Apology (Plea for the Christians)
E673241
Apology (Plea for the Christians) is a 2nd-century Christian apologetic treatise by Athenagoras of Athens defending Christians against charges such as atheism, cannibalism, and immorality before the Roman authorities.
Statements (47)
| Predicate | Object |
|---|---|
| instanceOf |
Christian apologetic work
ⓘ
theological work ⓘ treatise ⓘ |
| addressedTo |
Emperor Commodus
NERFINISHED
ⓘ
Emperor Marcus Aurelius NERFINISHED ⓘ Roman authorities ⓘ |
| alternativeTitle | Plea for the Christians NERFINISHED ⓘ |
| audience | educated pagan readers ⓘ |
| author | Athenagoras of Athens NERFINISHED ⓘ |
| centuryOfComposition | 2nd century ⓘ |
| containsDiscussionOf | resurrection of the dead ⓘ |
| dateApproximate | c. 176–180 ⓘ |
| defendsAgainstCharge |
atheism
ⓘ
cannibalism ⓘ immorality ⓘ |
| genre |
Christian apologetics
NERFINISHED
ⓘ
apologetics ⓘ |
| historicalContext | Roman Empire NERFINISHED ⓘ |
| includedIn | collections of Ante-Nicene Fathers ⓘ |
| influenced | later Christian apologists ⓘ |
| keyArgument |
Christian moral life benefits the state
ⓘ
Christians should be judged for actual crimes, not for the name "Christian" NERFINISHED ⓘ Christians worship one God and are not atheists ⓘ charges of cannibalism are based on misunderstanding of the Eucharist ⓘ |
| language | Ancient Greek ⓘ |
| literaryForm |
forensic oration
ⓘ
formal petition ⓘ |
| mainTheme |
defense of Christian monotheism
ⓘ
moral character of Christians ⓘ refutation of pagan misconceptions about Christians ⓘ |
| originalLanguage | Ancient Greek ⓘ |
| philosophicalInfluence |
Platonism
NERFINISHED
ⓘ
Stoicism NERFINISHED ⓘ |
| placeOfComposition | Athens NERFINISHED ⓘ |
| preservation | transmitted in Greek patristic manuscripts ⓘ |
| purpose | defend Christians against legal and social accusations ⓘ |
| relatedWorkByAuthor | On the Resurrection of the Dead NERFINISHED ⓘ |
| religiousTradition | Christianity ⓘ |
| rhetoricalStrategy |
appeal to reason and justice
ⓘ
use of philosophical concepts to explain Christian beliefs ⓘ |
| subjectMatter |
Christian doctrine
ⓘ
Christian ethics ⓘ Roman law and justice ⓘ |
| theologicalPosition |
affirmation of the Logos
ⓘ
monotheism ⓘ |
| title | Apology NERFINISHED ⓘ |
| tradition | Greek Christian apologetic tradition ⓘ |
Referenced by (1)
Full triples — surface form annotated when it differs from this entity's canonical label.