Aristides of Athens
This article is about the Christian author. For the 2.1
Athenian commander, see Aristides.
Aristides the Athenian (also Saint Aristides or Mar-
cianus Aristides; Greek: Ἀριστείδης Μαρκιανός) was
a 2nd-century Greek Christian author who is primarily
known as the author of the Apology of Aristides. His feast
day is August 31 in Roman Catholicism.
1 Life
Very little is known of Aristides, except for the introduc-
tory information given by Eusebius of Caesarea and Saint
Jerome. According to their account, Aristides practiced
philosophy in Athens, where he lived, prior to and af-
ter his conversion to Christianity. Eusebius writes in his
Ecclesiastical History “Aristides also, a faithful disciple
of our religion, has left an Apology of the faith dedi-
cated to Hadrian.”[1] Eusebius and Jerome both state that
the Apology was given to Hadrian at the same time that
Quadratus delivered his own apology. This theory sug-
gests Aristides gave his apology during Hadrian’s reign
(117-138) as emperor of Rome; which supports the the-
ory of Aristides’ death between the years 133-134. It is
also supported by the express language of the Apology in
the Armenian version. It is contradicted only by the sec-
ond superscription to the Syriac version, which says that
the Apology was given to the emperor Antoninus Pius in
the year 140. If this is taken to mean that it was deliv-
ered in person by Aristides, it would rule out the dating
of Aristides’ death in 133-134. It has been suggested that
Eusebius was confused by the fact that Antoninus Pius
had adopted the name “Hadrianus” (Caesar Titus Aelius
Hadrianus Antoninus Augustus Pius) and believed it was
Hadrian to whom the Apology was given, and further that
Jerome had never read the Apology and copied Eusebius’
mistake accidentally.[2] But Jerome tells us that the Apol-
ogy was extant in his day, and he gives an account of its
contents. The testimony of Eusebius and Jerome and the
text of the Armenian version are all in favor of its being
delivered to Hadrian, probably c. 124-25.
2 Writings
1
The Apology of Aristides
In 1878, an Armenian fragment of an apology titled To
Emperor Hadrian Caesar from the Athenian Philosopher
Aristides was published by the Mechitarists of San Laz-
zaro in Venice from a 10th-century manuscript. The Ar-
menian translation was accepted by most scholars as the
long lost Apology of Aristides; however, a few did dispute
its authenticity, most notably Ernest Renan. In 1889, the
authenticity of the fragment was confirmed with the dis-
covery of a complete Syriac translation of the Apology
by British scholar Rendel Harris in the Monastery of St.
Catherine on Mount Sinai. With this new discovery, J.
A. Robinson was able to show Aristides’ work had been
in fact extant and edited in the religious book The Life of
Barlaam and Josaphat since the 7th century.[3] Another
fragment of the Apology containing two portions of orig-
inal text in Greek was published in 1922 by the British
Museum on papyri.[4] The Apology of Aristides is the old-
est extant Christian apology since only a fragment of the
older apology of Quadratus exists.[2]
In the 1889 Syriac translation, Aristides begins his apol-
ogy by stating his name, where he is from and that he
is delivering it to Antoninus Pius. In the first chapter,
he proclaims God exists because the world exists and
that God is “eternal, impassible and perfect.”[1] In the
second chapter, he writes there are four races of the
world; (1) Barbarians, (2) Greeks (includes Egyptians and
Chaldeans), (3) Jews, and (4) Christians. He then devotes
chapters 3-16 to describing the different groups of peo-
ple and how they practice religion. The Barbarians (ch.
3-7) worship dead warriors and the elements of the Earth,
which he claims are the works of God, therefore they do
not know who the true God is.[5] The Greeks (ch. 8-13)
are next because:
they are wiser than the Barbarians but have
erred even more than the Barbarians, in that
they have introduced many gods that are made;
and some of them they have represented as
male and some of them as female; and in such
a way that some of their gods were found to be
adulterers and murderers, and jealous and en-
vious, and angry and passionate, and murderers
of fathers, and thieves and plunderers.[6]
In other words, Aristides is calling the Greek gods cor-
rupt, immoral and guilty of being human. He concludes
his chapters on the Greeks by commenting on the reli-
gious beliefs of the Egyptians, who he claims are the most
2 6 BIBLIOGRAPHY

ignorant people on earth since they did not accept the be-
liefs of the Greeks or Chaldeans and instead worshiped
gods modeled after plants and animals. The Jews (ch. 14)
are only commented on in a concise manner. Aristides
commends them for their worship of God as the Creator
and almighty but claims they have gone “astray” because
“their service is to angels and not to God, in that they ob-
serve sabbaths and new moons and the passover and the
great fast, and the fast, and circumcision, and cleanness
of meats: which things not even thus have they perfectly
observed.” In chapters 15 and 16, Aristides describes the
commandments of God and claims Christians “walk in all
humility and kindness, and falsehood is not found among
them, and they love one another.” He explains “they ask
from Him petitions which are proper for Him to give and
for them to receive: and thus they accomplish the course
of their lives.”[7] He concludes the Apology in chapter 17
by requesting the emperor stop persecuting the Christians
and convert to their faith; where he ends with a nice de-
scription of the Christian life.[5]
2.2 Other works
in the book, allowed for the text to remain extant the en-
tire time and influence Christian perception of Buddhism.
Only with the rediscovery of the Apology in 1878 and
1889, did it reappear in history books. Rendel Harris,[9]
J. A. Robinson and few European scholars provided some
commentary and studies of the text in the late 19th and
early 20th centuries. There has been little revisionist his-
tory on the Apology of late, except for an article by G.
C. O'Ceallaigh in 1958. He suggested the Apology was
of Jewish work in the 2nd century and was then edited
by a Christian writer in the 4th century to be a Christian
apology.[10] W. Fairweather, D. W. Palmer and Massey
Hamilton Shepherd Jr. have used the Apology of Aris-
tides, and other apologists’ works, in order to support their
theories on early Christian thought and Greek apologists
of the 2nd century.[11]
4 See also
• Christian Apologetics
• The Apology of Aristides

