Please skim through Athenagoras'
Plea for the Christians. Like Justin, Athenagoras defends Christians against the incest and cannibalism slanders. He also uses pagan sources to point toward Christian truth. What do you see in this work that might have been especially helpful in drawing educated pagans toward Christianity, or at least in making them more tolerant of Christians?
In the readings he talks about the similarities of pagan religion and Christianity. He kind of twists some stuff like Christians actually worship God, Jesus, an Holy Spirit so they worshiped some Gods. He tries to point of old teachings from philosophers and other civilizations that say they are not so weird different.
ReplyDeleteChapter 3. Charges Brought Against the Christians. He slams them about the lies that are telling against the Christians. “It remains for you to make inquiry concerning our life, our opinions, our loyalty and obedience to you and your house and government, and thus at length to grant to us the same rights (we ask nothing more) as to those who persecute us. For we shall then conquer them, unhesitatingly surrendering, as we now do, our very lives for the truth's sake.” This really stood out because he seems to call their bluff by telling them t make inquiries because they have not done so.
ReplyDeleteI really like his arguments in Chapter 8 about the absurdities of polytheism. He says that if two or more gods came from the same beginning, or were created together, they would have to therefore be the same. He says that two gods who are different from each other could not come from the same beginning, as creation makes a sort of pattern. So, if they were from the same beginning, they would have to basically be the same gods, meaning they would not be made as vastly different gods.
ReplyDeleteI really like the point he make in chapter 11. in a nut shell he is saying that Christians are not people to worry about rebelling, in fact, we tend to do the exact opposite. At the very end of chapter 11 he says, " if they are unable in words to prove the benefit of our doctrine, yet by their deeds exhibit the benefit arising from their persuasion of its truth: they do not rehearse speeches, but exhibit good works; when struck, they do not strike again; when robbed, they do not go to law; they give to those that ask of them, and love their neighbours as themselves." This statement would help ease peoples fears about Christians because it would prove that Christians aren't out to cause any trouble.
ReplyDeleteAthenagoras' Plea for the Christians was actually very interesting to read through. Athenagoras made his arguments very logical and easy to follow and understand. He also laid out his argument in different sections which helped to make each section that much more significant and important. Thus, the organization of the plea was the key part to the success of the plea on behalf of the Christians. The lay out made it very easy to understand, so the reader would be left with no questions at all.
ReplyDeleteAthenagoras used pagan sources to explain some of the things that Christians believed in. Doing this would have helped these pagans to understand Christians and see that Christian beliefs didn't make them do bad things. It would have shown them that in some ways the things that the Christians did weren't so entirely different from what they did. He also very logically refuted some of the arguments that they made against Christians. In Chapter 3 he seems to make the point that if they would just ask the Christians about these things then they would have the answers that they needed to see that they were wrong about them.
ReplyDeleteMallory Schlechter