Eusebius: Praeparatio Evangelica, Book 1

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BIBΛION ΠΡΩΤΟΝ
First Book

☞

^1.1 Τὸν χριστιανισμόν, ὅ τί ποτέ ἐστιν, ἠγούμενος τοῖς οὐκ εἰδόσι παραστήσασθαι διὰ τῆς προκειμένης πραγματείας τὴν εὐαγγελικὴν ἀπόδειξιν περιέξειν ἐπαγγελλομένης, τήνδε σοι, θεῖον ἐπισκόπων χρῆμα, Θεόδοτε, φίλη θεοῦ καὶ ἱερὰ κεφαλή, σὺν εὐχαῖς ἐπεφώνησα, εἴ πως ἄρα τῆς παρὰ σοῦ τύχοιμι βοηθείας, ταῖς φιλοθέοις ὑπὲρ ἡμῶν ἱερουργίαις τὰ μεγάλα μοι συμπράττοντος εἰς τὴν προβεβλημένην τῆς εὐαγγελικῆς διδασκαλίας ὑπόθεσιν.	^1.1 Intending to explain to those who do not know what Christianity is, by means of the present work which promises to contain the Demonstration of the Gospel, I dedicate this address to you with prayers, O Theodotus—divine treasure of bishops, beloved of God, and sacred head—hoping that I might obtain your assistance, as you co-operate with me greatly through your god-loving holy ministrations toward the proposed theme of the Gospel teaching.
^1.2 ἀλλὰ γὰρ τί βούλεται τοῦτο δηλοῦν ὃ φάμεν εὐαγγέλιον πρῶτον ἁπάντων διαρθρῶσαι καλόν. τοῦτο δὴ πᾶσιν ἀνθρώποις τὴν παρουσίαν τῶν ἀνωτάτω καὶ μεγίστων ἀγαθῶν, πάλαι μὲν προηγορευμένων, νεωστὶ δὲ τοῖς πᾶσιν ἐπιλαμψάντων, εὐαγγελίζεται, οὐ τὸν οὐ βλέποντα πλοῦτον, οὐδὲ τὴν σμικρὰν καὶ πολυπαθῆ ταύτην ζωὴν προξενοῦν, οὐδ’ ὅσα σώματος καὶ φθορᾶς οἰκεῖα, τὰ δὲ ψυχαῖς νοερὰν οὐσίαν κεκτημέναις φίλα τε καὶ προσήγορα, ὧν καὶ τὰ σώματα ἐξῆπται, σκιὰς ἐφεπόμενα δίκην.	^1.2 But first of all, it is good to set forth clearly what this thing we call "the Gospel" means. It proclaims to all humanity the arrival of the highest and greatest blessings—foretold long ago, but newly shone forth upon all. It does not promise blind wealth, nor this fleeting life full of suffering, nor whatever belongs to the body and to corruption; rather, it promises what is dear and welcoming to souls possessing an intellectual nature, to which bodies are attached like attending shadows.
^1.3 εἴη δ’ ἂν τούτων τὸ κεφάλαιον εὐσέβεια, οὐχ ἡ ψευδώνυμος καὶ πολυπλανής, ἀλλ’ ἡ σὺν ἀληθείᾳ τὴν προσηγορίαν ἐπιγραφομένη. ἔστι δὲ αὕτη ἡ πρὸς τὸν ἕνα καὶ μόνον ὡς ἀληθῶς ὁμολογούμενόν τε καὶ ὄντα θεὸν ἀνάνευσις καὶ ἡ κατὰ τοῦτον ζωή, ἐξ ἧς καὶ ἡ πρὸς αὐτὸν ἐγγίνεται φιλία, ᾗ παρέπεται τὸ θεοφιλὲς ὄντως καὶ τρισμακάριον τέλος, ἄνωθεν ἐκ τῶν κρειττόνων ἀπῃωρημένον καὶ πρὸς αὐτὰ διακυβερνώμενον καὶ αὖ πάλιν εἰς αὐτὰ καταλῆγον.	^1.3 The sum of these blessings would be true piety—not that which is falsely named and full of error, but that which bears its title in truth. And this consists in the turning of the soul toward the one and only truly acknowledged and existing God, and a life lived according to Him, from which arises friendship with Him. This friendship is followed by that truly god-beloved and thrice-blessed end, suspended from above among higher things, governed by them, and ultimately resting in them once more.
^1.4 τί οὖν ἂν γένοιτο τῆς ἀγαθῆς ταύτης καὶ πανολβίου θεοφιλίας μακαριστότερον; οὐχὶ καὶ ζωῆς αὐτὸς καὶ φωτὸς καὶ ἀληθείας καὶ πάντων ἀγαθῶν ταμίας καὶ χορηγὸς τοῖς πᾶσι καθέστηκεν; οὐχὶ καὶ τοῦ εἶναι τὰ πάντα καὶ τοῦ ζῆν αὐτὸς τὴν αἰτίαν περιείληφε; τῷ δὴ οὖν τὴν πρὸς αὐτὸν στειλαμένῳ φιλίαν τί ἂν ἔτι λείποιτο; τίνος δ’ ἂν ὑστεροῖτο ὁ τῶν ἀγαθῶν τὸν δημιουργὸν ἐξοικειούμενος; ἢ τίνος ἂν ἐλαττοῖτο ὁ καὶ πατρὸς ἐν χώρᾳ καὶ κηδεμόνος τὸν μέγαν προστάτην καὶ παμβασιλέα τῶν ὅλων ἐπιγραφόμενος;	^1.4 What, then, could be more blessed than this noble and all-happy friendship with God? Has He not Himself been established for all as the steward and dispenser of life, light, truth, and every blessing? Has He not contained within Himself the cause of all existence and life? What, then, could still be lacking to the one who has secured friendship with Him? Of what would he be in need who has made the Creator of all good things his own? Or in what could he be deficient who claims as his protector and supreme King of the universe One who stands in the place of a father and guardian?
^1.5 ἀλλ’ οὐκ ἔστιν εἰπεῖν ὅ τι μὴ οὐχὶ ὁ τῇ διαθέσει τῷ παμβασιλεῖ θεῷ πλησιάζων, καὶ τῆς παμμακαρίστου φιλίας διὰ τῆς ἐπιστημονικῆς εὐσεβείας ἠξιωμένος, ὁμοῦ ψυχῆς τε καὶ σώματος καὶ τῶν ἐκτὸς ἁπάντων εὖ ἂν ἔχοι.	^1.5 Indeed, it is impossible to say that the person who approaches the supreme King God in disposition, and who has been deemed worthy of His all-blessed friendship through intelligent piety, would not fare well in soul, body, and all external circumstances alike.
^1.6 ταύτην δὴ τοίνυν τὴν ἀγαθὴν καὶ σωτήριον ἀνθρώπων πρὸς θεὸν φιλίαν ἄνωθεν ἐκ τοῦ παναγάθου καταπεμφθεὶς θεοῦ λόγος, ὥσπερ τις ἀπειρομεγέθους φωτὸς αὐγή, πᾶσιν ἀνθρώποις εὐαγγελίζεται, οὐκ ἐνθένδε ποθὲν οὐδ’ ἑτέρωθεν, ἀλλὰ πανταχόθεν ἐξ ἁπάντων ἐθνῶν πρὸς τὸν τῶν ὅλων θεὸν παρορμῶν ἥκειν, σπεύδειν τε καὶ πάσῃ προθυμίᾳ ψυχῆς τὸ δῶρον ὑποδέχεσθαι, Ἕλληνας ὁμοῦ καὶ βαρβάρους, ἄνδρας ἅμα γυναιξὶ καὶ νηπίοις, πένητάς τε καὶ πλουσίους, σοφοὺς καὶ ἰδιώτας, οὐδὲ τὸ οἰκετικὸν γένος ὑπερφρονῶν τῆς κλήσεως,	^1.6 This good and saving friendship of men with God, sent down from above by the all-good God, the divine Word—like a beam of boundless light—proclaims as good news to all humanity. He comes urging people not from any one place or another, but from everywhere out of all nations to come to the God of the universe, to make haste, and with all readiness of soul to receive this gift: Greeks and barbarians alike, men together with women and young children, poor and rich, learned and unlearned, not even despising the slave class in His calling.
^1.7 ὅτι δὴ μίαν τὴν πάντων οὐσίαν τε καὶ φύσιν ὁ πατὴρ αὐτῶν συστησάμενος μιᾶς εἰκότως καὶ τῆς ἴσης πάλιν τοὺς πάντας μεγαλοδωρεᾶς ἠξίωσε, τὴν πρὸς αὐτὸν γνῶσίν τε καὶ φιλίαν ἅπασι τοῖς ὑπακούειν ἐθέλουσι καὶ τὴν χάριν εὐμαρῶς ἀσπαζομένοις δωρούμενος.	^1.7 For since their Father established one essence and nature for all, He rightly deemed all worthy of one and the same great gift once again, bestowing knowledge of Himself and friendship upon all who are willing to obey and who gladly welcome His grace.
^1.8 ταύτην ὁ Χριστοῦ λόγος ἧκε τὴν πρὸς τὸν αὐτοῦ πατέρα φιλίαν τὸν σύμπαντα κόσμον εὐαγγελιζόμενος· "θεὸς γὰρ ἦν ἐν Χριστῷ κόσμον καταλλάσσων ἑαυτῷ, μὴ λογιζόμενος αὐτοῖς τὰ παραπτώματα," ᾗ τὰ θεῖα διδάσκει λόγια, ἐλθών τε, φησίν, εὐηγγελίσατο εἰρήνην τοῖς μακρὰν καὶ εἰρήνην τοῖς ἐγγύς.	^1.8 This friendship with His own Father the Word of Christ came to proclaim to the entire world; for "God was in Christ reconciling the world to Himself, not counting their trespasses against them," as the divine oracles teach; and having come, it says, "He preached peace to those who were far off and peace to those who were near."
^1.9 ταῦτα πρόπαλαι παῖδες Ἑβραίων θεοφορούμενοι τῷ σύμπαντι κόσμῳ προεθέσπιζον, ὁ μέν τις βοῶν· "μνησθήσονται καὶ ἐπιστραφήσονται πρὸς κύριον πάντα τὰ πέρατα τῆς γῆς, καὶ προσκυνήσουσιν ἐνώπιον αὐτοῦ πᾶσαι αἱ πατριαὶ τῶν ἐθνῶν, ὅτι τοῦ κυρίου ἡ βασιλεία, καὶ αὐτὸς δεσπόζει τῶν ἐθνῶν·" καὶ πάλιν· "εἴπατε ἐν τοῖς ἔθνεσιν ὅτι κύριος ἐβασίλευσε· καὶ γὰρ κατώρθωσε τὴν οἰκουμένην, ἥτις οὐ σαλευθήσεται·" ὁ δὲ φάσκων· "ἐπιφανήσεται κύριος ἐν αὐτοῖς καὶ ἐξολοθρεύσει πάντας τοὺς θεοὺς τῶν ἐθνῶν τῆς γῆς, καὶ προσκυνήσουσιν αὐτῷ ἕκαστος ἐκ τοῦ τόπου αὐτοῦ."	^1.9 These things the god-inspired children of the Hebrews foretold long ago to the entire world, one of them crying out: "All the ends of the earth shall remember and turn to the Lord, and all the families of the nations shall worship before Him; for the kingdom is the Lord's, and He rules over the nations;" and again: "Say among the nations that the Lord reigns; for He has set the world right, which shall not be shaken;" while another states: "The Lord will appear among them and will destroy all the gods of the nations of the earth, and each shall worship Him, every one from his own place."
^1.10 ταῦτα πρόπαλαι θείοις χρησμοῖς ἀνακείμενα νῦν εἰς ἡμᾶς αὐτοὺς διὰ τῆς τοῦ σωτῆρος ἡμῶν Ἰησοῦ Χριστοῦ διδασκαλίας πέφηνεν, ὡς τὴν πάλαι κηρυττομένην τε καὶ τοῖς μὴ τούτων ἀπείροις προσδοκωμένην τῶν ἐθνῶν ἁπάντων θεογνωσίαν εἰκότως ἡμῖν τὸν ἔναγχος ἐξ οὐρανοῦ παρόντα λόγον εὐαγγελίζεσθαι, ταῖς τῶν παλαιῶν φωναῖς τὰ διὰ τῶν ἔργων ἀποτελέσματα συντρέχειν ἐπιδεικνύμενον.	^1.10 These things, preserved of old in divine oracles, have now been made manifest to us through the teaching of our Savior Jesus Christ. Thus the knowledge of God among all nations—proclaimed long ago and expected by those not unacquainted with these matters—is reasonably proclaimed to us as good news by the Word who recently came from heaven, showing that the predictions of the ancients run parallel with the results accomplished through works.
^1.11 Ἀλλὰ γὰρ τί χρὴ σπεύδειν φθάνοντα τῇ προθυμίᾳ τὴν τῶν διὰ μέσου λόγων ἀκολουθίαν, ἀναλαβεῖν ἐξ ὑπαρχῆς δέον καὶ τὰ ἐμποδὼν ἅπαντα διαλύσασθαι; ἐπειδὴ γὰρ τὸν χριστιανισμόν τινες οὐδένα λόγον ἀποσώζειν, ἀλόγῳ δὲ πίστει καὶ ἀνεξετάστῳ συγκαταθέσει τοὺς τῆς προσηγορίας ἐφιεμένους τὸ δόξαν κυροῦν ὑπειλήφασιν, μηδένα φάσκοντες δύνασθαι δι’ ἀποδείξεως ἐναργοῦς παρέχειν τεκμήριον τῆς ἐν τοῖς ἐπαγγελλομένοις ἀληθείας, πίστει δὲ μόνῃ προσέχειν ἀξιοῦν τοὺς προσιόντας, παρ’ ὃ καὶ πιστοὺς χρηματίζειν, τῆς ἀκρίτου χάριν καὶ ἀβασανίστου πίστεως, εἰκότως ἐπὶ τήνδε καθεὶς τὴν πραγματείαν τῆς εὐαγγελικῆς ἀποδείξεως, εἰς προκατασκευὴν τῆς ὅλης ὑποθέσεως, ἡγοῦμαι δεῖν βραχέα προδιαλαβεῖν περὶ τῶν ζητηθέντων ἂν πρὸς ἡμᾶς εὐλόγως ὑπό τε Ἑλλήνων καὶ τῶν ἐκ περιτομῆς, παντός τε τοῦ μετὰ ἀκριβοῦς ἐξετάσεως τὰ καθ’ ἡμᾶς διερευνομένου.	^1.11 But why should we hasten ahead in our zeal beyond the logical sequence of the intermediate arguments, when it is necessary to begin from the start and clear away all obstacles? For since some suppose that Christianity maintains no rational account, but that those who desire the name validate their opinion by unreasoning faith and unexamined assent—asserting that no one can provide a clear demonstration as evidence of the truth in what is promised, but demanding that those who approach give heed by faith alone, wherefore they are styled 'believers' on account of this uncritical and unexamined faith—I think it necessary, as I launch into this work on the Demonstration of the Gospel, to briefly treat beforehand by way of preparation for the whole subject those questions that might reasonably be asked of us both by Greeks and by those of the circumcision, and by anyone who investigates our affairs with exact examination.
