8 Refutation of the Gentiles—continued
(46)
hen did people begin to abandon the worship of idols, unless it were
since the very Word of God came among men? When have oracles ceased and become void of meaning, among the
Greeks and everywhere, except since the Savior has revealed Himself on earth? When did those whom the poets call
gods and heroes begin to be adjudged as mere mortals, except when the Lord took the spoils of death and preserved
incorruptible the body He had taken, raising it from among the dead? Or when did the deceitfulness and madness of
demons fall under contempt, save when the Word, the Power of God, the Master of all these as well, condescended
on account of the weakness of mankind and appeared on earth? When did the practice and theory of magic begin to
be spurned under foot, if not at the manifestation of the Divine Word to men? In a word, when did the wisdom of
the Greeks become foolish, save when the true Wisdom of God revealed Himself on earth? In old times the whole
world and every place in it was led astray by the worship of idols, and men thought the idols were the only gods that
were. But now all over the world men are forsaking the fear of idols and taking refuge with Christ; and by
worshipping Him as God they come through Him to know the Father also, Whom formerly they did not know. The
amazing thing, moreover, is this. The objects of worship formerly were varied and countless; each place had its own
idol and the so-called god of one place could not pass over to another in order to persuade the people there to
worship him, but was barely reverenced even by his own. Indeed no! Nobody worshipped his neighbor's god, but
every man had his own idol and thought that it was lord of all. But now Christ alone is worshipped, as One and the
Same among all peoples everywhere; and what the feebleness of idols could not do, namely, convince even those
dwelling close at hand, He has effected. He has persuaded not only those close at hand, but literally the entire world
to worship one and the same Lord and through Him the Father.
(47) Again, in former times every place was full of the fraud of the oracles, and the utterances of those at
Delphi and Dordona and in Boeotia and Lycia and Libya and Egypt and those of the Kabiri and the Pythoness were
considered marvelous by the minds of men. But now, since Christ has been proclaimed everywhere, their madness
too has ceased, and there is no one left among them to give oracles at all. Then, too, demons used to deceive men's
minds by taking up their abode in springs or rivers or trees or stones and imposing upon simple people by their
frauds. But now, since the Divine appearing of the Word, all this fantasy has ceased, for by the sign of the cross, if a
man will but use it, he drives out their deceits. Again, people used to regard as gods those who are mentioned in the
poets—Zeus and Kronos and Apollo and the heroes, and in worshipping them they went astray. But now that the
Savior has appeared among men, those others have been exposed as mortal men, and Christ alone is recognized as
true God, Word of God, God Himself. And what is one to say about the magic that they think so marvelous? Before
the sojourn of the Word, it was strong and active among Egyptians and Chaldeans and Indians and filled all who saw
it with terror and astonishment. But by the coming of the Truth and the manifestation of the Word it too has been
confuted and entirely destroyed. As to Greek wisdom, however, and the philosophers' noisy talk, I really think no
one requires argument from us; for the amazing fact is patent to all that, for all that they had written so much, the
Greeks failed to convince even a few from their own neighborhood in regard to immortality and the virtuous
ordering of life. Christ alone, using common speech and through the agency of men not clever with their tongues, has
convinced whole assemblies of people all the world over to despise death, and to take heed to the things that do not
die, to look past the things of time and gaze on things eternal, to think nothing of earthly glory and to aspire only to
immortality.
(48) These things which we have said are no mere words: they are attested by actual experience. Anyone who
likes may see the proof of glory in the virgins of Christ, and in the young men who practice chastity as part of their
religion, and in the assurance of immortality in so great and glad a company[1] of martyrs. Anyone, too, may put what we have said to the proof of
experience in another way. In the very presence of the fraud of demons and the imposture of the oracles and the
wonders of magic, let him use the sign of the cross which they all mock at, and but speak the Name of Christ, and he
shall see how through Him demons are routed, oracles cease, and all magic and witchcraft is confounded.
