Tatian's Address to the Greeks

by Tatian the Assyrian

This scarce antiquarian book is a facsimile reprint of the original. Due to its age, it may contain imperfections such as marks, notations, marginalia and flawed pages. Because we believe this work is culturally important, we have made it available as part of our commitment for protecting, preserving, and promoting the world's literature in affordable, high quality, modern editions that are true to the original work.

Genres: Christianity, Religion, Classics, Nonfiction, Theology, Church History, History

56 pages, Paperback

First published January 1, 150

About the author

Tatian of Adiabene, or Tatian the Syrian or Tatian the Assyrian, (Latin: Tatianus; Ancient Greek: Τατιανός ο Σύρος; Classical Syriac: ܛܛܝܢܘܣ; c. 120 – c. 180 AD) was an Assyrian Christian writer and theologian of the 2nd century.
Tatian's most influential work is the Diatessaron, a Biblical paraphrase, or "harmony", of the four gospels that became the standard text of the four gospels in the Syriac-speaking churches until the 5th-century, after which it gave way to the four separate gospels in the Peshitta version.

Reviews

[Evan Leach · Rating 3 out of 5]

Tatian, a pupil of the more famous Justin Martyr who lived in the second century, is best known today as the author of the Diatessaron, a harmony of the four gospels. A native of Assyria, he labored in Rome for years before departing back east sometime after 165. According to Irenaeus, he was expelled from the church for his extremely ascetic views (including, apparently, a rejection of marriage as being too worldly a pursuit for a true follower of the faith).

His Oratio ad Graecos (Address to the Greeks) was probably written before his expulsion, and while Tatian’s more extreme views were roundly rejected by other Christians of his era, the Oration seems to have escaped widespread condemnation. The essay is an example of early Christian apologetics – a genre where Christian writers sought to defend their beliefs against attacks from the Greco-Roman establishment. Tatian takes a very aggressive stance, ridiculing paganism as illogical and immoral while defending Christian practices as superior in every way. Interestingly, he doesn’t so much contest the existence of Greco-Roman gods & goddesses (Zeus, Hera, Dionysius, etc); instead, he describes them as “demons” – beneath the one, true, God – whose influence on the mortal world (if any) is to mislead, entrap, and waylay mortals from a more virtuous path. To support his arguments, Tatian attacks their less-than-godlike behavior familiar to readers of Greek mythology – infidelity, capriciousness, rape, and even cannibalism. To a modern reader, these myths are colorful and enjoyable, but Tatian points out that actually worshipping this kind of deity is questionable at best.

By the second century, this was shooting fish in a barrel; a growing number of educated individuals in the Greco-Roman world had been struggling to reconcile their religious heritage with the realities of the world around them for some time now, and few still believed (for example) that Atlas was carrying the earth on his shoulders. A number of other apologists have made similar arguments, some more eloquently or effectively. Still, Tatian makes some solid logical points, and his digressions on his personal conversion and the antiquity of Moses vs. Homer are interesting reading. A relatively short essay that’s a solid example of its genre, recommended for readers interested in early Christian literature. 3 stars.

[Dominic Muresan · Rating 4 out of 5]

Doi autori extrem de diferiti - Tatian, desi cunoscator al misterelor si al religiilor la moda in Imperiul Roman, e un dusman cat se poate de vocal al tot ce inseamna cultura pagana - de la filosofie, mitologie etc. Pe de-alta parte, Atenagoras, educat bine in traditia Platonica, continua misiunea modelului sau, Iustin, de a armoniza credinta cu gandirea. Cel din urma, cu un stil de a scrie ingrijit, pe de-alta parte primul un retorician urlător, care-si amesteca ideile. Pe cat e de vocal impotriva paganismului, Tatian se ascunde dupa deget. Vorbeste la general, discuta de "filosofia barbara", nu il numeste pe Hristos sau sa se identifice cu apelativul de crestin in niciun fel (de frica oare?). Atenagoras, pe de-alta parte, mult mai franc - citeaza din Evanghelii si din Agrapha si isi expune teologia trinitariana clar si raspicat. Desi, ambele lucrari sunt scrise pentru consum intern si doar mimand stilul Apologiei oficiale (asa cum o gasim la Iustin), Atenagoras mi se pare cel mai convingator si respectuos, Tatian cade prea mult in fundamentalism. Interesant e, ca din ce se stie despre ei, Tatian e cel ce ajunge eretic, condamnat de generatii de scriitori bisericesti.