^1.12 ταύτῃ γάρ μοι δοκῶ τὸν λόγον ἐν τάξει χωρήσειν εἰς τὴν ἐντελεστέραν τῆς εὐαγγελικῆς ἀποδείξεως διδασκαλίαν καὶ τὴν τῶν βαθυτέρων δογμάτων κατανόησιν, εἰ τὰ τῆς προπαρασκευῆς ἡμῖν πρὸ ὁδοῦ γένοιτο, στοιχειώσεως καὶ εἰσαγωγῆς ἐπέχοντα τόπον, καὶ τοῖς ἐξ ἐθνῶν ἄρτι προσιοῦσιν ἐφαρμόττοντα· τὰ δὲ μετὰ ταῦτα, τοῖς ἐνθένδε διαβεβηκόσι καὶ τὴν ἕξιν ἤδη παρεσκευασμένοις εἰς τὴν τῶν κρειττόνων παραδοχήν, τὴν ἀκριβῆ γνῶσιν παραδώσει τῶν συνεκτικωτάτων τῆς κατὰ τὸν σωτῆρα καὶ κύριον ἡμῶν Ἰησοῦν Χριστὸν τοῦ θεοῦ μυστικῆς οἰκονομίας.	^1.12 For in this way I think my argument will proceed in orderly fashion toward the fuller teaching of the Gospel Demonstration and the understanding of deeper doctrines, if the preliminary matters serve as a path for us, holding the place of an elementary introduction and fitting those newly coming from the gentiles; while the subsequent parts will deliver accurate knowledge of the most vital aspects of the mystical dispensation of God according to our Savior and Lord Jesus Christ to those who have advanced beyond this stage and are already prepared in disposition for the reception of higher things.
^1.13 ἀρξώμεθα δὴ τῆς προπαρασκευῆς, τὰ πρὸς ἡμᾶς εὐλόγως ὑπό τε Ἑλλήνων καὶ τῶν ἐκ περιτομῆς, παντός τε τοῦ μετὰ ἀκριβοῦς ἐξετάσεως τὰ καθ’ ἡμᾶς διερευνομένου λεχθησόμενα προσάγοντες.	^1.13 Let us then begin the preparation, bringing forward the arguments that would reasonably be urged against us both by Greeks and by those of the circumcision, and by anyone who investigates our position with thorough examination.

^2.1 Πρῶτον μὲν γὰρ εἰκότως ἄν τις διαπορήσειε τίνες ὄντες ἐπὶ τὴν γραφὴν παρεληλύθαμεν, πότερον Ἕλληνες ἢ βάρβαροι, ἢ τί ἂν γένοιτο τούτων μέσον, καὶ τίνας ἑαυτοὺς εἶναί φαμεν, οὐ τὴν προσηγορίαν, ὅτι καὶ τοῖς πᾶσιν ἔκδηλος αὕτη, ἀλλὰ τὸν τρόπον καὶ τὴν προαίρεσιν τοῦ βίου· οὔτε γὰρ τὰ Ἑλλήνων φρονοῦντας ὁρᾶν οὔτε τὰ βαρβάρων ἐπιτηδεύοντας.	^2.1 For first of all, someone might reasonably ask who we are that have come to write this work: whether we are Greeks or barbarians, or what middle ground there might be between these, and whom we claim to be—not as to our name, for that is plain to all, but as to our manner and choice of life; for we are seen neither holding the views of the Greeks nor practicing the customs of the barbarians.
^2.2 τί οὖν ἂν γένοιτο τὸ καθ’ ἡμᾶς ξένον, καὶ τίς ὁ νεωτερισμὸς τοῦ βίου; πῶς δ’ οὐ πανταχόθεν δυσσεβεῖς ἂν εἶεν καὶ ἄθεοι οἱ τῶν πατρίων ἐθῶν ἀποστάντες, δι’ ὧν πᾶν ἔθνος καὶ πᾶσα πόλις συνέστηκεν; ἢ τί καλὸν ἐλπίσαι εἰκὸς τοὺς τῶν σωτηρίων ἐχθροὺς καὶ πολεμίους καταστάντας καὶ τοὺς εὐεργέτας παρωσαμένους; καὶ τί γὰρ ἄλλο ἢ θεομαχοῦντας;	^2.2 What, then, could be this strange thing about us, and what is this innovation in our way of life? How could they fail to be utterly impious and godless who have deserted their ancestral customs, through which every nation and every city has been established? Or what good can those reasonably hope for who have become enemies and foes of their saviors and have pushed away their benefactors? For what else are they doing than fighting against God?
^2.3 ποίας δὲ καὶ ἀξιωθήσεσθαι συγγνώμης τοὺς ἐξ αἰῶνος μὲν παρὰ πᾶσιν Ἕλλησι καὶ βαρβάροις κατά τε πόλεις καὶ ἀγροὺς παντοίοις ἱεροῖς καὶ τελεταῖς καὶ μυστηρίοις πρὸς ἁπάντων ὁμοῦ βασιλέων τε καὶ νομοθετῶν καὶ φιλοσόφων θεολογουμένους ἀποστραφέντας, ἐλομένους δὲ τὰ ἀσεβῆ καὶ ἄθεα τῶν ἐν ἀνθρώποις; ποίαις δ’ οὐκ ἂν ἐνδίκως ὑποβληθεῖεν τιμωρίαις οἱ τῶν μὲν πατρίων φυγάδες, τῶν δ’ ὀθνείων καὶ παρὰ πᾶσι διαβεβλημένων Ἰουδαϊκῶν μυθολογημάτων γενόμενοι ζηλωταί;	^2.3 And what forgiveness could they be deemed worthy of who have turned away from those who have been acknowledged as gods from the beginning among all Greeks and barbarians—throughout cities and country districts, with all kinds of temples, rites, and mysteries, by kings, lawgivers, and philosophers alike—and have instead chosen the most impious and godless things among men? And to what punishments would they not justly be subjected who are fugitives from their ancestral traditions, while becoming zealous followers of foreign Jewish fables that are maligned among all people?
^2.4 πῶς δ’ οὐ μοχθηρίας εἶναι καὶ εὐχερείας ἐσχάτης τὸ μεταθέσθαι μὲν εὐκόλως τὰ τῶν οἰκείων, δ’ ἀλόγῳ δὲ καὶ ἀνεξετάστῳ πίστει τὰ τῶν δυσσεβῶν καὶ πᾶσιν ἔθνεσι πολεμίων ἑλέσθαι, καὶ μηδ’ αὐτῷ τῷ παρὰ Ἰουδαίοις τιμωμένῳ θεῷ κατὰ τὰ παρ’ αὐτοῖς νόμιμα, καινὴν δέ τινα καὶ ἐρήμην ἑαυτοῖς συντεμεῖν ἀνοδίαν, μήτε τὰ Ἑλλήνων μήτε τὰ Ἰουδαίων φυλάττουσαν;	^2.4 And how is it not a mark of wickedness and extreme recklessness to lightly abandon one's own heritage, and by unreasoning and unexamined faith to choose the ways of the impious and enemies to all nations—not even honoring the God revered among the Jews according to their own laws, but cutting out for oneself a new and desolate path that keeps neither the customs of the Greeks nor those of the Jews?
^2.5 Ταῦτα μὲν οὖν εἰκότως ἄν τις Ἑλλήνων, μηδὲν ἀληθὲς μήτε τῶν οἰκείων μήτε τῶν καθ’ ἡμᾶς ἐπαΐων, πρὸς ἡμᾶς ἀπορήσειεν. ἐπιμέμψαιντο δ’ ἂν ἡμῖν καὶ Ἑβραίων παῖδες, εἰ δὴ ἀλλόφυλοι ὄντες καὶ ἀλλογενεῖς ταῖς αὐτῶν βίβλοις ἀποχρώμεθα μηδὲν ἡμῖν προσηκούσαις, ὅτι τε ἀναιδῶς, ὡς ἂν αὐτοὶ φαῖεν, καὶ ἀναισχύντως ἑαυτοὺς μὲν εἰσωθοῦμεν, τοὺς δὲ οἰκείους καὶ ἐγγενεῖς τῶν αὐτοῖς πατρίων ἐξωθεῖν παραβιαζόμεθα.	^2.5 These are the objections that one of the Greeks might reasonably raise against us—one who understands nothing true either of his own traditions or of ours. But the children of the Hebrews might also blame us, if indeed, being foreigners and aliens, we misuse their books which do not belong to us at all; because, as they themselves would say, we shamelessly and impudently push ourselves in, while forcefully trying to drive out the native-born inhabitants from their own ancestral heritage.
^2.6 εἴτε γάρ τις εἴη Χριστὸς θεσπιζόμενος, ἀλλὰ Ἰουδαίων ἦσαν προφῆται οἱ τούτου τὴν ἄφιξιν προκηρύξαντες, οἱ καὶ λυτρωτὴν καὶ βασιλέα Ἰουδαίων ἥξειν αὐτόν, οὐχὶ δὲ τῶν ἀλλοφύλων ἐθνῶν κατήγγειλαν· εἴτε τινὰ ἄλλα φαιδρότερα περιέχουσιν αἱ γραφαί, καὶ ταῦτα Ἰουδαίοις ἀναφωνεῖσθαι, ὧν οὐκ εὖ πράττοντας παρακούειν ἡμᾶς.	^2.6 For if there is a Christ foretold, the prophets who announced His coming were prophets of the Jews, who proclaimed that He would come as Redeemer and King of the Jews, not of foreign nations; and if the scriptures contain any other more brilliant promises, these too were proclaimed to the Jews, whom we do not do well to ignore.
^2.7 καὶ σφόδρα ἀτόπως τοὺς μὲν κατὰ τοῦ ἔθνους ἐφ’ οἷς ἡμάρτανον ἐλέγχους εὖ μάλα ἁρπαλέως ἀποδέχεσθαι, τὰς δὲ τῶν ἀγαθῶν πάλιν αὐτοῖς θεσπιζομένας ἐπαγγελίας ἀποσιωπᾶν, μᾶλλον δὲ ἐκβιάζεσθαι καὶ εἰς ἑαυτοὺς μεταφέρειν, ἄντικρυς πλεονεκτοῦντας καὶ οὐδὲν πλέον ἢ ἑαυτοὺς ἐξαπατῶντας.	^2.7 And it is extremely absurd that we eagerly grab hold of the reproofs against their nation for the sins they committed, while keeping silent about the promises of good things foretold to them in turn—or rather, twisting them and transferring them to ourselves, acting openly out of greed and doing nothing more than deceiving ourselves.
^2.8 τὸ δ’ οὖν αὑπάντων παραλογώτατον, ὅτι μηδὲ τὰ νόμιμα παραπλησίως αὐτοῖς περιέποντες, ἀλλὰ προφανῶς παρανομοῦντες, τὰς ἐπηγγελμένας τοῖς τῶν νόμων φύλαξι χρηστοτέρας ἀμοιβὰς εἰς ἑαυτοὺς ἐπισπώμεθα.	^2.8 But the most unreasonable thing of all is that, while not keeping their legal ordinances as they do, but visibly breaking the law, we claim for ourselves the better rewards promised to those who keep the laws.

^3.1 Τούτων εὐλόγως ἂν ἡμῖν ἐν πρώτοις ἀπορηθέντων, φέρε τὸν τῶν ὅλων θεὸν διὰ τοῦ σωτῆρος ἡμῶν, τοῦ αὐτοῦ λόγου, ὡς δι’ ἀρχιερέως ἐπικαλεσάμενοι τὸ πρῶτον τῶν προτεθέντων ἀποκαθάρωμεν, συκοφάντας προαποδείξαντες τοὺς μηδὲν ἔχειν ἡμᾶς δι’ ἀποδείξεως παριστάναι, ἀλόγῳ δὲ πίστει προσέχειν ἀποφηναμένους.	^3.1 Since these questions have reasonably been raised by us at the very outset, come, let us call upon the God of the universe through our Savior, His very Word, as through a High Priest, and first clear away the initial objections. Let us show that those who declare that we possess nothing to present by way of proof, but yield only to unreasoning faith, are slanderers.
^3.2 αὐτόθεν δὴ οὖν τοῦτο καὶ οὐκ ἐκ μακροῦ διελέγξομεν, ἔκ τε ὧν χρώμεθα πρὸς τοὺς ἐπὶ διδασκαλίᾳ τῶν καθ’ ἡμᾶς λόγων προσιόντας ἀποδείξεων, καὶ τῶν πρὸς τοὺς ἀντιδιατιθεμένους ἡμῖν ἐν ταῖς λογικωτέραις ζητήσεσιν ἀντιρρήσεων, δι’ ὧν τε φιλοτιμούμεθα ποιεῖσθαι ἀγράφων τε καὶ ἐγγράφων ἰδίᾳ τε καὶ πρὸς ἕκαστον τῶν ἐρωτώντων καὶ κοινῇ πρὸς τὰ πλήθη διαλέξεων·	^3.2 We shall expose this claim right here on the spot, without going far afield—both from the proofs we employ toward those who approach us for instruction in our teachings, and from our replies to those who oppose us in more logical inquiries; as well as through the efforts we take in both unwritten and written discourses, privately with each inquirer and publicly before the crowds;
^3.3 ναὶ μὴν καὶ διὰ τῶν ἐν χερσὶ συγγραμμάτων τὴν καθόλου πραγματείαν περιεχόντων τῆς εὐαγγελικῆς ἀποδείξεως, ἐν ᾗ πᾶσαν τὴν ἐκ θεοῦ χάριν καὶ τὴν οὐράνιον εὐεργεσίαν ὁ παρὼν λόγος πάντας ἀνθρώπους εὐαγγελίζεται, τὴν κατὰ τὸν σωτῆρα καὶ κύριον ἡμῶν Ἰησοῦν τὸν Χριστὸν τοῦ θεοῦ οἰκονομίαν λογικώτερον διὰ πλείστων καὶ ἐναργῶν ἀποδείξεων πιστούμενος.	^3.3 yes, and moreover, through the present work in our hands containing the general treatment of the Demonstration of the Gospel, wherein the present discourse proclaims to all humanity the entire grace and heavenly beneficence from God, confirming through numerous and vivid proofs the divine economy centered in our Savior and Lord, Jesus, the Christ of God, in a more logical manner.
