1-24:24
Πρῶτον μὲν ὅτι τὰ ὅμοια τοῖς Ἕλλησι λέγοντες μόνοι μισούμεθα δι ὄνομα τοῦ Χριστοῦ, καὶ μηδὲν ἀδικοῦντες ὡς ἁμαρτωλοὶ ἀναιρούμεθα, ἄλλων ἀλλαχοῦ καὶ δένδρα σεβομένων καὶ ποταμοὺς καὶ μῦς καὶ αἰλούρους καὶ κροκοδείλους καὶ τῶν ἀλόγων ζώων τὰ πολλά, καὶ οὐ τῶν αὐτῶν ὑπὸ πάντων τιμωμένων ἀλλ ἄλλων ἀλλοχόσε, ὥστ εἶναι ἀσεβεῖς ἀλλήλοις πάντας διὰ τὸ μὴ τὰ αὐτὰ σέβειν. Ὅπερ μόνον ἐγκαλεῖν ἡμῖν ἔχετε, ὅτι μὴ τοὺς αὐτοὺς ὑμῖν σέβομεν θεούς, μηδὲ τοῖς ἀποθανοῦσι χοὰς καὶ κνίσας καὶ ἐν ταφαῖς στεφάνους καὶ θυσίας φέρομεν. Ὅτι γὰρ οὖν τὰ αὐτὰ παρ οἷς μὲν θεοί, παρ οἶς δὲ θηρία, παρ οἷς δὲ ἱερεῖα νενομισμένα ἐστίν, ἀκριβῶς ἐπίστασθε
First, that, though we say things similar to the Greeks, we alone are hated on account of the name of Christ, and, doing no wrong, are put to death as sinners—while others in other places worship trees and rivers and mice and cats and crocodiles and many of the irrational animals, and the same things are not honored by all, but different things in different places, so that all are impious to one another for not revering the same objects. And the only charge you can bring against us is this: that we do not revere the same gods as you, nor bring to the dead libations and the savor of burnt offerings and garlands at the tombs and sacrifices. For that the same things are reckoned as gods by some, as wild beasts by others, and as victims for sacrifice by still others, you know exactly.
其一：我們所說的雖與希臘人相似，卻惟獨我們因基督的名被恨惡，並且毫無不義，竟被當作罪人處死——而在別處別人卻敬拜樹木、河流、老鼠、貓、鱷魚，以及許多無理性的走獸，並且眾人所尊崇的並不相同，乃是各處各拜各的，以致眾人因不敬拜同樣的對象，彼此都成了不敬虔的。你們所能加給我們的，惟一的指控就是這個：我們不敬拜與你們相同的神，也不向死人在墳上獻奠祭、燒祭牲的氣味、花環與祭物。因為同樣的東西，在有些人那裏被當作神，在另一些人那裏被當作野獸，在再一些人那裏被當作祭牲——這你們是確切知道的。