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Hortatory Address to the Greeks

St. Justin Martyr · c. 155–165 AD

1h 1m read
Ante-Nicene

An exhortation to Greeks to abandon pagan philosophy and embrace the truth of Christianity, demonstrating that Moses and the prophets predate Greek thinkers. Transmitted under Justin's name, it is generally regarded as the work of a later author.

Table of Contents

1Reasons for addressing the Greeks2The poets are unfit to be religious teachers3Opinions of the school of Thales4Opinions of Pythagoras and Epicurus5Opinions of Plato and Aristotle6Further disagreements between Plato and Aristotle7Inconsistencies of Plato’s doctrine8Antiquity, inspiration, and harmony of Christian teachers9The antiquity of Moses proved by Greek writers10Training and inspiration of Moses11Heathen oracles testify of Moses12Antiquity of Moses proved13History of the Septuagint14A warning appeal to the Greeks15Testimony of Orpheus to monotheism16Testimony of the Sibyl17Testimony of Homer18Testimony of Sophocles19Testimony of Pythagoras20Testimony of Plato21The namelessness of God22Studied ambiguity of Plato23Plato’s self-contradiction24Agreement of Plato and Homer25Plato’s knowledge of God’s eternity26Plato indebted to the prophets27Plato’s knowledge of the judgment28Homer’s obligations to the sacred writers29Origin of Plato’s doctrine of form30Homer’s knowledge of man’s origin31Further proof of Plato’s acquaintance with Scripture32Plato’s doctrine of the heavenly gift33Plato’s idea of the beginning of time drawn from Moses34Whence men attributed to God human form35Appeal to the Greeks36True knowledge not held by the philosophers37Of the Sibyl38Concluding appeal
Icon of St. Justin Martyr