^3.4 ἐσπούδασται μὲν οὑν πλείστοις τῶν πρὸ ἡμῶν πολλή τις ἄλλη πραγματεία, τοτὲ μὲν ἐλέγχους καὶ ἀντιρρήσεις τῶν ἐναντίων ἡμῖν λόγων συνταξαμένοις, τοτὲ δὲ τὰς ἐνθέους καὶ ἱερὰς γραφὰς ἐξηγητικοῖς ὑπομνήμασι καὶ ταῖς κατὰ μέρος ὁμιλίαις διερμηνεύσασι τοτὲ δὲ τοῖς καθ’ ἡμᾶς δόγμασιν ἀγωνιστικώτερον πρεσβεύσασιν.	^3.4 Indeed, many of those before us have eagerly undertaken considerable work—at times composing refutations and replies against arguments opposed to us, at other times interpreting the inspired and sacred Scriptures in explanatory commentaries and individual homilies, and at times advocating our doctrines in a more contentious, polemical spirit.
^3.5 καὶ μὴν ἰδίως ἡμῖν ἡ μετὰ χεῖρας ἐκπονεῖται πρόθεσις. πρῶτός γέ τοι παντων ὁ ἱερὸς ἀπόστολος Παῦλος τὰς μὲν ἀπατηλὰς καὶ σοφιστικὰς πιθανολογίας παραιτούμενος, ἀναμφιλόγοις δὲ χρώμενος ταῖς ἀποδείξεσι, φησί που "καὶ ὁ λόγος ἡμῶν καὶ τὸ κήρυγμα οὐκ ἐν πειθοῖς [ἀνθρωπίνης] σοφίας λόγοις, ἀλλ’ ἐν ἀποδείξει πνεύματος καὶ δυνάμεως." οἶς ἐπιλέγει "σοφίαν δὲ λαλοῦμεν ἐν τοῖς τελείοις, σοφίαν δὲ οὐ τοῦ αἰῶνος τούτου, οὐδὲ τῶν ἀρχόντων τοῦ αἰῶνος τούτου τῶν καταργουμένων, ἀλλὰ λαλοῦμεν θεοῦ σοφίαν ἐν μυστηρίῳ τὴν ἀποκεκρυμμένην. καὶ αὖθις ἡ ἱκανότης ἡμῶν φησὶν ἐκ τοῦ θεοῦ, ὃς καὶ ἱκάνωσεν ἡμᾶς διακόνους καινῆς διαθήκης.	^3.5 However, the proposal now worked out by us has its own distinct character. At all events, the holy apostle Paul was the first of all who—while rejecting deceitful and sophisticated persuasions of words, and employing undisputed proofs—says somewhere: "And my speech and my preaching were not with persuasive words of human wisdom, but in demonstration of the Spirit and of power." [1 Cor 2:4] To which he adds: "However, we speak wisdom among those who are mature, yet not the wisdom of this age, nor of the rulers of this age, who are coming to nothing. But we speak the wisdom of God in a mystery, the hidden wisdom." [1 Cor 2:6–7] And again he says: "Our sufficiency is from God, who also made us sufficient as ministers of a new covenant." [2 Cor 3:5–6]
^3.6 εἰκότως δῆτα καὶ ἡμῖν ἅπασι παρήγγελται ἑτοίμους εἷναι πρὸς ἀπολογίαν παντὶ τῷ ἐπερωτῶντι ἡμᾶς λόγον περὶ τῆς ἐν ἡμῖν ἐλπίδος. ὅθεν καὶ τῶν νέων συγγραφέων μυρίας ὅσας, ὡς εἴρηται, πανσόφους καὶ ἐναργεῖς μετὰ συλλογισμῶν ἀποδείξεις ὑπέρ τε τοῦ καθ’ ἡμᾶς γραφείσας λόγου διαγνῶναι πάρεστιν, ὑπομνήματά τε οὐκ ὀλίγα εἰς τὰς ἱερὰς καὶ ἐνθέους γραφὰς πεπονημένα, τὸ ἀψευδὲς καὶ ἀδιάπτωτον τῶν ἀρχῆθεν καταγγειλάντων ἡμῖν τὸν τῆς θεοσεβείας λόγον γραμμικαῖς ἀποδείξεσιν παριστῶντα.	^3.6 Reasonably then, it has been commanded to all of us as well to be ready to give a defense to everyone who asks us a reason for the hope that is in us. Hence, one may observe countless, highly wise, and clear proofs written by recent authors with logical arguments on behalf of our doctrine, as well as no small number of commentaries worked out on the sacred and inspired Scriptures, demonstrating with geometric precision the truthfulness and faultlessness of those who from the beginning proclaimed to us the word of godliness.
^3.7 πλὴν ἀλλὰ περιττοὶ λόγοι πάντες, ὧν ἐναργῆ καὶ σαφέστερα τὰ ἔργα, ἅπερ ἡ θεία καὶ οὐράνιος τοῦ σωτῆρος ἡμῶν δύναμις, πάντας ἀνθρώπους τὴν ἔνθεον καὶ οὐράνιον ζωὴν εὐαγγελιζομένη, διαρρήδην εἰσέτι καὶ νῦν ἐπιδείκνυται.	^3.7 And yet, all words are superfluous when works are clearer and more evident—works which the divine and heavenly power of our Savior, proclaiming the godly and heavenly life to all people, explicitly displays even now.
^3.8 αὐτίκα γοῦν τὴν διδασκαλίαν αὐτοῦ κηρυχθήσεσθαι καθ ὅλης τῆς ἀνθρώπων οἰκουμένης εἰς μαρτύριον πᾶσι τοῖς ἔθνεσι θεσπίσαντος, τήν τε ὕστερόν ποτε τῇ αὐτοῦ δυνάμει συστᾶσαν ἐξ ἁπάντων τῶν ἐθνῶν ἐκκλησίαν, οὔπω τότε καθ οὓς ἐνηνθρωπήκει χρόνους ὁρωμένην οὐδὲ συνεστῶσαν, ἐνθέῳ προγνώσει ἀήττητον καὶ ἀκατάπληκτον ἔσεσθαι, καὶ μηδεπώποτε ὑπὸ θανάτου νικηθήσεσθαι, ἑστάναι δὲ καὶ μένειν ἄσειστον, ὡς ἂν ἐπ ἀσείστῳ καὶ ἀρραγεῖ πέτρᾳ τῇ αὐτοῦ δυνάμει βεβηκυῖάν τε καὶ ἐρριζωμένην, ἀποφηναμένου, ὑπὲρ πάντα λόγον τὸ τῆς προρρήσεως ἀποτέλεσμα εἰκότως πᾶν ἄθυρον ἀποφράξειεν ἂν στόμα τῶν ἀναισχυντεῖν ἀναιδῶς παρεσκευασμένων.	^3.8 For instance, when He prophesied that His teaching would be preached throughout the whole inhabited world for a witness to all nations; and when He declared by divine foreknowledge that the Church—which was later brought together out of all the nations by His power, and was not yet visible nor established at the time He dwelt among humans—would be unconquerable and undaunted, never to be overcome by death, but would stand and remain unshaken, built and rooted by His power as if upon an unshakable and unbroken rock: the fulfillment of this prophecy, being beyond all reason, would naturally shut every wide-open mouth of those prepared to act with shameless effrontery.
^3.9 τίς γὰρ οὐκ ἀλήθειαν ὁμολογήσειεν ἂν τῇ προρρήσει, τῶν πραγμάτων ἐναργῶς οὕτως μονονουχὶ φωνὴν ἀφιέντων ὅτι δὴ θεοῦ δύναμις, ἀλλ οὐκ ἀνθρωπεία φύσις ἦν ἡ ταῦτα τοῦτον ἐσόμενα τὸν τρόπον πρὸ τοῦ γενέσθαι θεασαμένη, προφήσασά τε καὶ ἔργοις ἐπιτελέσασα;	^3.9 For who would not acknowledge the truth of the prophecy, when the facts themselves virtually cry out that it was a power of God, and not human nature, that foresaw these things would happen in this way before they occurred, predicted them, and fulfilled them by deeds?
^3.10 πεπλήρωκε γοῦν τὴν σύμπασαν, ὅσην ὁ ἥλιος ἐφορᾷ, ἡ τοῦ κατ αὐτὸν εὐαγγελίου φήμὴ, καὶ πάντα τὰ ἔθνη διέδραμεν, εἰσέτι τε νῦν αὔξει καὶ ἐπιδίδωσι τὰ περὶ αὐτοῦ κηρύγματα ταῖς αὐτοῦ φωναῖς ἀκολούθως.	^3.10 At any rate, the fame of the Gospel concerning Him has filled the entire earth overseen by the sun, and has run through all the nations; and even now, the proclamations concerning Him continue to increase and advance in accordance with His own words.
^3.11 ἥ τε ὀνομαστὶ προθεσπισθεῖσα ἐκκλησία αὐτοῦ ἕστηκε κατὰ κράτος ἐρριζωμένη, καὶ μέχρις οὐρανίων ἀψίδων εὐχαῖς ὁσίων καὶ θεοφιλῶν ψυχῶν μετεωριζομένη, δοξαζομένη τε ὁσημέραι, καὶ εἰς ἅπαντας τὸ νοερὸν καὶ ἔνθεον φῶς τῆς ὑπ’ αὐτοῦ καταγγελθείσης εὐσεβείας ἀπαστράπτουσα, οὐδαμῶς τε τοῖς ἐχθροῖς ἡττωμένη καὶ ὑπείκουσα, ἀλλ’ οὐδὲ ταῖς τοῦ θανάτου πύλαις ὑποχωροῦσα· διὰ μίαν ἐκείνην ἣν αὐτὸς ἀπεφήνατο λέξιν, εἰπὼν "ἐπὶ τὴν πέτραν οἰκοδομήσω μου τὴν ἐκκλησίαν, καὶ πύλαι ᾅδου οὐ κατισχύσουσιν αὐτῆς.’·	^3.11 His Church, foretold explicitly by name, stands rooted in strength, lifted up to the heavenly arches by the prayers of holy and God-loving souls, glorified day by day, and flashing forth to all people the intellectual and divine light of the piety proclaimed by Him—yielding and succumbing in no way to its enemies, nor giving way before the gates of death; all on account of that single utterance which He declared, saying: "Upon this rock I will build my church, and the gates of Hades shall not prevail against it." [Matt 16:18]
^3.12 καὶ ἄλλα δὲ μυρία πρὸς τοῦ σωτῆρος ἡμῶν λεχθέντα τε καὶ προρρηθέντα ἐν οἰκείᾳ συναγαγόντες ὑποθέσει, ταῖς ἐνθέοις αὐτοῦ προγνώσεσι τὰς τῶν πραγμάτων ἀποβάσεις συμφώνους παραστήσαντες, ἀναμφίλεκτον τῶν περὶ αὐτοῦ δοξαζομένων ἡμῖν τὴν ἀλήθειαν ἐπιδείκνυμεν.	^3.12 And by gathering into a dedicated work thousands of other things spoken and foretold by our Savior, and demonstrating that the outcomes of events agree with His divine foreknowledge, we display the undisputed truth of what is glorified among us concerning Him.
^3.13 πρὸς τούτοις δὲ πᾶσιν οὐ μικρὰ τυγχάνει τῆς καθ’ ἡμὰς ἀληθείας ἀπόδειξις καὶ ἡ ἀπὸ τῶν Ἑβραϊκῶν γραφῶν μαρτυρία, ἐν αἷς πρὸ μυρίων ὅσων ἐτῶν οἱ παρ’ Ἑβραίοις προφῆται τὴν τῶν ἀγαθῶν ἐπαγγελίαν παντὶ τῷ θνητῷ βίῳ κηρύξαντες ὀνομαστὶ τῆς τε Χριστοῦ προσηγορίας ἐμνήσθησαν καὶ τὴν εἰς ἀνθρώπους αὐτοῦ παρουσίαν προὐθέσπισαν, τόν τε νέον τῆς εἰς πάντα τὰ ἔθνη διαδραμούσης διδασκαλίας αὐτοῦ τρόπον κατήγγειλαν, προειπόντες τὴν ἐσομένην εἰς αὐτὸν ἀπιστίαν καὶ ἀντιλογίαν τοῦ Ἰουδαίων ἔθνους, τά τε κατ’ αὐτοῦ δρασθέντα αὐτοῖς καὶ τὰ ἐπὶ τούτοις αὐτίκα καὶ οὐκ εἰς μακρὰν μετελθόντα αὐτοῖς σκυθρωπά· λέγω δὲ τῆς βασιλικῆς μητροπόλεως αὐτῶν τὴν ἐσχάτην πολιορκίαν, καὶ τῆς βασιλείας τὴν παντελῆ καθαίρεσιν, αὐτῶν τε τὴν εἰς πάντα τὰ ἔθνη διασπορὰν, καὶ τὴν ὑπὸ τοῖς ἐχθροῖς καὶ πολεμίοις δουλείαν, ἃ καὶ ταῖς προρρήσεσιν ἀκολούθως μετὰ τὴν τοῦ σωτῆρος ἡμῶν παρουσίαν φαίνονται πεπονθότες.	^3.13 In addition to all this, no small proof of our truth is the testimony drawn from the Hebrew Scriptures. In these, thousands of years ago, the prophets among the Hebrews proclaimed the promise of good things to all mortal life, mentioning the name of Christ, foretelling His advent among humans, and announcing the new character of His teaching that has spread to all nations. They predicted the coming disbelief and opposition of the Jewish nation, as well as the dark deeds committed by them against Him and the grim consequences that overtook them immediately and before long— I mean the ultimate siege of their royal metropolis, the complete destruction of their kingdom, their dispersion into all nations, and their enslavement under hostile enemies—things which they clearly suffered in accordance with the prophecies after the advent of our Savior.
^3.14 ἐπὶ τούτοις τίς οὐκ ἂν ἐκπλαγείη τῶν αὐτῶν ἀκούων προφητῶν, μετὰ τὴν τοῦ Χριστοῦ παρουσίαν καὶ τὴν Ἰουδαίων ἀπόπτωσιν, τὴν τῶν ἐθνῶν κλῆσιν λαμπραῖς καὶ διαυγέσι φωναῖς εὐαγγελιζομένων; ἣ καὶ αὐτὴ ἄντικρυς εἰς ἔργον ἐχώρησε ταῖς προφητείαις ἀκολούθως διὰ τῆς τοῦ σωτῆρος ἡμῶν διδασκαλίας.	^3.14 In view of these things, who would not be amazed to hear these same prophets, after the advent of Christ and the falling away of the Jews, proclaiming the calling of the Gentiles in bright and clear tones? And this very calling proceeded directly into action in accordance with the prophecies through the teaching of our Savior.