[John Schneider · Rating 4 out of 5]

I read the translation of the "Tatian's Address to the Greeks" found in the "Anti-Nicene Fathers" collections (eds. Rev. Alexander Roberts and James Donaldson). This excellent work has some wonderful and even colorful language in it. Tatian takes no prisoners as he argues for the truths of Christianity against the Pagan beliefs of the Greeks of his day. The work is worth reading if only for the mockery that Tatian employs to demonstrate the absurdity of pagan beliefs.

[Joshua Pearsall · Rating 4 out of 5]

A good read, and if you're dealing with any pagans a good insight into how to approach. Though you may not be dealing with Zeus and Chronos, it is a model that would do well to follow. I often forget how powerful confrontational apologetics can be, going on the offensive. I'm used to addressing objections and putting forth a positive case, but it cannot be underestimated the power of going on the offensive and showing the many flaws in other systems, including a repeated and forceful critique of the points. Elijah mocked the false prophets "maybe he is on the toilet." Too often we tend to let demons be given more credit than they should have because we do not wish to offend modern sensibilities. though we should of course be wary of being so harsh we sin ourselves.

Chapter I. The Greeks Claim, Without Reason, the Invention of the Arts.
Chapter II. The Vices and Errors of the Philosophers.
Chapter III. Ridicule of the Philosophers.
Chapter IV. The Christians Worship God Alone.
Chapter V. The Doctrine of the Christians as to the Creation of the World.
Chapter VI. Christians’ Belief in the Resurrection.
Chapter VII. Concerning the Fall of Man.
Chapter VIII. The Demons Sin Among Mankind.
Chapter IX. They Give Rise to Superstitions.
Chapter X. Ridicule of the Heathen Divinities.
Chapter XI. The Sin of Men Due Not to Fate, But to Free-Will.
Chapter XII. The Two Kinds of Spirits.
Chapter XIII. Theory of the Soul’s Immortality.
Chapter XIV. The Demons Shall Be Punished More Severely Than Men.
Chapter XV. Necessity of a Union with the Holy Spirit.
Chapter XVI. Vain Display of Power by the Demons.
Chapter XVII. They Falsely Promise Health to Their Votaries.
Chapter XVIII. They Deceive, Instead of Healing.
Chapter XIX. Depravity Lies at the Bottom of Demon-Worship.
Chapter XX. Thanks are Ever Due to God.
Chapter XXI. Doctrines of the Christians and Greeks Respecting God Compared.
Chapter XXII. Ridicule of the Solemnities of the Greeks.
Chapter XXIII. Of the Pugilists and Gladiators.
Chapter XXIV. Of the Other Public Amusements.
Chapter XXV. Boastings and Quarrels of the Philosophers.
Chapter XXVI. Ridicule of the Studies of the Greeks.
Chapter XXVII. The Christians are Hated Unjustly.
Chapter XXVIII. Condemnation of the Greek Legislation.
Chapter XXIX. Account of Tatian’s Conversion.
Chapter XXX. How He Resolved to Resist the Devil.
Chapter XXXI. The Philosophy of the Christians More Ancient Than that of the Greeks.
Chapter XXXII. The Doctrine of the Christians, is Opposed to Dissensions, and Fitted for All.
Chapter XXXIII. Vindication of Christian Women.
Chapter XXXIV. Ridicule of the Statues Erected by the Greeks.
Chapter XXXV. Tatian Speaks as an Eye-Witness.
Chapter XXXVI. Testimony of the Chaldeans to the Antiquity of Moses.
Chapter XXXVII. Testimony of the Phœnicians.
Chapter XXXVIII. The Egyptians Place Moses in the Reign of Inachus.
Chapter XXXIX. Catalogue of the Argive Kings.
Chapter XL. Moses More Ancient and Credible Than the Heathen Heroes.
Chapter XLI.
Chapter XLII. Concluding Statement as to the Author.

[Christian Barrett · Rating 4 out of 5]

The defense of Moses’ superiority to the Greek philosophers is the primary reason Christians should read this work. Tatian uses a historical method to argue for the Christian faith and the authority of the Old Testament, and provides helpful evidence that many secular historians typically ignore or are ignorant of when it comes to Moses existence and testimony.

