In the
Martyrdom of Polycarp, we read the following:
And when he came near, the proconsul asked
him whether he was Polycarp. On his confessing that he was, the proconsul¦ sought
to persuade him to deny Christ, saying, "Have respect to thy old
age," and other similar things, according to their custom, such as,"
Swear by the fortune of Caesar; repent, and say, Away with the Atheists."
But Polycarp, gazing with a stern countenance on all the multitude of the
wicked heathen then in the stadium, and waving his hand towards them, while
with groans he looked up to heaven, said, "Away with the Atheists."
(9:2 [ANF 1:41]])
The term
translated as “atheists” is the Greek αθεος. BDAG offers the definition as (1) pert. to
being without a relationship to God, without God and (2) one who disdains or
denies God or the gods and their laws, god-denier, atheist. On the latter, we
read:
Euhemerus and other Gk. thinkers are so
termed in Sext. Emp., Math. 9, 50 and 9, 17; Diogenes, Epicurus et al. in
Aelian, VH 2, 31.—Nicol. Dam.: 90 fgm. 16 Jac. p. 341, 2 οἷα ἀθέους ἐπόντωσεν;
Ptolem., Apotel. 3, 14, 28 in a catalogue of vices
This is
interesting as some mistakenly believe that the concept of atheism belongs to a
much later era (sometimes the Enlightenment) and so Alma 30 and its depiction
of Korihor is an example of the Book of Mormon addressing anachronistic
concepts ancients would not have known about. However, such flies in the face
of ancient texts such as those mentioned above as well as Psa 14:1 where the
biblical authors condemn those who simply do not just deny God’s laws, but his
existence (or, at the very least, his presence
[cf. Psa 53:1—Mitchell Dahood in his commentary and translation in the Anchor
Bible series translates this text as a condemnation of a denial of God’s presence]).
