Dispelling the Myths of Christianity
Athenagoras' main theme within the treatise is the fact that there are many myths about the nature of Christianity that the Romans expound that are absolutely false. The Romans maintain that Christianity is an incestuous religion, that it insists upon rituals and ceremonies that encourage infanticide and cannibalism. Athenagoras dispels these myths swiftly and also contends that it is the Romans themselves that engage in the more questionable behaviors. He explains that Christianity is a monotheistic religion and that this is the real problem they present for the Romans who still worship pagan gods, and many of them. The true nature of Christianity is the central theme to the work.
Roman Debauchery
One of the themes of Athenagoras' writing is that it is the Romans and not the Christians who live a life of debauchery. They worship pagan gods who all have some level of excess themselves. They are promiscuous and so many women give birth to children of unknown paternity that it is likely these children go on to unwittingly have incestuous relationships purely because so many young people do not know who fathered them. The theme also points to the way in which the Romans engage in rituals and ceremonies that are far more pagan in nature than the rituals entered into by Christians.