[CivilWar · Rating 2 out of 5]

A lot of hypocrisy as one would expect from a Christian mocking other religions. The arguments against the Greek superstitions are perfectly valid, and would indeed be half-decent if coming from a sceptic or atheistic viewpoint, however, since Tatian is acting like his form of Christianity (a Gnostic-Christian form called Encratism, and actually quite a solid form of Christianity with a lot of modern, agreeable positions, but that does not affect my judgement of this book) is somehow more rational and less superstitious than Greek religion, it just falls straight into the realm of hypocrisy. A lot of it does boil down to "My God is better than your Gods! Your Gods are evil!".

A particularly bizarre and prominent example of hypocrisy comes in the form of his criticisms of other philosophers. Several chapters are dedicated to this and they're all terrible since Tatian doesn't address a single point of these ancient great philosophers, but rather, mocks them for mocking and disagreeing with each other, apparent under some delusion that, like Christians, philosophers should just all agree on everything in some sort of hivemind. Not only that, but despite criticizing philosophers for mocking each other when they refute another philosopher, he literally does nothing but mock the philosophers, without addressing their points, thus making him worse than all of the philosophers he's criticizing.

Indeed, in many chapters, Tatian seems unable to grasp the concept of different cultures, and seems to think that Greeks not having an homogeneous blob of a culture is somehow a valid point against them, when in truth, it was one of the best examples of diversity of culture, giving us different styles of art, of thinking, of writing and many other things.

Of particularly note is how he calls Greek poems "idle tales" with the intent of "beguil[ing] their hearers from the truth!", with nothing to say about reality, when in fact, Greek poetry, specially Homer's Iliad and The Odyssey, are much more artful, have much more insight on the human condition than The Bible ever had.

Other bizarre arguments include Christianity being better because it's older and the fact that the Greeks build statues.

On the good side is his extremely early championing of vegetarianism, condemning on multiple occasions the eating of flesh in some of the earliest "meat is murder" sentiment I've seen.

Not particularly good or relevant any more, however, I do somewhat enjoy the harshness of the prose on display here, and Tatian does make quite a few valid points, mainly on the realm of Gnosticism rather than Christianity, so I will give it some leeway when it comes to it's fundamentally flawed nature.

[David Alexander · Rating 4 out of 5]

Tatian's polemic against Hellenic opponents of Christianity is very strong. He pulls no punches and makes telling and biting remarks about the Roman and Greek inconsistencies. His dissatisfaction with the Roman and Greek pantheon of gods and the Hellenic philosophical heritage and his embrace of Christianity seems to have been motivated by a burning passion for purity. His moral indictment of the Romans is withering. But his passion went to excess and you can see it in some of his reasoning in this work about the material world. He seems to this layman to pursue a kind of platonic approach to the physical world and it leads him to interpret the Spirit and the life, death and resurrection of Christ (the economy) to fit his belief rather than letting them ultimately shape his belief. Later, he forbids marriage, etc.

[Truls Ljungström · Rating 1 out of 5]

Denna bok är bland det värsta jag har läst i termer av fanatism, hat mot alla motståndare, förakt för samtal och blindhet inför denna värld. Hade jag någonsin sökt bekräftelse på kristendomens avskyvärda inkrökthet, så hade jag använt den. Den enda ursäkt jag har, som kristen, är att Tatianus blev utkastad ur kyrkan på grund av dessa tankar.

[Samuel · Rating 3 out of 5]

O KNIHE A AUTOROVI

Tatian bol asýrskym kresťanom a apologétom 2. storočia. V traktáte Oratio Ad Graecos sa snaží presvedčiť Grékov, že ich filozofia a kultúra je nesprávna, a naopak, že kresťanstvo je jedinou správnou "filozofiou". Práve v Oratio sa dozvedáme mnoho o jeho živote. Navštívil Rím, tu spoznal kresťanstvo, predtým študoval grécku filozofiu a obrátil sa čítaním Svätého Písma, zrejme hlavne Starého zákona. Bol žiakom Justina Mučeníka. Zrejme stojí za to povedať aj to, že v katolíckej Cirkvi nepatrí k najuznávanejším prednikájskym otcom, pretože už mnohí jeho súčasníci mali problém s jeho asketizmom a neskôr dokonca vstúpil do gnostickej sekty. Aj jeho teológia má svoje špecifiká. Však posúďme sami.

