Aristides of Athens as Ecclesial Apologist: The Origin, Devotion, and Ethics of the Jewish People

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I am currently writing the dissertation for my second Ph.D., in Church History and Ecclesiology at Stellenbosch University. The tentative title of my dissertation is “Aristides of Athens as Ecclesial Apologist.” As I complete each portion, I will post the segment for anyone who wants to follow my progress. I will not be including the footnotes in these posts, so each chapter will typically be a couple thousand words longer than what’s posted here.

4.1 Research Question

The primary research question throughout this dissertation has been, “What apologetics strategies did the second-century Christian apologist Aristides of Athens pursue in a context in which Christianity was perceived as a threat to the social order?” The opening chapters of the Apologia established, on the basis of the apologist’s observation of the order and motion of the cosmos, the necessary characteristics of the divine creator. Through a series of ethnological discourses, Aristides then analyzed the origins, ethics, and devotion of the barbarians and the Greeks. His predetermined conclusion was that neither Greeks nor barbarians worshiped the deity demanded by the cosmos.

In his closing ethnological discourses, Aristides considered two final people-groups, the Jews and the Christians. In the end, Christians would be identified as the people-group closest to the truth, due to their devotion to the deity necessitated by the cosmos. On the way to this culmination of his argument, Aristides critiqued the origins, devotion, and ethics of the Jewish people. His critique of the Jews survives in two distinct versions in addition to the condensed Armenian translation. It remains uncertain which of the two versions—the Syriac translation or the version in the Greek Barlaam and Ioasaph—preserves the earlier form of the argument.

In this chapter, I examine the differing versions of the Jewish ethnography in the Apologia of Aristides, focusing on the aspects that seem most likely to reflect the earliest form of the apology (4.2). I then turn to the final ethnography, in which Aristides attempted to demonstrate that Christians were the people-group nearest to the truth (4.3). I consider the apology’s constructions of the relationship of Jews and Christians in light of postmodern historiography (4.4) and then conclude with an analysis of the eschatological appeal with which Aristides ended his apology (4.5).

4.2 Jewish Ethnography in the Apologia of Aristides

All three primary versions of the Apologia—Greek, Armenian, and Syriac—preserve a genealogy for the Jewish people; the precise form of each genealogy varies but all agree that the Jewish people descended from Abraham through Isaac and Jacob. In addition, the Greek and Syriac apologies include radically different descriptions of Jewish devotion and ethics. Although the Greek and Syriac texts both depict Jewish devotion as superior to the devotion of the barbarians and Greeks, the Greek Apologia preserves a far more negative evaluation of Jewish knowledge of God (Apol. 14.3–4 Gr.), closely integrated with a narrative of past Jewish disobedience (Apol. 14:2b Gr.).

According to the Greek text embedded in Barlaam and Ioasaph, the apologist made this appeal:

Ἔλθωμεν οὖν, ὦ βασιλεῦ, καὶ ἐπὶ τοὺς Ἰουδαίους, ὅπως ἴδωμεν τί φρονοῦσι καὶ αὐτοὶ περὶ θεοῦ. οὗτοι γὰρ, τοῦ Ἁβραὰμ ὄντες ἀπόγονοι καὶ Ἰσαὰκ καὶ Ἰακὼβ, παρῴκησαν εἰς Αἴγυπτον· ἐκεῖθεν δὲ ἐξήγαγεν αὐτοὺς ὁ θεὸς ἐν χειρὶ κραταιᾷ καὶ ἐν βραχίονι ὑψηλῷ διὰ Μωσέως τοῦ νομοθέτου αὐτῶν, καὶ τέρασι πολλοῖς καὶ σημείοις ἐγνώρισεν αὐτοῖς τὴν ἑαυτοῦ δύναμιν. ἀλλὰ, ἀγνώμονες καὶ αὐτοὶ φανέντες καὶ ἀχάριστοι, πολλάκις ἐλάτρευσαν τοῖς τῶν ἐθνῶν σεβάσμασι, καὶ τοὺς ἀπεσταλμένους πρὸς αὐτοὺς προφήτας καὶ δικαίους ἀπέκτειναν. εἶτα ὡς εὐδόκησεν ὁ υἱὸς τοῦ θεοῦ ἐλθεῖν ἐπὶ τῆς γῆς, ἐμπαροινήσαντες εἰς αὐτὸν προέδωκαν Πιλάτῳ τῷ ἡγεμόνι τῶν Ῥωμαίων καὶ σταυρῷ κατεδίκασαν, μὴ αἰδεσθέντες τὰς εὐεργεσίας αὐτοῦ, καὶ τὰ ἀναρίθμητα θαύματα ἅπερ ἐν αὐτοῖς εἰργάσατο· καὶ ἀπώλοντο τῇ ἰδίᾳ παρανομίᾳ. σέβονται γὰρ καὶ νῦν τὸν θεὸν μόνον παντοκράτορα, ἀλλʼ οὐ κατʼ ἐπίγνωσιν· τὸν γὰρ χριστὸν ἀρνοῦνται τὸν υἱὸν τοῦ θεοῦ, καὶ εἰσὶ παρόμοιοι τῶν ἐθνῶν, κἂν ἐγγίζειν πως τῇ ἀληθείᾳ δοκῶσιν, ἧς ἑαυτοὺς ἐμάκρυναν. ταῦτα περὶ τῶν ʼΙουδαίων.