Who, then, is this Christ and how great is He, Who by His Name and presence overshadows and confounds all
things on every side, Who alone is strong against all and has filled the whole world with His teaching? Let the
Greeks tell us, who mock at Him without stint or shame. If He is a man, how is it that one man has proved stronger
than all those whom they themselves regard as gods, and by His own power has shown them to be nothing? If they
call Him a magician, how is it that by a magician all magic is destroyed, instead of being rendered strong? Had He
conquered certain magicians or proved Himself superior to one of them only, they might reasonably think that He
excelled the rest only by His greater skill. But the fact is that His cross has vanquished all magic entirely and has
conquered the very name of it. Obviously, therefore, the Savior is no magician, for the very demons whom the
magicians invoke flee from Him as from their Master. Who is He, then? Let the Greeks tell us, whose only serious
pursuit is mockery! Perhaps they will say that He, too, is a demon, and that is why He prevailed. But even so the
laugh is still on our side. for we can confute them by the same proofs as before. How could He be a demon, Who
drives demons out? If it were only certain ones that He drove out, then they might reasonably think that He
prevailed against them through the power of their Chief, as the Jews, wishing to insult Him, actually said. But since
the fact is, here again, that at the mere naming of His Name all madness of the demons is rooted out and put to
flight, obviously the Greeks are wrong here, too, and our Lord and Savior Christ is not, as they maintain, some
demonic power.
If, then, the Savior is neither a mere man nor a magician, nor one of the demons, but has by His Godhead
confounded and overshadowed the opinions of the poets and the delusion of the demons and the wisdom of the
Greeks, it must be manifest and will be owned by all that He is in truth Son of God, Existent Word and Wisdom and
Power of the Father. This is the reason why His works are no mere human works, but, both intrinsically and by
comparison with those of men, are recognized as being superhuman and truly the works of God.
(49) What man that ever was, for instance, formed a body for himself from a virgin only? Or what man ever
healed so many diseases as the common Lord of all? Who restored that which was lacking in man's nature or made
one blind from birth to see? Aesculapius was deified by the Greeks because he practiced the art of healing and
discovered herbs as remedies for bodily diseases, not, of course, forming them himself out of the earth, but finding
them out by the study of nature. But what is that in comparison with what the Savior did when, instead of just
healing a wound, He both fashioned essential being and restored to health the thing that He had formed? Hercules,
too, is worshipped as a god by the Greeks because he fought against other men and destroyed wild animals by craft.
But what is that to what the Word did, in driving away from men diseases and demons and even death itself?
Dionysus is worshipped among them, because he taught men drunkenness; yet they ridicule the true Savior and Lord
of all, Who taught men temperance.
That, however, is enough on this point. What will they say to the other marvels of His Godhead? At what man's
death was the sun darkened and the earth shaken? Why, even to this day men are dying, and they did so also before
that time. When did any such marvels happen in their case? Now shall we pass over the deeds done in His earthly
body and mention those after His resurrection? Has any man's teaching, in any place or at any time, ever prevailed
everywhere as one and the same, from one end of the earth to the other, so that his worship has fairly flown through
every land? Again, if, as they say, Christ is man only and not God the Word, why do not the gods of the Greeks
prevent His entering their domains? Or why, on the other hand, does the Word Himself dwelling in our midst make
an end of their worship by His teaching and put their fraud to shame?
(50) Many before Him have been kings and tyrants of the earth, history tells also of many among the Chaldeans
and Egyptians and Indians who were wise men and magicians. But which of those, I do not say after his death, but
while yet in this life, was ever able so far to prevail as to fill the whole world with his teaching and retrieve so great a
multitude from the craven fear of idols, as our Savior has won over from idols to Himself? The Greek philosophers
have compiled many works with persuasiveness and much skill in words; but what fruit have they to show for this
such as has the cross of Christ? Their wise thoughts were persuasive enough until they died; yet even in their life-
time their seeming influence was counterbalanced by their rivalry with one another, for they were a jealous company
and declaimed against each other. But the Word of God, by strangest paradox, teaching in meaner language, has put
the choicest sophists in the shade, and by confounding their teachings and drawing all men to Himself He has filled
His own assemblies. Moreover, and this is the marvelous thing by going down as Man to death He has confounded
ail the sounding utterances of the wise men about the idols. For whose death ever drove out demons, or whose death
did ever demons fear, save that of Christ? For where the Savior is named, there every demon is driven out. Again,
who has ever so rid men of their natural passions that fornicators become chaste and murderers no longer wield the
sword and those who formerly were craven cowards boldly play the man? In a word, what persuaded the barbarians
and heathen folk in every place to drop their madness and give heed to peace, save the faith of Christ and the sign
of the cross? What other things have given men such certain faith in immortality as have the cross of Christ and the
resurrection of His body? The Greeks told all sorts of false tales, but they could never pretend that their idols rose
again from death: indeed it never entered their heads that a body could exist again after death at all. And one would
be particularly ready to listen to them on this point, because by these opinions they have exposed the weakness of
their own idolatry, at the same time yielding to Christ the possibility of bodily resurrection, so that by that means He
might be recognized by all as Son of God.
