Early Christian Beliefs About Greek Mythology
Early Christians treated Greek mythology as false religion, not truth to follow. Writers like Justin Martyr, Clement of Alexandria, Athenagoras, Tatian, Origen, and Minucius Felix said the gods were not real gods and the stories were empty or misleading. They also warned Christians to stay away from pagan fables and idol worship. The Bible passages used here support the same judgment against false gods and myths.
143 early-church witnesses · 252 source quotations · compared with Scripture
What did early Christians believe about greek Mythology?
Early Christian writers mostly treated Greek mythology as false story, idol worship, or pagan fable, and they urged Christians not to follow it. Justin Martyr, Clement of Alexandria, Athenagoras, Tatian, Theophilus, Origen, Minucius Felix, and others all criticized the myths and the gods behind them, often saying they were human inventions, demon-led errors, or stories about men rather than true gods.
The evidence is broad and repeated across the 2nd and 3rd centuries, but it is mostly polemical rather than a single direct teaching about “Greek mythology” as a topic. A few texts are indirect or only mention Greek customs, Greek art, or Greek mysteries, so they support the main point without speaking to mythology in the same way. Bible passages used here also reinforce the same anti-idol message, but they are background unless they directly address myths or gods.
Many more early Christian quotations, Bible passages, and source links are gathered below so you can study the evidence for yourself.
Key Takeaways
- Early Christian writers usually rejected Greek mythology as false, empty, or demonic.
- Justin Martyr, Clement, Athenagoras, Tatian, and Origen all argued against pagan gods and stories.
- A few sources are indirect, but the overall pattern is clear and wide across the 2nd and 3rd centuries.
- Bible passages used here back up the same anti-idol message.
Questions Answered by the Sources
Did early Christians reject Greek mythology as false or empty?
Several early writers explicitly contrast Christian teaching with Greek mythology, calling its customs vain, empty, or fables. They present Christian worship as different from and superior to the stories and rites associated with the Greek gods.
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Theophilus of Antioch, To Autolycus Direct teaching
Why need I recount the Greek fables — of Pluto, king of darkness, of Neptune descending beneath the sea, and embracing Melanippe and begetting a cannibal son — or the many tales your writers have woven into their tragedies concerning the sons of Jupiter, and whose pedigree they register because they were born men, and not gods?
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Origen, Against Celsus Direct teaching
After the above, this Jew of Celsus, as if he were a Greek who loved learning, and were well instructed in Greek literature, continues: The old mythological fables, which attributed a divine origin to Perseus, and Amphion, and Æacus, and Minos, were not believed by us.
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Origen, Against Celsus Direct teaching
And why should the fables of the Greeks regarding the gods be true, any more than those of the Egyptians for example, who in their language know nothing of a Mnemosyne, mother of the nine Muses;
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Justin Martyr, The Discourse to the Greeks Direct teaching
Since, therefore, ye Greeks, your gods are convicted of intemperance, and your heroes are effeminate, as the histories on which your dramas are founded have declared, such as the curse of Atreus, the bed of Thyestes and the taint in the house of Pelops, and Danaus murdering through hatred and making Ægyptus childless in the intoxication of his rage, and the Thyestean banquet spread by the Furies.
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Tatian, Address to the Greeks Supporting witness
Believe me now, O Greeks, and do not resolve your myths and gods into allegory.
