Against the Christians Patristic Studies Gerald Bray General Editor Vol. 1 PETER LANG New York • Washington, D.C./Baltimore • Boston • Bern Frankfurt am Main • Berlin • Brussels • Vienna • Canterbury Jeffrey W. Hargis Against the Christians The Rise of Early Anti-Christian Polemic PETERUNG New York • Washington, D.C./Baltimorc • Boston • Bern Frankfurt am Main • Berlin • Brussels • Vienna • Canterbury Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data Hargis, Jeffrey W. Against the Christians: the rise of early anti-Christian polemic I Jeffrey W. Hargis. p. em.-(Patristic studies; vol. 1) Includes bibliographical references and index. 1. Christianity-Controversial literature. 2. Philosophy, Ancient. 3. Rome Religion. 4. Christianity and other religions-Roman. 5. Church history-Primitive and early church, ca. 30-600. I. Title. II. Series: Patristic studies (Peter Lang Publishing); vol. 1. BR160.3.H37 270.1-dc21 98-25584 ISBN 0-8204-4156-2 (hardcover) ISBN 0-8204-5741-8 (paperback) ISSN 10 94-6217 Die Deutsche Bibliothek-CIP-Einheitsaufnahme Hargis, Jeffrey W.: Against the Christians: the rise of early anti-christian polemic I Jeffrey W. Hargis. -New York; Washington, D. C./Baltimore; Boston; Bern; Frankfurt am Main; Berlin; Brussels; Vienna; Canterbury: Lang. (Patristic studies; Vol. 1) ISBN 0-8204-4156-2 (hardcover) ISBN 0-8204-5741-8 (paperback) Cover design by Nona Reuter The paper in this book meets the guidelines for permanence and durability of the Committee on Production Guidelines for Book Longevity of the Council of Library Resources. © 1999, 2001 Peter Lang Publishing, Inc., New York All rights reserved. Reprint or reproduction, even partially, in all forms such as microfilm, xerography, microfiche, microcard, and offset strictly prohibited. Printed in the United States of America To Gerard S. Sloyan Teacher, Mentor, Friend This page intentionally left blank Acknowledgments For making this work possible, I extend gratitude and honor first to Merilyn, my wife. Her love, support and confidence in me were invaluable and cannot be adequately acknowledged. Many thanks are also due to my instructors at Temple Univer sity, whose encouragement and direction made this project a reality. Special thanks go to Dr. Gerard Sloyan, without whose wisdom and practical assistance this book would not have been written. Thanks to Dr. Vasiliki Limberis for reminding me that ancient texts were not written in a historical or cultural vacuum and for encouraging the creative aspect of historical study. Dr. Robert Wright's practical in struction in the "how to" of scholarship was invaluable, as were his extraordinarily high standards for precision in both thinking and writing. Acknowledgment and thanks go to my friend and colleague, Dr. M. James Sawyer of Western Seminary, whose many valuable contributions to the writing of this book go far beyond his thorough review of the manuscript. Quotations from Against the Galileans are reprinted by permis sion of the publishers and the Loeb Classical Library from JULIAN: VOLUME III translated by W.C. Wright, Cambridge, Mass.: Harvard University Press, 1923. Quotations from City of God are reproduced by permission of Penguin Books Ltd. from Augustine, City of God, pp. 421, 886-888, translated by Henry Bettenson, Penguin Classics, London, 1972. Translation copyright© Henry Bettenson, 1972; introduction copy right© John O'Meara, 1984. Quotations from Contra Celsum are reprinted by permission of Cambridge University Press from Origen: Contra Celsum, translated by Henry Chadwick, Cambridge University Press, 1953. This page intentionally left blank Table of Contents 1 Defining the Christian "Other": From Persecution to Polemic 1 2 Celsus and the "Revolt Against the Community" 17 3 Celsus, Plato, and the Gods 41 4 Porphyry and the Polemic of Universalism 63 5 Julian the Apostate and the Politics of Hellenism 91 6 Julian and the Bounded God 107 7 Negotiating the Pagan-Christian Divide 129 Notes 139 Select Bibliography 155 Index 167