9th February

A letter to the emperor

Athenagoras, born in Athens, was a philosopher who lived in the second half of the second century. He pretended to be against the Christians and with this goal he started to read their books. Through this lecture God opened his eyes and he became a Christian. Instead of attacking the Lord's disciples he defended them and he wrote a letter to the emperor Mark Aurel in 177 which among other things says: "Why would you be simply offended by our name? The name alone does not deserve your hatred; the crime is worthy of punishment. If we are convinced of a big or small crime punish us, but not only because of our name Christian. No Christian is criminal unless he acts in a way which is against what he pretends to be." Further on he contrasts the Christian's and the Gentile's behaviour and he says: "Among us you will find ignorants, workers, old women who maybe will not be able to proof the truth of our doctrine by reasonings; but by their acts they show the beneficent effect of the truth when we are persuaded that it is true. They don't do any speeches but they do good acts. When they are hit, they don't hit back; they don't institute proceedings against them who plunder them; they give to them who ask and they love their neighbour as themselves." What a nice testimony!