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Minucius Felix, Octavius Supporting witness
We learn these fables and errors from ignorant parents. What is even more serious, we develop them in our very studies and lessons, especially in the verses of the poets, who have harmed the truth as much as possible by their authority. For this reason Plato rightly drove out from the state he had founded in his discourse the famous Homer, whom he had praised and crowned. For Homer especially, in the Trojan story, allowed your gods to interfere in the affairs and actions of men, although he made jokes about them. He brought them together in conflict. He wounded Venus. He bound, wounded, and drove away Mars. He says that Jupiter was set free by Briareus so that the rest of the gods would not bind him fast. He says that Jupiter wept showers of blood for his son Sarpedon because he could not snatch him from death. And, enticed by the girdle of Venus, he lay with his wife Juno more eagerly than he was accustomed to do with his adulterous loves. Elsewhere, Hercules threw out dung, and Apollo feeds cattle for Admetus. Neptune also builds walls for Laomedon, and the unfortunate builder did not receive the wages for his work. Then Jupiter's thunderbolt is forged on the anvil along with the
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Minucius Felix, Octavius Supporting witness
...of one God, the antiquity of unskilled people ought not, however delighted and charmed with its own fables, to carry us away into the mistake of mutual agreement, when it is rebutted by the opinions of its own philosophers, who are supported by the authority both of reason and of antiquity. For our ancestors had such an easy faith in falsehoods that they rashly believed even other monstrosities as marvelous wonders: a manifold Scylla, a Chimera of many forms, and a Hydra rising again from its auspicious wounds, and Centaurs, horses entwined with their riders. And whatever Report was allowed to feign, they were entirely willing to listen to. Why should I mention those old wives' fables, that men were changed from men into birds and beasts, and from men into trees and flowers? If these things had happened at all, they would happen again. And because they cannot happen now, they never happened at all. In like manner, with respect to the gods too, our ancestors believed carelessly, credulously, with untrained simplicity. While worshipping their kings religiously, desiring to look upon them when dead in outward forms, and anxious to preserve their memories in statues, those things be
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Theophilus of Antioch, To Autolycus Supporting witness
For they plentifully composed fables and foolish stories about their gods, and did not exhibit them as gods, but as men, and men, too, of whom some were drunken, and others fornicators and murderers.
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Athenagoras, A Plea for the Christians Supporting witness
For either the tales told by the multitude and the poets about the gods are unworthy of credit, and the reverence shown them is superfluous (for those do not exist, the tales concerning whom are untrue);
More related quotations from this section 6 shown
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Methodius, Oration Concerning Simeon and Anna Direct teaching
...aded with truth may sail in peace. We are keeping a festival, not according to the empty customs of Greek mythology. We are keeping a feast that brings with it no ridiculous or frenzied banqueting of the gods, but one that teaches us the wondrous condescension toward us men of the awesome glory of Him who is God over all, according to Romans 9:5.
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Clement of Alexandria, The Stromata (Miscellanies) Supporting witness
...to be guilty not only of borrowing teachings from the Barbarians, but also of telling as wonders of Greek mythology the miracles found in our records. These were done by divine power from above through those who lived holy lives, while they were paying attention to us. And we will ask them whether the things they tell are true or false. But they will not say they are false, because they will not willingly condemn themselves for the very great foolishness of making up lies. So they must admit that these things are true. Then how can the wonders done by Moses and the other prophets still seem unbelievable to them? For Almighty God, in His care for all people, turns some to salvation by commands, some by threats, some by miraculous signs, and some by gentle promises.
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Origen, Against Celsus Supporting witness
...the case of men. If we were to translate the name of someone who from birth was called by a certain Greek name into Egyptian, or Roman, or any other language, we could not make him do or suffer the same things he would have done or suffered under the name first given to him. Indeed, even if we translated into Greek the name of a person who had originally been invoked in the Roman tongue, we could not produce the result that the incantation claimed it could produce if it had kept the name first given to him. And if these things are true about the names of men, what should we think about names that are transferred, for whatever reason, to God? For example, something is transferred from the name Abraham when it is translated into Greek. And something is signified by the name Isaac, and also by the name Jacob. So if anyone, either in an invocation or in swearing an oath, were to use the words, the God of Abraham, and the God of Isaac, and the God of Jacob, he would produce certain effects, either because of the nature of these names or because of their powers. For even demons are conquered and become subject to the one who speaks these names. But if we say, the god of the chosen fat
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Origen, Against Celsus Supporting witness
