθεότητα ἀσπαζομένους δεδιὼς, ἀλλόκοτα περὶ θεῶν διεξιέναι φαίνεται. ’Ὂσανδὲ παρὰ Μωϋσέως καὶ τιὶνι προφητῶν περί ἑνὸς Θεοῦ μεμαθηκὼς, οἴεται ὂεῗν λέγειν, ταῦτα μυστικῶς προῄρηται λέγειν, τοϊς θεοσεβεῖν βουλομένοις τὴν ἑαυτοῦ σημαίνων δόξαν. Ἀρεσθεὶς γὰρ τῷ ὑπὸ τε Θεοῦ πρὸς τὸν Μωϋσέα εἰρημένῳ, Ἐγώ εἰμι ὁ ὣν, ι). τὴν βραχεῖαν διὰ τῆς μετοχῆς εἰρημένην ῥῆσιν μετὰ πολλῆς θεωρίας δεξάμενος, ἔγνω ὅτι τὴν ἀϊδιότητα αὐτοῦ ὁ Θεὸς τῷ Μωῦσῇ σημῆναι θέλων, Ἐγώ εἶμι ὁ ὢν, ἔφη τῆς ὢν συλλαβῆς οὑχ ἕνα μόνον ξ δηλούτης, ἀλλὰ τοὺς τρεῖς, τόν τε παρεληλυ· θότα, καὶ τὸν ἐνεστῶτα, καὶ τὸν μέλλοντα. Οὕτω γὰρ καὶὸ Πλάτων τοῦ ὢν ἐπὶ τοῦ περιττοῦ μέμνηται χρόνου, ( ὃν δὲ οὐδέποτε,› λέγων. Τὸ γὰρ ι οὐδὲ· ποτε ι οὐκ ἐπὶ τοῦ παρεληλυθότος, ὡς οἴονταί τινες, ἀλλʼ ἐπὶ τοῦ μέλλοντος εἴρηται χρόνον. Τοῦτο γὰρ καὶ παρὰ τοῖς ἔξωθεν ἠκρίβωται. Διὶ τοῦτο τοίνυν, ῶσπερ ἑρμηνεῦσαι τοῖς ἀγνοοῦσι τὺ μυστικῶς περὶ τῆς ἁῖδιότητος τοῦ Θεοῦ διὰ τῆς μετοχῆς εἰρημένον βουλόμενος ὁ Πλάτων, αὐταῖς λέξεσιν οὕτω γέγραφεν· ι '0 μὲν δὴ Θεὸς, ὥσπερ καὶ ὁ παλαιὸς λόγος, ἀρχὴν καὶ τελευτὴν καὶ μέσα τῶν πάντων ἔχων.» Ἐνταῦθα ὁ Πλάτων σαφῶς καὶ φανερῶς τὸν παλαιὸν λόγον Μωῡσέως ὀνομάζει νόμον, τοῦ μὲν ὀνόματος Μωῦσέως, φόβῳ τοῦ κωνείου μεμνῆσθαι δεδιώς ἠπίστατο γὰρ τὴν τοῦ ἀνδρὸς διδασκαλίαν, ἐχθρὰν Ἑλλήνων οῦσαψ διὰ δὲ τῆς τοῦ λόγου παλαιότητος, τὸν Μωῦσέα σημαίνει σαφῶς. ’Ότι δὲ παλαιὸς κα). πρῶτος ὁ Μωῦσέως νόμος, καὶ ἐκ τῆς Διοδώρου καὶ τῶν λοιπῶν ἱστοριῶν ἱκανῶς ἡμῖν ἐν τοῖς προάγουσιν ἀποδέδεικται. Πρῶτον γὰρ ἁπάντων νομοθέτην αὑτὸν Διόδωρος γεγενῆσθαι λέγει, μηδέπω μηδὲ τῶν τοῖς Ἕλλησι διαφερόντων εὑρεθέντων γραμμάτων, οἷς χρώμενοι τὰς ἑαυτῶν γε· γράψασιν ἱστορίας. ### English translation (Claude) How, then, does Plato blame Homer for saying that the gods can be turned, although Homer said this for a useful purpose, as is plain from the very words spoken? For it is characteristic of those who think fit to obtain kindness through prayer and sacrifices to cease from and repent of their sins. For those who think the divine cannot be turned have by no means chosen to depart from their sins, thinking that they will have no profit from repentance. How, then, does the philosopher Plato, condemning the poet Homer for saying "Even the gods themselves can be turned," himself bring in the craftsman of the gods turning so easily that he says at one time that the gods are mortal and at another that the same are immortal? And not only about them, but also about matter, from which, as he says, the fashioned gods must have come to be, he says at one time that it is unbegotten and at another that it is begotten; not knowing that he himself is convicted of falling into the very things for which he blames Homer, when he says that the craftsman of the gods turns so easily, although Homer said the opposite about him. For he represents him as saying thus about himself: "For no word of mine can be taken back, nor is it deceitful, nor unfulfilled, whatever I confirm with a nod of my head." But these strange things about gods Plato evidently sets out unwillingly, it seems, fearing those who embrace polytheism. But whatever he thinks he ought to say of what he learned from Moses and the prophets about one God, he chose to say in a hidden way, signifying his own opinion to those who wish to be godly. For pleased by what was said by God to Moses, "I am He Who Is," and receiving with much contemplation the short saying expressed through the participle, he knew that God, wishing to signify his eternity to Moses, said, "I am He Who Is"; for the word "is" indicates not one time only but all three, the past, the present, and the future. For so Plato too uses "is" of indefinite time, saying "but never is." For the "never" is said not of past time, as some think, but of future time; this has been precisely established also among those outside. For this reason, as if wishing to explain to those who do not know what was said in a hidden way about God's eternity through the participle, Plato wrote thus in these very words: "God, as the ancient word also says, holding the beginning and end and middle of all things." Here Plato clearly and plainly calls the law of Moses "the ancient word," fearing to mention the name of Moses for fear of the hemlock; for he knew that the man's teaching was hateful to the Greeks; but by the antiquity of the word he clearly indicates Moses. That the law of Moses is ancient and first has been sufficiently shown to us in what precedes from Diodorus and the other histories. For Diodorus says that he was the first lawgiver of all, when not even the letters used by the Greeks, with which they wrote their histories, had yet been found. ### Scripture references - Exod 3:14: quotation, high confidence ### Extrabiblical texts - Homer, Il. 9.497 (Homer, Iliad): quotation, high confidence - Homer, Il. 1.526-527 (Homer, Iliad): quotation, high confidence - Plato, Leg. 715e (Plato (works)): quotation, high confidence - Diodorus Siculus, 1.94.1 (Diodorus Siculus, Library of History): allusion, medium confidence ### Translation notes - Iliad 1.526–527; Plato, Timaeus 28a ("never is"); Laws 4.715e ("as the ancient word says"); Exod 3:14. ### Citation (SBL) Ps.-Justin, Cohort. Graec. 25 (PG 6:285b–288c; trans. Sophia Scriptura, https://sophiascriptura.com/fathers/ps-justin-cohortatio/14/#p-25). ## Hortatory Address to the Greeks 26 - URL: https://sophiascriptura.com/fathers/ps-justin-cohortatio/14/#p-26 - Source: PG 6:288c–289b - Translation: Claude (claude-opus-5-5), 2026-09-27 Summary: Plato attributes true knowledge to "men dear to God", meaning the prophets, and from them learned of judgment after death. ### Greek text Θαυμαζέτω δὲ μηδεὶς, εἰ περὶ τῆς ἀϊδιότητος τοῦ Θεοῦ τῷ Μωϋσεῖ πεισθεὶς ὁ Πλάτων. Εὑρήσεις γὰρ αὐτὸν μυστικῶς μετὰ τὸν ὅντως ὄντα Θεὸν καὶ τοῖς προφήταις τὴν ἀληθῆ περὶ τῶν ὄντων ἀνα φέροντα γνῶσιν. Οὕτω γὰρ ἐν τῷ Τιμαίῳ περὶ τινων ἀρχῶν διαλεγόμενος γέγραφε ο ι Τὴν δὲ πυρὸς ἀρχὴν, καὶ τῶν ἄλλων σωμάτων ὑποτιθέμεθα, κατά τὸν μετʼ ἀνάγκης εἰκότα λόγον πορευόμενοι. Τὰς δὲ ἔτι τούτων ἀρχὰς ὁ Θεὸς οἶδεν ἄνωθεν, κα). ἀνδρῶν ὃς ἂν ἐκείνῳ φίλος ι Ἀνδρας δὲ τίνας ἑτέρους τῷ Θεῷ φίλους εἶναι νομίζει, εἰ μὴ Μωῦσέα καὶ τοὺς λοιποὺς προφήτας; ὧν ταῖς προφητείαις ἐντυχὼν, καὶ τὸν περ). κρίσεως παρʼ αὐτῶν μεμαθηκὼς λόγον, ἐν τῷ πρώτῳ τῆς Πολιτείας λόγῳ οὕτω προαναφωνεῖ λέγωνʼ ι Ἐπειδὰν τις ἐγγὺς τοῦ οἴεσθαι τελευτήσειν, εἰσέρχεται αὐτῷ φόβος καὶ φροντὶς περὶ ὧν ἐν τῷ πρόσθεν οὐκ εἰσῄει. Οἵ τε γὰρ λεγόμενοι μῦθοι περὶ τῶν ἐν ᾍδου, ὡς τὸν ὲν·θάδε ἀδικήσαντα δέοι ἐκεῖ διδόναι δίκην, καταγελώμενοι τέως, τότε δὴ στρέφουσιν αὐτοῦ τὴν ψυχὴν, μὴ ἀληθεῖς ὦσι. Καὶ αὐτὸς ἦτοι ὑπὸ τῆς τοῦ γήρως ἀσθενείας, ἢ καὶ ὥσπερ ἐγγυτέρω ῶν τῶν ἐκεῖ, μᾶλλον καθορᾷ αὐτὰ. ’Υποψίας γοῦν καὶ δείματος μεστὸς γίνεται. καὶ ἀναλογίζεται ἤδη, καὶ σκοπεῖ εἴ τινά τι ἠδίκησεν. '0 μὲν οὖν τις εὑρίσκων ἑαυτοῦ ὲν τῷ βίῳ πολλὰ ἀδικήματα, καὶ ὲκ τῶν ὕπνων, ὥσπερ οἱ παῖδες, θαμά ἐγειρόμενος, δειμαίνει, καὶ ζῇ μετά κακῆς τῆς ἐλπίδος. Τῷ δὲ μηδὲν ἄδικον ἑαυτῷ ξυνειδότι, γλυκεῖα ἐλπὶς ἀεὶ πάρεστι, καὶ ἁγαθὴ γηρο· τρόφος, ὥσπερ καὶ Πίνδαρος λέγει. Χαριέντως γάρ τοι, ὦ Σώκρατες, τοῦτʼ ἐκεῖνος εἷπεν,ὃτι ὃς ἂν ὁσίως καὶ δικαίως τὸν βίον διαγάγῃ, Γλυκεῑὰν cl καρδίαν ἀτιτάλλουσα γηροτρόρ [ρος ξυναορεῐ Ἐλπὶς, οἳ μάλιστα θνατῶν πολύστρῖρωέ quorum“ xv ερνςι.» Καὶ ταῦτα μὲν ὲν τῷ πρώτῳ τῆς Πολιτείας γέγραφε λόγῳ, ### English translation (Claude) Let no one wonder that Plato was persuaded by Moses about the eternity of God. For you will find him, in a hidden way, referring the true knowledge of beings, after the God who truly is, to the prophets as well. For thus in the Timaeus, discussing certain principles, he wrote: "The principle of fire and of the other bodies we lay down, proceeding according to the probable account joined with necessity; but the principles still higher than these God knows, and of men whoever is dear to him." Whom else does he think to be men dear to God but Moses and the other prophets? Having read their prophecies, and learned from them the doctrine of the judgment, in the first book of the Republic he proclaims thus: "When someone comes near to thinking that he will die, fear and anxiety come over him about things that did not occur to him before. For the stories told about those in Hades, that one who did wrong here must pay the penalty there, laughed at until then, now torment his soul lest they be true. And he himself, either from the weakness of old age or as being nearer to things there, sees them more clearly. He becomes full of suspicion and dread, and now reckons up and considers whether he has wronged anyone. He who finds many wrongs of his own in his life, often waking from sleep like children, is afraid and lives with evil foreboding. But to him who is conscious of no wrong, sweet hope is always present, a good nurse of old age, as Pindar also says. For gracefully, Socrates, he said this: that whoever passes his life holily and justly, sweet Hope accompanies him, cheering his heart, the nurse of his old age, Hope who most of all steers the much-turning mind of mortals." And these things he wrote in the first book of the Republic. ### Extrabiblical texts - Plato, Tim. 53d (Plato (works)): quotation, high confidence - Plato, Resp. 330d-331a (Plato (works)): quotation, high confidence - Pindar, frag. 214 (Pindar (odes and fragments)): quotation, high confidence ### Translation notes - Plato, Timaeus 53d; Republic 1.330d–331a, quoting Pindar (fragment 214). The end of the Pindar lines is garbled in the scan. ### Citation (SBL) Ps.