Folia Theologica 21. (2010)
Perendy László: An Enigmatic Apology - Aristides on God's created world
AN ENIGMATIC APOLOGY 91 the tradition of the Apology of Aristides was a meagre one, no undamaged MSS being available for either the copyist of the British Museum Papyrus or the translator to whom we owe the Syriac".25 26 As both the Syriac and the extant Greek versions are interpolations of the original!?) Greek text, we can hardly expect a perfect work as to its style. IV. The Context of References to Creation Aristides' plan is a simple one. First he describes God in Middle Platonic terms, then he shows the false notions of the Chaldeans, the Greeks and the Egyptians. Finally comes the praise of Jewish monotheism and Christianity. Most cosmological elements can be found in the first part and among the opinions of the Chaldeans (Barbarians in the Greek text). The introduction uses also Stoic terms (or Middle Platonic terms integrating Stoic elements). Aristides says that he came to the knowledge of the Creator of the universe after meditating on the harmony in the world. In J. Geffcken's opinion“ Aristides is clearly under Stoic influence. These arguments appear in the works of the later apologists as well.27 But even Geffcken acknowledges, and most other authors emphasize it even to a larger extent that the influence of St. Paul is more important here. However, Geffcken does not accept the influence of 2 Mac. 7:28 (àÇicô, ae, xékvov, ävaßATcpavxa eiç xôv oùpavôv [...] yvcûvat, oxt oùy èi; ovxcov ènoiriaev aùxà à Geôç). He rather thinks that this kind of argument comes from the work of Hecataeus. The next passages in which we can find cosmological elements are in chapters 3-6. Chapter 3 contains the attack on idolatry of the elements, while the other chapters enumerate each element and prove the futility of their adoration. It is interesting to see how close to each other the opinions of the Greeks and Jews were on this issue. Both rejected the Chaldean (Barbarian) position, the Jews because of their religious sensibility, the Greeks due to their scientific views.28 25 de Zwaan, J., A Gap in the Recently Discovered Greek of the Apology of Aristides 16,1, in Harvard Theological Review 18 (1925) 109-111. 26 Geffcken, J., Zwei griechische Apologeten, 33. 27 Ad Autolycum 16. 28 Geffcken, J., Zwei griechische Apologeten, 49.