If, then, they peruse the Theogonies of the Greeks, and the stories about the twelve gods, they impart to them an air of dignity, by investing them with an allegorical signification;
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Arnobius, Against the Heathen Supporting witness
29. Even now, we might be able to accept these ideas from you, ideas full of wicked falsehoods, if you yourselves did not force us to refuse our agreement. You do this by bringing forward many claims about the gods that are so inconsistent and destructive of each other. For when each of you tries to outdo the others in reputation for deeper and more hidden knowledge, you both tear down the very gods in whom you believe and put other ones in their place, though those others clearly do not exist. Different men also give different opinions about the same subjects, and you write that those whom general agreement has always accepted as single persons are actually countless in number. Let us then also begin, as duty requires, with father Janus, whom some of you have said is the world, others the year, and some the sun. But if we are to believe that this is true, it follows that there never was any Janus who, as they say, sprang from Coelus and Hecate, first ruled in Italy, founded the town of Janiculum, was the father of Forts, the son-in-law of Vulturnus, and the husband of Juturna. And so you wipe out the name of the god to whom you give first place in all prayers, and whom you believe
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Apostolic Constitutions, Apostolic Constitutions Background
Stay away from all pagan books. What do you have to do with such foreign teachings, laws, or false prophets that overthrow the faith of unstable people? What lack do you find in the law of God, that you should turn to those pagan fables? If you want to read history, you have the books of the Kings. If you want books of wisdom or poetry, you have the books of the Prophets, Job, and Proverbs. In them you will find greater depth of understanding than in all the pagan poets and sophists, because these are the words of the Lord, the only wise God. If you want something to sing, you have the Psalms. If you want the origin of things, you have Genesis. If you want laws and statutes, you have the glorious law of the Lord God. Therefore, completely stay away from all strange and diabolical books. No, when you read the law, do not think that you are required to keep the added precepts, if not all of them, then even some of them. Read those only for the sake of history, so that you may know them and glorify God that He has delivered you from so great and so many bonds. Aim to distinguish which rules came from the law of nature, and which were added afterward, or were additional rules introduce
Did early Christians say the Greek gods were not real gods?
The sources consistently deny that the Greek gods are true gods, describing them as idols, made-up names, or beings that do not deserve divine status. Bible passages in the curated set support the same basic claim that the gods of the nations are not real gods.
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Athenagoras, A Plea for the Christians Direct teaching
... with the priests at Heliopolis, Memphis, and Thebes. They say that they learned from them that the gods had been men. Herodotus speaks in this way: "The beings represented by these images were of this kind, they said. They were very far indeed from being gods. However, in the times before them it was otherwise. Then Egypt had gods for its rulers, who lived on the earth with men, one always being supreme above the rest. The last of these was Horus the son of Osiris, called Apollo by the Greeks. He deposed Typhon and ruled over Egypt as its last god-king. Osiris is named Dionysus, or Bacchus, by the Greeks. Almost all the names of the gods came into Greece from Egypt. Apollo was the son of Dionysus and Isis," as Herodotus also affirms: "According to the Egyptians, Apollo and Diana are the children of Bacchus and Isis, while Latona is their nurse and preserver." They had these beings of heavenly origin as their first kings. Partly because they did not know the true worship of the Deity, and partly because they were grateful for their rule, they regarded them as gods, and their wives with them. And the male cattle, if clean, and the male calves, are used for sacrifice by the Egypti
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Justin Martyr, Hortatory Address to the Greeks Direct teaching
...ceptive demon tricked them, saying, “If you obey me by transgressing God's command, you shall be as gods,” calling those beings gods which had no existence—this deception led them to believe there were other gods, and thus they might become gods themselves. On this account, He told Moses, “I am the Being,” using the participle “being” to show the difference between God, who is, and those who are not. People, deceived by the demon, dared to disobey God and were expelled from Paradise, remembering the name of gods but no longer being taught by God that there are no other gods. It was not just for those who failed to keep the first, simple commandment to continue being taught; rather, they were rightly driven to punishment. Banished from Paradise and thinking their expulsion was solely due to disobedience—unaware that it was also because they believed in non-existent gods—they even gave the name of gods to men born afterward. This first false idea regarding gods originated with the father of lies. Knowing that the mistaken belief in many gods oppressed the human soul like a disease, and wishing to remove it, God appeared first to Moses, saying, “I am He who is.” It was necessary, I
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Athenagoras, A Plea for the Christians Direct teaching
and it was they who framed a theogony for the Greeks, and gave the gods their names, and assigned them their several honours and functions, and described their forms.