-Justin, Cohort. Graec. 26 (PG 6:288c–289b; trans. Sophia Scriptura, https://sophiascriptura.com/fathers/ps-justin-cohortatio/14/#p-26). ## Hortatory Address to the Greeks 27 - URL: https://sophiascriptura.com/fathers/ps-justin-cohortatio/14/#p-27 - Source: PG 6:289b–292b - Translation: Claude (claude-opus-5-5), 2026-09-27 Summary: Plato's myth of Er, with Ardiaeus punished in body, shows he learned judgment and even bodily resurrection from the prophets. ### Greek text Ἐν δὲ τῷ δεκάτῳ σαφῶς καὶ φανερῶς, ἃ παρὰ τῶν προφητῶν περὶ κρίσεως μεμάθηκε, ταῦτα οὐχ ὥσπερ παρʼ αὐτῶν μεμαθηκὼς, διὰ τὸ πρὸς ’Έλληνας δέος, ἀλλʼ ὡς παρά τινος, ὡς αὐτῷ πλάττειν ἐδόκει, ὲν πολέμῳ ἀναιρεθέντος, καὶ δωδεκαταίου μέλλοντος θάπτεσθαι, καὶ ἐπὶ τῆς πυρᾶς κειμένου, ἀναβιώσαντός τε καὶ τὰ ἐκεῖ διηγουμένου ἀκηκοὼς, αὐταῖς λέξεσιν οὕτω γέγραφεν «Ἔφη γὰρ δὴ παραγενέσθαι ἐρωτωμένῳ ἑτέρῳ ὑπὸ ἑτέρου, ὅπου εἴη Ἀρδιαῖος ὁ μέγας. '0 δὲ ’Λριδαῖος οὗτος τῆς Παμφυλίας ἕν τινι πόλει τύραννος ἐγεγόνει, γέροντα πατέρα ἀποκτείνας, καὶ πρεσβύτερον ἀδελφὸν, καὶ ἄλλα δὴ πολλά καὶ ἀνόσια ἐργασάμενος, ὡς ἐλέγετο. Ἔφη γοῦν τὸν ἐρωτώμενον εἰπεῖν Οὐχ ἥκει, φάναι, οῦδὲ ἂν ἥξει δεῦρο. Ἐθεασάμεθα γάρ δὴ καὶ τοῦτο τῶν δεινῶν θεαμάτων· ἐπειδὴ ἐγγὺς τοῦ στομίου ἦμεν, μέλλοντες ἀνιέναι, καὶ τὰ ἄλλα πάντα πεπονθότες, ὲκεῖνόν τε κατείδομεν ἐξαίφνης, καὶ ἄλλους σχεδόν τι αὐτῷ τοὺς πλείστους τυράννους. Ἦσαν δὲ καὶ ἰδιῶταί τινες τῶν μεγάλα ἡμαρτηκότων. Οὓς οἰομένους ἤδη ἀναβήσεσθαι, οὐκ ἐδέχετο τὸ στόμιον, ἀλλά ἐμυκᾶτο ὁπότε τις τῶν οὕτως ἀνιάτως ἐχόντων εἰς πονηρίαν, εἰ μὴ ἱκανῶς δεδωκὼς δίκην, ἐπιχειροῖ ἀνιέναι. Ἐνταῦθα ἄνδρες ἄγριοι, διάπυροι ἰδεῖν, παρεστῶτες, καὶ καταμανθάνοντες τὸ φθέγμα, τοὺς μὲν διαλαβόντες ἦγον, τὸν δὲ Ἀρδιαῖον καὶ ἄλλους, συμποδίσαντες χεῖράς τι καὶ πόδας, καὶ κεφαλὴν καταβαλόντες καὶ ἐκδείραντες, εἷλκον παρὰ τὴν ὁδὸν ἐκτὸς, ἔπʼ ἀσπαλάθων γνάμπτοντες, καὶ τοῖς παροῦσι σημαίνοντες ὧν ἕνεκά τε ταῦτα ὑπομένοιεν, καὶ ὅτι εἷς τὸν τάρταρον ἐμπεσούμενοι ἄγοιντο. ’Ἔνθα δὴ φόβων ἔφη πολλῶν καὶ παντοδαπῶν σφίσι γεγονότων, τοῦτον ὑπερβάλλειν, εἷ μυκήσαιτο τὸ στόμιον ὅτε ἀναβαίνοιεν, ὡς καὶ ἀσμενέστατα ἕκαστον σιγήσαντος ἀναβῆναι, Καὶ τὰς μὲν δίκας τε καὶ τιμωρίας τοιαύτας τινὰς εἶναι, καὶ αὖ τας εὐεργεσίας ταύταις ἀντιστρόφους. ι Ἐνταύθά μοι δοκεῖ ὁ Πλάτων οὖ μόνον τὸν περὶ κρίσεως παρὰ τῶν προφητῶν μεμαθηκέναι λόγον, ἆλλᾶ καὶ τὸν περὶ τῆς ἆπιστουμένης παρʼ Ἕλλησιν ἀναστάσεως. Τὸ γὰρ μετᾶ σώματος κρίνεσθαι τήν ψυχὴν εἶναι, οὐδὲν ἕτερον δηλοῖ, ἢ ὅτι τῷ περὶ τῆς ἀναστάσεως ἐπίστευσε λόγῳ. Ἐπεὶ πῶς Ἀριδαῖος καὶ, οἱ λοιποὶ, τὸ ἕχον σῶμα κεφαλὴν καὶ χεῖρας καὶ πόδας καὶ δέρμα ὑπὲρ γὴς καταλιπόντες, τοιαύτην ὑπεῖχον ἐν ᾍδου τιμωρίαν ; Οὑ γὰρ δή που τὴν ψυχὴν κεφαλὴν καὶ χεῖρας καὶ πόδας καὶ δέρμα ἔχειν φήσουσιν. ### English translation (Claude) And in the tenth (book) he wrote clearly and plainly what he had learned from the prophets about the judgment, not as having learned it from them, because of his fear of the Greeks, but as having heard it from someone, as he thought fit to invent, who had been killed in war and was to be buried on the twelfth day, and who, lying on the pyre, came back to life and told what is there. He wrote thus in these very words: "For he said that he was present when one was asked by another where Ardiaeus the Great was. This Ardiaeus had been tyrant in a certain city of Pamphylia, having killed his aged father and his elder brother and done many other unholy deeds, as was said. He said, then, that the one who was asked replied: He has not come, nor will he come here. For this too was one of the terrible sights we saw: when we were near the mouth, about to go up, and had gone through everything else, we suddenly caught sight of him and of others, nearly all of them tyrants; and there were also some private persons among those who had sinned greatly. These, when they thought they would now go up, the mouth would not receive, but it bellowed whenever one of those so incurably given to wickedness, or one who had not paid the penalty sufficiently, tried to go up. Then savage men, fiery to look at, standing by and perceiving the sound, seized some and led them away; but Ardiaeus and others they bound hand and foot and head, threw them down and flayed them, and dragged them along the way outside, carding them on thorns, and showing to those who passed by why they suffered this, and that they were being led away to be thrown into Tartarus. There, he said, of the many fears of every kind they had, this surpassed all: lest the mouth should bellow when they went up; and each went up most gladly when it was silent. And the penalties and punishments were such as these, and the rewards were their counterparts." Here Plato seems to me to have learned from the prophets not only the doctrine of the judgment but also that of the resurrection, which is disbelieved among the Greeks. For his saying that the soul is judged with the body shows nothing else than that he believed the doctrine of the resurrection. Otherwise how did Ardiaeus and the others, having left on earth the body that has head and hands and feet and skin, undergo such punishment in Hades? For surely they will not say that the soul has head and hands and feet and skin. ### Extrabiblical texts - Plato, Resp. 615c-616a (Plato (works)): quotation, high confidence ### Translation notes - Plato, Republic 10.614b–616a (the myth of Er). Several words of the quotation are garbled in the scan and read from Plato's text; a stray footnote mark is removed. ### Citation (SBL) Ps.-Justin, Cohort. Graec. 27 (PG 6:289b–292b; trans. Sophia Scriptura, https://sophiascriptura.com/fathers/ps-justin-cohortatio/14/#p-27). ## Hortatory Address to the Greeks 28 - URL: https://sophiascriptura.com/fathers/ps-justin-cohortatio/28/#p-28 - Source: PG 6:292b–296b - Translation: Claude (claude-opus-5-5), 2026-09-27 Summary: Homer too learned in Egypt and borrowed from Moses: bodily punishment of Tityus, creation on Achilles' shield, paradise in Alcinous's garden, Babel in Otus and Ephialtes, and the devil's fall in Ate. ### Greek text Καὶ οὐχ ὁ Πλάτων μόνον, ἀλλὰ καὶ ’Ὅμηρος ὁμοίως καὶ αὖτὸς ἓν Αἰγύπτῳ μαθὼν, τὸν Τιτυὸν ὁμοίως τιμωρεῖσθαι ἔφη, Οὕτω γὰρ ἒν τῇ νεκυομαντεία Ὀδυσσεὺς τῷ Ἀλκινόῳ διηγεῖται λέγων· Καὶ Τιτυὸν εἶδον γαίης ἐρικυδέα υἱὸν Κείμενον ἐν δαπέδῳ · ’ὅδʼ ἐπʼ ἐννέα κεῖτο πέλε- Γῦπε δέ μιν ἐκάθερτε παρημένω ἧπαρ ἔκειρον θοα · Ἧπαρ γὰρ οὐ τὴν ψυχήν, ἀλλὰ τὸ σῶμα ἔχειν δηλοῖ. Τὸν αὐτὸν δὴ τρόπον καὶ Σίσυφον καὶ Τάνταλον μετὰ σώματος τὴν τιμωρίαν ὑπέχειν γέγραφεν, ”Οτι δὲ ’Όμηρος ἐν Αἰγύπτῳ γέγονε, καὶ πολλὰ ὧν ἐκεῖ μεμάθηκεν, εἰς τὴν ἑαυτοῦ μετήνεγκε ποίησιν, ἱκανῶς διδάσκει ἡμᾶς Διόδωρος, ὁ τῶν ἱστοριογράφων ἐνδοξότατος. ’Ἔφη γὰρ αὐτὸν ἐν Αἰγύπτῳ γενόμενον μεμαθηκέναι, ὅτι τὸ Νηπενθὲς ἄχολον τε κακῶν ἓπίληθῖς ingv— των των γάρμακον ἡ Ἐλένη λαβοῦσα παρὰ τῆς Θέωνος γυναικὸς Πολυδάμνας, εἱς τὴν Σπάρτην ἐκόμισε, Κάκείνῳ τῷ φαρμάκῳ ἔφη Ὄμηρος χρησαμένην την Ἑλένην παῦσαι τὸν ἓν τῆ παρουσίᾳ Τηλεμάχου παρᾶ Μενελάου γενόμενον θρῆνον. Καὶ χρυiv δὲ Ἀφροδίτην ὠνόμασεν ὲκ τῆς ἓν Αἰγύπτῳ ἱστορίας. ΗΕγνω γὰρ καὶ τέμενος χρυσῆς Ἀφροδί της ἒν Αἰγύπτύ λεγόμενον, καὶ πεδίον χρυσῆς Ἀφροδίτης ὀνομαζόμενον, Καὶ τοῦ χάριν τούτου γέγονε μνήμη νυνί ; Ἵνα δείξωμεν τον ποιητὴν καὶ τῶν ἀπὸ τῆς θείας τῶν προφητῶν Ἰ) ἱστορίας πολλὰ εἰς τὴν ἑαυτοῦ μεταβαλόντα ποίησιν Καὶ πρῶτον τῆς κοσμοποιίας ὑπὸ Μοϋσέως τὴν εἰρημένην ἂρχήν · οὕτω γὰρ Μωϋσῆς γέγραφεν Ἐν ἀρχῇ ἐποίησεν ὁ Θεὸς τὸν οὗρανὸν καὶ τὴν γῆν, εἴτι ἥλιον καὶ σελήνην καὶ ἀστέρας. Ταῦτα γὰρ ὲν Αἶγὺπτῳ μαθὼν, καὶ tot: ὑπʼ αὑτοῦ ἕν τῇ τοῦ κόσμου γενέ · σει γραφεῖσιν ἀρεσθεὶς, ἓν τῇ τοῦ Ἀχιλλέως ἀσπίδι τὸν Ἥφαιστον ὥσπερ εἰκόνα τινὰ τῆς κοσμοποιίας κατασκευάσαι παρεσκεύασεν, Οὕτω γὰρ γέγραφεν “ Ἐν μὲν γαῖαν ἔτευξʼ, ἐν δʼ οὖρα-ιον, ἐν δὲ Θά- [λασσαη Ἐἐλιρν τʼ ςξιιωῖμαντα σελήνην τε πλήθουσαν γʼ Ἐν δέ τε τείρεα πάντα, τά τʼ οςῖιρανὸς ἒστεφὰνωα [wn Ἦ [ται υ. Καὶ τοῦ παραδείσου δὲ εἰκόνα τὸν ’Λλκινόου κῆπον