aron dogmata] (c. 35);
[Greek: ho kata barbarous philosophon Tatianos] (c. 42); [Greek: Mouses
pases barbarou philosophias archegos] (c. 31); see also c. 30, 32. In
Tatian's view barbarians and Greeks are the decisive contrasts in
history.]

[Footnote 397: See the proof from antiquity, c. 31 ff.]

[Footnote 398: C. 30 (p. 114): [Greek: touton oun ten katalepsin
memuemenos].]

[Footnote 399: Tatian's own confession is very important here (c. 26):
"Whilst I was reflecting on what was good it happened that there fell
into my hands certain writings of the barbarians, too old to be compared
with the doctrines of the Greeks, too divine to be compared with their
errors. And it chanced that they convinced me through the plainness of
their expressions, through the unartificial nature of their language,
through the intelligible representation of the creation of the world,
through the prediction of the future, the excellence of their precepts,
and the summing up of all kinds under one head. My soul was instructed
by God and I recognised that those Greek doctrines lead to perdition,
whereas the others abolish the slavery to which we are subjected in the
world, and rescue us from our many lords and tyrants, though they do not
give us blessings we had not already received, but rather such as we had
indeed obtained, but were not able to retain in consequence of error."
Here the whole theology of the Apologists is contained _in nuce_; see
Justin, Dial. 7-8. In Chaps. 32, 33 Tatian strongly emphasises the fact
that the Christian philosophy is accessible even to the most uneducated;
see Justin, Apol. II. 10; Athenag. 11 etc.]

[Footnote 400: The unknown author of the [Greek: Logos pros Ellenas]
also formed the same judgment as Tatian (Corp. Apolog., T. III., p. 2
sq., ed. Otto; a Syrian translation, greatly amplified, is found in the
Cod. Nitr. Mus. Britt. Add. 14658. It was published by Cureton, Spic.
Syr., p. 38 sq. with an English translation). Christianity is an
incomparable heavenly wisdom, the teacher of which is the Logos himself.
"It produces neither poets, nor philosophers, nor rhetoricians; but it
makes mortals immortal and men gods, and leads them away upwards from
the earth into super-Olympian regions." Through Christian knowledge the
soul returns to its Creator: [Greek: dei gar apokatatathenai othen
apeste].]

[Footnote 401: Nor is Plato "[Greek: ho dokon en autois semnoteron
pephilosophekenai]" any better than Epicuru