It has been suggested Aristides is the author of the Epistle • Early centers of Christianity#Greece
to Diognetus. This theory is supported by similar writing
styles, descriptions of Christian, the treatment of Jews, as
well as other similarities. Abbé H. Doulcet was primarily 5 Notes
the leading voice of this theory in the late 19th century.
The Epistle to Diognetus has been credited to Justin Mar- [1] Cayré, 111.
tyr but without any sufficient evidence.[8] Aristides is also
credited with a sermon on Luke 23:43. [2] Jurgens, 48.

[3] Quasten, 192.

3 Contribution to other authors [4] Milne, 73.

[5] Cayré, 112.

3.1 Relation to contemporaries [6] Harris, 40.

Aristides is the second Greek Christian apologetic of the [7] Harris, 41-50.
2nd century. His writing style and thesis are very similar
to the likes of Quadratus, Aristo of Pella, Justin Martyr [8] Cayré, 113.
and the author of the Epistle to Diognetus. Jerome sug- [9] See Rendel Harris for a complete study of the Apology.
gests Aristides’ apology was the combined opinions of
philosophers at the time and imitated by Justin Martyr af- [10] O'Ceallaigh, 227.
terwards. Negatively, Celsus used the Apology for his ar-
guments against the Jews and “also certain features which [11] Refer to Fairweather, Palmer and Shepherd Jr. for more
information on early Christian thought and second century
he used in order to scoff at Providence.” However, he was
Greek apologists.
easily countered by Origen.[5]

3.2 Influence on later writing 6 Bibliography

The Apology of Aristides was later adapted into the work 6.1 Translations
The Life of Barlaam and Josaphat during the 7th cen-
tury. In the book, the Apology is told by a pagan philoso- • HARRIS, J. R. The Apology of Aristides. Vol. 1,
pher by the name of Nachor, a character in the legend of Texts and Studies. Cambridge: Cambridge Univer-
Barlaam and Josaphat. The unknown use of the Apology sity Press, 1891.
 3

6.2 Secondary sources

• ALTANER, Berthold. Patrology. Translated by
Hilda C. Graef. New York: Herder and Herder,
1960.
• CARRINGTON, Philip. Christian Apologetics of
the Second Century: In their Relation to Medieval
Thought. New York: The Macmillan Company,
1921.
• CAYRÉ, F. Manual of Patrology: and History of
Theology. Translated by H. Howitt. Paris: Desclée
& Co., 1936.

• FAIRWEATHER, W. “The Greek Apologists of

the Second Century.” The Biblical World 26, no. 2
(1905): 132-143.

• GRANT, Robert M. “The Chronology of the Greek

Apologists.” Vigiliae Christianae 9, no. 1 (1955):
25-33.
• JURGENS, W. A. The Faith of the Early Fa-
thers. Collegeville, Minnesota: The Liturgical
Press, 1970.

• MILNE, H. J. M. “A New Fragment of the Apol-

ogy of Aristides.” Journal of Theological Studies 25
(1923): 73-77.
• O'CEALLAIGH, G. C. "'Marcianus’ Aristides, On
the Worship of God.” The Harvard Theological Re-
view 51, no. 4 (1958): 227-254.

• PALMER, D. W. “Atheism, Apologetic, and Neg-

ative Theology in the Greek Apologists of the Sec-
ond Century.” Vigiliae Christianae 37, no. 3 (1983):
234-259.

• QUASTEN, Johannes. Patrology. Vol. 1, The Be-

ginnings of Patristic Literature. Westminster, Mary-
land: The Newman Press, 1962.
• SHEPHERD, Massey Hamilton, Jr. “The Early
Apologists and Christian Worship.” The Journal of
Religion 18, no. 1 (1938): 60-79.

• WOLFF, Robert Lee. “The Apology of Aristides:

A Re-Examination.” The Harvard Theological Re-
view 30, no. 4 (1937): 233-247.

7 External links
• Translation of 1891 Syriac version of the Apology
of Aristides
4 8 TEXT AND IMAGE SOURCES, CONTRIBUTORS, AND LICENSES

8 Text and image sources, contributors, and licenses

8.1 Text
• Aristides of Athens Source: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Aristides_of_Athens?oldid=588646365 Contributors: Llywrch, Delirium,
Charles Matthews, Dimadick, Diderot, Pmanderson, Hidaspal, FeanorStar7, Rjwilmsi, YurikBot, Welsh, Tomisti, SmackBot, Gipsy,
Hmains, LoveMonkey, Doug Bell, Dfass, Mallaccaos, Neddyseagoon, Cydebot, Libro0, Liquid-aim-bot, Mercury543210, JAnDbot,
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Mannanan51, Khazar2, Makecat-bot, Janecar and Anonymous: 6

8.2 Images
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