ται. σώζειν πεποίηκεν, ἀειθαλῆ τι αὒτον καὶ καρπῶν πλήρη διὰ τῆς εὶκόνος imbutka ’ οὕτω γὰρ γέγραφεν ' ξʼνΕνθα δὲ δένδρεα μακρὰ πεφύκει τηλεθόωντα, ’Οχναι, καὶ ῥοιαὶ, διαὶ μηλέαι ἀγλαόκαρποι, Συκατ τε γλυκεραὶ, καὶ ἐλαῖαι τηλεθόωσαι. Τάων οὔποτε καρπὸς ἀπόλλυται, οὐδʼ ἐπιλείπει Χείματος οὒδὲ θέρους ἐπετήσιος, ἄλλʼ ἀεὶ αὔρη Ζεφυρίη πνείουσα τὰ μὲν φύει, ἄλλα δὲ πέσσει. ’Ὄχνη ἐπʼ ὄχνῃ γηράσκει, μῆλον δʼγὲπὶ μήλῳ, γλι” ’, vly'“ l“l"‘""' Γʼ”’”” “”Τ”””“Ί Αὖτέιρ ἐπὶ σταφυλῆ σταφυλὴ, σῦχον δʼ ἐπὶ σύκιγ. "Exte: δέ οἱ πολύκαρποςγὰλωη ἐρρίζωται Τῆς ἕτερον μὲν Θειλόπεδον λευρῷ ἐνὶ χώρῳ Ξέρξεταικήελίῳ, ἑτέρας δʼ ἄρα τρυγόωσιν, ιερσεται ηιΛιῳ, ετεριις ο api τε τευ ηωσιη, ῨΛλλας δὲ τραπέουσι, πάροιθε δέ τ ἕμφακές εἰσιν, ’Ἄνθος ἀφιεῖσαι, ἕτεραι δʼ ὕποπερκάζουγσι 33, Ταῦτα τὰ ῥήματα οὔ φανερὰν καί σαφῆ μίμησιν τῶν ὑπὸ τοῦ πρώτου προφήτου Μωϋσέως περὶ τοῦ παραδείσου λεχθέντων δηλοῖ ; El δέ τις καὶ εἷς τὴν τοῦ πύργου ποίησιν ἀφορᾷν testu, διʼ ἧς οἱ τὸ τηνικαῦτα ἄνδρες τὴν εἰς οὐρανὸν ἄνοδον δύνασθαι κατασκευάζειν ἑαυτοῖς ᾤοντο, εὑρήσει καὶ ταύτην ἱκανὴν διʼ ἀλληγορίας μίμησιν ὕπὸ τοῦ ποιητοῦ διά τε Ὤτου καὶ Ἐφιάλτου γινομένην · οὕτω γὰρ καὶ ὁ ποιητὴς περὶ αὐτῶν ἔφη · οἳ ῥα καὶ αθανάτοισιν ἀπειλήτην ἐν Ὀλύμπῳ Φυλόπιδα στήσειν πολυάϊκος πολέμοιο. Οσσαν ἔπʼ Οὖλύμπῳ μέμασαν Θέμεν, αξτᾶρ ἐπʼ Πήλιον εἰνοσίφυλλον, ’ἔνʼ οὐρανὸς ἀμβατὸς εἴηΙ ign“ )μοίως δὲ καὶ περὶ τοῦ ἀπʼ οὐρανῶν κατενεχθέντος ἐχθροῦ τῆς ἀνθρωπότητος, ὃν διάβολον αἱ θεῖαι Γραφαὶ καλοῦσιν, ἀπὸ τῆς πρώτης αὑτοῦ πρὸς τον ἄνθρωπον (Ξο) διαβολῆς, ταύτης τῆς προσηγορίας τυχόντα· καὶ εἴ τις ἀκριβῶς σκοπεῖν ἐθέλοι, εὖροι ἂν τὸν ποιητὴν τοῦ μὲν διαβόλου ὀνόματος οὐδαμῶς μεμνημένον, ἐκ δὲ τῆς κακίστης αὑτοῦ πράξεως τὴν ὀνομασίαν πεποιημένον · Ἀτην γάρ αὑτὸν ὁ ποιητὴς ὀνομάζων, ὑπὸ τοῦ κατʼ αὐτοὺς Θεοῦ καθῃρῆσθαι αὐτὸν ὲκ τοῦ οὐρανοῦ λέγει, ὥσπερ ἀκριβῶς τῶν ι ὑπὸ Ἠσαῖου τοῦ προφήτου περὶ αὐτοῦ εἰρημένων μεμνημένος ῥητῶν ’ οὕτως ὲν τῇ ἑαυτοῦ ποιήσει γέγραφεν ’ ' Αὐτίκα δʼ,εἷλʼ Ἄτην κεφαλῆς λιπαροπλοκάμοιο Χωόμενος φρεσὶν ᾖσι. καὶ ὤμοσε καρτερὸν ὅρκον, Αὖθις emacem ’ῗΑτηνα ἢετᾴνταςᾴᾶται. ι Ὠς εἰπὼν, ἔρριψεν ἀπʼ οὐρανοῦ ᾁστερόετοτρς Χειρὶ περιστρέψας ο τάχα δʼ ἵκετο ἔργʼ ἀνθρώπων. ### English translation (Claude) And not only Plato but Homer too, having likewise learned it in Egypt, said that Tityus is punished in the same way. For thus in the calling-up of the dead Odysseus recounts to Alcinous, saying: "And I saw Tityus, glorious son of Earth, lying on the ground; and he lay stretched over nine plethra; and two vultures, sitting on either side, were tearing at his liver." For it is plain that it is not the soul but the body that has a liver. In the same way he wrote that Sisyphus and Tantalus too undergo punishment with the body. That Homer was in Egypt, and transferred into his own poetry many things he learned there, Diodorus, the most renowned of historians, teaches us sufficiently. For he said that when he was in Egypt he learned that Helen took the drug nepenthe, which soothes grief and anger and makes one forget all ills, from Polydamna the wife of Thon, and brought it to Sparta; and Homer said that Helen, using that drug, stopped the lament that arose at Menelaus's house in the presence of Telemachus. And he named Aphrodite "golden" from the history in Egypt; for he knew of a precinct in Egypt called that of golden Aphrodite, and of a plain named the plain of golden Aphrodite. And for what reason has this been mentioned now? To show that the poet transferred into his own poetry many things also from the divine history of the prophets. And first the beginning of the making of the world, spoken by Moses; for Moses wrote thus: "In the beginning God made the heaven and the earth," then the sun and the moon and the stars. Having learned these things in Egypt, and pleased with what Moses wrote on the coming-to-be of the world, he had Hephaestus make on the shield of Achilles, as it were, an image of the making of the world. For he wrote thus: "On it he made the earth, and the heaven, and the sea, and the tireless sun and the full moon, and on it all the constellations with which heaven is crowned." And he made the garden of Alcinous preserve an image of paradise, representing it in the image as ever-blooming and full of fruits. For he wrote thus: "There tall trees grow, flourishing, pears and pomegranates and apple trees with shining fruit, sweet figs and flourishing olives. Their fruit never perishes nor fails, winter or summer, all the year round; but the west wind, always blowing, makes some grow and ripens others. Pear upon pear grows old, apple on apple, cluster on cluster, and fig on fig. There too his fruitful vineyard is planted; part of it, a warm spot on level ground, is dried by the sun; other grapes they are gathering, others they are treading; in front are unripe grapes shedding their bloom, and others turning dark." Do not these words show a plain and clear imitation of what was said by the first prophet Moses about paradise? And if anyone will look also at the building of the tower, by which the men of that time thought they could make for themselves an ascent to heaven, he will find that this too is sufficiently imitated in allegory by the poet through Otus and Ephialtes. For the poet said thus about them: "They threatened even the immortals on Olympus to raise the din of furious war; they strove to set Ossa on Olympus, and on Ossa leafy Pelion, so that heaven might be climbed." And likewise about the enemy of mankind cast down from the heavens, whom the divine Scriptures call the devil, having obtained this name from his first slander against man; if anyone will examine it carefully, he would find that the poet nowhere mentions the name of the devil, but has made his naming from his most wicked deed. For calling him Ate, the poet says that he was cast down from heaven by their god, as if remembering exactly the words spoken about him by Isaiah the prophet. Thus he wrote in his own poetry: "At once he seized Ate by her head of glossy locks, angry in his heart, and swore a mighty oath that never again would Ate, who blinds all, come to Olympus and the starry heaven. So saying, he hurled her from the starry heaven, whirling her in his hand; and quickly she came to the works of men." ### Scripture references - Gen 1:1: quotation, high confidence - Gen 1:16: allusion, high confidence - Gen 2:8: allusion, high confidence - Gen 11:4: allusion, high confidence - Isa 14:12: allusion, high confidence - Rev 12:9: echo, medium confidence ### Extrabiblical texts - Homer, Od. 11.576-579 (Homer, Odyssey): quotation, high confidence - Diodorus Siculus, 1.97.7-9 (Diodorus Siculus, Library of History): allusion, high confidence - Homer, Od. 4.220-221 (Homer, Odyssey): allusion, high confidence - Homer, Il. 18.483-485 (Homer, Iliad): quotation, high confidence - Homer, Od. 7.114-126 (Homer, Odyssey): quotation, high confidence - Homer, Od. 11.313-316 (Homer, Odyssey): quotation, high confidence - Homer, Il. 19.126-131 (Homer, Iliad): quotation, high confidence ### Translation notes - Odyssey 11.576–579; Diodorus, Library 1.97.7–9 (nepenthe; golden Aphrodite); Odyssey 4.220–221; Gen 1:1, 14–16; Iliad 18.483–485; Odyssey 7.114–126; Gen 2:8–9; Gen 11:4; Odyssey 11.313–316; Iliad 19.126–131; Isa 14:12. "Devil" (διάβολος) means "slanderer". The Homeric verses are badly garbled in the scan and are translated from the recognizable Homeric text; a line printed twice is ignored. ### Citation (SBL) Ps.-Justin, Cohort. Graec. 