Against the Christians explained
Against the Christians (Greek, Ancient (to 1453);: Κατὰ Χριστιανῶν; Adversus Christianos) is a late 3rd-century book written by Roman-Phoenician Neoplatonic philosopher Porphyry of Tyre, challenging the writings of Christian philosophers and theologians. Due to widespread censorship by Roman imperial authorities, no known copies of this book exist. Only through references to it in Christian writings criticizing it can its contents be reconstructed.
Background
During his retirement in Sicily, Porphyry wrote Against the Christians (Κατὰ Χριστιανῶν; Adversus Christianos) which consisted of fifteen books. Some thirty Christian apologists, such as Methodius, Eusebius, Apollinaris, Augustine, Jerome, etc., responded to his challenge. In fact, everything known about Porphyry's arguments is found in these refutations, largely because Theodosius II ordered every copy burned in AD 435 and again in 448.
Augustine and the 5th-century ecclesiastical historian Socrates of Constantinople assert that Porphyry was once a Christian.
Contents
As quoted by Jerome, Porphyry mocked Paul and the early Christians while suggesting that the "magical arts" performed by Jesus of Nazareth and his followers were nothing special, done similarly by other figures of Greco-Roman history:[1]
Prophecy of Daniel
Porphyry especially challenged the prophecy of Daniel, because Jews and Christians pointed to the historical fulfillment of its prophecies as a decisive argument. But these prophecies, he maintained, were written not by Daniel but by some Jew who in the time of Antiochus Epiphanes (d. 164 BC) gathered up the traditions of Daniel's life and wrote a history of recent past events but in the future tense, falsely dating them back to Daniel's time.[2] According to Jerome:[1]
See also
References
Cited sources
- Digeser. Elizabeth DePalma. Elizabeth DePalma Digeser. Lactantius, Porphyry, and the Debate over Religious Toleration. Journal of Roman Studies. 88. 1998. 129–146. 0075-4358. 10.2307/300808. 300808. 161341468 .
- Edwards . Mark . 2007 . Porphyry and the Christians . . 50 . 98, Studies on Porphyry . 111–126 . 10.1111/j.2041-5370.2007.tb02508.x . 43767975 .
- Socrates Scholasticus. Socrates Scholasticus . Historia Ecclesiastica. Book I, Ch 9, pp. 30-31. Nicene and Post-Nicene Fathers: Series II/Volume II/Socrates/Book I/Chapter 9. 1885.
- Socrates Scholasticus. Socrates Scholasticus . Historia Ecclesiastica. Book III, Ch 23. Nicene and Post-Nicene Fathers: Series II/Volume II/Socrates/Book III/Chapter 23. 1885b.
- Book: Stevenson, James . A New Eusebius: Documents Illustrating the History of the Church to AD 337. 1987. SPCK. 978-0-281-04268-5.
Further reading
- Barnes . Timothy . Timothy Barnes (classicist) . 1973 . Porphyry Against the Christians: Date and Attribution of the Fragments . . II . 24 . 424–442 . 10.1093/jts/XXIV.2.424 . 23962127 .
- Barnes . Timothy . 1994 . Scholarship or Propaganda? Porphyry 'Against the Christians' and Its Historical Setting . . 39 . 39 . 53–65 . 10.1111/j.2041-5370.1994.tb00451.x . 43646838 .
- Book: Meredith, Anthony . Hildegard . Wolfgang . Temporini . Haase . 1980 . Porphyry and Julian against the Christians . . II . 23 . 2 . 1119–1149 . De Gruyter . 10.1515/9783110860436-006 . 978-3-11-086043-6 .
Notes and References
- Web site: Porphyry, Against the Christians, Fragments . The Tertullian Project . 9 May 2021.
- Book: Magny, Ariane . Porphyry in Fragments: Reception of an Anti-Christian Text in Late Antiquity . Taylor & Francis . Studies in Philosophy and Theology in Late Antiquity . 2016 . 978-1-317-07779-4 . 3 January 2024 . 81–82 . In the words of P.M. Casey [...].