^3.15 δι’ οὗ ἐκ παντὸς γένους ἀνθρώπων μυρίοι ὅσοι τὴν τῶν εἰδώλων ἀποστραφέντες πλάνην τοῦ ἐπὶ πάντων θεοῦ τὴν ἀληθῆ γνῶσιν τε καὶ εὐσέβειαν κατεδέξαντο, μονονουχὶ πιστούμενοι τοὺς τῶν παλαιῶν χρησμοὺς, τούς τε ἄλλους καὶ δὴ καὶ τὸν διὰ τοῦ Ἱερεμίου τοῦ προφήτου φήσαντα "κύριε ὁ θεός μου, πρὸς σὲ ἔθνη ἥξουσιν ἀπ’ ἐσχάτου τῆς γῆς, καὶ ἐροῦσιν ὡς ψευδῆ ἐκτήσαντο οἱ πατέρες ἡμῶν εἴδωλα καὶ οὐκ ἦν ἐν αὐτοῖς ὠφέλεια. εἰ ποιήσει ἑαυτῷ ἄνθρωπος θεοὺς, καὶ οὗτοι οὐκ εἰσὶν θεοί;"	^3.15 Through Him, countless multitudes from every race of humans turned away from the error of idols and accepted the true knowledge and piety toward the God over all—virtually confirming the oracles of the ancients, including the one who spoke through Jeremiah the prophet: "O Lord, my God, to You the nations shall come from the ends of the earth, and shall say: 'Our fathers inherited falsehoods, idols in which there was no profit. Will a man make gods for himself, when these are no gods?'" [Jer 16:19–20]

^4.1 Πάντα δὴ ταῦτα τὸν περὶ τῶν καθ’ ἡμᾶς πραγμάτων πιστοῦται λόγον, ὡς οὐκ ἐξ ἀνθρωπίνης ὁρμῆς ἐπιτηδευθέντα, θεόθεν δὲ προγνωσθέντα, καὶ θεόθεν διὰ τῶν ἐγγράφων χρησμῶν προαναφωνηθέντα, καὶ πολὺ πλέον ἔτι θεόθεν διὰ τοῦ σωτῆρος ἡμῶν πᾶσιν ἀνθρώποις προβεβλημένον, αὖθίς τε ἐκ θεοῦ δυναμούμενον καὶ συνεστῶτα, ὡς ἐν τοσούτοις ἐτῶν χρόνοις ἐλαυνόμενον πρός τε τῶν ἀοράτων δαιμόνων καὶ πρὸς τῶν κατὰ χρόνους ὁρατῶν ἀρχόντων πολὺ πλέον διαλάμπειν, ὁσημέραι τε διαπρέπειν καὶ αὔξειν, καὶ πολὺ μᾶλλον πληθύειν, ἄντικρυς τῆς ἄνωθεν ἐκ τοῦ τῶν ὅλων θεοῦ συνεργίας τὸ ἄμαχον καὶ ἀήττητον τό τε κατὰ τῶν ἐχθρῶν νικητικὸν τῇ τοῦ σωτῆρος ἡμῶν προσηγορίᾳ τε καὶ διδασκαλίᾳ παρεχούσης.	^4.1 All these things indeed confirm the argument regarding our cause—that it was not undertaken out of human impulse, but foreknown by God, foretold by God through the written oracles, and still much more set forth to all humanity by God through our Savior, and again empowered and sustained by God. Thus, though persecuted for so many years both by invisible demons and by the visible rulers of various times, it shines forth much more brilliantly, excels and increases daily, and multiplies all the more. This clearly shows the invincible and unconquerable assistance from the God of the universe above, which grants victory over enemies through the title and teaching of our Savior.
^4.2 καὶ τὸ αὐτόθεν δὲ πρὸς εὐζωΐαν πᾶσιν ἀνθρώποις, οὐ μόνον ἐκ τῶν προφανῶν αὐτοῦ λόγων, ἀλλὰ καὶ ἐξ ἀπορρήτου δυνάμεως προβεβλημένον, πῶς οὐκ ἂν γένοιτο τῆς ἐνθέου δυνάμεως αὐτοῦ παραστατικόν; θείας μὲν γὰρ καὶ ἀπορρήτου δυνάμεως ἦν τὸ ἅμα τῷ αὐτοῦ λόγῳ, καὶ σὺν τῇ περὶ μοναρχίας ἑνὸς τοῦ ἐπὶ πάντων θεοῦ προβεβλημένῃ διδασκαλίᾳ αὐτοῦ, ὁμοῦ καὶ τῆς πολυπλανοῦς καὶ δαιμονικῆς ἐνεργείας, ὁμοῦ καὶ τῆς τῶν ἐθνῶν πολυαρχίας ἐλεύθερον καταστῆναι τὸ τῶν ἀνθρώπων γένος.	^4.2 And as for that which is offered directly to all human beings for the good life—not only from His explicit words, but also from a secret power—how could it fail to demonstrate His divine power? For it was the work of a divine and secret power that, simultaneously with His word and along with His setting forth the doctrine of the monarchy of the one God over all, the human race was set free both from the manifold wandering demonic activity and from the rule of many lords among the nations.
^4.3 μυρίων γοῦν τὸ παλαιὸν καθ’ ἕκαστον ἔθνος βασιλέων καὶ τοπαρχῶν ἐπικρατούντων, καὶ κατὰ πόλεις τῶν μὲν δημοκρατουμένων, τῶν δὲ πολυαρχουμένων, πολέμων τε κατὰ τὸ εἰκὸς ἐκ τούτου παντοίων συνεστώτων, ἐθνῶν ἔθνεσι προσρηγνυμένων καὶ συνεχῶς τοῖς πλησιοχώροις ἐπανισταμένων, δῃούντων τε καὶ δῃουμένων καὶ ταῖς κατ’ ἀλλήλων πολιορκίαις ἐπιστρατευομένων, ὥστε διὰ ταῦτα πανδημὶ πάντας τούς τε τὰς πόλεις οἰκοῦντας καὶ τοὺς ἐν ἀγροῖς γεωπονοῦντας ἐξ ἔτι παίδων τὰ πολεμικὰ διδάσκεσθαι, ξιφηφορεῖν τε διὰ παντὸς κατά τε τὰς λεωφόρους καὶ κατὰ κώμας καὶ ἀγρούς.	^4.3 In ancient times, at least, thousands of kings and local rulers held power over each nation; in cities, some were governed democratically and others ruled by oligarchies, and as a result, wars of every kind naturally arose. Nation clashed against nation and continuously rose up against neighbors, plundering and being plundered, making war on one another in mutual sieges. Consequently, all people—both those dwelling in cities and those tilling the fields in the countryside—were taught war from early childhood, constantly carrying swords along the highways, in villages, and across fields.
^4.4 ἐπεὶ δὲ παρῆν ὁ Χριστὸς τοῦ θεοῦ, περὶ οὗ πάλαι διὰ τῶν προφητῶν ἀνείρητο· "ἀνατελεῖ ἐν ταῖς ἡμέραις αὐτοῦ δικαιοσύνη καὶ πλῆθος εἰρήνης. καὶ συγκόψουσιν τὰς μαχαίρας αὐτῶν εἰς ἄροτρα καὶ τὰς σιβύνας αὐτῶν εἰς δρέπανα, καὶ οὐ λήψεται ἔθνος ἐπ’ ἔθνος μάχαιραν, καὶ οὐ μὴ μάθωσιν ἔτι πολεμεῖν," ἀκόλουθα ταῖς προρρήσεσιν ἐπηκολούθει τὰ ἔργα· πᾶσα μὲν αὐτίκα περιῃρεῖτο πολυαρχία Ῥωμαίων, Αὐγούστου κατὰ τὸ αὐτὸ τῇ τοῦ σωτῆρος ἡμῶν ἐπιφανείᾳ μοναρχήσαντος. ἐξ ἐκείνου δὲ καὶ εἰς δεῦρο οὐκ ἂν ἴδοις, ὡς τὸ πρὶν, πόλεις πόλεσι πολέμους οὐδ’ ἔθνος ἔθνει διαμαχόμενον, οὐδέ γε τὸν βίον ἐν τῇ παλαιᾷ συγχύσει κατατριβόμενον.	^4.4 But when the Christ of God appeared—concerning whom it was anciently declared through the prophets: "In his days righteousness shall spring up, and an abundance of peace." [Ps 72:7] "And they shall beat their swords into plowshares, and their spears into pruning hooks; nation shall not lift up sword against nation, neither shall they learn war anymore," [Isa 2:4] —in accordance with these predictions, the actual deeds followed. Instantly all the rule of many lords was abolished when the monarchy of the Romans was established under Augustus at the exact time of our Savior’s appearance. From that time until now, you would not see cities making war on cities as before, nor nation fighting against nation, nor life being consumed in the ancient confusion.
^4.5 καίτοι πῶς οὐκ ἄξιον θαυμάζειν ἐπιστήσαντα τί δή ποτε τὸ μὲν παλαιόν, ὅτε τῶν ἐθνῶν ἁπάντων κατετυράννουν οἱ δαίμονες καὶ πολλή τις ἦν τῶν ἀνθρώπων ἡ περὶ αὐτοὺς θεραπεία, πρὸς αὐτῶν τῶν θεῶν ἐξοιστρούμενοι ἐπὶ τοὺς κατ’ ἀλλήλων ἐξεκαίοντο πολέμους — ὡς τοτὲ μὲν Ἕλληνας αὐτοῖς Ἕλλησι, τοτὲ δὲ Αἰγυπτίους Αἰγυπτίοις, καὶ Σύρους Σύροις, Σύρους τε Ῥωμαίοις πολεμεῖν, ἀνδραποδίζεσθαί τε ἀλλήλους καὶ κατατρύχειν ταῖς πολιορκίαις, ὥσπερ οὖν αἱ περὶ τούτων δηλοῦσι τῶν παλαιῶν ἱστορίαι — ἅμα δὲ τῇ τοῦ σωτῆρος ἡμῶν εὐσεβεστάτῃ καὶ εἰρηνικωτάτῃ διδασκαλίᾳ τῆς μὲν πολυθέου πλάνης καθαίρεσις ἐπετελεῖτο, τὰ δὲ τῆς τῶν ἐθνῶν διαστάσεως παῦλαν αὐτίκα παλαιῶν κακῶν ἀπελάμβανεν; ὃ καὶ μάλιστα μέγιστον ἡγοῦμαι τεκμήριον τυγχάνειν τῆς ἐνθέου καὶ ἀπορρήτου δυνάμεως τοῦ σωτῆρος ἡμῶν.	^4.5 Yet how is it not worthy of wonder to consider why it was that in ancient times—when the demons tyrannized over all nations and people devoted great worship to them—men were driven to madness by those very gods and inflamed to make war against one another (so that at times Greeks fought Greeks, Egyptians fought Egyptians, Syrians fought Syrians, and Romans fought Romans, enslaving one another and wearing each other out with sieges, as the ancient histories concerning them reveal); but at the same time as the most pious and peaceful teaching of our Savior appeared, the overthrow of polytheistic error was accomplished, and the cessation of the division among nations immediately brought relief from ancient evils? This above all I consider to be the greatest proof of the divine and secret power of our Savior.
^4.6 Τῆς δ’ ἐκ τῶν αὐτοῦ λόγων προφαινομένης ὠφελείας δεῖγμα ἐναργὲς ἴδοις ἂν ἐπιστήσας ὡς οὐδὲ ἄλλοτέ πω ἐξ αἰῶνος, οὐδ’ ὑπό τινος τῶν πάλαι διαφανῶν, ἐκ μόνων δὲ τῶν αὐτοῦ φωνῶν καὶ τῆς ἀνὰ πᾶσαν τὴν οἰκουμένην διαδοθείσης διδασκαλίας αὐτοῦ εὖ τὰ πάντων τῶν ἐθνῶν νόμιμα κεῖται, αὐτὰ ἐκεῖνα τὰ πρὶν θηριώδη καὶ βάρβαρα, ὡς Πέρσας μητρογαμεῖν τοὺς αὐτῷ μαθητευθέντας, μηδ’ ἀνθρωποβορεῖν Σκύθας διὰ τὸν καὶ μέχρις αὐτῶν ἐλθόντα τοῦ Χριστοῦ λόγον, μηδ’ ἄλλα γένη βαρβάρων ἐκθέσμως θυγατράσι καὶ ἀδελφαῖς μίγνυσθαι, μηδ’ ἄρρενας ἄρρεσιν ἐπιμαίνεσθαι καὶ τὰς παρὰ φύσιν ἡδονὰς μετιέναι, μηδὲ κυσὶ καὶ οἰωνοῖς τοὺς οἰκείους νεκροὺς προτιθέναι τοὺς πάλαι τοῦτο πράττοντας, μηδ’ ἀγχόνῃ τοὺς γεγηρακότας ὥσπερ οὖν πρότερον, παραβάλλειν, μηδὲ σάρκας νεκρῶν τῶν φιλτάτων κατὰ τὸ παλαιὸν ἔθος θοινᾶσθαι, μηδ’ ἀνθρωποθυτεῖν ὡς θεοῖς τοῖς δαίμοσι κατὰ τοὺς παλαιούς, μηδὲ τὰ φίλτατα κατασφάττειν ἐπ’ εὐσεβείας ὑπολήψει.	^4.6 You may see a clear demonstration of the benefit shining forth from His words if you observe that never before in human history—not by any of the illustrious men of old, but solely from His own words and His teaching disseminated throughout the whole inhabited world—have the customs of all nations been so well established. Those very practices that were formerly wild and barbarous were reformed: so that those who have become His disciples among the Persians no longer marry their mothers, nor do the Scythians feed on human flesh because the word of Christ reached even them, nor do other barbarian races unlawfully intermarry with daughters and sisters, nor do men rage with lust for men and pursue pleasures against nature, nor do those who once did so now expose their dead relatives to dogs and birds, nor do they hang their elderly as before, nor feast upon the corpses of their dearest ones according to ancient custom, nor sacrifice humans to the demons as gods like the ancients, nor slaughter their loved ones under the pretext of piety.
^4.7 ταῦτα γὰρ ἦν καὶ συγγενῆ τούτοις μυρία τὰ πάλαι τὸν τῶν ἀνθρώπων βίον λυμαινόμενα. ἱστοροῦνται Μασσαγέται καὶ Δέρβικες ἀθλιωτάτους ἡγεῖσθαι τῶν οἰκείων τοὺς αὐτομάτως τελευτήσαντας, διὸ καὶ φθάσαντες κατέθυον, καὶ εἱστιῶντο τῶν φιλτάτων τοὺς γεγηρακότας· Τιβαρηνοὶ δὲ ζῶντας κατεκρήμνιζον τοὺς ἐγγυτάτω γέροντας· Ὑρκανοὶ δὲ καὶ Κάσπιοι, οἱ μὲν οἰωνοῖς καὶ κυσὶ παρέβαλλον ζῶντας, οἱ δὲ τεθνεῶτας· Σκύθαι δὲ συγκατώρυττον ζῶντας, καὶ ἐπέσφαττον ταῖς πυραῖς οὓς ἠγάπων οἱ τεθνεῶτες μάλιστα· καὶ Βάκτριοι δὲ τοῖς κυσὶ παρέβαλλον ζῶντας τοὺς γεγηρακότας.	^4.7 For these and thousands of similar practices were formerly ruining human life. It is recorded that the Massagetae and Derbices considered those among their kin who died a natural death to be most miserable; wherefore they anticipated it by sacrificing and feasting upon the elderly among their loved ones. The Tibareni cast their nearest aged kin down precipices while still alive. The Hyrcanians and Caspians—the former exposed the living to birds and dogs, while the latter exposed the dead. The Scythians buried the living together with the dead and slaughtered upon the funeral pyres those whom the deceased loved most. The Bactrians exposed their elderly to dogs while still alive.