28 (PG 6:292b–296b; trans. Sophia Scriptura, https://sophiascriptura.com/fathers/ps-justin-cohortatio/28/#p-28). ## Hortatory Address to the Greeks 29 - URL: https://sophiascriptura.com/fathers/ps-justin-cohortatio/28/#p-29 - Source: PG 6:296b–296d - Translation: Claude (claude-opus-5-5), 2026-09-27 Summary: Plato took his doctrine of forms from God's command to make the tabernacle after the pattern shown on the mountain, misunderstanding it. ### Greek text Καὶ Πλάτων δὲ μετὰ τὸν Θεὸν καὶ τὴν ὕλην τὸ εἶδος τρίτην ἀρχὴν εἰναι λέγων, οὐκ ἄλλοθέν ποθεν, ἀλλὰ παρὰ Μωῦσέως τὴν πρόφασιν εἰληφὼς φαίνεται, τὸ μὲν τοῦ εἴδους ὄνομα ἀπὸ τῶν Μωϋσέως μεμαθηκὼς ῥητῶν, οὐ διδαχθεὶς δὲ τηνικαῦτα παρὰ τῶν εἰδότων, ὅτι οὐδὲν ἐκτὸς μυστικῆς θεωρίας τῶν ὑπὸ Μωϋσέως εἰρημένων, σαφῶς γινώσκειν ἐστί δυνατόν. Γέγραφε γὰρ Μωῦσῆς ὡς τοῦ Θεοῦ περὶ τῆς σκηνῆς πρὸς αὑτὸν,εἰρηκότος οὕτωςʼ Καὶ ποιήσεις μοι κατὰ πάντα ὅσα ἐγὼ δεικνύω σοι ἐν τῷ ὄρει, τὸ παράδειγμα τῆς σκηνῆς, Καὶ πάλιν· C Καὶ ἀναστήσεις τὴν σκηνὴν κατὰ τὸ παράδειγμα πάντων τῶν σκευῶν αὐτῆς, καὶ οὕτως ποιήσεις. Καὶ αὖθις μικρὸν ὕστερον* Οὕτως ἄρα ποιήσεις κατὰ τὸν τύπον τὸν δεδειγμένον σοι ἐν τῷ ὄρει. Τούτοις οὖν ἐντυχὼν ὁ Πλάτων, οὐ μετὰ τῆς προσηκούσης θεωρίας δεξάμενος τὰ γεγραμμένα ῥητὰ, ᾠήθη εἶδός τι χωριστὸν προϋπάρχειν τοῦ αἰσθητοῦ · ὃ καὶ παράδειγμα τῶν γενομένων ὀνομάζει πολλάκις, ’ἐπειδὴ τὸ Μωῦσέως οὕτω περὶ τῆς σκηνῆς σημαίνει γράμμα. Κατὰ τὸ εἶδος τὸ δειχθέν σοι ἐν τῷ ὄρει, οὕτω ποιήσεις αὐτό. ### English translation (Claude) And Plato too, in saying that form is a third principle after God and matter, evidently took the occasion from nowhere else but from Moses, having learned the name of form from the words of Moses, but not having been taught at that time by those who knew that nothing of what was spoken by Moses can be known clearly without mystical contemplation. For Moses wrote that God said to him about the tabernacle thus: "And you shall make for me, according to all that I show you on the mountain, the pattern of the tabernacle." And again: "And you shall set up the tabernacle according to the pattern of all its furnishings, and so you shall make it." And again a little later: "So, then, you shall make it according to the type shown to you on the mountain." Plato, then, having read these, and not receiving the written words with the fitting contemplation, thought that some separate form pre-exists the sensible thing, which he also often calls the pattern of the things that come to be, since the writing of Moses about the tabernacle signifies thus: "According to the form shown to you on the mountain, so you shall make it." ### Scripture references - Exod 25:9: quotation, high confidence - Exod 26:30: allusion, medium confidence - Exod 25:40: quotation, high confidence ### Translation notes - Exod 25:9, 40; 26:30 (Septuagint). The "form" (εἶδος) is Plato's word for the Ideas. ### Citation (SBL) Ps.-Justin, Cohort. Graec. 29 (PG 6:296b–296d; trans. Sophia Scriptura, https://sophiascriptura.com/fathers/ps-justin-cohortatio/28/#p-29). ## Hortatory Address to the Greeks 30 - URL: https://sophiascriptura.com/fathers/ps-justin-cohortatio/28/#p-30 - Source: PG 6:296d–297d - Translation: Claude (claude-opus-5-5), 2026-09-27 Summary: Plato misread Genesis to posit ideas of earth, heaven, and man; Homer echoes Genesis in calling the dead body "earth". ### Greek text Ὁμοίως δὲ καὶ ἐπὶ τῆς γῆς, καὶ τοῦ οὐρανοῦ, καὶ τοῦ ἀνθρώπου σφαλεὶς φαίνεται ’ καὶ τούτων γὰρ ἰδέας εἶναι οἴεται. Ἐπειδὴ γὰρ Μωῦσῆς οὕτω γέ.. γραφεν· Ἑν ἀρχῇ ἐποίησεν ὀ Θεὸς τὸν οὐρανὸν καὶ τὴν γῆν· εἶτα παρʼ αὐτὰ συνάπτει λέγων · Ἢ δὲ γῆ ἦν ἀόρατος καὶ ἀκατασκεύαστος ᾠήθη ταύτην μὲν περὶ ἦς ἔφη, 'H δὲ γῆ ἦν, τὴν προῦπὀρχουσαν εἰρῆσθαι γῆν, ἐπειδὴ Μωῡσῆς ἔφη· Ἡ δὲ γῆ ἦν ἀόρατος καὶ ἀκατασκεύαστοςο ταύτην δὲ περὶ ἧς λέγει, Ἐποίησεν ό Θεὸς τὸν οὐρανὸν καὶ τὴν γῆν, ᾠήθη ταύτην λέγειν αὐτὸν τὴν κατά τὸ προῦπάρχον εἶδος ὑπὸ τοῦ Θεοῦ γενομένην αἱ· σθητήν. Ὁμοίως δὲ καὶ περὶ τοῦ γενομένου οὐρανοῦ, τὸν μὲν πεποιημένον οὐρανὸν, ὃν καὶ στερέωμα ὠνόμασε, τοῦτον εἶναι τὸν γενόμενον αἰσθητόν· ἕτερον δὲ εἶναι τὸν νοητὸν, περὶ οὗ ὁ προφήτης ἔφη · Ὁ οὐρανὸς τοῦ οὐρανοῦ τῷ Κυρίῳ· τὴν δὲ γῆν ἔδωκε τοῖς υἱοῖς τῶν ἀνθρώπων Καὶ περὶ ἀνθρώπου δὲ ὁμοίως, πρότερον μὲν ὀνόματος άν- Θρώπου μέμνηται Μωῦσῆς, εἶτα μετὰ τὰ πολλὰ τῶν Β κτισμάτων περὶ πλάσεως ἀνθρώπου πεποίηται μνήμην,οὖτω λέγων Καὶ ἐποίησεν ὁ Θεὸς τὸν ἄνθρωπον, χοῦν ἀπὸ τῆς γῆς λαβών. ᾩήθη γοῦν ἣν μὲν πρότερον ὀνομασθέντα ἄνθρωπον προϋπάρχειν τοῦ γενομένου, τὸν δὲ ὲκ τῆς γῆς πλασθέντα ὕπερον κατὰ τὸ προϋπάρχον εἶδος γεγενῆᾰθαι, Ὅτι δὲ ἐκ γῆς ἄνθρωπος πέπλασται, καὶ Ὄμηρος ἀπὸ τῆς παλαιᾶς καὶ θείας ἱστορίας μαθὼν τῆς λεγούσης, Γῆ εἶ, καὶ εἰς γῆν ἀπελεύσῃ, τὸ ἄψυχον τοῦ Ἕκτορος σῶμα κωφὴν ὀνομάζει γῆν. Ἔφη γάρ που κατὰ τοῦ Ἀχιλλέως μετὰ Θάνατον τὸ τοῦ Ἕκτορος σύροντος σῶμα ’ Κωφὴν γὰρ δὴ γαῖαν ἀεικίζειν μενεαίνων. Καὶ uili/ig ἀλλαχοῦ που τὸν Μενέλαον λέγοντα τοῖς μὴ C ἑτοίμως δεξαμένοις τὴν τοῦ ’Έκτορος περὶτῆς μοmilia; πρόκλησινʼ Ἀλλʼ ὑμεῖς μὲν πάντες ὕδωρ κιῖἒθγῦζαᾶῗζοισσε ἰ (οι ), διʼὑπερδάλλουσαν ὀργὴν εἰς τὴν ἀρχαίαν καὶ προτέραν αὐτοὺς ὲκ γῆς ἀναλύων πλάσιν. Ταῦτα ἀπὸ τῶν ἀρχαίων ἱστοριῶν ὲν Αἰγύπτῳ μεμαθηκότες Ὄμηρος καὶ Πλάτων, ὲν τοῖς- ἑαυτῶν γεγράφασι λόγοις. ### English translation (Claude) Likewise he evidently erred about the earth, the heaven, and man; for he thinks that there are ideas of these too. For since Moses wrote thus: "In the beginning God made the heaven and the earth," and then joins to it, saying: "And the earth was invisible and unformed," he thought that the earth of which he said "And the earth was" was spoken of as the pre-existing earth, because Moses said, "And the earth was invisible and unformed"; but the one of which he says "God made the heaven and the earth," he thought he was calling the sensible earth that came to be by God according to the pre-existing form. Likewise also about the heaven that came to be: the heaven that was made, which he also named firmament, is the sensible one that came to be, and another is the intelligible one, about which the prophet said: "The heaven of heaven is the Lord's, but the earth he gave to the sons of men." And likewise about man: Moses first mentions the name of man, then, after many of the creatures, makes mention of the forming of man, saying thus: "And God made man, taking dust from the earth." He thought, then, that the man named first pre-existed the one who came to be, while the one formed from the earth came to be later according to the pre-existing form. And that man was formed from earth Homer too knew, having learned it from the old and divine history, which says, "Earth you are, and to earth you will depart"; he calls the lifeless body of Hector "senseless earth." For he says somewhere against Achilles, who was dragging Hector's body after his death: "For in his fury he outrages the senseless earth." And again elsewhere (he represents) Menelaus saying to those who did not readily accept Hector's challenge to single combat: "But may you all become water and earth," in his excessive anger resolving them back into their ancient and first formation from earth. These things Homer and Plato, having learned them from the ancient histories in Egypt, wrote in their own works. ### Scripture references - Gen 1:1: quotation, high confidence - Gen 1:2: quotation, high confidence - Gen 1:8: allusion, high confidence - Ps 115:16 (113:24 LXX): quotation, high confidence - Gen 1:26: allusion, medium confidence - Gen 2:7: quotation, high confidence - Gen 3:19: quotation, high confidence ### Extrabiblical texts - Homer, Il. 24.54 (Homer, Iliad): quotation, high confidence - Homer, Il. 7.99 (Homer, Iliad): quotation, high confidence ### Translation notes - Gen 1:1–2, 6–8, 26; 2:7; 3:19; Ps 115:16 (LXX 113:24); Iliad 24.54; 7.99. The Homeric verses are garbled in the scan; a stray footnote mark is removed. ### Citation (SBL) Ps.-Justin, Cohort. Graec. 30 (PG 6:296d–297d; trans. Sophia Scriptura, https://sophiascriptura.com/fathers/ps-justin-cohortatio/28/#p-30). ## Hortatory Address to the Greeks 31 - URL: https://sophiascriptura.com/fathers/ps-justin-cohortatio/28/#p-31 - Source: PG 6:297d–300b - Translation: Claude (claude-opus-5-5), 2026-09-27 Summary: Plato's Zeus in his winged chariot comes from Ezekiel's cherubim, and his God in fire from the vision of Elijah. ### Greek text Ἐπεὶ πόθεν ἄλλοθεν μεμαθηκὼς ὁ Πλάτων πτηνὸν ἅρμα ἐλαύνειν τὸν Δία ὲν οὐρανῷ λέγει, εἰ μὴ ταῖς τῶν προφητῶν ἐντυχὼν ἱστορίαις, Ἔγνω γὰρ ἀπὸ τῶν τοῦ προφήτου ῥητῶν περὶ τῶν χερουβὶμ οὓτως εἰρημένων· Καὶ ἐξῆλθε δόξα Κυρίου ἀπὸ τοῦ οἴκου, καὶ ’ἐπέβη ἐπὶ χερουβίμ · καί ἀνέλαβε τὰ χερουβὶμ τὰς πτέρυγας αὐτῶν, καί οὶ τροχοὶ exegero; αὐτῶν- καὶ δόξα Κυρίου Θεοῦ Ἰσραὴλ ἦν ἐπʼ αὐτοῖς ὐπερὰνωθεν. Ἔνθεν oppid» μενος ὁ μεγαλόφωνος Πλάτων, μετὰ πολλῆς παρῤη. σίας βοᾷ λέῑῶῖῖπόἰιέῖπδὴ μέιτις έν οὐρανῷ Ζεὺς πτηνὸν ἅρμα ἐλαύνων.· Ἐπεὶ πόθεν ἄλλοθεν μεμαθηκὼς ταῦτα ἔγραψεν, εί μὴ παρὰ Μωῡσὲως καὶ τῶν προφητῶν; πόθεν δὲ τὴν πρόφασιν εἰληφὼς, καὶ ὲν τῇ πυρώδει οὐσίᾳ τὸν Θεὸν ἔφη; Οὐκ ἀπὸ τῆς τρίτης τῶν Βασιλειῶν ἱστορίας, ἔνθα γέγραπται· Οὐκ ἐν τῷ πνεύματι Κύριος, καὶ μετὰ τὸ πνεῦμα συσσεισμός· οὐκ ἐν τῷ συσσεισμῷ Κύριος, καὶ μετὰ τὸν συσσεισμὸν πῦρ· οὐκ ἐν τῷ πυρὶ Κύριος, καὶ μετὰ τὸ πῦρ φωνὴ αὔρας λεπτῆς ### English translation (Claude) For from where else did Plato learn to say that Zeus drives a winged chariot in heaven, unless he had read the histories of the prophets? For he knew it from the words of the prophet spoken about the cherubim thus: "And the glory of the Lord went out from the house and mounted the cherubim; and the cherubim lifted their wings, and the wheels beside them; and the glory of the Lord God of Israel was over them above." Taking his start from here, the loud-voiced Plato cries out with great boldness: "The great leader in heaven, Zeus, driving a winged chariot." For from where else did he learn these things and write them, if not from Moses and the prophets? And from where did he take the occasion to say that God is in the fiery substance? Was it not from the history of the third (book) of Kingdoms, where it is written: "The Lord was not in the wind; and after the wind an earthquake; the Lord was not in the earthquake; and after the earthquake a fire; the Lord was not in the fire; and after the fire a sound of a gentle breeze" … ### Scripture references - Ezek 10:18: quotation, high confidence - Ezek 10:19: quotation, high confidence - 1 Kgs 19:11: quotation, high confidence - 1 Kgs 19:12: quotation, high confidence ### Extrabiblical texts - Plato, Phaedr. 