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The Apology of Aristides
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[4425] The reference is to Josaphat, son of Abenner, who was taught to be a Christian by the monk Barlaam.
[4426] Nachor, the fictitious monk who represented Barlaam, intended to make a weak defence of Christianity, but, according to the story, he was constrained to speak what he had not intended. It is evidently the author’s intention to make it an instance of “suggestio verborum” or plenary inspiration, in the case of the fictitious monk.
The Apology of Aristides the Philosopher. Translated from the Syriac.
[4427] The superscription seems to be duplicate in the Syriac. It is absent from the Greek as we have it; the Armenian has “To the Emperor Cæsar Hadrian from Aristides.” Various explanations are offered. (a) Both emperors, as colleagues, may be meant. In support of this the Syriac adjectives for “venerable and merciful” are marked plural; the phrase “Your majesty” occurring later has a plural suffix; and two Imperatives, “Take and read,” are plural. On the other hand “O King” occurs constantly in the singular; and the emperors were colleagues only for a few months in the year a.d. 138.
(b) The longer heading is the true one—the shorter being due perhaps to a scribe who had a collection of works to copy. In that case the word “Hadrian” has been selected from the full title of Antonine, and the two adjectives “venerable and merciful” are proper names, Augustus Pius. (Harris.)
(c) The shorter heading has the support of Eusebius and the Armenian version; and the translator into Syriac may have amplified.
(***) Almighty is separated from the word for “God” by a pause, and is not an attribute which a Christian would care to apply to a Roman emperor. παντοκράτωρ may have been confounded with αὐ τοκράτωρ. Raabe supplies *** giving the sense “qui imperium (postatem) habet,” as an epithet of Cæsar. If *** ="Renewed, or dedicated again to…Antoninus Pius,” could be read, both headings might be retained.
[4428] The Armenian adds, “For that which is subject to this distinction is moved by passions.”
[4429] Literally: “a certain dispensation of his.” The Greek term οἰκονομία, “dispensation,” suggests to the translator into Syriac the idea of the Incarnation, familiar, as it seems, by his time. Professor Sachau reads the equivalent of θαυμαστή instead of *** (τις). In the translation given *** is taken adverbially = aliquamdiu.
[4430] This irrelevant sentence is found in the Armenian version also, and therefore was probably in the original Greek. It seems to be an obiter dictum. Men fall into four groups, and, by the way, so do the elements, air, fire, earth, and water; and the powers that govern them. One quaternion suggests others.
[4431] Cf. Rom. 1.25; Col. 2.8.
[4432] Or “and hence the world also gets its name κόσμος.” The Syriac is the equivalent of the Greek “διὸ καὶ κόσμος καλεῖται,” which occurs (Chap. IV.) in discussing the supposed divinity of the sky or heaven.
[4433] Professor Nöldeke’s emendation, ***, in place of *** ="they were reviled,” is adopted in the translation given.
[4434] Cf. Amos v. 26, “Chiun, your star god,” and Acts vii. 43.
[4435] Pasiphae’s unnatural passion for Taurus is not in the Greek mythology charged to Zeus.
[4436] The visit of Zeus to Semele (not Selene) is evidently referred to. Σελήνη Luna would give the Syriac ***.
[4437] Professor Rendel Harris pronounces “Paludus” a vox nihili, and explains its presence as due to a corrupt repetition of the preceding Polydeuces. The Syriac word in the text suggests Pollux—the Latin equivalent of Polydeuces. Clytemnestra is the name required.
[4438] Adopting Professor Harris’s emendation *** = κλέπτης instead of *** = vir.
[4439] “Tyrant,” ***, seems out of place when connected with Herakles. Perhaps *** = ebrius, which occurs at the close of the paragraph, should be read here. Cf. also the Greek.
[4440] The same two words are used of Isis. The Christians are unlike her in finding what they sought.
[4441] Cf. Pliny’s letter to the Emperor Trajan, a.d. 112, “The Christians are wont to meet at dawn on an appointed day, and to sing a hymn to Christ as God.”
[4442] The Christian Scriptures are previously referred to as a source of information, not as containing difficulties. cf. 2 Peter iii. 16.
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