^4.8 ἀλλὰ ταῦτα μὲν πάλαι ἦν πρότερον, νυνὶ δὲ οὐκέθ’ ὁμοίως ἐστίν, ἑνὸς τοῦ σωτηρίου νόμου τῆς εὐαγγελικῆς δυνάμεως τὴν θηριώδη καὶ ἀπάνθρωπον τούτων ὅλων παραλύσαντος νόσον.	^4.8 But these things belonged to former times; today they are no longer the same, for the single saving law of gospel power has dissolved the wild and inhuman disease of all these practices.
^4.9 τὸ δὲ μηκέτι θεοὺς ἡγεῖσθαι ἤτοι τὰ νεκρὰ καὶ κωφὰ ξόανα, ἢ τοὺς ἐν τούτοις ἐνεργοῦντας πονηροὺς δαίμονας, ἢ τὰ μέρη τοῦ φαινομένου κόσμου, ἢ τὰς τῶν πάλαι κατοιχομένων θνητῶν ψυχάς, ἢ τῶν ἀλόγων ζῴων τὰ βλαπτικώτατα, ἀντὶ δὲ τούτων ἁπάντων διὰ μιᾶς τῆς εὐαγγελικῆς τοῦ σωτῆρος ἡμῶν διδασκαλίας, Ἕλληνας ὁμοῦ καὶ βαρβάρους, τοὺς γνησίως, ἀλλ’ οὐκ ἐπιπλάστως αὐτοῦ τῷ λόγῳ προσανέχοντας, εἰς τοσοῦτον ἄκρας φιλοσοφίας ἐλθεῖν ὡς μόνον τὸν ἀνωτάτω θεόν, αὐτὸν ἐκεῖνον τὸν ἐπέκεινα τῶν ὅλων, τὸν παμβασιλέα καὶ κύριον οὐρανοῦ καὶ γῆς, ἡλίου τε καὶ ἄστρων καὶ τοῦ σύμπαντος κόσμου δημιουργόν, σέβειν καὶ ὑμνεῖν καὶ θεολογεῖν, βιοῦν τε ἀκριβῶς καὶ οὕτως μανθάνειν ὡς μέχρι καὶ τοῦ ἐμβλέπειν τοῖς ὀφθαλμοῖς παιδαγωγεῖσθαι, καὶ μηδὲν ἀκόλαστον ἐκ τοῦ μετ’ ἐπιθυμίας ὁρᾶν ἐννοεῖν, πρόρριζον δ’ ἐξ αὐτῆς διανοίας πᾶν αἰσχρὸν ὑποτέμνεσθαι πάθος, ταῦτα πάντα πῶς οὐκ ἂν τοῖς πᾶσι συμβάλλοιτο πρὸς εὐζωίαν;	^4.9 Furthermore, no longer regarding as gods either dead and mute wooden images, or the evil demons working within them, or the parts of the visible cosmos, or the souls of mortals long deceased, or the most harmful of irrational animals—instead of all these, through the single gospel teaching of our Savior, Greeks and barbarians alike who genuinely (and not hypocritically) adhere to His word have attained such a height of sublime philosophy as to worship, hymn, and glorify only the supreme God, that very One beyond the universe, the King of all and Lord of heaven and earth, sun and stars, and Creator of the whole cosmos; and to live so scrupulously and be so disciplined as to govern even the gaze of their eyes, conceiving no licentious thought from looking with desire, but cutting off every shameful passion from the very mind—how could all these things fail to contribute in the highest degree to the good life for all people?
^4.10 καὶ τὸ μηδ’ εὐορκίας δεῖσθαι, πολλοῦ γε δεῖ ἐπιορκεῖν, διὰ τὸ πρὸς αὐτοῦ μανθάνειν μηδὲ ὀμνύναι ὅλως, ἐν πᾶσι δὲ ἀψευδεῖν καὶ ἀληθεύειν, ὡς ἀρκεῖσθαι τῷ ναὶ καὶ τῷ οὔ, παντὸς ὅρκου βεβαιοτέραν τὴν προαίρεσιν κατασκευάζοντας; τὸ δὲ μηδ’ ἐν ψιλοῖς ῥηματίοις καὶ ταῖς κοιναῖς ὁμιλίαις ἀδιαφορεῖν, ἀκριβολογεῖσθαι δὲ καὶ μέχρι τούτων, ὡς μήτε ψεῦδος μήτε λοιδορίαν μήτε τι αἰσχρὸν καὶ ἄσχημον ῥῆμα προίεσθαι τῇ φωνῇ, διὰ τὴν αὐτοῦ πάλιν παρακέλευσιν, δι’ ἧς ἔφησε· "περὶ παντὸς ἀργοῦ ῥήματος δώσετε λόγον ἐν ἡμέρᾳ κρίσεως," ὁποίας ὑπερβολῆς φιλοσόφου ζωῆς ἔχεται;	^4.10 And what of needing no oaths—far from committing perjury—because of learning from Him not to swear at all, but to speak truth and avoid falsehood in everything, so as to be content with "yes" and "no," rendering their intention more steadfast than any oath? And what of not being careless even in idle words and common conversation, but exercising precision even in these, so as to utter no lie, insult, or shameful and improper word with the voice, because of His admonition in which He said: "For every idle word you will give an account on the day of judgment," [Matt 12:36] —what an extraordinary height of philosophical life this holds!
^4.11 τὸ δὲ καὶ συλλήβδην ἀθρόως μυριάδας ὅλας ἀνδρῶν καὶ γυναικῶν καὶ παίδων, οἰκετῶν τε καὶ ἐλευθέρων, ἀδόξων τε καὶ ἐπιδόξων, καὶ προσέτι βαρβάρων ὁμοῦ καὶ Ἑλλήνων, κατὰ πάντα τόπον καὶ πόλιν καὶ χώραν, ἐν πᾶσι τοῖς ὑφ’ ἡλίῳ ἔθνεσιν ἐπὶ διδασκαλίᾳ τῶν τοιούτων μαθημάτων, οἵων ἀρτίως μεμαθήκαμεν, φοιτᾶν καὶ τὰς ἀκοὰς λόγοις παρέχειν, ἀναπείθουσιν οὐ μόνον ἀκολάστων ἐγχειρημάτων, ἀλλὰ καὶ τῶν κατὰ διάνοιαν αἰσχρῶν ἐνθυμημάτων γαστρός τε καὶ τῶν ὑπὸ γαστέρα κρατεῖν· τό τε πᾶν γένος ἀνθρώπων παιδείαν παιδεύεσθαι ἔνθεον καὶ εὐσεβῆ, φέρειν τε μανθάνειν γενναίως καὶ βαθεῖ φρονήματι τὰς τῶν ἐπανισταμένων ὕβρεις, καὶ μὴ τοῖς ἴσοις τοὺς φαύλους ἀμύνεσθαι, θυμοῦ δὲ καὶ ὀργῆς καὶ πάσης ἐμμανοῦς ὀρέξεως κρείττους γίνεσθαι, ναὶ μὴν καὶ τῶν ὑπαρχόντων ἀπόροις καὶ ἐνδεέσι κοινωνεῖν, πάντα τε ἄνθρωπον ὁμογενῆ δεξιοῦσθαι, καὶ τὸν νενομισμένον ξένον ὡς ἂν νόμῳ φύσεως οἰκειότατον καὶ ἀδελφὸν γνωρίζειν.	^4.11 And to sum it up: that whole myriads of men, women, and children, servants and free, undistinguished and distinguished, barbarians and Greeks together, in every place, city, and country, among all nations under the sun, resort to the instruction of such lessons as we have just learned and lend their ears to His words—persuading them to refrain not only from licentious deeds, but also from shameful thoughts in the mind, and to master the belly and the passions below the belly; and that the entire human race is educated in a divine and pious training, learning to bear the insults of those who rise up against them with nobility and deep mind, not avenging themselves on the wicked with like treatment, but becoming superior to anger, rage, and every frantic desire—yes, sharing their possessions with the needy and destitute, welcoming every human as kin, and recognizing the conventional stranger as the closest relative and brother by the law of nature!
^4.12 Πάντα δὴ ἀθρόως ταῦτά τις συναγαγὼν πῶς οὐκ ἂν ὁμολογήσειε τὰ μέγιστα καὶ ἀληθῶς ἀγαθὰ πάντας ἀνθρώπους εὐαγγελίσασθαι τὸν ἡμέτερον λόγον, τό τε αὐτόθεν ὑπερέχον πρὸς εὐζωίαν τῷ τῶν ἀνθρώπων παρεσχηκέναι βίῳ;	^4.12 Bringing all these things together at once, how could anyone fail to confess that our doctrine has proclaimed the greatest and truly good things to all humanity, and has directly provided supreme excellence for the life of human beings?
^4.13 ὁποῖον δέ σοι εἶναι δοκεῖ τὸ πᾶν γένος ἀνθρώπων, οὐ μόνον Ἑλλήνων, ἀλλὰ καὶ τῶν ἀνημερωτάτων βαρβάρων καὶ τῶν ἐν ταῖς ἐσχατιαῖς τῆς γῆς οἰκούντων, τῆς μὲν ἀλόγου θηριωδίας ἀνασχεῖν, δόξας δὲ φιλοσόφους ἀναλαβεῖν παρασκευάσαι;	^4.13 What kind of work do you think it is to have prepared the entire race of humans—not only Greeks, but also the most savage barbarians and those dwelling in the outermost parts of the earth—to refrain from irrational savagery and to adopt philosophical convictions?
^4.14 οἷον, φέρε εἰπεῖν, τὰς περὶ ἀθανασίας ψυχῆς, καὶ ζωῆς τῆς παρὰ τῷ θεῷ μετὰ τὴν ἐνθένδε ἀπαλλαγὴν τοῖς θεοφιλέσιν ἀποκειμένης, δι’ ἣν τοῦ προσκαίρου τούτου ζῆν καταφρονεῖν ἐμελήθησαν· ὥστε ἀποδεῖξαι παῖδας τοὺς πώποτε ἐπὶ φιλοσοφίᾳ διαβοηθέντας, καὶ παίγνιον τὸν θρυλούμενον ἐκεῖνον θάνατον, ἀνὰ στόμα πάντων φιλοσόφων ᾀδόμενον· θηλειῶν παρ’ ἡμῖν καὶ κομιδῇ παίδων βαρβάρων τε ἀνδρῶν καὶ εὐτελῶν τῷ δοκεῖν τῇ τοῦ σωτῆρος ἡμῶν δυνάμει τε καὶ συνεργίᾳ τὸν περὶ ψυχῆς ἀθανασίας λόγον ἔργοις πρότερον ἢ ῥήμασιν ἐπαληθεύοντα δειξάντων.	^4.14 Such as, for instance, doctrines concerning the immortality of the soul, and the life with God reserved for the beloved of God after their departure hence—for the sake of which they practiced despising this temporary life; so as to show that those who were ever famous for philosophy were children, and that famous, much-talked-of death sung on the lips of all philosophers was mere child’s play—with females among us, mere children, and barbarian men who seem humble proving the doctrine of the soul's immortality by deeds rather than words, through the power and cooperation of our Savior.
^4.15 οἷον δὲ καὶ τὸ καθόλου πάντας ἀνθρώπους, τοὺς ἐν πᾶσι τοῖς ἔθνεσιν, ἐκ τῶν τοῦ σωτῆρος ἡμῶν μαθημάτων περὶ θεοῦ προνοίας, ὡς ἐφορώσης τὰ σύμπαντα, ὑγιῶς καὶ ἐρρωμένως φρονεῖν παιδεύεσθαι, καὶ τὸ πᾶσαν ψυχὴν μανθάνειν τὸν περὶ δικαιωτηρίου καὶ κρίσεως θεοῦ λόγον, καὶ τὸ πεφροντισμένως ζῆν, καὶ φυλακικῶς ἔχειν τῶν τῆς κακίας ἐπιτηδευμάτων.	^4.15 And what a work it is that all human beings generally, in all nations, are educated from the teachings of our Savior to think soundly and vigorously concerning God's providence as overseeing all things; and that every soul learns the doctrine concerning the judgment seat and judgment of God, living circumspectly, and keeping guard against the practices of vice!

^5.1 Κεφάλαιον δὲ τῆς πρώτης καὶ μεγίστης εὐεργεσίας τοῦ σωτηρίου λόγου γνοίης ἄν, εἰ ἐν νῷ λάβοις τὴν δεισιδαίμονα πλάνην τῆς παλαιᾶς εἰδωλολατρίας, ᾗ τὸ σύμπαν ἀνθρώπων γένος δαιμόνων ἀνάγκαις πάλαι πρότερον κατετρύχετο· ἧς ὥσπερ ἀπὸ σκοτίας ζοφωδεστάτης Ἕλληνας ὁμοῦ καὶ βαρβάρους δυνάμει θείᾳ μεταστησάμενος ἐπὶ νοερὰν καὶ φωτεινοτάτην ἡμέραν τῆς ἀληθοῦς εὐσεβείας τοῦ παμβασιλέως θεοῦ τοὺς πάντας μετηγάγετο.	^5.1 You may recognize the chief point of the first and greatest beneficence of the saving Word if you take to mind the superstitious error of ancient idolatry, by which the whole human race was formerly worn down by the compulsions of demons. Transferring both Greeks and barbarians alike from this darkness as if from the deepest gloom by divine power, He brought all people over into the intellectual and most radiant day of true piety toward God, the King of all.
^5.2 καὶ τί χρὴ μηκύνειν ἀποδειξαι πειρωμένους ὅτι μὴ ἀλόγῳ πίστει ἑαυτοὺς ἀνεθήκαμεν, σώφροσι δὲ καὶ ὠφελίμοις λόγοις τὸν τῆς ἀληθοῦς εὐσεβείας τρόπον περιέχουσι; τῆς παρούσης ὑποθέσεως αὐτὸ δὴ τοῦτο καθόλου πραγματευομένης, τοὺς μὲν ἐπιτηδείως ἔχοντας ἕπεσθαι λόγων ἀποδείξεσι προτρέπομεν καὶ παρακαλοῦμεν φρονήσεως ἐπιμέλεσθαι, καὶ λογικώτερον τῶν δογμάτων τὰς ἀποδείξεις παραλαμβάνειν, ἑτοίμους τε εἶναι πρὸς ἀπολογίαν παντὶ τῷ ἐπερωτῶντι ἡμᾶς τὸν λόγον τῆς καθ’ ἡμᾶς ἐλπίδος.	^5.2 And why need we speak at length in attempting to show that we have not committed ourselves to an unreasoning faith, but to sober and profitable arguments containing the manner of true piety? Since our present undertaking deals with this very subject as a whole, we encourage and exhort those who are naturally inclined to follow logical proofs to exercise understanding, and to receive the demonstrations of our doctrines in a more rational manner, being ready to make a defense to everyone who asks us for the reason of our hope.
