4/6/20
Schaff, Philip. History of the Christian Church (The Complete Eight Volumes in One). Amazon Kindle Edition, 2014.
Volume 2, Ante-Nicene Christianity A.D. 100-325, “Chapter 13. Ecclesiastical Literature of the Ante-Nicene Age, and Biographical Sketches of the Church Fathers.” sec. 159-204.
§ 172. Quadratus and Aristides.
Schaff moves in his survey to the writers known as Apologists. These authors “refuted the charges and slander of Jews and Gentiles, vindicated the truths of the Gospel, and attacked the errors and vices of idolatry” (Schaff 2014, loc. 21441). Schaff finds that these people had a background in rhetoric or philosophy. They turned their rhetorical or philosophical pursuits to explaining and defending the Christian faith. Schaff here introduces two of the earliest, Quadratus and Aristides.
Quadratus is known to us only from a quotation in Eusebius, describing him speaking to Aelius Hadrian in defense of Christianity (Schaff 2014, loc. 21450). Aristides, who lived in Athens, wrote an Apology addressed to Hadrian. As with Quadratus, we do not have his writing, though a fragment in Armenian was published in 1878 (Schaff 2014, loc. 21460). Schaff quotes his description of the Christ at some length. It is quite orthodox in nature.