8 minSummaryRead it, hear it, the 15-minute summary, and print and large print at costPaperback · 6 × 9 in · 38 pagesHardcover · 6 × 9 in · 38 pagesAbout this book
What can the sky, the sea, and the care of a stranger reveal about faith?
In The Apology of Aristides, an Athenian philosopher addresses a Roman emperor with a short defence of Christianity. He begins with the heavens, the earth, and the sea. Their order, he argues, points to one uncreated God. His plea asks for tolerance and understanding toward believers who face scrutiny and exclusion.
Aristides then turns from the world to the people who inhabit it. He examines the beliefs of barbarians, Greeks, Jews, and Christians, judging their ideas against his account of God. His argument leads to a portrait of Christian life in which care for the poor and the stranger becomes evidence for the faith he defends.
What you’ll discover
- An argument from the world Follow Aristides from the movement of the heavens toward his account of an uncreated God.
- Four peoples under scrutiny Explore how he divides humankind and weighs each group's understanding of the divine.
- Gods with human faults See why Aristides challenges Greek stories that give gods human shapes and weaknesses.
- Faith expressed through care Encounter his portrait of believers whose charity makes their claims about truth concrete.
- A plea before power Consider how a Christian philosopher uses reason to ask a Roman ruler for understanding.
Who will love it
For readers who love early church history, short ancient arguments, and accounts of how Christians first spoke to Roman rulers.
What’s inside
The key ideas, in the 15-minute summary
- The order of the world points to God
- God is uncreated, unchanging and good
- Humankind divides into four peoples
- The Greek gods fail the test
- The Jews come closer but fall short
- Christians live as the truth requires
Formats and delivery
- eBook
- On your phone, tablet, computer or Kindle, with the type as large as you like.
- Large-print eBook
- The same book in bigger, clearer type, from the first page.
- 15-minute summary
- The key ideas in about 8 minutes, to read or to hear.
- Paperback
- 6 × 9 in, 38 pages: 5,95 USD when you start free, 5,95 USD on its own.
- Hardcover
- 6 × 9 in, 38 pages: 12,95 USD when you start free, 12,95 USD on its own.
- Large print paperback
- 8.5 × 11 in. Printing soon: leave your email under Paperback or Hardcover above.
- Large print hardcover
- 8.5 × 11 in. Printing soon: leave your email under Paperback or Hardcover above.
eBooks and audiobooks open right away. Download EPUB or PDF, or send the book to your Kindle. Every printed copy is made when you order it and shipped worldwide; shipping is shown at checkout.
How it works
- Start free. Nothing to pay today; the eBook of this book is yours to keep.
- Read, listen and print. 200,000+ classics as eBook, large-print eBook, audiobook and 15-minute summary, and any book printed at cost as a paperback, hardcover or large print, 5 accounts for the price of one.
- We remind you first. Free for 3 months, and we email you 7 days before your first payment. Then 0,14 USD a day in your first year on the yearly plan and 0,27 USD a day after, or 0,66 USD a day on the monthly plan. Cancel online in two clicks.
Bought on its own? Every eBook, audiobook and printed book you buy without the plan carries our 30-day money-back guarantee.
25 languages, side by side
Read and hear The Apology of Aristides in 25 languages and switch at any time. Or read two side by side, paragraph by paragraph: the way to learn a language with a book you love.
The Apology of Aristides
by Attributed to Aristides of Athens · 130
Aristides addresses a Roman emperor, defending Christian faith through the order of the world and his neighbours' lives.
ChallengingUnder 2 hours to read25 languages
Excellent
- Read, large type too
- 25 languages, side by side
- Print and large print at cost
- 5 accounts for the price of one
Free for 3 months · starts right away, on any device
Read free3 months free · cancel anytimeFree for 3 months, then 0,14 USD a dayCancel anytimeHow it works
In short
The Apology of Aristides is a short defence of Christianity written in the second century by a man called Aristides, who is described as a philosopher of Athens. It is addressed to a Roman emperor.
From the 15-minute summary · Key idea 1
The order of the world points to God
Aristides opens with a plain observation. He looks at the heavens, the earth and the sea, and sees that everything in them is moved by something else. The sun, the stars, the seasons and the winds do not move themselves. So he concludes that there must be a mover who is greater than all that he moves.
He does not claim to understand this mover fully. He says that to search out his nature in every detail is beyond a human being. But he can say that the world is not self-made, and that whoever made it must be stronger and wiser than the things made. This is the kind of reasoning Greek thinkers used, and Aristides, as a man from Athens, uses it to open his case.
Free for 3 months · Cancel anytime
Free gifts
580 USD in free gifts when you start
Every book in every format and in 25 languages, 5 accounts for the price of one. Nothing to pay today.
- 200,000+ classic eBooksIn 25 languages, side by side
170 USDFREE - Every audiobookIn 25 languages, any device
120 USDFREE - 15-minute summariesRead or listen, in 25 languages
60 USDFREE - Print at cost, no markupPaperback, hardcover, large print
60 USDFREE - 5 accounts for the price of oneA shelf for everyone at home
170 USDFREE - A part in rebuilding the libraryNew languages and books for all
FREE
Questions about The Apology of Aristides
Can I read it free?
Yes. The first key idea of the 15-minute summary is free with no sign-up. Start free and the whole book is yours for 3 months, with the eBook to keep, plus 200,000+ more classics and any book printed at cost as a paperback, hardcover or large print. Nothing to pay today: we email you 7 days before your first payment, and you can cancel online in two clicks.
Can I buy just the printed book?
Yes. The paperback costs 5,95 USD on its own. Start free and you pay the cost of printing: 5,95 USD for this paperback, and any other book at cost as a paperback, hardcover or large print.
How many accounts do I get?
Five, for the price of one: you and 4 more people, each with their own login, shelf and their own place in every book.
Can I cancel anytime?
Yes. Cancel online in two clicks at any time and nothing more is charged. Nothing is charged in your first 3 months, and we email you 7 days before your first payment.
What is the Apology of Aristides about?
It is a short defence of Christianity addressed to a Roman emperor. It argues that one uncreated God stands behind the world, that the pagan gods and many Jewish practices fall short, and that Christians live most truly.
When was the Apology of Aristides written?
Scholars disagree. Eusebius links it to the reign of Hadrian, around 125. Others place it under Antoninus Pius, in the 140s, based on the Syriac heading. Either way, it is from the second century.
Who was Aristides of Athens?
He is known mainly from Eusebius, who calls him an Athenian philosopher and Christian. The Apology is the only work credited to him, so little else is known about his life with certainty.
More like this
Our mission
The library burned once. We are building it back.
Every great book, in every language and every format, for every family. Every plan helps pay for new languages, new audiobooks and books for readers who have never had them. Join the movement.
Read our story- Every language25 languages today, side by side, and more every year
- No wastePrinted on demand: no warehouses, no unsold stock, no pulped copies
- For everyonePaperback, hardcover and large print at the cost of printing