(51) Again, who among men, either after his death or while yet living, taught about virginity and did not
account this virtue impossible for human beings? But Christ our Savior and King of all has so prevailed with His
teaching on this subject that even children not yet of lawful age promise that virginity which transcends the law. And
who among men has ever been able to penetrate even to Scythians and Ethiopians, or Parthians or Armenians or
those who are said to live beyond Hyrcania, or even the Egyptians and Chaldeans, people who give heed to magic
and are more than naturally enslaved by the fear of demons and savage in their habits, and to preach at all about
virtue and self-control and against the worshipping of idols, as has the Lord of all, the Power of God, our Lord Jesus
Christ? Yet He not only preached through His own disciples, but also wrought so persuasively on men's
understanding that, laying aside their savage habits and forsaking the worship of their ancestral gods, they learnt to
know Him and through Him to worship the Father. While they were yet idolaters, the Greeks and Barbarians were
always at war with each other, and were even cruel to their own kith and kin. Nobody could travel by land or sea at
all unless he was armed with swords, because of their irreconcilable quarrels with each other. Indeed, the whole
course of their life was carried on with the weapons, and the sword with them replaced the staff and was the
mainstay of all aid. All this time, as I said before, they were serving idols and offering sacrifices to demons, and for
all the superstitious awe that accompanied this idol worship, nothing could wean them from that warlike spirit. But,
strange to relate, since they came over to the school of Christ, as men moved with real compunction they have laid
aside their murderous cruelty and are war-minded no more. On the contrary, all is peace among them and nothing
remains save desire for friendship.
(52) Who, then, is He Who has done these things and has united in peace those who hated each other, save the
beloved Son of the Father, the common Savior of all, Jesus Christ, Who by His own love underwent all things for our
salvation? Even from the beginning, moreover, this peace that He was to administer was foretold, for Scripture says,
"They shall beat their swords into ploughshares and their spears into sickles, and nation shall not take sword against
nation, neither shall they learn any more to wage war."[2] Nor is
this by any means incredible.
The barbarians of the present day are naturally savage in their habits, and as long as they sacrifice to their idols
they rage furiously against each other and cannot bear to be a single hour without weapons. But when they hear the
teaching of Christ, forthwith they turn from fighting to farming, and instead of arming themselves with swords extend
their hands in prayer. In a word, instead of fighting each other, they take up arms against the devil and the demons,
and overcome them by their selfcommand and integrity of soul. These facts are proof of the Godhead of the Savior,
for He has taught men what they could never learn among the idols. It is also no small exposure of the weakness and
nothingness of demons and idols, for it was because they knew their own weakness that the demons were always
setting men to fight each other, fearing lest, if they ceased from mutual strife, they would turn to attack the demons
themselves. For in truth the disciples of Christ, instead of fighting each other, stand arrayed against demons by their
habits and virtuous actions, and chase them away and mock at their captain the devil. Even in youth they are chaste,
they endure in times of testing and persevere in toils. When they are insulted, they are patient, when robbed they
make light of it, and, marvelous to relate, they make light even of death itself, and become martyrs of Christ.