^5.3 ἐπεὶ δὲ μὴ πάντες τοιοῦτοι, φιλανθρώπου τυγχάνοντος τοῦ λόγου, καὶ μηδένα μηδαμῶς ἀποτρεπομένου, πάντα δὲ ἄνθρωπον τοῖς καταλλήλοις ἰωμένου φαρμάκοις, καὶ τὸν ἀμαθῆ καὶ ἰδιώτην ἐπὶ τὴν τῶν τρόπων θεραπείαν παρακαλοῦντος, εἰκότως ἐν εἰσαγωγῇ τοὺς ἀρχομένους τῶν ἰδιωτικωτέρων γύναια καὶ παῖδας καὶ τὸ τῶν ἀγελαίων πλῆθος ἐπὶ τὸν εὐσεβῆ βίον χειραγωγοῦντες, ὡς ἐν φαρμάκου μοίρᾳ, τὴν ὑγιῆ πίστιν παραλαμβάνομεν, ὀρθὰς δόξας περὶ θεοῦ προνοίας καὶ περὶ ψυχῆς ἀθανασίας καὶ περὶ τοῦ κατ’ ἀρετὴν βίου ἐντιθέντες αὐτοῖς.	^5.3 But since not all are of such a character, and because our Word is benevolent and turns no one away, but cures every human being with appropriate remedies—inviting even the unlearned and common person to the healing of their ways—it is with good reason that, in the introductory training of those who are beginning, as well as simpler women, children, and the general multitude, we lead them by the hand toward a pious life through sound faith as if by way of a medicine, imparting to them right opinions regarding God’s providence, the immortality of the soul, and a life lived according to virtue.
^5.4 ἢ οὐχ οὕτως καὶ τοὺς τὰ σωμάτων κάμνοντας ἐπιστημόνως ἰωμένους ὁρῶμεν αὐτοὺς μὲν διὰ πλείστης ἀσκήσεως καὶ παιδείας τοὺς κατὰ ἰατρικὴν λόγους ἀνειληφότας καὶ πάντα λογικῶς χειρουργοῦντας, τούς γε μὴν ἐπὶ θεραπείᾳ προσιόντας αὐτοῖς πίστει ἑαυτοὺς καὶ τῇ τῶν χρηστοτέρων ἐλπίδι παρέχοντας, καὶ τῶν μὲν κατὰ τὴν ἐπιστήμην θεωρημάτων μηδὲν ἀκριβῶς ἐπαΐοντας, μόνης δὲ τῆς ἀγαθῆς ἐλπίδος τε καὶ πίστεως ἐξηρτημένους;	^5.4 Or do we not see those who scientifically heal the sick doing this very thing? They themselves, through long practice and education, have acquired the principles of medicine and perform every procedure rationally; yet those who approach them for treatment entrust themselves in faith and with the hope of better things—understanding none of the theoretical principles of the science with precision, but relying solely upon good hope and faith.
^5.5 καὶ ὁ μὲν τῶν ἰατρῶν ἄριστος εἰς μέσον παρελθὼν ἅ τε χρὴ προφυλάττεσθαι καὶ ἃ προσήκει δρᾶν ὥσπερ τις ἄρχων καὶ κύριος μετ’ ἐπιστήμης προστάττει, ὁ δ’ ὡς βασιλεῖ καὶ νομοθέτῃ πείθεται, πιστεύων συνοίσειν αὐτῷ τὸ προστεταγμένον.	^5.5 And when the best of physicians steps forward, he commands with scientific knowledge what must be guarded against and what ought to be done, like a ruler and master; and the patient obeys him as if he were a king and lawgiver, believing that what has been commanded will be for his benefit.
^5.6 οὕτω καὶ μαθηταὶ παρὰ διδασκάλων παιδείας ἀποδέχονται, πιστεύσαντες ἀγαθὸν αὐτοῖς ἔσεσθαι τὸ μάθημα, ναὶ μὴν καὶ φιλοσοφίας οὐ πρότερόν τις ἐφάψαιτ’ ἂν ἢ πιστεύσας συνοίσειν αὐτῷ τὸ ἐπάγγελμα· καὶ ὁ μέν τις αὐτόθεν εἵλετο τὰ Ἑπικούρου, ὁ δὲ τὸν κυνικὸν ζηλοῖ βίον, ἄλλος κατὰ Πλάτωνα φιλοσοφεῖ, κατ’ Ἀριστοτέλην ἕτερος, καὶ πάλιν ἄλλος πάντων τὰ Στωϊκὰ προετίμησεν, ἑκάστου χρηστοτέρᾳ ἐλπίδι τε καὶ πίστει τὸ δόξαν ὡς συνοῖσον ἀγαπήσαντος.	^5.6 In the same way, students accept instruction from teachers, having believed that the lesson will be good for them. Indeed, no one could even lay hold of philosophy without first believing that its promise will be beneficial. Thus, one person chooses on the spot the teachings of Epicurus, another emulates the Cynic life, another philosophizes according to Plato, another according to Aristotle, and yet another prefers the Stoic doctrines above all—each having embraced what seemed best out of a brighter hope and faith that it would be beneficial.
^5.7 οὕτω καὶ τέχνας ἄνθρωποι τὰς μέσας μετῆλθον, καὶ ἄλλοι τὸν στρατιωτικόν, ἄλλοι δὲ τὸν ἐμπορικὸν βίον, πίστει πάλαι προειληφότες βιοποριστικὸν αὐτοῖς ἔσεσθαι τὸ ἐπιτήδευμα. καὶ γάμων δὲ αἱ πρῶται σύνοδοι καὶ κοινωνίαι τῆς κατὰ παιδοποιίαν ἐλπίδος ἐξ ἀγαθῆς ἐνήρξαντο πίστεως.	^5.7 In the same way, human beings have pursued the practical arts; some have chosen a military life, others a commercial life, having previously assumed in faith that the pursuit would provide them with a livelihood. Likewise, the initial unions and partnerships of marriage have their beginning in good faith based on the hope of raising children.
^5.8 καὶ πλεῖ τις αὖθις εἰς ἄδηλον, οὐδ’ ἄλλην προβεβλημένος τῆς σωτηρίας ἄγκυραν ἢ μόνην τὴν πίστιν καὶ τὴν ἀγαθὴν ἐλπίδα· καὶ γεωργεῖ πάλιν ἄλλος, καὶ τὸν σπόρον εἰς γῆν ἀπορρίψας κάθηται τῆς ὥρας τὴν τροπὴν ἐκδεχόμενος, πιστεύων τὸ φθαρὲν ἐπὶ τῆς γῆς καὶ πλημμυρίσιν ὑετῶν καλυφθὲν αὖθις ὥσπερ ἐκ νεκρῶν ἀναβιώσεσθαι· πορείαν δέ τις μακρὰν ἐπ’ ἀλλοδαπῆς ἐκ τῆς οἰκείας στελλόμενος πάλιν τὴν ἐλπίδα καὶ τὴν πίστιν ἀγαθὰς ὁδηγοὺς ἑαυτῷ συνεπάγεται.	^5.8 Again, someone sails into the unknown, having cast forward no other anchor of safety than faith alone and good hope. And again, another tills the ground, and having cast the seed into the earth, sits waiting for the change of the season—believing that what was corrupted in the earth and covered by torrential rains will revive again as if from the dead. And someone undertaking a long journey abroad from his home takes along good hope and faith as his guides.
^5.9 καὶ τί γὰρ ἄλλ’ ἢ τὸν πάντα τῶν ἀνθρώπων βίον δυοῖν τούτοιν ἀνηρτημένον, ἐλπίδος τε καὶ πίστεως, καταλαμβάνων, τί δὴ θαυμάζεις εἰ καὶ τὰ κρείττονα κατὰ ψυχὴν τοῖς μὲν διὰ πίστεως παραδίδοται; οἷς οὐ σχολὴ λογικώτερον τὰ κατὰ μέρος παιδεύεσθαι, τοῖς δὲ καὶ τοὺς λόγους αὐτοὺς πάρεστι μετιέναι καὶ τὰς ἀποδείξεις τῶν πρεσβευομένων μανθάνειν;	^5.9 Why then, when you perceive that the entire life of human beings depends upon these two things—hope and faith—do you wonder that even the higher matters concerning the soul are delivered through faith to those who have no leisure to be educated in detail in a more logical manner, while to others it is possible to pursue the arguments themselves and learn the proofs of what is advocated?
^5.10 Ἀλλὰ γὰρ ἐν ὀλίγῳ τούτων ἡμῖν οὐκ εἰς ἄχρηστον προγεγυμνασμένων ἀνίωμεν ἐπὶ τὴν πρώτην κατηγορίαν, καὶ τίνες ὄντες καὶ πόθεν ὁρμώμενοι τοῖς διερωτῶσιν ἀποκρινούμεθα. ὅτι μὲν οὖν τὸ γένος Ἕλληνες ὄντες καὶ τὰ Ἑλλήνων φρονοῦντες ἐκ παντοίων τε ἐθνῶν ὡς ἂν νεολέκτου στρατιᾶς λογάδες συνειλεγμένοι τῆς πατρίου δεισιδαιμονίας ἀποστάται καθεστήκαμεν οὐδ’ ἂν αὐτοί ποτε ἀρνηθείημεν· ἀλλὰ καὶ ὅτι Ἰουδαϊκαῖς βίβλοις προσανέχοντες κἀκ τῶν παρ’ αὐτοῖς προφητειῶν τὰ πλεῖστα τοῦ καθ’ ἡμᾶς λόγου συνάγοντες οὐκέθ’ ὁμοίως ζῆν τοῖς ἐκ περιτομῆς προσφιλὲς ἡγούμεθα, καὶ τοῦτ’ ἂν αὐτόθεν ὁμολογήσαιμεν.	^5.10 But having prepared ourselves not unprofitably with these brief preliminary remarks, let us return to the main objection, and answer those who inquire who we are and where we originate. Now, that we who were Greeks by race and held Greek sentiments—assembled from all kinds of nations as chosen levies of a newly recruited army—have become apostates from our ancestral superstition, we ourselves would never deny. But we would also readily confess that, while adhering to the Jewish books and drawing most of our doctrine from the prophecies among them, we no longer choose to live in the same manner as those of the circumcision.
^5.11 ὥρα τοιγαροῦν τούτων τὸν αιτιολογισμὸν ὑποσχεῖν. πῶς οὖν ἂν ἄλλως δόξαιμεν εὖ πεποιηκέναι τὰ πάτρια καταλείψαντες εἰ μὴ πρῶτον εἰς μέσον αὐτὰ παραθέμενοι καὶ ἀγαγόντες ὑπ’ ὄψιν τῶν ἐντευξομένων; οὕτω γὰρ ἂν γένοιτο φανερὰ καὶ τῆς εὐαγγελικῆς ἀποδείξεως ἡ θεία δύναμις, εἰ τοῖς πᾶσι πρὸ ὀφθαλμῶν τεθείη, τίνων καὶ ὁποίων κακῶν τὴν ἴασιν εὐαγγελίζεται.	^5.11 It is time, therefore, to render the explanation for these things. How then could we be thought to have done well in abandoning our ancestral traditions, unless we first set them out in the open and bring them before the eyes of our readers? For in this way the divine power of the gospel demonstration would become manifest—if it were placed before everyone's eyes from what kinds and manner of evils it proclaims healing.
^5.12 πῶς δ’ ἂν τὸ εὔλογον τῆς τῶν Ἰουδαϊκῶν μεταδιώξεως φανείη μὴ οὐχὶ καὶ τῆς τούτων ἀρετῆς ἀποδειχθείσης; τίνι τε λόγῳ τὰς παρ’ αὐτοῖς γραφὰς ἀσπαζόμενοι τὸν ὅμοιον τοῦ βίου τρόπον ἀποκλίνομεν καλῶς ἂν ἔχοι διελθεῖν, καὶ ἐπὶ πᾶσι τίς ὁ καθ’ ἡμᾶς τῆς εὐαγγελικῆς ὑποθέσεως λόγος καὶ τίς ἂν κυρίως λεχθείη ὁ χριστιανισμός, οὔθ’ Ἑλληνισμὸς ὢν οὔτε Ἰουδαϊσμός, ἀλλά τις καινὴ καὶ ἀληθὴς θεοσοφία, ἐξ αὐτῆς τῆς προσηγορίας τὴν καινοτομίαν ἐπαγομένη.	^5.12 And how could the reasonableness of our pursuit of Jewish traditions appear, unless their virtue were also demonstrated? Furthermore, by what reasoning we embrace their scriptures while declining a similar mode of life would be well to explain; and above all, what our argument regarding the gospel cause is, and what might properly be called Christianity—being neither Hellenism nor Judaism, but a certain new and true divine wisdom, bearing its innovation in its very name.
^5.13 φέρ’ οὖν πρῶτον ἀπάντων τὰς παλαιτάτας καὶ δὴ καὶ τὰς πατρίους ἡμῶν αὐτῶν θεολογίας κατὰ πᾶσαν πόλιν εἰσέτι καὶ νῦν τεθρυλημένας ἐπιθεωρήσωμεν, τάς τε σεμνὰς τῶν γενναίων φιλοσόφων περί τε κόσμου συστάσεως καὶ περὶ θεῶν διαλήψεις, ἵνα γνῶμεν εἴτε καὶ ὀρθῶς ἀπέστημεν αὐτῶν, εἴτε καὶ μή.	^5.13 Come then, first of all, let us examine our own most ancient and ancestral mythologies that are still repeated to this day in every city, as well as the revered opinions of the noble philosophers concerning the constitution of the cosmos and the gods, so that we may know whether we departed from them rightly or not.
^5.14 θήσω δὲ οὐκ ἐμὰς φωνὰς ἐν τῇ τῶν δηλουμένων ἐκφάνσει, ἀλλ’ αὐτῶν δὴ τῶν μάλιστα τὴν περὶ οὓς φασι θεοὺς εὐσέβειαν περισπούδαστον πεποιημένων, ὡς ἂν ὁ λόγος ἁπάσης ἐκτὸς τῆς περὶ τοῦ πλάττεσθαι ἡμᾶς ὑπονοίας κατασταίη.	^5.14 And I shall not set down my own words in the exposition of these matters, but the very words of those who have made the devotion concerning the gods they speak of a matter of highest earnestness—so that the argument may be established far beyond any suspicion that we are fabricating anything.