Let us come, therefore, O king, to the Jews also, that we may see what they understand about God. For these are descendants of Abraham and Isaac and Jacob, and they settled in Egypt; from there, God led them out by a mighty hand and by an uplifted arm through Moses their lawgiver, and by many wonders and signs he made known his power to them. However, proving senseless and ungrateful, many times they served the nations’ objects of worship, and they killed the prophets and righteous ones that were sent to them. Then, when God’s Son was pleased to come upon the earth, they acted abusively to him and handed him over to Pilate the Roman governor, and they declared the judgment of the cross, not giving regard to his good works and the uncountable wonders of the like which he worked among them. And, by their own lawlessness, they were perishing. For even now they worship one God the ruler of all, but not according to true knowledge; for they deny Christ the Son of God, and they are much like the nations, despite how they might seem to come near to the truth, from which they have distanced themselves; these things are about the Jews. (Apol. 14 Gr.)

The Syriac translation places the Jewish genealogy earlier in the Apologia (Apol. 2 Syr.) and preserves a more positive ethnography of the Jews than anything in the Greek text. According to the Syriac Apologia, the Jewish people recognized one creator and sustainer of the cosmos, and their ethics revealed this proximity to truth. Their error was acts of service that were directed toward angels instead of being solely directed toward God. According to the Syriac text preserved in Codex Sinaiticus Syr. S. Catherine 16, the apologist declared,

ܢܐܿܬܐ ܡܟܝܠ ܐܘ ܡ̇ܠܟܐ ܐܦ ܥܠ ܫܪܒܐ ܕܝܗ̈ܘܕܝܐ. ܘܢܚܿܙܐ ܐܝܢܐ ܚܘܫܒܐ ܐܝܬ ܠܗܘܢ ܥܠ ܐܠܗܐ .ܝܗܘ̈ܕܝܐ ܗܟ ܝܠ ܐܡܪ̈ܝ݂ܢ. ܕܚ ܕ ܗܘ. ܐܠܗܐ ܒ̇ܪܘܝܐ ܕܟܠ ܘܐܚܝܕ ܟܠ. ܘܕܠܐ ܩܕܩ ܕܢ ܣ̇ܬܓܕ ܡܕܡ. ܐܚ ܪܝܢܿ. ܐܠܐ ܐܢ ܗܢܐ ܐܠܗܐ ܒܠܚܘܕܘܗܝ. ܘܒܗܕܐ ܡܬܚ̇ܙܝܢ ܕܩܪ̈ܝܒܝܢ ܠܫܪܪܐ ܝܬܝܪ ܡܢ ܟܠܗܘܢ ܥܡ̈ܡܐ. ܒܗܝ ܕܝܬܝܪܐܝܬ ܠܐܠܗܐ ܣ̇ܓܕܝ̣ܢ ܘܠܘ ܠܥ̇ܒ̈ܕܘܗܝ.ܘܡܿܬܕܡܝܢ ܒܐܠܗܐܼ. ܒܝܕ ܪܚܡܼܬ ܐܢܫܐ ܕܐܝܬ ܠܗܘܢ݀ ܟܕ ܡܪ̈ܚܡܝ݂ܢ ܥܠ ܡܣ̈ ܟܢܐ. ܘܦܪ̈ܩܝܼܢ ܫܒ̈ܝܐܿ. ܘܩܒܪ̈ܝܢ ܡ̈ܝܬܐ. ܘܥܒ̈ܕܝܢ ܕܕܡܿܝܢ ܠܗܠܝܢ. ܗܠܝܢ ܕܡܩ̈ܒܠܢ ܥܠ ܐܠܗܐ. ܘܫܦܪ̈ܢ ܐܦ ܠܒܢܝ̈ܢܫܐ. ܗܠܝܢ ܕܩ̇ܒܠܘ ܡܢ ܐܒܗ̈ܝܗܘܢ ܩܕܡ̈ܝܐ. ܒܪܡ ܕܝܢ ܐܦ ܗܿܢܘܢ ܛܥܼܘ. ܡܢ ܝܕܥܬܐ ܚܬܝܬܐ. ܘܒܬܪܥܝܬܗܘܢ ܣܒܪ̈ܝ݂ܢ ܕܠܐܠܗܐ ܗܘܼ ܦܠܚ̈ܝܢ. ܒ̈ܙܢܝܐ ܕܝܢ ܕܣܘܥܪ̈ܢ ܝ ܗܘ ܠܡܠܐ̈ܟܐ ܗܘܼ ܘܠܐ ܠܐܠܗܐ ܗܘ ܦܘܠܚܢܗܘܢ. ܟܕܢܛܪ̈ܝܢ ܫܒ̈ܐ ܘܪܝܫܼ ܝܪ̈ܚܐ. ܘܦܛܝܪ̈ܐ ܘܨܘܡܐ ܪܒܐ. ܘܨܘܡܐ ܘܓܙܘܪܬܐ ܘܕܘܟܝܐ ܕܡ ܐܟ̈ܠܬܐ. ܗܠܝܢ ܕܐܦ ܠܐ ܗܟܢܐ ܡܫܡܠܝܐܝܬ ܢܛܪ̈ܝܢ ܠܗܝܢ ܀

Let us come, therefore, O king, to the matter of the Jewish people, and let us see what understanding they have concerning God. The Jews speak in this way: “God, the creator of all and the sustainer of all, is one, and none other needs to be worshiped but only this God alone.” In this, they appear closer to the truth than all the nations, especially because they worship God and not his works. They imitate God through the love of humanity which they have, as they have mercy on the poor, they redeem captives, they bury the dead, and do things like these, things that are acceptable to God and pleasing to humanity, things that they received from their ancestors. Yet they too have erred from true knowledge, and in their thought they suppose that they are serving God. Instead, their works are for the angels, and their service is not to God. As they keep sabbaths and beginnings of months and the Passover and the great fast, and fasting and circumcision and the purification from the blood of meats, they do not even keep these things completely. (Apol. 14 Syr.)