(53) And here is another proof of the Godhead of the Savior, which is indeed utterly amazing. What mere man
or magician or tyrant or king was ever able by himself to do so much? Did anyone ever fight against the whole
system of idol-worship and the whole host of demons and all magic and all the wisdom of the Greeks, at a time when
all of these were strong and flourishing and taking everybody in, as did our Lord, the very Word of God? Yet He is
even now invisibly exposing every man's error, and single-handed is carrying off all men from them all, so that those
who used to worship idols now tread them under foot, reputed magicians burn their books and the wise prefer to all
studies the interpretation of the gospels. They are deserting those whom formerly they worshipped, they worship and
confess as Christ and God Him Whom they used to ridicule as crucified. Their so-called gods are routed by the sign
of the cross, and the crucified Savior is proclaimed in all the world as God and Son of God. Moreover, the gods
worshipped among the Greeks are now falling into disrepute among them on account of the disgraceful things they
did, for those who receive the teaching of Christ are more chaste in life than they. If these, and the like of them, are
human works, let anyone who will show us similar ones done by men in former time, and so convince us. But if they
are shown to be, and are the works not of men but of God, why are the unbelievers so irreligious as not to recognize
the Master Who did them? They are afflicted as a man would be who failed to recognize God the Artificer through
the works of creation. For surely if they had recognized His Godhead through His power over the universe, they
would recognize also that the bodily works of Christ are not human, but are those of the Savior of all, the Word of
God. And had they recognized this, as Paul says, "They would not have crucified the Lord of glory."[3]
(54) As, then, he who desires to see God Who by nature is invisible and not to be beheld, may yet perceive and
know Him through His works, so too let him who does not see Christ with his understanding at least consider Him in
His bodily works and test whether they be of man or God. If they be of man, then let him scoff; but if they be of
God, let him not mock at things which are no fit subject for scorn, but rather let him recognize the fact and marvel
that things divine have been revealed to us by such humble means, that through death deathlessness has been made
known to us, and through the Incarnation of the Word the Mind whence all things proceed has been declared, and
its Agent and Ordainer, the Word of God Himself. He, indeed, assumed humanity that we might become God. He
manifested Himself by means of a body in order that we might perceive the Mind of the unseen Father. He endured
shame from men that we might inherit immortality. He Himself was unhurt by this, for He is impassable and
incorruptible; but by His own impassability He kept and healed the suffering men on whose account He thus
endured. In short, such and so many are the Savior's achievements that follow from His Incarnation, that to try to
number them is like gazing at the open sea and trying to count the waves. One cannot see all the waves with one's
eyes, for when one tries to do so those that are following on baffle one's senses. Even so, when one wants to take in
all the achievements of Christ in the body, one cannot do so, even by reckoning them up, for the things that
transcend one's thought are always more than those one thinks that one has grasped.
As we cannot speak adequately about even a part of His work, therefore, it will be better for us not to speak
about it as a whole. So we will mention but one thing more, and then leave the whole for you to marvel at. For,
indeed, everything about it is marvelous, and wherever a man turns his gaze he sees the Godhead of the Word and is
smitten with awe.
(55) The substance of what we have said so far may be summarized as follows. Since the Savior came to dwell
among us, not only does idolatry no longer increase, but it is getting less and gradually ceasing to be. Similarly, not
only does the wisdom of the Greeks no longer make any progress, but that which used to be is disappearing. And
demons, so far from continuing to impose on people by their deceits and oracle-givings and sorceries, are routed by
the sign of the cross if they so much as try. On the other hand, while idolatry and everything else that opposes the
faith of Christ is daily dwindling and weakening and falling, see, the Savior's teaching is increasing everywhere!
Worship, then, the Savior "Who is above all" and mighty, even God the Word, and condemn those who are being
defeated and made to disappear by Him. When the sun has come, darkness prevails no longer; any of it that may be
left anywhere is driven away. So also, now that the Divine epiphany of the Word of God has taken place, the
darkness of idols prevails no more, and all parts of the world in every direction are enlightened by His teaching.
Similarly, if a king be reigning somewhere, but stays in his own house and does not let himself be seen, it often
happens that some insubordinate fellows, taking advantage of his retirement, will have themselves proclaimed in his
stead; and each of them, being invested with the semblance of kingship, misleads the simple who, because they
cannot enter the palace and see the real king, are led astray by just hearing a king named. When the real king
emerges, however, and appears to view, things stand differently. The insubordinate impostors are shown up by his
presence, and men, seeing the real king, forsake those who previously misled them. In the same way the demons used
formerly to impose on men, investing themselves with the honor due to God. But since the Word of God has been
manifested in a body, and has made known to us His own Father, the fraud of the demons is stopped and made to
disappear; and men, turning their eyes to the true God, Word of the Father, forsake the idols and come to know the
true God.
Now this is proof that Christ is God, the Word and Power of God. For whereas human things cease and the
fact of Christ remains, it is clear to all that the things which cease are temporary, but that He Who remains is God
and very Son of God, the sole-begotten Word.
Chapter 8 Notes
Go Back to the top of Chapter 8