What Goes Around
Sexually deviant cannibalistic atheists fairly describes the way that most Christians were characterized by the majority of Romans who ever actually stopped to give them a second thought. Ironically, those same words could be used to describe how Christians have viewed pagans and non-believers in their own theology ever since.
The Zeus Is Loose!
The attacks upon burgeoning Christianity as an unworthy religion due on the basis of alleged sexual deviancy is especially ripe relative to long history of polytheistic worship. Zeus is called out time and again by the author as a reminder of the pervasiveness of downright freakish sexuality found at large in the myths of ancient gods and goddesses. Zeus was particularly lewd and lascivious in his sexual appetite.
Rhetorical Irony
Athenagoras is particularly fond of using rhetorical questions as a device opening the pathway to sardonic irony. He finds quite the robust pickings in the stories of mythological deities suitable for this purpose and line of attack:
“Are they not in love? Do they not suffer? Nay, verily, they are gods, and desire cannot touch them! Even though a god assume flesh in pursuance of a divine purpose, he is therefore the slave of desire.”
Sarcasm
In addition to manipulating rhetorical questions, the author also expresses little shyness in powering up the quills of sarcastic irony. In this example, he directly addresses one of the greatest propagandists of mythological polytheistic deities at the same he is attacking the absurdity of worshipping such profoundly flawed and imperfect entities as the Roman gods of myth:
“He raged, as Mars, when brandishing his spear.”
Hush! Homer, a god never rages. But you describe the god to me as blood-stained,
and the bane of mortals: -
“Mars, Mars, the bane of mortals, stained with blood”
Atheism
In today’s modern vernacular, the term “atheist” has become almost synonymous with not believing specifically in the Judeo-Christian god. Ironically, one of the big three attacks targeting Christians for persecution by the Romans was that they were atheists because they foolishly insisted on worshiping a monotheistic deity.