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Irenaeus, Against Heresies: Book III Supporting witness
When the Scripture refers to them as [gods] that are not real gods, it does not, as I have already mentioned, describe them as gods in every sense, but with a certain additional meaning that shows they are not gods at all. For example, with David: "The gods of the heathen are idols of demons;" and, "You shall not follow other gods." By saying "the gods of the heathen"—while the heathen do not know the true God—and calling them "other gods," he denies their claim to be regarded as gods entirely. But regarding their true nature, he speaks of them, "for they are," he says, "the idols of demons." And Isaiah: "Let all who blaspheme God and carve useless things be ashamed; even I am witness, says God.” He removes them from the category of gods, but uses the word alone for the purpose that we may understand whom he speaks of. Jeremiah also says the same: "The gods that have not made the heavens and earth, let them perish from the earth which is under the heaven." By noting their destruction, he shows them to be no gods at all. Elijah, too, when all Israel was gathered at Mount Carmel, wishing to turn them from idolatry, says to them, "How long will you waver between two opinions? If the L
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Athenagoras, A Plea for the Christians Supporting witness
... it happen, then, that some of the idols show power, if those to whom we set up the statues are not gods?" For it is not likely that images without life and motion can do anything by themselves unless something moves them. We are very far from denying that, in various places, cities, and nations, certain effects are brought about in the name of idols. Even so, if some have received benefit, and others, on the contrary, have suffered harm, we will not consider those to be gods who have produced the effects in either case. But I have made careful inquiry into both why you think the idols have this power, and who they are that, taking their names, produce these effects. However, in trying to show who they are that produce the effects ascribed to the idols, and that they are not gods, I must call on some witnesses from among the philosophers. First, Thales, as those who have carefully examined his opinions report, divides superior beings into God, demons, and heroes. He recognizes God as the Intelligence of the world. By demons he means beings possessed of soul. By heroes he means the separated souls of men, the good being the good souls, and the bad the worthless ones. Plato again,
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Lactantius, The Divine Institutes Supporting witness
...ch he comforted himself concerning the death of his daughter, he did not hesitate to say that those gods who were publicly worshipped were men. And this testimony of his ought to be considered all the more weighty, because he held the priesthood of the augurs, and testifies that he worships and venerates those same gods. And so, within the space of a few lines, he has presented us with two facts. For when he declared his intention of consecrating the image of his daughter in the same way in which they were consecrated by the ancients, he both taught that they were dead, and showed the origin of a vain superstition. For he says, in truth, that we see many men and women among the number of the gods, and we venerate their shrines, held in the greatest honor in cities and in the country. Let us therefore agree with the wisdom of those to whose talents and inventions we owe it that life is altogether adorned with laws and institutions, and established on a firm foundation. And if any living being was worthy of being consecrated, surely it was this one. If the offspring of Cadmus, or Amphitryon, or Tyndarus, was worthy of being lifted up by fame to heaven, then the same honor ought wi
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Irenaeus, Against Heresies: Book III Supporting witness
As with David: “The gods of the heathen are idols of demons;” and, “Ye shall not follow other gods.” For in that he says “the gods of the heathen”—but the heathen are ignorant of the true God—and calls them “other gods,” he bars their claim [to be looked upon] as gods at all.
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Lactantius, The Divine Institutes Supporting witness
by which custom they both deemed that there were other gods, and believed that those things which God made for the use of man, as though they were endowed with perception, were to be held and worshipped as gods.
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Lactantius, The Divine Institutes Supporting witness
But since we find that the ancient gods also were consecrated in the same manner after their death, therefore they are superstitious who worship many and false gods.
