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Handout #21 |
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Christians, naive and credulous people |
| Lucian (c. 125-192
A.D.) was an original Greek
writer from Samosata in Syria. He traveled a good deal and wrote a number
of short works which are often dialogues. He paints an amusing picture of
the society of his time, ridiculing established philosophical and
religious values. In The Death of Peregrinus he tells the
life-story of a boastful swindler who at one stage exploits the credulity
of Christians. This gives the author the opportunity to show that
Christians are naive.
The poor wretches have convinced themselves, first and foremost, that they are going to be immortal and live for all time, inconsequence of which they despise death and even willingly give themselves into custody, most of them. Furthermore, their first lawgiver persuaded them that they are all brothers of one another after they have transgressed once for all by denying the Greek gods and by worshiping that crucified Sophist himself and living under his laws. Therefore they despise all this indiscriminately and consider them common property... So if any charlatan and trickster, able to profit by occasions, comes among them, he quickly acquires sudden wealth by imposing upon simple folk. Lucian. De morte Peregrini 13. |