^6.1 Φοίνικας τοιγαροῦν καὶ Αἰγυπτίους πρώτους ἁπάντων ἀνθρώπων κατέχει λόγος ἥλιον καὶ σελήνην καὶ ἀστέρας θεοὺς ἀποφῆναι, μόνους τε εἶναι τῆς τῶν ὅλων γενέσεώς τε καὶ φθορᾶς αἰτίους, εἶτα δὲ τὰς παρὰ τοῖς πᾶσι βοωμένας θεοποιίας τε καὶ θεογονίας εἰσηγήσασθαι τῷ βίῳ·	^6.1 Account holds, therefore, that the Phoenicians and Egyptians were the first of all human beings to declare the sun, moon, and stars to be gods, and to be the sole causes of the generation and decay of all things, and subsequently to introduce into life the deifications and theogonies that are celebrated among all people.
^6.2 πρὸ δέ γε τούτων μηδένα μηδὲν πλέον τῶν κατ’ οὐρανὸν φαινομένων εἰδέναι, ὀλίγων ἐκτὸς ἀνδρῶν τῶν παρ’ Ἑβραίοις μνημονευομένων, οἳ διανοίας καθαρωτάτοις ὄμμασι πᾶν τὸ ὁρώμενον ὑπερκύψαντες τὸν κοσμοποιὸν καὶ τῶν ὅλων δημιουργὸν ἐσεβάσθησαν, ὑπερθαυμάσαντες τῆς τοσαύτης αὐτὸν σοφίας τε καὶ δυνάμεως, ἣν ἐκ τῶν ἔργων ἐφαντάσθησαν, καὶ μόνον εἶναι θεὸν πεισθέντες μόνον εἰκότως ἐθεολόγησαν, τὴν ἀληθῆ καὶ πρώτην καὶ μόνην ταύτην εὐσέβειαν παῖς παρὰ πατρὸς διαδεξάμενοι καὶ φυλάξαντες.	^6.2 But before these, no one knew anything beyond the visible phenomena in the sky, except for a few men mentioned among the Hebrews. These, having soared beyond all visible things with the purest eyes of the mind, worshipped the Maker of the universe and Creator of all things, marveling exceedingly at His immense wisdom and power—which they perceived through His works—and being convinced that He alone is God, they reasonably acknowledged Him alone as divine, receiving and preserving this true, primary, and sole piety from father to son.
^6.3 οἵ γε μὴν λοιποὶ τῶν ἀνθρώπων τῆσδε τῆς μόνης καὶ ἀληθοῦς ἀποπεσόντες εὐσεβείας, τὰ φωσφόρα τῶν οὐρανίων σαρκὸς ὀφθαλμοῖς, οἷα νήπιοι τὰς ψυχάς, καταπλαγέντες, θεούς τε ἀνεῖπον καὶ θυσίαις ἐγέραιρον, οὐ νεὼς δειμάμενοι, οὐδ’ ἀφιδύμασι καὶ ξοάνοις θνητῶν εἰκόνας πλασάμενοι, πρὸς αἰθέρα δὲ καὶ αὐτὸν οὐρανὸν ἀποβλέποντες καὶ μέχρι τῶν τῇδε ὁρωμένων ταῖς ψυχαῖς ἐφικνούμενοι.	^6.3 However, the rest of mankind, having fallen away from this sole and true piety, were awestruck by the light-bearing bodies of the heavens with eyes of the flesh—like children in their souls—and proclaimed them gods and honored them with sacrifices, not yet having built temples, nor having fashioned images of mortals with shrines and wooden idols, but gazing toward the upper air and the sky itself, and reaching with their souls only as far as what was visible there.
^6.4 ἀλλ’ οὐ τῇδε ἄρα καὶ τοῖς μετέπειτα ἀνθρώποις τὰ τῆς πολυθέου πλάνης περιίστατο, ἐλαύνοντα δὲ εἰς βυθὸν κακῶν μείζονα τῆς ἀθεότητος τὴν δυσσέβειαν ἀπειργάζετο, Φοινίκων, εἶτα Αἰγυπτίων ἀπαρξαμένων τῆς πλάνης· παρ’ ὧν φασι πρῶτον Ὀρφέα τὸν Οἰάγρου μεταστησάμενον τὰ παρ’ Αἰγυπτίοις Ἕλλησι μεταδοῦναι μυστήρια, ὥσπερ οὖν καὶ Κάδμον τὰ Φοινικικὰ τοῖς αὐτοῖς ἀγαγεῖν μετὰ καὶ τῆς τῶν γραμμάτων μαθήσεως· οὔπω γὰρ εἰσέτι τοὺς Ἕλληνας τότε τὴν τῶν γραμμάτων χρῆσιν εἰδέναι.	^6.4 But the errors of polytheism did not stop there for subsequent human beings; driving them into a deeper gulf of evils, it produced an impiety even greater than atheism—the Phoenicians and then the Egyptians having initiated the error. From them, they say, Orpheus, son of Oeagrus, was the first to transfer the mysteries among the Egyptians and impart them to the Greeks, just as Cadmus brought the Phoenician customs to them along with the knowledge of letters; for the Greeks did not yet know the use of letters at that time.
^6.5 πρῶτα τοίνυν σκεψόμεθα τὰ τῆς κοσμογονίας τῆς πρώτης, ὅπως οἱ δηλούμενοι διειλήφασιν· ἔπειτα τὰ περὶ τῆς πρώτης καὶ παλαιτάτης τοῦ τῶν ἀνθρώπων βίου δεισιδαιμονίας· καὶ τρίτον τὰ Φοινίκων, τέταρτον τὰ Αἰγυπτίων, μεθ’ ἃ πέμπτον τὰ Ἑλλήνων διελόντες πρότερον μὲν τὴν καὶ τούτων παλαιὰν καὶ μυθικωτέραν πλάνην ἐποπτεύσομεν, εἶτα δὲ τὴν σεμνοτέραν καὶ φυσικωτέραν δὴ περὶ θεῶν φιλοσοφίαν, καὶ μετὰ ταῦτα τὸν περὶ τῶν θαυμαστῶν χρηστηρίων ἐφοδεύσομεν λόγον· ἐφ’ οἷς καὶ τὰ σεμνὰ τῆς γενναίας Ἑλλήνων φιλοσοφίας ἐπισκεψόμεθα.	^6.5 First, then, we shall examine the matters concerning the primary cosmogony, how those mentioned understood them; then those concerning the primary and most ancient superstition of human life; thirdly, those of the Phoenicians; fourthly, those of the Egyptians; after which, fifthly, having analyzed those of the Greeks, we shall first survey their ancient and more mythical error, and then their more revered and physical philosophy concerning the gods; and after these things, we shall proceed through the argument concerning the marvelous oracles, upon which we shall also examine the revered aspects of the noble philosophy of the Greeks.
^6.6 τούτων δ’ ἡμῖν διευκρινηθέντων ἐπὶ τὰ Ἑβραίων μεταβησόμεθα, τῶν δὴ πρώτων καὶ ἀληθῶς Ἑβραίων, καὶ τῶν μετὰ ταῦτα τὴν Ἰουδαίων λαχόντων προσηγορίαν. ἐπὶ πᾶσι δὲ τούτοις ὥσπερ ἐπισφράγισμα τῶν ὅλων ἐποίσομεν τὰ ἡμέτερα.	^6.6 When these matters have been thoroughly clarified by us, we shall pass on to those of the Hebrews—both the primary and true Hebrews, and those who later obtained the name of Jews. And upon all these, as a seal set upon the whole, we shall bring forward our own teachings.
^6.7 ἀναγκαίως δὲ τῆς τούτων ἁπάντων μνημονεύσομαι ἱστορίας, ὡς ἂν διὰ τῆς τῶν ἑκασταχοῦ τεθαυμασμένων παραθέσεως ὁ τῆς ἀληθείας ἔλεγχος ἀποδειχθῇ, ὁποίων τε ἡμεῖς ἀποστάντες τὴν ὁποίαν εἱλόμεθα φανερὸν τοῖς ἐντυγχάνουσι γένηται.	^6.7 And out of necessity I shall mention the history of all these, so that through the juxtaposition of what is admired in every place, the proof of the truth may be demonstrated, and it may become clear to readers from what kind of things we have departed and what kind of path we have chosen.
^6.8 ἀλλὰ γὰρ ἐπίωμεν ἐπὶ τὸ πρῶτον. πόθεν δῆτα πιστωσόμεθα τὰς ἀποδείξεις; οὐ μὲν δὴ ἐκ τῶν παρ’ ἡμῖν γραμμάτων, ὡς ἂν μὴ δοκοίημεν κεχαρισμένα πράττειν τῷ λόγῳ· μάρτυρες δὲ παρέστων ἡμῖν Ἑλλήνων αὐτῶν οἵ τε τὴν φιλοσοφίαν αὐχοῦντες καὶ οἱ τὴν ἄλλην τῶν ἐθνῶν ἱστορίαν διηρευνηκότες.	^6.8 But come, let us proceed to the first subject. Whence, then, shall we secure our proofs? Certainly not from our own writings, lest we seem to be favoring our own argument; rather, let witnesses be present for us from among the Greeks themselves—both those who boast of philosophy and those who have thoroughly investigated the rest of the history of the nations.
^6.9 γράφει τοίνυν ἄνωθεν τὴν παλαιὰν Αἰγυπτίων ὑφηγούμενος θεολογίαν ὁ Σικελιώτης Διόδωρος, γνωριμώτατος ἀνὴρ τοῖς Ἑλλήνων λογιωτάτοις, ὡς ἂν ὑπὸ μίαν συναγηοχὼς πραγματείαν ἅπασαν τὴν ἱστορικὴν βιβλιοθήκην. ἐξ οὗ πρῶτα παραθήσομαι ἃ περὶ τῆς τοῦ παντὸς κοσμογονίας ἀρχόμενος τοῦ λόγου διείληφε, τὰς τῶν παλαιῶν ἱστορῶν δόξας τοῦτον τὸν τρόπον.	^6.9 Now, Diodorus of Sicily, a man most well known to the most learned of the Greeks, writes from the beginning in setting forth the ancient theology of the Egyptians, as one who has gathered the entire historical library under a single work. From him I shall first set down what he has laid out at the beginning of his discourse concerning the cosmogony of the universe, recording the opinions of ancient histories in this manner.

^7.1 "Περὶ μὲν οὖν θεῶν τίνας ἐννοίας ἔσχον οἱ πρῶτοι καταδείξαντες τιμᾶν τὸ θεῖον καὶ περὶ τῶν μυθολογουμένων ἑκάστου τῶν ἀθανάτων τὰ μὲν πολλὰ συντάξασθαι πειρασόμεθα κατ’ ἰδίαν, διὰ τὸ τὴν ὑπόθεσιν ταύτην πολλοῦ λόγου προσδεῖσθαι· ὅσα δ’ ἂν ταῖς προκειμέναις ἱστορίαις ἐοικότα δόξωμεν ὑπάρχειν παραθήσομεν ἐν κεφαλαίοις, ἵνα μηδὲν τῶν ἀκοῆς ἀξίων ἐπιζητῆται.	^7.1 "Concerning the gods, then, what notions those who first introduced honor to the divine held, and concerning the myths told about each of the immortals, we shall attempt to write for the most part separately, because this subject requires lengthy discussion. But as many matters as seem similar to the present histories we shall set down in summary, so that nothing worthy of hearing may be left sought after.
^7.2 περὶ δὲ τοῦ γένους τῶν ἀπάντων ἀνθρώπων καὶ τῶν πραχθέντων ἐν τοῖς γνωριζομένοις μέρεσι τῆς οἰκουμένης, ὡς ἂν ἐνδέχηται περὶ τῶν οὕτω παλαιῶν, ἀκριβῶς ἀναγράψομεν ἀπὸ τῶν ἀρχαιοτάτων χρόνων ἀρξάμενοι."	^7.2 And concerning the race of all human beings and the events that transpired in the known parts of the inhabited world, as far as is possible regarding things so ancient, we shall record them precisely, beginning from the earliest times."
^7.3 "Περὶ τῆς πρώτης τοίνυν γενέσεως τῶν ἀνθρώπων διτταὶ γεγόνασιν ἀποφάνσεις παρὰ τοῖς νομιμωτάτοις τῶν τε φυσιολόγων καὶ τῶν ἱστορικῶν. οἱ μὲν γὰρ αὐτῶν ἀγένητον καὶ ἄφθαρτον ὑποστησάμενοι τὸν κόσμον ἀπεφήναντο καὶ τὸ γένος τῶν ἀνθρώπων ἐξ αἰῶνος ὑπάρχειν, μηδέποτε τῆς αὐτῶν τεκνώσεως ἀρχὴν ἐσχηκυίας, οἱ δὲ γενητὸν καὶ φθαρτὸν εἶναι νομίσαντες ἔφησαν ὁμοίως ἐκείνοις τοὺς ἀνθρώπους τυχεῖν τῆς πρώτης γενέσεως ὡρισμένοις χρόνοις.	^7.3 "Concerning the first generation of human beings, then, two distinct declarations have arisen among the most respected of both physical philosophers and historians. For some of them, having posited that the cosmos is ungenerated and imperishable, declared that the race of human beings has also existed from eternity, the procreation of children never having had a beginning. But others, considering it to be generated and perishable, said that human beings similarly obtained their first origin at fixed times, just as the cosmos did.
^7.4 κατὰ γὰρ τὴν ἐξ ἀρχῆς τῶν ὅλων σύστασιν μίαν ἔχειν ἰδέαν οὐρανόν τε καὶ γῆν, μεμιγμένης αὐτῶν τῆς φύσεως· μετὰ δὲ ταῦτα διαστάντων τῶν σωμάτων ἀπ’ ἀλλήλων τὸν μὲν κόσμον περιλαβεῖν ἅπασαν τὴν ὁρωμένην ἐν αὐτῷ σύνταξιν, τὸν δ’ ἀέρα κινήσεως τυχεῖν συνεχοῦς, καὶ τὸ μὲν πυρῶδες αὐτοῦ πρὸς τοὺς μετεωροτάτους τόπους συνδραμεῖν, ἀνωφεροῦς οὔσης τῆς τοιαύτης φύσεως διὰ τὴν κουφότητα· ἀφ’ ἧς αἰτίας τὸν μὲν ἥλιον καὶ τὸ λοιπὸν πλῆθος τῶν ἄστρων ἐναποληφθῆναι τῇ πάσῃ δίνῃ, τὸ δὲ ἰλυῶδες καὶ θολερὸν μετὰ τῆς τῶν ὑγρῶν συγκρίσεως ἐπὶ ταὐτὸ καταστῆναι διὰ τὸ βάρος· εἱλούμενον δ’ ἐν ἑαυτῷ καὶ συστρεφόμενον συνεχῶς ἐκ μὲν τῶν ὑγρῶν τὴν θάλατταν, ἐκ δὲ τῶν στερεμνιωτέρων ποιῆσαι τὴν γῆν πηλώδη καὶ παντελῶς ἁπαλήν.	^7.4 For according to the original constitution of the universe, heaven and earth had a single form, their nature being mixed together. After this, when the bodies separated from one another, the cosmos encompassed all the order seen within it, while the air attained continuous motion. Its fiery part ran together toward the highest regions, such a nature being borne upward through lightness. For this reason, the sun and the rest of the multitude of stars were caught up in the entire whirl, while the muddy and murky matter, together with the condensation of moisture, settled into the same place on account of its weight. And continuously turning and swirling within itself, it produced the sea from the liquid parts, and from the more solid parts it made the earth muddy and completely soft.
