35:35
Ταῦτα μὲν οὖν οὐ παρ ἄλλου μαθὼν ἐξεθέμην, πολλὴν ἐπιφοιτήσας γῆν, καὶ τοῦτο μὲν σοφιστεύσας τὰ ὑμέτερα, τοῦτο δὲ τέχναις καὶ ἐπινοίαις ἐγκυρήσας πολλαῖς, ἔσχατον δὲ τῇ Ῥωμαίων ἐνδιατρίψας πόλει, καὶ τὰς ἀφ ὑμῶν ὡς αὐτοὺς ἀνακομισθείσας ἀνδριάντων ποικιλίας καταμαθών· οὐ γάρ, ὡς ἔθος ἐστὶν τοῖς πολλοῖς, ἀλλοτρίαις δόξαις τἀμαυτοῦ κρατύνειν πειρῶμαι, πάντων δὲ ὧν ἀποποιήσομαι αὐτὸς τὴν κατάληψιν τούτων καὶ τὴν ἀναγραφὴν συντάττειν βούλομαι. Διόπερ χαίρειν εἰπὼν καὶ τῇ Ῥωμαίων μεγαλαυχίᾳ καὶ τῇ Ἀθηναίων ψυχρολογίᾳ, δόγμασιν ἀσυναρτήτοις, τῆς καθ ἡμᾶς βαρβάρου φιλοσοφίας ἀντεποιησάμην· ἥτις ὅν τρόπον ἐστὶν τῶν παρ ὑμῖν ἐπιτηδευμάτων ἀρχαιοτέρα γράφειν μὲν ἀρξάμενος, διὰ δὲ τὸ κατεπεῖγον τῆς ἐξηγήσεως ὑπερθέμενος, νῦν ὅτε καιρὸς περὶ τῶν κατ αὐτὴν δογμάτων λέγειν πειράσομαι.Μὴ γὰρ δυσχεράνητε τὴν ἡμετέραν παιδείαν, μηδὲ φλυαρίαις καὶ βωμολοχίαις μεστὴν ἀντιλογίαν καθ ἡμῶν πραγματεύησθε, λέγοντες· Τατιανὸς ὑπὲρ τοὺς Ἕλληνας, ὑπὲρ τὸ ἄπειρον τῶν φιλοσοφησάντων πλῆθος, καινοτομεῖ τὰ βαρβάρων δόγματα. Τί γὰρ χαλεπὸν ἀνθρώπους πεφηνότας ἀμαθεῖς ὑπὸ ἀνθρώπου νῦν ὁμοιοπαθοῦς συνελέγχεσθαι; Τί δὲ καὶ ἄτοπον κατὰ τὸν οἰκεῖον ὑμῖν σοφιστὴν γηράσκειν ἀεὶ πάντα διδασκομένους
These things, then, I have set forth not having learned them from another, having visited much land, and on the one hand having played the sophist in your subjects, and on the other having met with many arts and contrivances, and lastly having spent time in the city of the Romans, and having studied the variety of statues brought up to them from you. For I do not, as is the custom with most people, attempt to confirm my own views by the opinions of others, but I wish myself to compose both the apprehension and the record of all the things which I shall set forth. Therefore, having bidden farewell both to the boastfulness of the Romans and the frigid speech of the Athenians, with their incoherent doctrines, I have laid claim to the barbarian philosophy that is according to us; the manner in which it is more ancient than the pursuits among you I had begun to write, but, on account of the urgency of the exposition, I postponed it, and now, when it is the proper time, I will attempt to speak concerning the doctrines according to it. Do not, then, take ill our instruction, nor contrive against us a contradiction full of nonsense and buffoonery, saying: "Tatian, above the Greeks, above the boundless multitude of those who have philosophized, is innovating barbarian doctrines." For what is grievous in men who have shown themselves ignorant being now refuted together by a man of like passions? And what is absurd, according to your own sophist, in always growing old while being taught all things?
我所陳述的這些，並非從別人學來的，乃是我遍歷了許多地方，一面在你們的學科上賣弄詭辯，一面又接觸過許多技藝與發明，末了在羅馬城逗留，又考察了那些從你們那裡運上去的各樣雕像。因為我不像大多數人慣常那樣，試圖用別人的意見來支持自己的見解，乃是願意親自把我所要陳述的一切，連同對它們的領會與記錄，一併撰寫出來。所以，我既向羅馬人的自誇與雅典人那冷冰冰、自相矛盾的言論告了別，便認定了我們這化外的哲學；至於它如何比你們所從事的更為古老，我本已動筆要寫，卻因論述的緊迫而擱下了，如今時機合宜，我便要試論其中的種種教義。所以，你們不要厭惡我們的教導，也不要捏造充滿無稽與粗鄙的反駁來攻擊我們，說：「塔提安自命勝過希臘人、勝過那無數研習過哲學的人，竟標新立異地搞起化外人的學說來了。」那些已顯為無知之人，如今被一個與他們同有情慾之人一同駁倒，這有什麼可悲的呢？按你們自己那位智者所言，人一生不斷學習一切而漸漸老去，這又有什麼荒謬的呢？