More related quotations from this section 5 shown
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Methodius, Oration Concerning Simeon and Anna Direct teaching
We keep festival, not according to the vain customs of the Greek mythology;
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Lactantius, The Divine Institutes Supporting witness
...ted nothing true. This is our duty, since we both declare that the true God exists and refute false gods. Therefore, those who think that the poets made up fables about the gods, and yet believe that female deities exist and worship them, are unknowingly brought back to the very thing they had denied: that these gods have sexual relations and bear children. For it is impossible that the two sexes were established except for the sake of generation. But once a difference of sex is admitted, they do not see that conception follows as a result. And this cannot be true of God. But let the matter be as they imagine. For they say that there are sons of Jupiter and of the other gods. Therefore new gods are born, and indeed daily, since gods are not less fruitful than men. It follows that all things are full of countless gods, since, of course, none of them dies. For since the number of men is beyond belief and cannot be counted, though as they are born they must also die, what must we suppose to be true of the gods who have been born through so many ages and have remained immortal? Why then are so few worshipped? Unless perhaps we think that the two sexes among the gods exist not for th
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Tertullian, Scorpiace Supporting witness
... may turn from the fierceness of His anger." Deuteronomy 13:16. He has also, from His abhorrence of idols, framed a series of curses: "Cursed be the man who makes a graven or a molten image, an abomination, the work of the hands of the craftsman, and puts it in a secret place." Deuteronomy 27:15. But in Leviticus He says: "Go not after idols, nor make for yourselves molten gods: I am the Lord your God." Leviticus 19:4. And in other passages: "The children of Israel are my household servants; these are they whom I led forth from the land of Egypt: I am the Lord your God. You shall not make yourselves idols fashioned by the hand, neither rear up for yourselves a graven image. Nor shall you set up a remarkable stone in your land, to worship it: I am the Lord your God." These words indeed were first spoken by the Lord by the lips of Moses, being certainly applicable to whomsoever the Lord God of Israel may in like manner lead forth from the Egypt of a most superstitious world, and from the abode of human slavery. But from the mouth of every prophet in succession, utterances of the same God also sound forth, augmenting that same law of His by a renewal of the same commands, and in th
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Clement of Alexandria, Exhortation to the Heathen Supporting witness
... is not a god, nor a year, nor time, which is made up of these, so neither are the sun nor the moon gods, by which each of those mentioned above is determined. Who then, if he is in his right mind, can imagine Correction, and Punishment, and Justice, and Retribution to be gods? For neither the Furies, nor the Fates, nor Destiny are gods, since neither Government, nor Glory, nor Wealth are gods. This last, as Plutus, painters represent as blind. But if you make gods of Modesty, and Love, and Venus, then let Infamy, and Passion, and Beauty, and Intercourse follow them too. Therefore Sleep and Death cannot reasonably be regarded as twin deities either, since they are only changes that naturally take place in living creatures. No more can you properly call Fortune, or Destiny, or the Fates goddesses. And if Strife and Battle are not gods, then Ares and Enyo are not gods either. Still further, if lightnings, and thunderbolts, and rains are not gods, how can fire and water be gods? How can shooting stars and comets be gods, when they are produced by changes in the atmosphere? He who calls Fortune a god, let him also call Action a god. If, then, none of these things, nor any of the ima
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Tertullian, On Idolatry Background
At all events, while the pomps, while the priesthoods, while the sacrifices of idols, are furnished by dangers, by losses, by inconveniences, by cogitations, by runnings to and fro, or trades, what else are you demonstrated to be but an idols' agent?
Common Questions
Did early Christians believe Greek mythology was true?
No. Early Christian writers usually treated Greek mythology as false story, not truth, and they warned against the worship of Greek gods.
Which early Christian writers spoke against Greek myths?
Justin Martyr, Clement of Alexandria, Athenagoras, Tatian, Origen, Minucius Felix, Theophilus, and others spoke against Greek myths and the gods behind them.
Did early Christians link Greek mythology to idols or demons?
Yes. Several writers said the pagan gods were idols, false gods, or linked with demons.
Source Index for Greek Mythology
The guided sections above show the strongest quotations. This compact index highlights 160 ranked source links from 252 compiled sources for deeper study.
Source index 160 ranked links shown
Early Christian Writings 80 shown of 143
Primary-source quotations from early Christian writers and church documents.
Bible Passages 80 shown of 109
Related Bible passages saved for comparison with the early Christian quotations.