To Autolycus
Written around 180-185 CE by Theophilus, the sixth bishop of Antioch, this three-book apologetic treatise addresses a pagan intellectual named Autolycus who had apparently challenged Christian beliefs and ridiculed the faith. Theophilus responds to specific objections about Christian doctrine while mounting a systematic defense of monotheism against polytheistic religion and philosophy. The work represents one of the earliest comprehensive Christian apologies, emerging during a period when educated pagans were beginning to take notice of Christianity and engage it intellectually rather than simply dismissing it as a barbarous superstition.
Theophilus constructs his argument across three interconnected movements. In the first book, he defends the Christian understanding of God against charges of irrationality, arguing that the invisible God can be known through his works in creation, just as the soul is known through the body. He contends that pagan gods are merely deified humans and that Greek mythology reveals the moral bankruptcy of polytheism. The second book tackles the accusation that Christianity is a recent innovation by demonstrating the antiquity of Hebrew scriptures compared to Greek literature, using chronological arguments to show that Moses preceded Homer and the Greek philosophers. The third book presents a detailed account of human history from creation through the flood, drawing extensively from Genesis to establish the coherence and moral superiority of the biblical worldview over pagan alternatives.
Ad Autolycum preserves valuable insights into how second-century Christians understood their relationship to classical culture and philosophy. Theophilus demonstrates remarkable familiarity with Greek literature and thought, engaging Plato, Homer, and other authorities on their own terms while maintaining distinctly Christian commitments. His work illustrates the intellectual sophistication of early Christian apologetics and provides crucial evidence for the development of theological vocabulary, including the first known use of the term "Trinity" in Christian literature.
Who should read this: Students of early Christian apologetics and anyone interested in how Christianity engaged classical culture will find Theophilus's reasoned approach illuminating. This is not ideal for readers seeking devotional material or practical spiritual guidance, but rather for those pursuing historical theology or the intellectual foundations of Christian thought.