246e (Plato (works)): quotation, high confidence ### Translation notes - Ezek 10:18–19; Plato, Phaedrus 246e; 1 Kgs 19:11–12 ("third book of Kingdoms" in the Septuagint). The chapter breaks off in the scan after the quotation; the rest (on how such things are to be understood) is lost and shown as "…". ### Citation (SBL) Ps.-Justin, Cohort. Graec. 31 (PG 6:297d–300b; trans. Sophia Scriptura, https://sophiascriptura.com/fathers/ps-justin-cohortatio/28/#p-31). ## Hortatory Address to the Greeks 32 - URL: https://sophiascriptura.com/fathers/ps-justin-cohortatio/28/#p-32 - Source: PG 6:300b–301a - Translation: Claude (claude-opus-5-5), 2026-09-27 Summary: Plato's virtue given "by divine allotment" is the Holy Spirit of the prophets under another name. ### Greek text El δέ τις καὶ περὶ τῆς ἄνωθεν παρὰ Θεοῦ κατιούσης ἐπι τοὺς ἁγίους ἄνδρας δωρεᾶς, ἣν Πνεῦμα ἆγιον ὀνομάζουσιν oi ἱεροὶ προφῆται, ἀκριβῶς σκοπεῖν ἐθέλοι, εὕροι ἂν καὶ ταύτην ὑπὸ Πλάτωνος ὲν τῷ πρὸς Μένωνα λόγῳ, διʼ ἑτέρου ὀνόματος κηρυττομένην. Δεδιὼς γὰρ τὴν τοῦ Θεοῦ δωρεὰν Πνεῦμα ἆγιον ὀνομάζειν, ἵνα μὴ δόξῃ, τῇ τῶν προφητῶν ἑπόμενος διδασκαλίᾳ, ἐχθρὸς Ἑλλήνων εἶναι, τὸ μὲν ἄνωθεν αὐτὸ παρὰ Θεοῦ κατιέναι ὁμολογεῖ, οὐ μὴν Πνεῦμα ἅγιον, ἀλλʼ ἀρετὴν ὀνομάζειν αὐτὸ ἠξίου. Οὕτω γάρ πρὸς τὸν Μένωνα ὲν τῷ Περὶ ἀντιμνήσεως λόγῳ, πολλὰ πρότερον περὶ τῆς ἀρετῆς ζητήσας, πότερόν ποτε διδακτὸν ἡ ἀρετὴ, ἢ οὐ διδακτὸν, ἀλλʼ ἀσκητὸν, ἢ οὔτε ἀσκητὸν, οὔτε μαθητὸν, ἀλλὰ φύσει παραγινόμενον τοῖς ἀνθρώποις, ἢ ἄλλῳ τινὶ τρόπῳ, αὑταῖς λέξεσιν οὕτως ἀποφαίνεται λέγων· ι Ei δὲ νῦν ἡμεῖς ὲν παντὶ τῷ λόγῳ τούτῳ καλῶς ὲζητήσαμέν τε καὶ ἐλέγομεν, ἀρετὴ ἂν εἴη οὔτε φύσει, οὔτε διδακτὸν, ἀλλὰ θείᾳ μοίρᾳ παραγινομένη ἄνευ νοῦ, οἷς ἂν παραγίνεται. » Ταύτην, οἶμαι, σαφῶς παρὰ τῶν προφητῶν περὶ τοῦ ἁγίου Πνεύματος μεμαθηκὼς Πλάτων, εἰς τὸν τῆς ἀρετῆς ὄνομα μεταφέρων φαίνεται. Ὁμοίως γάρ ῶσπερ οἱ ἱεροὶ προφῆται τὸ ἓν καὶ τὸ αὐτὸ Πνεῦμα εἰς ἑπτά πνεύματα μερίζεσθαί φασιν, οὕτω καί αὐτὸς μίαν καὶ τὴν αὐτὴν ὀνομάζων ἀρετὴν, ταύτην είς τέσσαρας ἀρετὰς μερίζεσθαι λέγει· τοῦ μὲν ἁγίου Πνεῦματος οῦδαμῶς μνημονεύειν ἐθέλων, διὰ δέ τινος ἀλληγορίας τὰ ὑπὸ τῶν προφητῶν περὶ τοῦ ἁγίου Πνεύματος εἰρημένα ἀπαγγέλλων σαφῶς. Οὕτω γὰρ πρὸς τῷ τέλει τοῦ λόγου πρὸς τὸν Μένωνα ἔφηʼ ι Ἐκ μὲν τοίνυν τούτου τοῦ λογισμοῦ, ὢ Μένων, θείᾳ μοίρᾳ φαίνεται ἡμῖν παραγινομένη ἡ ἀρετὴ, οῖς ἄν παραγίνηται, Τὸ δὲ σαφὲς παρʼ αὐτοῦ εἰσόμεθα τοῦτο, ὁποίῳ τινὶ τρόπῳ τοῖς ἀνθρώποις παραγίνεται. ἡ ἀρετὴ, ὅταν πρότε ρον ἐπιχειρήσωμεν αὐτὸ καθʼ αὐτὸ ζητεῖν, τί ποτὲ ἔστιν ἀρετή, ι Ὁρᾶτε ὅπως τὴν ἄνωθεν κατιοῦσαν δωρεὰν ἀρετὴν μόνον ὀνομάζει · ἔτι δὲ ζητήσεως ἄξιον εἶναι νομίζει, πότερόν ποτε ἀρετὴν, ἢ ἕτερόν τι αὐτὸ ὀνομάζεσθαι προσήκει, δεδιὼς αὐτὸ φανερῶς ἅγιον ὀνομάζειν Πνεῦμα, ἵνα μὴ δόξῃ τῇ τῶν προφητῶν ἕπεσθαι διδασκαλίᾳ, ### English translation (Claude) And if anyone wishes to examine carefully also the gift that comes down from God above upon the holy men, which the sacred prophets call the Holy Spirit, he would find this too proclaimed by Plato under another name in his discourse to Meno. For fearing to call the gift of God the Holy Spirit, lest he seem, by following the teaching of the prophets, to be an enemy of the Greeks, he confesses that it comes down from God above, but thought fit to call it not the Holy Spirit but virtue. For so, to Meno, in the discourse On Recollection, having first inquired at length about virtue, whether virtue can be taught, or cannot be taught but is acquired by practice, or is neither acquired by practice nor learned but comes to men by nature or in some other way, he declares in these very words: "But if we have now inquired and spoken rightly in this whole discussion, virtue would be neither by nature nor taught, but would come by divine allotment, without understanding, to those to whom it comes." This, I think, Plato evidently learned clearly from the prophets about the Holy Spirit and transferred to the name of virtue. For just as the sacred prophets say that the one and same Spirit is divided into seven spirits, so he too, naming one and the same virtue, says that it is divided into four virtues; wishing nowhere to mention the Holy Spirit, but through a kind of allegory clearly announcing what the prophets said about the Holy Spirit. For thus at the end of his discourse to Meno he said: "From this reasoning, then, Meno, virtue appears to come to us by divine allotment, to those to whom it comes. But we shall know the clear truth about this, in what way virtue comes to men, when we first try to inquire what virtue itself is by itself." See how he calls the gift that comes down from above only "virtue"; and he still thinks it a matter for inquiry whether it ought to be called virtue or something else, fearing to call it openly the Holy Spirit, lest he seem to follow the teaching of the prophets. ### Scripture references - Isa 11:2: allusion, medium confidence - Rev 1:4: allusion, low confidence ### Extrabiblical texts - Plato, Men. 99e (Plato (works)): quotation, high confidence - Plato, Men. 100b (Plato (works)): quotation, high confidence ### Translation notes - Plato, Meno 99e and 100b; the sevenfold Spirit: Isa 11:2–3 (Septuagint, seven gifts); Rev 1:4. The four virtues are Plato's cardinal virtues. ### Citation (SBL) Ps.-Justin, Cohort. Graec. 32 (PG 6:300b–301a; trans. Sophia Scriptura, https://sophiascriptura.com/fathers/ps-justin-cohortatio/28/#p-32). ## Hortatory Address to the Greeks 33 - URL: https://sophiascriptura.com/fathers/ps-justin-cohortatio/28/#p-33 - Source: PG 6:301a–301c - Translation: Claude (claude-opus-5-5), 2026-09-27 Summary: Plato's claim that time began with heaven comes from Moses' first day, and his dissolution of heaven from the prophets. ### Greek text Πόθεν δὲ μαθὼν ὁ Πλάτων, τὸν χρόνον μετʼ οὐρανοῦ γεγενῆσθαι ἔγνω; οὕτω γὰρ γέγραφε· « Χρόνος δὲ οὖν μετʼ οὐρανοῦ γέγονεν · ’ίνα ἅμα γενόμενοι, ἅμα καὶ λυθῶσιν, ἂν ποτε λύσις αὐτῶν γίγνηται. » Οὐχὶ δὲ τοῦτο ἀπὸ τῆς θείας Μωϋσέως ἱστορίας μεμαθηκώς; ’Ἔγνω γὰρ ὅτι ἡ τοῦ χρόνου γὲνεσις ἔκ τε ήμερῶν καὶ μηνῶν καὶ ἐνιαυτῶν τὴν ἀρχὴν τῆς συστᾶσεως εἴληφεν, ιΩς οὖν τῆς πρώτης ἡμέρας τῆς μετʼ οὒρανού γενομένης, ἀρχὴν τοῦ παντὸς χρόνου παρεσχηκυίας (οὕτω γὰρ Μωϋσῆς γέγραφεν Ἐν ἀρχῆ ἐποίησεν ὁ Θεὸς τὸν οὐρανὸν καὶ τὴν γῆν, εἶτα παρʼ αὐτὰ συνάπτει λεγων, Καὶ ἐγένετο ἡμέρα μία), ὡς ἀπὸ μέρους ὁ Πλάτων τὸν πάντα σημαίνων χρόνον) τὴν ἡμέραν ὀνομάζει χρόνον, ’ἕνα μη δόξῃ, ἡμέρας μεμνημένος, ὡς πάντῃ τοῖς Μωϋσέως ἑπόμενος ῥητοῖς, παρʼ Ἀθηναίοις κατηγορεῖσθαι. Πόθε ν κ ι εʼ - · ν ν οε καὶ περι λυσεως οδρανου φανταοθεις οδτω γέγραφεν; οὐχὶ καὶ τοῦτο παρὰ τῶν ἱερῶν προφητῶν μεμαθηκώς, καὶ οὕτως εἰρῆσθαι παρʼ αὐτῶν νομίσας ; ### English translation (Claude) And from what source did Plato learn and know that time came into being with heaven? For he wrote thus: "Time, then, came into being with heaven, so that, having come into being together, they may also be dissolved together, if ever their dissolution should take place." Did he not learn this from the divine history of Moses? For he knew that the coming-to-be of time took the beginning of its constitution from days and months and years. Since, then, the first day, which came into being with heaven, furnished the beginning of all time (for so Moses wrote: "In the beginning God made the heaven and the earth," and then joins to it, saying, "And there was one day"), Plato, indicating all time by the part, calls the day time, lest, by mentioning a day, he should be accused among the Athenians of following the words of Moses entirely. And from where … did he imagine the dissolution of heaven and write thus? Did he not learn this too from the sacred prophets, and think that it had been said thus by them? ### Scripture references - Gen 1:1: quotation, high confidence - Gen 1:5: quotation, high confidence - Isa 34:4: allusion, medium confidence - Ps 102:26 (101:27 LXX): allusion, low confidence ### Extrabiblical texts - Plato, Tim. 38b (Plato (works)): quotation, high confidence ### Translation notes - Plato, Timaeus 38b; Gen 1:1, 5; the dissolution of heaven: e.g. Isa 34:4; Ps 102:26. A line is garbled in the scan in the last sentence ("…"). ### Citation (SBL) Ps.