Podľa Tatiana ľudská duša pôvodne existovala v súlade a vo viere v jedného Boha. Následne prišiel Pád a skrze démonov začala veriť v mnohých nepravdivých bohov. Len skrze monoteistickú vieru je však duša oslobodzovaná od nadvlády démonov a znova zjednocovaná s Bohom. Je zrejme jedným z prvých, kto popísal stvorenie svet "ex nihilo". Na počiatku bolo Slovo. Toto slovo vošlo do sveta a svet stvorilo a naplnilo svet "svetovým duchom", ktorého zdieľa všetko stvorenstvo. Tento duch je však podriadený božskému. V človeku zas tento duch vytvára dušu. Človek sa teda až tak nelíši od zvierat ani telom, ani duchom, lež v tom, že je osobné pozvaný k jednote s Bohom. Tatian kladie obrovský dôraz na pôsobenie démonov vo svete, ktorí chcú aby človek slúžil im a nie Bohu. Tatian však kladie dôraz aj na slobodu/slobodnú vôľu. Teda, človek slobodne padol a má slobodu opäť vstať a navrátiť sa k Bohu.

Samotné dielo "Oratio Ad Graecos" by som rozdelil na dve časti, kedy v prvej jednak hovorí o vyššie popísanej teológii a o tom, že grécka filozofia obsahuje veľké protirečenia a nedostatky, zatiaľ čo kresťanstvo je jednoznačné a v druhej časti ukazuje, že kresťanstvo je staršie ako grécka filozofia a mytológia, teda treba dať prednosť tomu, čo bolo prv. Snaží sa to ukázať na Homérovi a Mojžišovi, pričom táto časť je určite zaujímavá a ukazuje, aké rozsiahle znalosti Tatian mal.

HODNOTENIE

Tatian je celkom arogantný a verí si. Jeho dielo je pretkané frázami ako "teraz sa smejete, ale potom budete plakať" a podobne. Grékom nakladá, že sú nemorálni, protirečia si, ich kultúra je skazená, ich mytológia smiešna, ich vzťah k ženám taktiež, no jednoducho, že by bolo lepšie, keby si to uvedomili (tak ako Tatian), nechali to tak a verili v Boha. Je to veľmi podnetné a zaujímavé čítanie, ale jednak arogancia a niektoré argumenty, ktoré sú vlastne len tvrdeniami, vzbudzujú zvláštny dojem autorovej neschopnosti diskutovať (samozrejme, pre danú dobu to nie je nič zvláštne, ale dnes to tak môže vyzerať). Zároveň to, že nejde o významného predstaviteľa kresťanstva a katolíckej vierouky dáva jeho traktátu trpkú príchuť, že niekde bude problém. Jeho štýl občas pobaví, ale určite to nie je úplne zábavné čítanie. Ak nemusíte, zbytočne to nečítajte. Ja som musel, je dobré o tom vedieť a tri hviezdičky si to zaslúži pre obsahovú stránku (jednak zaujímavo popísaná teológia a aj obhajoba starodávnosti kresťanstva).

[Adam Carnehl · Rating 3 out of 5]

In this curious treatise by the Syrian writer Tatian (c. 130 - 180), who is most famous for his hand in compiling the "Gospel of the Mixed," we find some of the earliest apologetic arguments offered on behalf of Christianity. More than Athenagoras or Justin Martyr, two contemporary apologetic writers, Tatian is ever on the offensive against Greek philosophy, Greek literature, Greek history, Greek customs, and Greek religion. He is relentless in his attack, which winds its way through the entire address. Indeed, Tatian endeavors to demonstrate how deviant, impious, and corrupt the Greek ways are, while in chapters distributed here and there, he argues for the reasonableness and truth of various Christian teachings.

Tatian is capable of profundity, such as in the passage on the Logos (ch. 5), where he defends the Logos of God by using the metaphor of a torch lighting other torches. The original torch in this example is like God, not becoming deficient in its begetting of light, but remaining intact. Yet, Tatian holds to certain strange (perhaps Gnostic-influenced) views of the soul being separated from spirit, and a divine spark of the spirit's power indwelling in people until it successfully finds God, after which the separated souls, if they are "obedient to wisdom," attract the divine spirit back to themselves. His passage on free will (ch. 11) is very interesting; as is the passage on the absurd boasting of Greek philosophers (ch. 25), demonstrating the disunity and inharmonious grasping at the truth.

