Folia Theologica 21. (2010)
Perendy László: An Enigmatic Apology - Aristides on God's created world
90 László PERENDY The text of the Apology is, in its process of being written and re-written, a proof of the continuity between Old Testament faith and patristic theology. B. Pouderon, however, challenges O'Ceallaigh's theory about a late Christian author. Taking into account also testimony of the Armenian and Georgian fragments, he convincingly proves that the Apology was written in 124/25.21 III. Literary Criticism Johannes Quasten does not appreciate the style of the Apology too much: "The apology of Aristides is limited in scope, its style unaffected and its thought and disposition artless. Nevertheless for all its simplicity, its tone is lofty."22 However, Aimé Puech is not so severe in his judgment: "L'auteur n'est ni un esprit très vigoureux, ni un écrivain remarquable (...) Mais il a un accent de sincérité qui touche, et il a su bien mettre en lumière les vertus essentielles et la nouveauté du christianisme."23 G. Bareille's view is doser to that of Quasten: "Cette Apologie, dépourvue de style et d'art dans la composition, est loin de valoir celles qui parurent au Ile siècle; elle contribue assez peu à la connaissance de l'antiquité chrétienne;"24 Bareille also quotes the opinions of Adolf von Harnack and Adolf Bernhard Christoph Hilgenfeld that Aristides' style reflects the simplicity of the ideas presented by him. But J. de Zwaan may be right in saying: "already at an early date Eugnostos and Aristides on the Ineffable God, in van den Broek, R. - Baarda, T. - Mansfeld, J. (ed.), Knowledge of God in the Graeco-Roman World, Leiden- New York-Kobenhavn-Köln 1988. 202-218. R. van den Broek thinks that "it is quite conceivable that a fourth-century reader felt himself compelled to adjust Aristides' poor Christological statements to the orthodox standards of his own time. There are strong indications that the main body of this apology was written by a Jew indeed, but there is no evidence which precludes the view that this Jewish work, in an admittedly awkward manner, was already Christianized in the second century." (o. c. 204-205). 21 Pouderon, B. - Pierre, M. J. (ed.), Aristide: Apologie, 85-93. 22 Quasten, J., Patrology, I: The Beginnings of Patristic Literature, Utrecht - Brussels 1993.2 194. 23 Puech, A., Histoire de la littérature grecque chrétienne, II. Paris 1928.128. 24 Bareille, G., Aristide, in Dictionnaire de théologie catholique, 1/2. Paris 1931. 1864-1867.