-Justin, Cohort. Graec. 33 (PG 6:301a–301c; trans. Sophia Scriptura, https://sophiascriptura.com/fathers/ps-justin-cohortatio/28/#p-33). ## Hortatory Address to the Greeks 34 - URL: https://sophiascriptura.com/fathers/ps-justin-cohortatio/28/#p-34 - Source: PG 6:301c–301d - Translation: Claude (claude-opus-5-5), 2026-09-27 Summary: Even the human shape of Greek statues of gods comes from a misreading of "Let us make man in our image". ### Greek text Ei δὲ καὶ τὸν περὶ τῶν ἀγαλμάτων τις ἐξετάζοι λόγον, πόθεν ὁρμώμενοι οἱ πρῶτοι τοὺς θεοὺς ὑμῶν κατασκευάσαντες ἀνθρώπων μορφὰς ἔχειν αὺτοὺς διέγνωσαν, εὑρήσει καὶ τοῦτο ἀπὸ τῆς θείας ἱστορίας μεμαθηκότας, Τῆς γὰρ Μωϋσέως ἱστορίας ἐκ προσώπου τοῦ Θεοῦ λεγούσης, Ποιήσωμεν ἅνθρωπον κατʼ εἰκόνα ἡμετέραν καὶ ὁμοίωσιν, ὡς οὕτως εἰρῆσθαι τῶν ἀνθρώπων κατὰ τὴν μορφὴν ἐοικότων τῷ Θεῳ οὕτω κατασκευάζειν τοὺς θεοὺς αὑτῶν ἤρξαντο, ἐκ τοῦ ὁμοίου τὸ ὅμοιον δημιουργεῖν οἰόμενοι. Τοῦ χάριν μνημονεῦσαι τούτων νυνὶ προήχθην, ὦ ἄνδρες ’Ἕλληνες ; ἵνα γνῶτε ὅτι τὴν ἀληθῆ θεοσέβειαν οὐ δυνατὸν παρὰ τούτων μανθάνειν τῶν μηδὲ ἐν οἶς ὑπό τῶν ἔξωθεν ἐθαυμάσθησαν ἴδιόν τι γράψαι δυνηθέντων, ἀλλὰ διά τινος ἐκείνης ἀλληγορίας ὑπὸ Μωϋσὲως καὶ τῶν λοιπῶν προφητῶν ἐν τοῖς ἑαυτῶν συγγράμμασιν ἀπηγγελκότων. ### English translation (Claude) And if anyone should examine also the account of the statues, from what starting point those who first made your gods decided that they had human forms, he will find that they learned this too from the divine history. For since the history of Moses says, in the person of God, "Let us make man according to our image and likeness," (they thought) it was said thus because men resemble God in form, and so they began to fashion their gods, thinking to make like from like. For what reason have I been led to mention these things now, men of Greece? So that you may know that it is not possible to learn the true religion from these men, who could not write anything of their own even in the things for which they were admired by those outside, but announced in their own writings, through some allegory or other, what was said by Moses and the other prophets. ### Scripture references - Gen 1:26: quotation, high confidence ### Translation notes - Gen 1:26. ### Citation (SBL) Ps.-Justin, Cohort. Graec. 34 (PG 6:301c–301d; trans. Sophia Scriptura, https://sophiascriptura.com/fathers/ps-justin-cohortatio/28/#p-34). ## Hortatory Address to the Greeks 35 - URL: https://sophiascriptura.com/fathers/ps-justin-cohortatio/28/#p-35 - Source: PG 6:304a–304b - Translation: Claude (claude-opus-5-5), 2026-09-27 Summary: The Greeks should abandon ancestral error and read the plain-spoken prophets, who teach the way to eternal life. ### Greek text Καιρὸς οὖν ἥκει νῦν, πεισθέντας ὑμᾶς, ὦ ἄνδρες Ἕλληνες, ἀπὸ τῶν ἔξωθεν ἱστοριῶν, ὅτι πολλῷ πρεσβύτατος Μωϋσῆς καὶ οἱ λοιποὶ προφῆται γεγόνασι πάντων τῶν παρʼ ὑμῖν σοφῶν γεγενῆσθαι νομισθέντων, τῆς παλαιᾶς μὲν ὑμᾶς τῶν προγόνων ἀποστῆναι πλάνης, ἐντυχεῖν δὲ ταῖς θείαις τῶν προφητῶν ἱστορίαις, καὶ γνῶναι παρʼ αὐτῶν τὴν ἀληθῆ θεοσέβειαν, οὗ λόγων ὑμῖν ἀπαγγελλόντων τέχνας, οὐδὲ πιθανῶς καὶ πιστευτικὼς λέγοντων· τοῦτο γὰρ ἴδιον τῶν τὴν ἀλήθειαν κλέπτειν ἐθελόντων · ἀλλὰ ἁπλῶς τοῖς ἐπιτυχοῦσιν ὀνόμασί τε καὶ ῥήμασι χρωμένων, ταῦθʼ ὑμῖν ἀπαγγελλοντων, ἅ τὸ ἅγιον ἐπʼ αὗτούς κατελθὸν Πνεῦμα, τοὺς τὴν ἀληθῆ θεοσέβειαν μανθάνειν βουλομένους διʼ αὒτῶν διδάσκειν προῄρηται, Πᾶσαν οὗν αἰδῶ, καὶ παλαιὰν ἀνθρώπων πλανην, καὶ τὸν τῶν ὄγκων φαντασιώδη παρωσάμενοι ψόφον, διʼ οὗ καὶ si}: πᾶσαν ἀπόλαυσιν ἔχειν οἴεσθε, ἔχεσθε τῶν ὒμϊν συμφερόντων, Οὐδὲν γὰρ ἔσται παρʼ ζωμῶν οὔδε περὶ τους προγόνοις ὑμῶν πλημμελὲς, εἰ εἰς τὴν ἐναντίαν τρέπεσθαι νυνὶ τῆς ἓξ ἐκείνων βούλεσθε πλάνης, οὓς εἰκὸς ἐν ᾁδου νυνὶ ἐκπρόθεσμον μετάνοιαν μετανοοῦντας ὀδύρεσθαι · οἷς ν δ ι τ ἢ -- φ ι ι η ι ει υνατον ην κεῖθεν οηλουν υμῖν τα μετὰ τελευτὴν τοῦδε τοῦ βίου συμβεβηκότα αὐτοῖς, ἔγνωτε ἄν ὅσων ὑμᾶς ἀπαλλάξαι κακῶν προείλοντο. Νυνὶ δὲ ἐπειδὴ μή δυνατὸν ἑν τῷ παρόντι μήτε παρʼ ἒκείνων ὑμᾶς μανθάνειν, μήτε μὴν παρὰ τῶν ἐνταῦθα τὴν ψευδώνυμον ταύτην φιλοσοφίαν φιλοσοφεῖν ἐπαγγελλομένων, ἀκόλουθον ὑμῖν ἔσται λοιπὸν, τὴν τῶν προγόνων ὺμῶν ἀπωσαμένους πλάνην, ἐντυγχάνειν ταῖς τῶν ἱερῶν ἀνδρῶν προφητείαις, μὴ δοκιμότητα φράσεως παρʼ αὐτῶν αἰτοῦντας (οὒ γὰρ ἐν λόγοις, ἀλλʼ ἐν ἔργοις τὰ τῆς ἡμετέρας θεοσεβείας πράγματα), καὶ μαθεῖν παρʼ αὑτῶν τὰ αἴτια ὑμῖν τῆς αἰωνίου ζωῆς, οἱ γὰρ μάτην τὸ τῆς φιλοσοφίας ἐπηρεάζοντες ὄνομα, οὒδὶν εἱδότες ἐλέγχονται, ὣς ### English translation (Claude) The time has come, then, men of Greece, for you, persuaded by the outside histories that Moses and the other prophets were by far older than all who were thought to be wise among you, to depart from the old error of your ancestors, to read the divine histories of the prophets, and to learn from them the true religion; for they do not offer you arts of speech, nor speak persuasively and plausibly (this is characteristic of those who wish to steal away the truth), but, using simply whatever names and words come to hand, they announce to you what the Holy Spirit, who came down upon them, chose to teach through them to those who wish to learn the true religion. Thrusting aside, then, all false shame, the old error of men, and the imaginary noise of pomp, by which you think you possess all enjoyment, hold fast to what is profitable for you. For you will commit no offence against your ancestors if you now wish to turn to the opposite of their error; they are now likely lamenting in Hades, repenting a repentance too late; and if it were possible for them to show you from there what has happened to them after the end of this life, you would know from how many evils they would choose to free you. But now, since it is not possible at present to learn either from them, or from those here who profess to philosophize this falsely named philosophy, it remains for you, thrusting away the error of your ancestors, to read the prophecies of the sacred men, not asking elegance of speech from them (for the matters of our religion are not in words but in deeds), and to learn from them what will bring you eternal life. For those who vainly abuse the name of philosophy are convicted of knowing nothing, as … ### Scripture references - 1 Tim 6:20: echo, medium confidence - 1 Cor 4:20: echo, low confidence ### Translation notes - The chapter breaks off in the scan after "as"; the rest of the sentence is lost ("…"). "Falsely named": compare 1 Tim 6:20. ### Citation (SBL) Ps.-Justin, Cohort. Graec. 35 (PG 6:304a–304b; trans. Sophia Scriptura, https://sophiascriptura.com/fathers/ps-justin-cohortatio/28/#p-35). ## Hortatory Address to the Greeks 36 - URL: https://sophiascriptura.com/fathers/ps-justin-cohortatio/28/#p-36 - Source: PG 6:304b–305d - Translation: Claude (claude-opus-5-5), 2026-09-27 Summary: Socrates confessed he knew nothing, yet his successors claim knowledge of heaven; the Greeks should flee their eloquence and read the prophets. ### Greek text Εἰ δὲ ἡ τάληθοῦς εὕρεσις ὅρος τις λέγεται παρ αὐτοῖς φιλοσοφίας, πῶς οἱ τῆς ἀληθοῦς μὴ τυγχάνοντες γνώσεως τοῦ τῇς φιλοσοφίας ὀνόματος εἰσιν ἄξιοι. Εἰ γὰρ ὁ τῶν παρʼ ὑμῖν σοφῶν σοφώτατος Σωκράτης, ᾧ καὶ τὸ χρηστήριον ὑμῶν, ὡς αὐτοί φατε, μαρτυρεῖ λέγων “ Ἀνδρῶν ἁπάντων Σωκράτης σοφώτατος, ὁμολογεῖ μηδὲν εἰδέναι, πῶς οἱ μετʼ αὐτὸν καὶ τὰ ἐν οὐρανοῖς ἐπηγγέλλοντο εἰδέναι; Σωκράτης γὰρ ἑαυτὸν σοφὸν διὰ τοῦτʼ εἰρῆσθαι ἔφη, ὅτι τῶν λοιπῶν ἀνθρώπων ἃ μὴ ἴσασι προσποιουμένων εἰδέναι, αὖ· τὸς οὐκ ὤκνει μηδὲν ὁμολογεῖν εἰδέναί. ’Ἔφη γὰρ οὕτως· « Ἔοικα γʼ οὖν αὖτῷ τούτῳ σμικρῷ σοφώτατος εῖναι, ὅτι ἄ μὴ οῖδα, οὐδὲ οἴομαι εἰδέναι. » Μηδεὶς δὲ οἰέσθω εἰρωνευόμενον ἄγνοιαν προσποιεῖσθαι Σωκράτην, ἐπειδὴ πολλάκις ιν τοῖς διαλόγοις εἴωθε τοῦτο ποιεῖν, Ἠ γὰρ τελευταία ῥῆσις τῆς ἀπολογίας, ἣν ἐπὶ τὸ δεσμωτήριον ἀπιὼν ἔφη, δηλοῖ μετὰ σπουδῆς αὐτὸν καὶ ἀληθείας τὴν ἂγνοιαν ὁμολογεῖν. ’Ἔφη γὰρ οὕτωςʼ ε Ἀλλὰ γὰρ ἤδη ὥρα ἀπιέναι, ἐμοὶ μὲν τεθνηξομένῳ, ὑμῖν δὲ βιωσομένοις. Ὀπότεροι δὲ ἡμῶν ἐπὶ τὸ ἄμεινον πρᾶγμα ἔρχονται, ἄδηλον παντὶ πλὴν ἢ τῷ Θεῷ. » Ἀλλὰ Σωκράτης μὲν, ταύτην ὑστάτην ἐν τῷ Ἀρείῳ πάγῳ φωνὴν ἀφεὶς, ἐπὶ τὸ δεσμωτὴριον ὥρμησε, τῷ Θεῷ μόνῳ τὴν τῶν παρʼ ἡμῖν ἀδήλων πραγμάτων ἀναφέρων γνῶσιν· οἱ δὲ μετʼ αὑτὸν, μηδὲ τὰ ἐπὶ γῆς γνῶναι δυνάμενοι, τὰ ὲν οὐρανῷ ὡς ἑωρακότες εἰδέναι ἐπαγγέλλονται. ’0 γοῦν Ἀριστοτέλης, ὡς ἀκριβέστερον Πλάτωνος τὰ ἐν οὐρανοῖς ἑωρακὼς, οὔχ ὥσπερ ὁ Πλάτων ὲν τῇ πυρώδει οὐσίᾳ τὸν Θεὸν εἶναι λέγει, οὕτω καὶ αὐτὸς ἐφη, ἁλλʼ ἐν τῷ αἰθεριώδει πέμπτῳ στοιχείῳ εἶναι αὐτὸν ἀπεφήνατο, Καὶ περὶ τούτων πιστεύεσθαι ἑαυτὸν διὰ δοκιμότητα φράσεως ἀξιῶν, οὐδὲ τὴν τοῦ Εὐρίπου φύσιν τοῦ ὄντος ἐν Χαλκίδι γνῶναι δυνηθεὶς, διὰ πολλὴν ἀδοξίαν καὶ αἰσχύνην λυπηθεὶς, μετέστη