Tertullian · a new plain-English translation from the original language
A fresh piece of gossip has recently been circulating about our God — some utterly worthless character in this city, himself a deserter from his own religion, a Jew only by the loss of a bit of skin, and that mostly since he took to hiring himself out to the beasts and gets torn up daily, whole body and all — this man has put up against us a picture with the caption: 'Onocoetes.' It showed a figure with donkey's ears, wearing a toga, holding a book, one foot hoofed. And the mob believed the Jew . . . for what other seedbed is there for slander against us? So all over the city 'Onocoetes' is being proclaimed. Well, stale as it is, and lacking any weight of age, and weak besides for the poor character of its author, I will gladly take it up, eager to turn it back on you. Let us see, then, whether you too are not caught in this same charge. For it makes no difference what shape it takes, so long as we're talking about disgraceful images. Among you there are gods with dog's heads, with lion's heads, with the heads of oxen and rams and goats, horned, whether goat-born or serpent-born, and winged ones with the feet, brow, and back of birds. So why single out ours as unique? Plenty of Onocoetae are found right there among you!
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