Folia Theologica 21. (2010)
Perendy László: An Enigmatic Apology - Aristides on God's created world
96 László PERENDY "elements": sky, earth, water, fire, wind, sun, moon, stars, man, while in the Syriac version: earth, water, fire, wind, sun (moon, stars), man. It is not likely that Aristides knew the Chaldean religion48 directly, as Vona49 says. But why did Aristides think it necessary at all to refute the divinization of elements? And why was he interested in cosmology at all? These questions are answered by Scheffczyk: "Während bei den Apostolischen Vätern die Tendenz zur Distanzierung von der hellenistischen Welt vorherrschend ist (obgleich diese in der Form des jüdischen Hellenismus unbemerkt doch einwirkt), kennzeichnen die Verteidigung und der Angriff gegen die griechische Gottes- und Schöpfungsideologie die Schöpfungslehre der Apologeten. (...) Mit Recht hat darum Harnack als ersten Gesichtspunkt, unter dem die Apologeten das Christentum werbend verteidigten, die monotheistische Kosmologie genannt”50 Although this doctrine of the elements is attributed by Aristides to the Barbarians, its influence was strongly felt at that time in Greek popular philosophy as well. That Aristides stays in the field of Greek philosophy is shown by the fact that he does not give a detailed description of the Chaldean religion.51 In A. Puech's opinion Aristides implicitly accepts creation from nothing: "La démonstration que les éléments sont corruptibles et périssables (ch. IV) implique à peu près sûrement qu'Aristide professe la création ex nihilo, quoique le grec seul exprime formellement cette idée, qui manque dans le syriaque."52 C. Vona also mentions the difference between the two versions and the other early Christian sources where creatio ex nihilo is referred to: "Dell'origine delle cose, ehe il testo greco afferma create dal nulla, esprimendo un pensiero frequentissimo nell'apologetica cristiana, cfr. 2Mach. 7.28; Herm., Mand. 1,1 e spesso Theoph. ad Autol. 1,6 etc. (e Fautore di Barlaam e Joasaph), nulla dice il testo siriaco, che fa allusione al passo di S. Paolo, Rom. 1,23."53 48 Cf. Bidez, J. - Cumont, F., Les mages hellénisés, Zoroastre, Ostanès et Hystaspe d'après la tradition grecque, Paris 19382 (repr. 1973). Dalley, S. (ed.), Myths from Mesopotamia. Creation, the Flood, Gilgamesh, and others, London 1989. Heidel, A., The Babylonian Genesis. The Story of Creation, Chicago 1963. Labat, R., Le poème babylonien de la création, Paris 1935. 49 Vona, C., L'Apologia di Aristide, 55. 50 Scheffczyk, L., Schöpfung und Vorsehung, 35. 51 Vona, C., L'Apologia di Aristide, 58. 52 Puech, A., Les apologistes grecs de IIe siècle de notre ère, Paris 1912. 40. 53 Vona, C., L'Apologia di Aristide, 81.
