The First Apology

Consider how each of the previous kings met a common death. If death led to insensitivity, it would be a blessing to all the wicked. But since all who have ever lived retain sensation, and eternal punishment awaits the wicked, make sure you are convinced and believe that these things are true. Let even necromancy, the divinations you perform with pure children, the summoning of departed human souls, and the magi, Dream-senders and Assistant-spirits (Familiars), and all such practices persuade you that souls have sensation after death. Consider those possessed by the spirits of the dead, known as dæmoniacs or madmen, and the oracles you respect, like those of Amphilochus, Dodona, Pytho, and others. Think of the views of authors like Empedocles, Pythagoras, Plato, and Socrates, the abyss of Homer, Ulysses’ descent to observe these matters, and everything similar that has been expressed. Give the same consideration to us, who believe in God not less, but more firmly, expecting to reclaim our bodies even when they have died and returned to the earth, for we believe that with God, nothing is impossible.