του βίου· Μηδεὶς οὖν τῶν-εὗ φρονούντων προτέραν ἡγείσθω τῆς ἑαυτοῦ σωτηρίας τὴν τούτων εὖγλωττίαν, ἀλλὰ κατὰ τὴν παλαιὰν ἐκείνην ἱστορίαν, κηρῷ τὰ ὦτα φραξάμενος, τὴν εκ τῶν σειρήνων αὐτῶν ἐνοχλοῦσαν ἡδεῖαν φευγέτω βλάβην, Οἱ γὰρ προειρημένοι ἄνδρες, ὥσπερ τι δέλεαρ τὴν εὐγλωττίαν προϊσχόμενοι, πολλοὺς ἁπάγειν τῆς ὀρθῆς θεοσεβείας προῄρηνται, μιμούμενοι τὸν τὴν πολυθεότητα τοὺς πρώτους ἀνθρώπους διδάξαι τολμήσαντα. Οἷς μὴ πείθεσθαι ὑμᾶς ἀξιῶ, ἐντυγχάνειν δὲ ταῖς τῶν ἱερῶν ἀνδρῶν προφητείαις. Εἰ δέ τις ὄκνος, ἢ παλαιὰ τῶν προγόνων ὑμῶν δεισιδαιμονία τέως ἐντυγχάνειν ὑμᾶς ταῖς τῶν ἁγίων ἀνδρῶν προφητείαις κωλύει, διʼ ὧν δυνατὸν μανθάνειν ὑμᾶς ἕνα καὶ μόνον εἶναι Θεὸν, ὅ πρῶτόν ἔστι τῆς ἀληθοῦς θεοσεβείας γνώρισμα, τῷ γοῦν πρότερον ὑμᾶς τὴν πολυθεότητα διδάξαντι, ὕστερον δὲ λυσιτελῆ καὶ ἀναγκαίαν παλινῳδίαν ᾆσαι προελομένῳ, πείσθητε Ὀρφεῖ, ταῦτʼ εἰρηκότι ἃ μικρῷ πρόσθεν γεγραφν καὶ τοῖς λοιποῖς, καὶ τοῖς τὰ αὒτὰ περὶ ἐνὸς Θεοῦ γεγραφόσι πείσθητε, Θείας γὰρ ὑπὲρ ὑμῶν προνοίας ἔργον γέγονε, τὸ καὶ ἄκοντας τούτους μαρτυρεῖν τὰ ὑπὸ τῶν προφητῶν περὶ ἑνὸς Θεοῦ εἰρημένα ἀληθῆ εἶναι, ἵνα παρὰ πάντων δ τῆς πολυθεότητος ἆθετούμενος λόγος ἀφορμὴν ὖμῖν παρέχῃ τῆς ἀληθοῦς γνώσεως. ### English translation (Claude) But if the finding of the truth is called among them a definition of philosophy, how are those who do not attain true knowledge worthy of the name of philosophy? For if Socrates, the wisest of your wise men, to whom even your oracle, as you yourselves say, bears witness, saying, "Of all men Socrates is the wisest," confesses that he knows nothing, how did those after him profess to know even the things in the heavens? For Socrates said that he was called wise for this reason: that while the rest of men pretend to know what they do not know, he himself did not hesitate to confess that he knew nothing. For he said thus: "I seem, then, to be wiser by this very small thing, that what I do not know I do not even think I know." And let no one think that Socrates pretended ignorance in irony, since he is often accustomed to do this in his dialogues. For the last saying of the Apology, which he spoke as he went away to the prison, shows that he confessed his ignorance in earnest and in truth. For he said thus: "But now it is time to go away, I to die and you to live; which of us is going to the better thing is unclear to everyone except to God." Socrates, then, having uttered this last word on the Areopagus, set off for the prison, ascribing to God alone the knowledge of things that are unclear to us; but those after him, unable to know even the things on earth, profess to know the things in heaven as if they had seen them. Aristotle at any rate, as if he had seen the things in the heavens more exactly than Plato, does not say, as Plato did, that God is in the fiery substance, but declared that he is in the ethereal fifth element; and though he thought himself worthy to be believed on these matters because of the elegance of his speech, he could not even know the nature of the Euripus at Chalcis, and departed this life grieved by great disrepute and shame. Let none of those who think rightly, then, consider the eloquence of these men more valuable than his own salvation; but, according to that old story, stopping his ears with wax, let him flee the sweet harm that troubles him from these sirens. For the men mentioned before, holding out their eloquence like bait, have chosen to lead many away from right religion, imitating the one who dared to teach polytheism to the first men. Do not obey them, I beg you, but read the prophecies of the sacred men. And if some hesitation, or the old superstition of your ancestors, still keeps you from reading the prophecies of the holy men, through which you can learn that God is one and only, which is the first mark of true religion, then at least obey Orpheus, who earlier taught you polytheism but later chose to sing a profitable and necessary recantation, saying the things I wrote a little before; and obey the others who wrote the same things about one God. For it has been a work of divine providence on your behalf that these men, even against their will, bear witness that what the prophets said about one God is true, so that the doctrine of polytheism, rejected by all, may give you an occasion for true knowledge. ### Extrabiblical texts - Plato, Apol. 21a (Plato (works)): quotation, high confidence - Plato, Apol. 21d (Plato (works)): quotation, high confidence - Plato, Apol. 42a (Plato (works)): quotation, high confidence - Homer, Od. 12.173-177 (Homer, Odyssey): allusion, medium confidence ### Translation notes - Plato, Apology 21a (the oracle), 21d, 42a. The author places Socrates' last words "on the Areopagus", which is not where Socrates was tried. The story that Aristotle died of grief over the tides of the Euripus is a late legend. The sirens: Odyssey 12.173–177. ### Citation (SBL) Ps.-Justin, Cohort. Graec. 36 (PG 6:304b–305d; trans. Sophia Scriptura, https://sophiascriptura.com/fathers/ps-justin-cohortatio/28/#p-36). ## Hortatory Address to the Greeks 37 - URL: https://sophiascriptura.com/fathers/ps-justin-cohortatio/28/#p-37 - Source: PG 6:305d–309b - Translation: Claude (claude-opus-5-5), 2026-09-27 Summary: The author describes the Sibyl's cave at Cumae and argues that Plato's praise of inspired prophets refers to her. ### Greek text Ἔσται δὲ ὑμῖν ῥᾳδίως τὴν ὀρθὴν θεοσέβειαν ἐκ μέρους καὶ παρὰ τῆς παλαιᾶς Σιβύλλης, ἐκ τινος δυνατῆς ἐπιπνοίας διὰ χρησμῶν ὑμᾶς διδασκούσης, μανθάνειν ταῦθʼ ἅπερ ἐγγὺς εἶναι δοκεῖ τῆς τῶν προφητῶν διδασκαλίας. Ταύτην δὲ ἐκ μὲν Βαβυλῶνος ὡρμῆσθαί φασι, Βηρώσσου τοῦ τὴν Χαλδαϊκὴν ἱστορίαν γράψαντος θυγατέρα οὖσαν· εἰς δὲ τὰ μέρη τῆς Καμπανίας οὐκ οἶδʼ ὅπως διαβᾶσαν, ἐκεῖ τοὺς χρησμοὺς ἐξαγορεύειν ἐν Κούμῃ οὕτω καλουμένῃ πόλει, ἓξ σημείοις διεστώσῃ Βαιῶν, ἔνθα τὰ θερμὰ τῆς Καμπανίας εἶναι συμβαίνει. Ἐθεασάμεθα δὲ ἐν τῇ πόλει γενόμενοι καί τινα τόπον, ἐν ᾧ βασιλικὴν μεγίστην ἐξ ἑνὸς ἐξεσμένην λίθου ἔγνωμεν, πρᾶγμα μέγιστον καὶ παντὸς θαύματος ἄξιον· ἔνθα τοὺς χρησμοὺς αὐτὴν ἀπαγγέλλειν οἱ ὡς τὰ πάτρια παρειληφότες παρὰ τῶν ἑαυτῶν προγόνων ἔφασκον. Ἐν μέσῳ δὲ τῆς βασιλικῆς ἐπεδείκνυον ἡμῖν τρεῖς δεξαμενὰς ἐκ τοῦ αὐτοῦ ἐξεσμένας λίθου, ὧν πληρουμένων ὕδατος, λούεσθαι αὐτὴν ἐν αὐταῖς ἔλεγον, καὶ στολὴν ἀναλαμβάνουσαν εἰς τὸν ἐνδότατον τῆς βασιλικῆς βαδίζειν οἶκον, ἐκ τοῦ αὐτοῦ ἐξεσμένον λίθου, καὶ ἐν μέσῳ τοῦ οἴκου καθεζομένην ἐπὶ ὑψηλοῦ βήματος καὶ θρόνου οὕτω τοὺς χρησμοὺς ἐξαγορεύειν. Ταύτης δὲ τῆς Σιβύλλης ὡς χρησμῳδοῦ πολλοὶ μὲν καὶ ἄλλοι τῶν συγγραφέων μέμνηνται, καὶ Πλάτων ἐν τῷ Φαίδρῳ. Δοκεῖ δέ μοι τοῖς ταύτης χρησμοῖς ἐντυχὼν ὁ Πλάτων τοὺς χρησμῳδοὺς ἐκθειάζειν. Ἑώρα γὰρ τὰ ὑπʼ αὐτῆς πάλαι προειρημένα ἔργοις πληρούμενα· καὶ διὰ τοῦτο θαυμάσας, ἐν τῷ πρὸς Μένωνα λόγῳ αὐταῖς λέξεσιν ἐπαινῶν τοὺς χρησμῳδοὺς οὕτω γέγραφεν· « Ὀρθῶς ἄρʼ ἂν καλοῖμεν θείους τε αὐτούς, οὓς δὴ νῦν λέγομεν χρησμῳδούς. Οὐχ ἥκιστα φαῖμεν ἂν τούτους θείους εἶναι καὶ ἐνθουσιάζειν, ἐπιπνόους ὄντας καὶ κατεχομένους ἐκ τοῦ Θεοῦ, ὅταν κατορθῶσι λέγοντες πολλὰ καὶ μεγάλα πράγματα, μηδὲν εἰδότες ὧν λέγουσι· » σαφῶς καὶ φανερῶς εἰς τοὺς Σιβύλλης ἀφορῶν χρησμούς. Αὕτη γάρ, οὐχ ὥσπερ οἱ ποιηταί, καὶ μετὰ τὸ γράψαι τὰ ποιήματα εἶχεν ἐξουσίαν διορθοῦσθαι καὶ ἐπιξέειν, μάλιστα διὰ τὴν τῶν μέτρων ἀκρίβειαν· ἀλλʼ ἐν μὲν τῷ τῆς ἐπιπνοίας καιρῷ τὰ τῆς προφητείας ἐπλήρου, παυσαμένης δὲ τῆς ἐπιπνοίας ἐπέπαυτο καὶ ἡ τῶν εἰρημένων μνήμη. Τοῦτʼ οὖν αἴτιον τοῦ μὴ πάντα τὰ μέτρα τῶν ἐπῶν τῆς Σιβύλλης σώζεσθαι. Αὐτοὶ γάρ, ἐν τῇ πόλει γενόμενοι, παρὰ τῶν περιηγητῶν ἐμάθομεν, τῶν καὶ τοὺς τόπους ἐν οἷς ἐχρησμῴδει ἡμῖν ὑποδειξάντων, καὶ φακόν τινα ἐκ χαλκοῦ κατεσκευασμένον, ἐν ᾧ τὰ λείψανα αὐτῆς σώζεσθαι ἔλεγον. Ἔφασκον δὲ μετὰ πάντων ὧν διηγοῦντο καὶ τοῦτο, ὡς παρὰ τῶν προγόνων ἀκηκοότες, ὅτι οἱ ἐκλαμβάνοντες τοὺς χρησμοὺς τηνικαῦτα, ἐκτὸς παιδεύσεως ὄντες, πολλαχοῦ τῆς τῶν μέτρων ἀκριβείας διήμαρτον· καὶ ταύτην ἔλεγον αἰτίαν εἶναι τῆς ἐνίων ἐπῶν ἀμετρίας, τῆς μὲν χρησμῳδοῦ μετὰ τὸ πεπαῦσθαι τῆς κατοχῆς καὶ τῆς ἐπιπνοίας μὴ μεμνημένης τῶν εἰρημένων, τῶν δὲ ὑπογραφέων διʼ ἀπαιδευσίαν τῆς τῶν μέτρων ἀκριβείας ἐκπεπτωκότων. Διὰ τοῦτο τοίνυν τὸν Πλάτωνα, εἰς τοὺς τῆς Σιβύλλης ἀφορῶντα χρησμούς, περὶ τῶν χρησμῳδῶν τοῦτʼ εἰρηκέναι δῆλον. Ἔφη γὰρ οὕτως· « Ὅταν κατορθῶσι λέγοντες πολλὰ καὶ μεγάλα πράγματα, μηδὲν εἰδότες ὧν λέγουσι. » ### English translation (Claude) It will be easy for you to learn the right religion in part also from the ancient Sibyl, who by some powerful inspiration teaches you through oracles things that seem to be near the teaching of the prophets. They say that she came from Babylon, being a daughter of Berossus, who wrote the Chaldean history; and that, having crossed, I do not know how, to the regions of Campania, she