In the work Tatian also gives some peculiar reflections on his conversion experience, noting that the "effeminate and pathic" religious rites of Greek culture disgusted him and forced him to retire for contemplation. Somewhere and somehow, the Old Testament writings which were "too old to be compared with the opinions of the Greeks, and too divine to be compared with their errors," fell into his lap, and he read, and was converted.

The end of the work is devoted to proving the antiquity of Moses, and that his writing predates Homer.

[madison bradford · Rating 5 out of 5]

"What great and wonderful things have your philosophers effected? They leave uncovered one of their
shoulders; they let their hair grow long; they cultivate their beards; their nails are like the claws of wild beasts."

First class reading to make me laugh aloud this semester. For Global history of Christianity. I would love to know the story of what inspired him to write this. I feel like maybe he traveled forward in time and met some liberal arts philosophy students.

"Or how can it be irrational, according to your own sophist, to grow old always learning
something"

[Max Davis · Rating 3 out of 5]

In this book Tatian is addressing the Greeks (shocker). He speaks on some of their gnostic and anti-material beliefs. He also addresses some of their ideas on ancient Greek gods. However, the most important and exciting part of this book is the defense he gives of his Christian worldview. Early Christian apologetic writings are always worth reading.

[Grant Steiner · Rating 3 out of 5]

Interesting

[Gaétan Brassard · Rating 2 out of 5]

Balbutiement du théisme chrétien. Mais un théisme sans christologie est-ce du christianisme?

[John Cairns · Rating 3 out of 5]

Tatian rails against the Greeks, by which I think is meant pagans. He attacks stoicism. He admits pagan spirits he calls demons but of matter and created by his divinity who is all spirit and no matter. Daphne disproves Apollo's vaticination he derived no advantage from. One doesn't because one can only foresee what's more or less fixed and if fixed fated. Tatian of course excoriates fate since his god is above that sort of thing and man has free will, if only to accept god's or if not then be evil and though not doomed to die do die by our own fault. The soul is not in itself immortal, he deviates from others who think coming from god it is, but dies and dissolves with the body and at the end of the world is reconstituted with the body. Actually if you're going to believe in resurrection of the body this makes some sense. The soul then isn't all virtue, as come from a perfect god whose spirit accompanies it until bogged down by the body the soul separates from the divine spirit but retains enough spark to deviate onto following the spirits of matter ie demons who are immortal until judgment day when they do. Man is special, not because he's rational since other animals according to the Greeks possess understanding and knowledge (and do things for pure joie de vivre! like swans repeatedly taking off and landing through Richmond Bridge) but is in the image of god. One has to suspect that that's the other way round. Only men like him who are possessed by god's spirits see the demons. He practically says it's wishful thinking in his 'longing for immortality' because that's the Xian carrot. We know we're going to die and are dispensable but don't want to and do want to be important enough to justify the life that's in us, so, to square that particular circle, we can believe though we will die we will live again afterwards, if only we believe or affect to believe a patent self-deluding lie, which also gains us entry to a group on the basis of common belief in it. Yeah, right. He's not keen on healing by medicine because that's trusting to matter. He's practically a Jehovah's Witness or do I mean Xian Scientist? to the extent that if you cure your neighbour you're no benefactor but should trust to the power of the logos, which comes from and is inherent in god (in another context Christ is the personification of that). He is so arrogant! 'Do you who have not the perception of these things be instructed by us who know them.' So unself-knowing. He lambasts pagan philosophers and beliefs and presumes, 'I am able to show the truth of these things; only do you hearken and he who believes will understand.' he is incensed at nearly being put to death like his friend Justin (the Martyr). he grants drugs cure but really it's god. I googled the passage in Greek where Tatian has Pindar in mind but quotes from justin along the lines 'the spirit with the soul will receive immortality, the heavenly covering of mortality.' Any fear of inevitable death is countered by the self-delusion of immortality afterwards.

[Yann]

http://mercure.fltr.ucl.ac.be/Hodoi/c...