s proposition to its logical conclusion (Justin, Dial. 3
ff. made a similar start). He wishes to meet his adversaries "armed with
the arguments of faith which are unconquered" (c. 1, p. 214), but the
arguments of faith are still the arguments of reason. Among these he
regarded it as most important that even according to the theories about
the world, that is, about God and matter, held by the "so-called sages,"
Plato, Epicurus, and the Stoics, the assumption of a resurrection of the
flesh is not irrational (c. 6, p. 228 f.). Some of these, viz.,
Pythagoras and Plato, also acknowledged the immortality of the soul.
But, for that very reason, this view is not sufficient, "for if the
Redeemer had only brought the message of the (eternal) life of the soul
what new thing would he have proclaimed in addition to what had been
made known by Pythagoras, Plato, and the band of their adherents?" (c.
10, p. 246.) This remark is very instructive, for it shows what
considerations led the Apologists to adhere to the belief in the
resurrection of the body. Zahn, (Zeitschrift fur Kirchengeschichte, Vol.
VIII., pp. 1 f., 20 f.) has lately reassigned to Justin himself the
fragment de resurr. His argument, though displaying great plausibility,
has nevertheless not fully convinced me. The question is of great
importance for fixing the relation of Justin to Paul. I shall not
discuss Hermias' "Irrisio Gentilium Philosophorum," as the period when
this Christian disputant flourished is quite uncertain. We still possess
an early-Church Apology in Pseudo-Melito's "Oratio ad Antoninum Caesarem"
(Otto, Corp. Apol. IX., p. 423 sq.). This book is preserved (written?)
in the Syrian language and was addressed to Caracalla or Heliogabalus
(preserved in the Cod. Nitr. Mus. Britt. Add. 14658). It is probably
dependent on Justin, but it is less polished and more violent than his
Apology.]

[Footnote 405: Massebieau (Revue de l'histoire des religions, 1887, Vol.
XV. No. 3) has convinced me that Minucius wrote at a later period than
Tertullian and made use of his works.]

[Footnote 406: Cf. the plan of the "Octavius." The champion of
heathenism here opposed to the Christian is a philosopher representing
the standpoint of the middle Academy. This presupposes, as a matter of
course, that the latter undertakes the defence of the Stoical position.
See, besides, the corresponding arguments in the Apology of Tertullian,
e.g., c. 17, as well as his tractate: "de tes