e made in this beautiful order
by God, what do we seem to say more than Plato? When we teach
a general conflagration, what do we teach more than the
Stoics? By opposing the worship of the works of men's hands,
we concur with Menander, the comedian; and by declaring the
Logos, the first begotten of God, our master Jesus Christ, to
be born of a virgin, without any human mixture, to be
crucified and dead, and to have rose again, and ascended into
heaven: _we say no more in this, than what you say of those
whom you style the Sons of Jove_. For you need not be told
what a parcel of sons, the writers most in vogue among you,
assign to Jove; there's Mercury, Jove's interpreter, in
imitation of the Logos, in worship among you. There's
AEsculapius, the physician, smitten by a thunderbolt, and after
that ascending into heaven. There's Bacchus, torn to pieces;
and Hercules, burnt to get rid of his pains. There's Pollux
and Castor, the sons of Jove by Leda, and Perseus by Danae;
and not to mention others, I would fain know why you always
deify the departed emperors and have a fellow at hand to make
affidavit that he saw Caesar mount to heaven from the funeral
pile?

"As to the son of God, called Jesus, should we allow him to be
nothing more than man, yet the title of the son of God is very
justifiable, upon the account of his wisdom, considering that
you have your Mercury in worship, under the title of the Word
and Messenger of God.

"_As to the objection of our Jesus's being crucified_, I say,
that suffering was common to all the forementioned sons of
Jove, but only they suffered another kind of death. As to his
being born of a virgin, you have your Perseus to balance that.
As to his curing the lame, and the paralytic, and such as were
cripples from birth, this is little more than what you say of
your AEsculapius."[412:1]

The most celebrated Fathers of the Christian church, the most frequently
quoted, and those whose names stand the highest were nothing more nor
less than Pagans, being born and educated Pagans. Pantaenus (A. D. 193)
was one of these half-Pagan, half-Christian, Fathers. He at one time
presided in the school of the faithful in _Alexandria_ in Egypt, and was
celebrated on account of his learning. He was brought up in the Stoic
philosophy.[412:2]

Cleme