Why the disciples faced death
Besides this, one might wonder what moved his disciples, if, as those who speak evil of Jesus say, they had not seen him risen from the dead and had not been persuaded that he was something more divine, not to fear suffering the same things as their teacher, and to meet the danger head-on and leave their homelands to teach, as Jesus willed, the word he had entrusted to them (see Matthew 28:19–20). For I think that anyone who examines the facts fairly would not say that these men gave themselves up to a life full of dangers for the sake of Jesus’ teaching without some great conviction. He had planted it in them by teaching them not only to be shaped by his teachings themselves but also to shape others by them, and to do so when ruin, as far as human life goes, lay in plain view for anyone who dared to bring in new things everywhere and with everyone, and to keep as a friend no one who held fast to his former doctrines and customs.
Did Jesus’ disciples not see this, when they dared to show not only the Jews, from the words of the prophets, that he was the one foretold, but also the other nations that the man crucified only the other day had willingly accepted this death for the human race, like those who died for their countries to put an end to plagues that had taken hold, or famines, or disasters at sea? For it is likely that in the nature of things there is, for certain secret reasons hard for most people to grasp, an order such that one righteous man, dying willingly for the common good, brings about the driving away of evil demons, who cause plagues or famines or disasters at sea or something of the kind.
Let those, then, who wish to disbelieve that Jesus died for mankind by way of the cross tell us: will they also refuse to accept the many Greek and barbarian stories of people who died for the common good, to destroy evils that had already seized cities and nations? Or will they say that those things did happen, but that there is nothing credible in the one they take to be a man dying to destroy a great demon, the ruler of demons, who had made subject to himself all the souls of men that have come to earth?
Jesus’ disciples saw these things, and many more besides, which they are likely to have learned from Jesus in private. They were filled, moreover, with a certain power, since the one who gave them “strength and courage” was not some maiden of the poets but the true understanding and wisdom of God. So they hastened to become “conspicuous among all,” not only among the Argives but among all Greeks and barbarians alike, “and to win noble fame” (Homer, Iliad 5.1–3).
Greek
Πρὸς τούτοις δὲ θαυμάσαι ἄν τις, πόθεν ἐπῆλθε τοῖς μαθηταῖς αὐτοῦ, ὡς λέγουσιν οἱ κακολογοῦντες τὸν Ἰησοῦν, μὴ ἑωρακόσιν αὐτὸν ἀναστάντα ἀπὸ τῶν νεκρῶν μηδὲ πεισθεῖσιν ὅτι θειότερόν τι ἦν ἐκεῖνος, πρὸς τῷ μὴ φοβηθῆναι τὰ αὐτὰ τῷ διδασκάλῳ παθεῖν καὶ ὁμόσε χωρῆσαι τῷ κινδύνῳ καὶ καταλιπεῖν τὰς πατρίδας ὑπὲρ τοῦ διδάξαι κατὰ τὸ Ἰησοῦ βούλημα τὸν παραδοθέντα αὐτοῖς ὑπ᾿ αὐτοῦ λόγον. οἶμαι γὰρ ὅτι ὁ εὐγνωμόνως ἐξετάζων πράγματα οὐκ ἂν λέγοι τούτους ἑαυτοὺς παραδεδωκέναι περιστατικῷ βίῳ ἕνεκεν τῆς Ἰησοῦ διδασκαλίας χωρίς τινος μεγάλης πειθοῦς, ἣν ἐνεποίησεν αὐτοῖς διδάσκων οὐ μόνον διακεῖσθαι κατὰ τὰ μαθήματα αὐτοῦ ἀλλὰ καὶ ἄλλους διατιθέναι, καὶ διατιθέναι προὔπτου ὄντος ὡς πρὸς τὸν ἀνθρώπων βίον ὀλέθρου τῷ τολμῶντι πανταχοῦ καὶ πρὸς πάντας καινοτομεῖν καὶ μηδένα ἀνθρώπων, ἐμμένοντα τοῖς προτέροις δόγμασι καὶ ἔθεσι, φίλον ἑαυτῷ τηρεῖν. ἆρα γὰρ οὐχ ἑώρων οἱ τοῦ Ἰησοῦ μαθηταὶ, τολμῶντες οὐ μόνον Ἰουδαίοις ἐκ τῶν προφητικῶν λόγων παριστάνειν ὅτι οὗτος εἴη ὁ προφητευθεὶς, ἀλλὰ καὶ τοῖς λοιποῖς ἔθνεσιν ὅτι ὁ χθὲς καὶ πρώην σταυρωθεὶς ἑκὼν τοῦτον τὸν θάνατον ὑπὲρ τοῦ τῶν ἀνθρώπων γένους ἀνεδέξατο, ἀνάλογον τοῖς ἀποθανοῦσιν ὑπὲρ πατρίδων ἐπὶ τῷ σβέσαι λοιμικὰ κρατήσαντα καταστήματα ἢ ἀφορίας ἢ δυσπλοΐας; εἰκὸς γὰρ εἶναι ἐν τῇ φύσει τῶν πραγμάτων κατά τινας ἀποῤῥήτους καὶ δυσλήπτους τοῖς πολλοῖς λόγους φύσιν τοιαύτην, ὡς ἕνα δίκαιον ὑπὲρ τοῦ κοινοῦ ἀποθανόντα ἑκουσίως ἀποτροπιασμοὺς ἐμποιεῖν φαύλων δαιμονίων, ἐνεργούντων λοιμοὺς ἢ ἀφορίας ἢ δυσπλοΐας ἤ τι τῶν παραπλησίων. λεγέτωσαν οὖν οἱ βουλόμενοι ἀπιστεῖν τῷ Ἰησοῦν ὑπὲρ ἀνθρώπων ἀποτεθνηκέναι τρόπῳ σταυροῦ, πότερον οὐδὲ τὰς Ἑλληνικὰς παραδέξονται καὶ βαρβαρικὰς πολλὰς ἱστορίας περὶ τοῦ τινας ὑπὲρ τοῦ κοινοῦ τεθνηκέναι καθαιρετικῶς τῶν προκαταλαβόντων τὰς πόλεις καὶ τὰ ἔθνη κακῶν· ἢ ἐκεῖνα μὲν γεγένηται οὐδὲν δὲ πιθανὸν ἔχει ὁ νομιζόμενος ἄνθρωπος πρὸς τὸ ἀποθανεῖν ἐπὶ καθαιρέσει μεγάλου δαίμονος καὶ δαιμόνων ἄρχοντος, ὑποτάξαντος ὅλας τὰς ἐπὶ γῆν ἐληλυθυίας ἀνθρώπων ψυχάς; ὁρῶντες δὲ ταῦτα οἱ τοῦ Ἰησοῦ μαθηταὶ καὶ ἄλλα τούτων πλείονα, ἃ εἰκὸς αὐτοὺς ἐν ἀποῤῥήτῳ ἀπὸ τοῦ Ἰησοῦ μεμαθηκέναι, ἔτι δὲ καὶ δυνάμεώς τινος πληρωθέντες. ἐπεὶ ἔδωκεν αὐτοῖς μένος καὶ θάρσος οὐ ποιητική τις παρθένος ἀλλ᾿ ἡ ἀληθῶς φρόνησις καὶ σοφία τοῦ θεοῦ, (ἔσπευσαν,) ἵν᾿ ἔκδηλοι μετὰ πᾶσιν οὐ μόνοις Ἀργείοις γένοιντο ἀλλὰ καὶ πᾶσιν Ἕλλησιν ὁμοῦ καὶ βαρβάροις, καὶ κλέος ἐσθλὸν ἄροιντο.