uttered her oracles there in a city called Cumae, six miles from Baiae, where the hot springs of Campania are. When we were in the city we saw a certain place in which we were shown a very large basilica cut out of a single stone, a very great thing and worthy of all wonder, where those who had received it as an ancestral tradition from their forefathers said she proclaimed her oracles. In the middle of the basilica they showed us three basins cut out of the same stone, in which, when they were filled with water, they said she bathed; and putting on her robe she went into the innermost chamber of the basilica, also cut from the same stone, and sitting in the middle of the chamber on a high platform and throne, so uttered her oracles. This Sibyl many other writers mention as a prophetess, and Plato in the Phaedrus. And Plato, it seems to me, having read her oracles, held the oracle-singers to be divine. For he saw what had been foretold by her long ago being fulfilled in deeds; and therefore, in admiration, he wrote thus in the discourse to Meno, praising the oracle-singers in these words: "We should rightly call divine those whom we now call oracle-singers. No less would we say that these are divine and inspired, being breathed upon and possessed by the god, when they succeed in saying many great things, knowing nothing of what they say"; looking clearly and plainly to the oracles of the Sibyl. For she, unlike the poets, did not have the power, after writing her poems, to correct and polish them, especially for the exactness of the metres; but at the time of inspiration she fulfilled the prophecy, and when the inspiration ceased, the memory of what she had said ceased too. This is the reason why the metre of not all the Sibyl's verses is preserved. For we ourselves, when we were in that city, learned from the guides, who also showed us the places where she uttered her oracles, and a jar made of bronze in which they said her remains were preserved. And among all the things they told us, as having heard it from their forefathers, they said this too: that those who took down the oracles at that time, being without education, often missed the exactness of the metres; and they said that this was the cause of the faulty metre of some verses, since the oracle-singer did not remember what she had said after the possession and inspiration had ceased, and the scribes, through lack of education, had fallen short of exactness in the metres. It is plain, then, that it was for this reason that Plato, looking to the oracles of the Sibyl, said this about the oracle-singers; for he said thus: "when they succeed in saying many great things, knowing nothing of what they say." ### Extrabiblical texts - Plato, Phaedr. 244b (Plato (works)): allusion, medium confidence - Plato, Men. 99c-d (Plato (works)): quotation, high confidence ### Translation notes - Plato, Phaedrus 244b; Meno 99c–d. - The Greek of this chapter is rebuilt from the four library scans of PG 6, which supply the end of the chapter lost in the first scan; Migne's Latin column and notes are dropped. "Baiae" (Βαιῶν) is read where the scans have a corrupt word; Cumae is six (Roman) miles from Baiae. ### Citation (SBL) Ps.-Justin, Cohort. Graec. 37 (PG 6:305d–309b; trans. Sophia Scriptura, https://sophiascriptura.com/fathers/ps-justin-cohortatio/28/#p-37). ## Hortatory Address to the Greeks 38 - URL: https://sophiascriptura.com/fathers/ps-justin-cohortatio/28/#p-38 - Source: PG 6:309b–312a - Translation: Claude (claude-opus-5-5), 2026-09-27 Summary: The Sibyl foretold Christ, the Word who restored the ancient religion; true knowledge of God comes only from the prophets. ### Greek text Πλὴν. ἀλλʼ ἐπειδήπερ, ὦ ἄνδρες ’Ἐλληνες, οὒκ ἐν ποιητικοῖς μέτροις τὰ τῆς ἀληθοῦς θεοσεβείας πράγματα, οὒδέ ἐν τῆ παρʼ ὑμῖν εὖδοκιμούσῃ παιδεύσει, ἀφέμενοι λοιπὸν τῆς τῶν μέτρων καὶ λόγων ἀκριβείας, τοῖς ὑπʼ αὖτῆς εἰρημένοις ἀφιλονείκως προσ, ἔχοντες, γνῶτε πόσων ὑμῖν ἀγαθῶν αἰτία ἔσται, τὴν τοῦ Σωτῆρος ἡμῶν Ἰησοῦ Χριστοῦ ἄφιξιν σαφῶς καὶ φανερῶς προαγορεύουσα ὃς, τοῦ Θεοῦ ὑπάρχων Λόγος ὰχώριστος δυνάμει, τὸν κατʼ εἰκόνα καὶ ὁμοίωσιν Θεοῦ πλασθέντα ἀναλαβὼν ἄνθρωπον, τῆς τῶν ἀρχαίων ἡμᾶς προγόνων ἀνέμνησε θεοσεβείας, ἢν οἱ ἐξ αὐτῶν γενόμενοι ἅνθρωποι καταλιπόντες, διδασκαλίᾳ βασκάνου δαίμονος, Eni. τὴντῶν μὴ θεῶν ἐτράπησαν θρησκείαν. Εἰ δέ τις ὄκνος ὑμῖν ἐνοχλοίη πίστεως περὶ τῆς τοῦ ἀνθρώπου πλάσεως, πείσθητε τούτοις, οἷς ἔτι προσέχειν οἴεσθε δεῖν, καὶ γνῶτε ὅτι τὸ παρʼ ὑμῖν χρηστήριον, ἀξιωθὲν ὑπό τινος ὕμνον τοῦ παντοκράτορος ἐκδοῦναι Θεοῦ, οὕτως ἔνο μέσῳ τοῦ ὕμνου ἔφη · μΟςγ πρῶτον πλάσας μερόπων, Ἀδᾲμ δὲ καν ν [λέσσας. Καὶ τοῦτον σώζεσθαι τὸν ὕμνον παρὰ πολλοῖς ὧν ἴσμεν συμβαίνει, είς ἔλεγχον τῶν μὴ πείθεσθαι τῇ ὑπὸ πάντων μαρτυρουμένη ἀληθείᾳ βουλομένων, Εἰ τοίνυν, ὦ ἄνδρες Ἕλληνες, μὴ προτιμοτέραν ἡγεῖσθε τῆς ὑμῶν αὐτῶν σωτηρίας τὴν περὶ τῶν μὴ ὄντων θεῶν ψευδῆ φαντασίαν, πείσθητε, ὥσπερ ἔφην, τῇ ἀρχαιοτάτῃ καὶ σφόδρα παλαιᾷ Σιβύλλῃ, ἧς τὰς βίβλους- ἒν πάσῃ οίκουμὲνῃ σώζεσθαι συμβαίνει, περὶ μὲν τῶν λεγομὲνων θεῶν, ὡς μὴ ὄντων, ἀπὸ τινοςδυνατῆς ἐπιπνοίας διὰ χρησμῶν ἡμᾶς διδασκούσῃ περὶ δὲ τῆς τοῦ Σωτῆρος ημῶν Ἰησοῦ Χριστοῦ μελλούσης ἔσεσθαι παρουσίας, καὶ περὶ πάντων τῶν ὑπʼ αὐτοῦ γίνεσθαι μελλόντων, σαφῶς καί φανερῶς προαναφωνούσῃ. ’Ἔσται γὰρ ὑμῖν ἀναγκαῖον προγύμνασμα ἡ τούτων γνῶσις τῆς τῶν ἱερῶν ἀνδρῶν προφητείας, EI δέ τις οἴοιτο παρὰ τῶν πρεσὸυ τάτωνπαρʼ αὺτοῖς ὀνομασθέντων φιλοσόφον τὸν περὶ Θεοῦ μεμάθηκένμι λόγον, Ἄμμωνός τε καὶ Ἑρμοῦ ἀκουέτω· Ἄμμωνος μὲν ἑν τοῖς περὶ αὑτοῦ λόγοις πάγκρυφον τὸν θεὸν ὀνομάζοντος ‘ Ἐρμοῦ δὲ σαφῶς καὶ φανερῶς λέγοντος, Θεὸν νοῆσαι μὲν ἔστι χαλεπὸν, φράσαι δὲ ἀδύνατον, ᾦ καὶ νοῆσαι δυνατόν, Πανταχόθεν τοίνυν εἰδέναι προσήκει, ὅτι οὒδιμῶς ἑτέρως πιρὶ Θεοῦ ἦ τῆς ὀρθῆς θεοσεβείας μανθάνειν οἷόν te διδασκόντων ἡμᾶς ### English translation (Claude) However, since, men of Greece, the matters of true religion lie not in poetic metres, nor in the education esteemed among you, give up from now on (the demand for) exactness of metres and words, and attending without contention to what was said by her, know how many goods she will cause you, foretelling clearly and plainly the coming of our Saviour Jesus Christ, who, being the Word of God, inseparable in power, having taken man formed according to the image and likeness of God, reminded us of the religion of our ancient ancestors, which the men born from them abandoned, by the teaching of an envious demon, and turned to the worship of those who are not gods. And if any hesitation troubles you about believing concerning the formation of man, believe those to whom you still think you should give heed, and know that your oracle, when asked by someone to give out a hymn of the almighty God, said thus in the middle of the hymn: "Who first formed mortals, and named him Adam." And this hymn happens to be preserved among many whom we know, for the refutation of those who are unwilling to believe the truth attested by all. If, then, men of Greece, you do not consider the false fancy about gods who are not more valuable than your own salvation, believe, as I said, the most ancient and very old Sibyl, whose books happen to be preserved throughout the world; who through oracles, by some powerful inspiration, teaches us about the so-called gods, that they are not, and foretells clearly and plainly the coming of our Saviour Jesus Christ that was to be, and all that was to be done by him. For the knowledge of these things will be for you a necessary preparatory exercise for the prophecy of the sacred men. And if anyone thinks he has learned the doctrine about God from those named among them the most ancient philosophers, let him hear Ammon and Hermes: Ammon, in the discourses about him, calling God wholly hidden; and Hermes saying clearly and plainly: "To understand God is difficult, but to speak of him is impossible, even for one who can understand." From every side, then, one should know that in no other way is it possible to learn about God or right religion than (from the prophets), who teach us … ### Scripture references - Gen 1:26: allusion, high confidence ### Extrabiblical texts - Plato, Tim. 28c (Plato (works)): echo, medium confidence ### Translation notes - Gen 1:26. The oracle's hymn and the sayings of Ammon and Hermes are known only from this work and related sources (the Hermes saying resembles Plato, Timaeus 28c). The last sentence breaks off in the scan; the words in parentheses give the sense and the end is shown as "…". A garbled duplicate of the oracle verse is removed. ### Citation (SBL) Ps.-Justin, Cohort. Graec. 38 (PG 6:309b–312a; trans. Sophia Scriptura, https://sophiascriptura.com/fathers/ps-justin-cohortatio/28/#p-38).