^7.5 ταύτην δὲ τὸ μὲν πρῶτον τοῦ περὶ τὸν ἥλιον πυρὸς καταλάμψαντος πῆξιν λαβεῖν, ἔπειτα διὰ τὴν θερμασίαν ἀναζυμουμένης τῆς ἐπιφανείας συνοιδῆσαί τινα τῶν ὑγρῶν κατὰ πολλοὺς τόπους, καὶ γενέσθαι περὶ αὐτὰ σηπεδόνας ὑμέσι λεπτοῖς περιεχομένας, ὅπερ ἐν τοῖς ἕλεσι καὶ τοῖς λιμνάζουσι τῶν τόπων ἔτι καὶ νῦν ὁρᾶσθαι γινόμενον, ἐπειδὰν τῆς χώρας κατεψυγμένης ἄφνω διάπυρος ἀὴρ γένηται, μὴ λαβὼν τὴν μεταβολὴν ἐκ τοῦ κατ’ ὀλίγον.	^7.5 First, as the light of the sun's fire shone upon it, the earth acquired firmness; then, as its surface fermented on account of the heat, some of the moist parts swelled up in many places, and putrefactions surrounded by thin membranes arose around them—which very thing can still be seen happening in marshes and swampy places whenever, after the land has cooled, the air suddenly becomes burning hot without having undergone the change gradually.
^7.6 ζωογονουμένων δὲ τῶν ὑγρῶν διὰ τῆς θερμασίας τὸν εἰρημένον μένειν τρόπον τὰς μὲν νύκτας λαμβάνειν αὐτίκα τὴν τροφὴν ἐκ τῆς πιπτούσης ἀπὸ τοῦ περιέχοντος ὁμίχλης, τὰς δ’ ἡμέρας ὑπὸ τοῦ καύματος στερεοῦσθαι· τὸ δὲ ἔσχατον τῶν κυοφορουμένων τὴν τελείαν αὔξησιν λαβόντων καὶ τῶν ὑμένων διακαυθέντων τε καὶ περιρραγέντων ἀναφυῆναι παντοδαποὺς τύπους ζώων.	^7.6 And while the moist parts were being generated into living beings through heat in the manner described, by night they received nourishment immediately from the mist falling from the surrounding atmosphere, and by day they were hardened by the heat. At last, when the embryos had attained full growth and the membranes were scorched and burst open, all kinds of forms of living creatures emerged.
^7.7 τούτων δὲ τὰ μὲν πλείστης θερμασίας κεκοινωνηκότα πρὸς τοὺς μετεώρους τόπους ἀπελθεῖν γενόμενα πτηνά, τὰ δὲ γεώδους ἀντεχόμενα συγκρίσεως ἐν τῇ τῶν ἑρπετῶν καὶ τῇ τῶν ἄλλων τῶν ἐπιγείων τάξει καταριθμηθῆναι, τὰ δὲ φύσεως ὑγρᾶς μάλιστα μετειληφότα πρὸς τὸν ὁμογενῆ τόπον συνδραμεῖν ὀνομασθέντα πλωτά.	^7.7 Of these, those that had shared in the greatest amount of heat went off to the higher regions, having become birds; those that retained an earthy composition were numbered in the order of reptiles and other terrestrial creatures; and those that had partaken mostly of a moist nature ran together to the kindred region, being named aquatic creatures.
^7.8 τὴν δὲ γῆν ἀεὶ μᾶλλον στερεουμένην ὑπό τε τοῦ περὶ τὸν ἥλιον πυρὸς καὶ τῶν πνευμάτων τὸ τελευταῖον μηκέτι δύνασθαι μηδὲν τῶν μειζόνων ζωογονεῖν, ἀλλ’ ἐκ τῆς πρὸς ἄλληλα μίξεως ἕκαστα γεννᾶσθαι τῶν ἐμψύχων.	^7.8 And the earth, becoming ever more solidified by the fire around the sun and by the winds, was at last no longer able to generate any of the larger creatures, but each of the living beings was henceforth born from mutual mating.
^7.9 ἔοικε δὲ περὶ τῆς τῶν ὅλων φύσεως οὐδ’ Εὐριπίδης διαφωνεῖν τοῖς προειρημένοις, μαθητὴς ὢν Ἀναξαγόρου τοῦ φυσικοῦ. ἐν γὰρ τῇ Μελανίππῃ τίθησιν οὕτως· "ὡς οὐρανός τε γαῖά τ’ ἦν μορφὴ μία· ἐπεὶ δ’ ἐχωρίσθησαν ἀλλήλων δίχα, τίκτουσι πάντα, κἀνέδωκαν εἰς φάος δένδρη, πετεινά, θῆράς θ’, οὓς θ’ ἅλμη τρέφει, γένος τε θνητῶν."	^7.9 And even Euripides does not seem to disagree with what has been said regarding the nature of the universe, being a pupil of Anaxagoras the natural philosopher. For in his Melanippe he puts it thus: "So heaven and earth were once a single form; But when they were divided far apart, They gave birth unto all things, and brought forth into light Trees, winged birds, beasts, those the salt sea feeds, And the race of mortals."
^7.10 Καὶ περὶ μὲν τῆς πρώτης τῶν ὅλων γενέσεως τοιαῦτα παρειλήφαμεν· τοὺς δὲ ἐξ ἀρχῆς γεννηθέντας τῶν ἀνθρώπων φασὶν ἐν ἀτάκτῳ καὶ θηριώδει βίῳ καθεστῶτας σποράδην ἐπὶ τὰς νομὰς ἐξιέναι, καὶ προσφέρεσθαι τῆς τε βοτάνης τὴν προσηνεστάτην καὶ τοὺς αὐτομάτους ἀπὸ τῶν δένδρων καρπούς· καὶ πολεμουμένους μὲν ὑπὸ τῶν θηρίων ἀλλήλοις βοηθεῖν ὑπὸ τοῦ συμφέροντος διδασκομένους, ἀθροιζομένους δὲ διὰ τὸν φόβον ἐπιγινώσκειν ἐκ τοῦ κατὰ μικρὸν τοὺς ἀλλήλων τύπους·	^7.10 And concerning the first origin of all things, such are the traditions we have received. And they say that the human beings generated from the beginning lived in a disorderly and beast-like manner, going out scatteredly to pasture, and feeding upon the most palatable vegetation and the wild fruits from trees. And when they were warred upon by wild beasts, they helped one another, being taught by self-interest; and gathering together on account of fear, they gradually came to recognize one another's forms.
^7.11 τῆς φωνῆς δὲ ἀσήμου καὶ συγκεχυμένης ὑπαρχούσης ἐκ τοῦ κατ’ ὀλίγον διαρθροῦν τὰς λέξεις, καὶ πρὸς ἀλλήλους τιθέντας σύμβολα περὶ ἑκάστου τῶν ὑποκειμένων γνώριμον σφίσιν αὐτοῖς ποιῆσαι τὴν περὶ ἁπάντων ἑρμηνείαν.	^7.11 Though their voice was unarticulated and confused, they gradually articulated their words, and by establishing symbols among themselves for each subject, they made the interpretation of all things intelligible among themselves.
^7.12 τοιούτων δὲ συστημάτων γινομένων καθ’ ἅπασαν τὴν οἰκουμένην, οὐχ ὁμόφωνον πάντας ἔχειν τὴν διάλεκτον, ἑκάστων ὡς ἔτυχεν συνταξάντων τὰς λέξεις· διὸ καὶ παντοίους τε ὑπάρξαι χαρακτῆρας διαλέκτων καὶ τὰ πρῶτα γενόμενα συστήματα τῶν ἁπάντων ἐθνῶν ἀρχέγονα γενέσθαι.	^7.12 When such communities were formed throughout the entire inhabited world, they did not all have the same spoken language, each having arranged their words as it happened. Hence all kinds of linguistic character arose, and these primary communities became the original ancestors of all the nations.
^7.13 τοὺς οὖν πρώτους τῶν ἀνθρώπων μηδὲν τῶν πρὸς τὸν βίον χρησίμων εὑρημένων ἐπιπόνως διάγειν, γυμνοὺς μὲν ἐσθῆτος ὄντας, οἰκήσεως δὲ καὶ πυρὸς ἀήθεις, τροφῆς δ’ ἡμέρου παντελῶς ἀνεννοήτους. καὶ γὰρ τὴν συγκομιδὴν τῆς ἀγρίας τροφῆς ἀγνοοῦντας μηδεμίαν τῶν καρπῶν εἰς τὰς ἐνδείας ποιεῖσθαι παράθεσιν· διὸ καὶ πολλοὺς αὐτῶν ἀπόλλυσθαι κατὰ τοὺς χειμῶνας διά τε τὸ ψῦχος καὶ τὴν σπάνιν τῆς τροφῆς.	^7.13 The first human beings, therefore, lived a harsh life, since none of the useful things for life had yet been invented—being without clothing, unaccustomed to dwellings and fire, and completely unaware of cultivated food. For in their ignorance of gathering wild food, they made no store of fruits against their needs; wherefore many of them perished during the winters on account of the cold and scarcity of food.
^7.14 ἐκ δὲ τούτου κατ’ ὀλίγον ὑπὸ τῆς πείρας διδασκομένους εἴς τε τὰ σπήλαια καταφεύγειν ἐν τῷ χειμῶνι καὶ τῶν καρπῶν τοὺς φυλάττεσθαι δυναμένους ἀποτίθεσθαι. γνωσθέντος δὲ τοῦ πυρὸς καὶ τῶν ἄλλων χρησίμων κατὰ μικρὸν καὶ τὰς τέχνας ἐξευρεθῆναι καὶ τὰ ἄλλα τὰ δυνάμενα τὸν κοινὸν βίον ὠφελῆσαι.	^7.14 From this, being taught little by little by experience, they fled to caves in winter and laid up those fruits that could be preserved. When fire and other useful things became known, little by little arts were discovered and other things capable of benefiting common life.
^7.15 καθόλου γὰρ πάντων τὴν χρείαν αὐτὴν διδάσκαλον γενέσθαι τοῖς ἀνθρώποις ὑφηγουμένην οἰκείως τὴν ἑκάστου μάθησιν εὐφυεῖ ζῴῳ καὶ συνεργοὺς ἔχοντι πρὸς ἅπαντα χεῖρας καὶ λόγον καὶ ψυχῆς ἀγχίνοιαν. καὶ περὶ μὲν τῆς πρώτης γενέσεως τῶν ἀνθρώπων καὶ τοῦ παλαιοτάτου βίου τοῖς ῥηθεῖσιν ἀρκεσθησόμεθα, στοχαζόμενοι τῆς συμμετρίας."	^7.15 For generally speaking, necessity itself became the teacher of human beings, guiding them naturally in learning each thing—a creature naturally gifted, having hands, speech, and quickness of mind as co-workers for all things. And concerning the first generation of human beings and the most ancient way of life, we shall be content with what has been said, aiming for due proportion."
^7.16 Τοσαῦτα μὲν ὁ δηλωθεὶς συγγραφεύς, οὐδὲ μέχρις ὀνόματος τοῦ θεοῦ μνημονεύσας ἐν τῇ κοσμογονίᾳ, συντυχικὴν δέ τινα καὶ αὐτόματον εἰσηγησάμενος τὴν τοῦ παντὸς διακόσμησιν. τούτῳ δ’ ἂν εὕροις συμφώνους καὶ τοὺς πλείστους τῶν παρ’ Ἕλλησι φιλοσόφων, ὧν ἐγώ σοι τὰς περὶ ἀρχῶν δόξας καὶ τὰς πρὸς ἀλλήλους διαστάσεις καὶ διαφωνίας, ἐκ στοχασμῶν, ἀλλ’ οὐκ ἀπὸ καταλήψεως ὁρμηθείσας, ἀπὸ τῶν Πλουτάρχου Στρωματέων ἐπὶ τοῦ παρόντος ἐκθήσομαι. σὺ δὲ μὴ παρέργως, σχολῇ δὲ καὶ μετὰ λογισμοῦ θέα τῶν δηλουμένων τὴν πρὸς ἀλλήλους διάστασιν.	^7.16 So many things, then, did the aforementioned writer state, not mentioning the name of God even so far as a single word in his cosmogony, but introducing a continuous and automatic arrangement of the universe. And you would find most of the philosophers among the Greeks in agreement with him. For the present, I shall set forth their opinions concerning first principles—and their divisions and disagreements with one another, arising from conjectures and not from comprehension—from the Stromateis of Plutarch. Do not view these things casually, but at leisure and with rational consideration examine their mutual disagreement.

^8.1 «Θάλητα πρῶτον πάντων φασὶν ἀρχὴν τῶν ὅλων ὑποστήσασθαι τὸ ὕδωρ· ἐξ αὐτοῦ γὰρ εἶναι τὰ πάντα καὶ εἰς αὐτὸ χωρεῖν.»	^8.1 "They say that Thales was the first of all to posit water as the principle of the universe; for from it all things exist, and into it they return."
^8.2 «Μεθ’ ὃν Ἀναξίμανδρον, Θάλητος ἑταῖρον γενόμενον, τὸ ἄπειρον φάναι τὴν πᾶσαν αἰτίαν ἔχειν τῆς τοῦ παντὸς γενέσεώς τε καὶ φθορᾶς, ἐξ οὗ δή φησι τούς τε οὐρανοὺς ἀποκεκρίσθαι καὶ καθόλου τοὺς ἅπαντας ἀπείρους ὄντας κόσμους. ἀπεφήνατο δὲ τὴν φθορὰν γίνεσθαι, καὶ πολὺ πρότερον τὴν γένεσιν, ἐξ ἀπείρου αἰῶνος ἀνακυκλουμένων πάντων αὐτῶν. ὑπάρχειν δέ φησι τῷ μὲν σχήματι τὴν γῆν κυλινδροειδῆ, ἔχειν δὲ τοσοῦτον βάθος ὅσον ἂν εἴη τρίτον πρὸς τὸ πλάτος. φησὶ δὲ τὸ ἐκ τοῦ ἀιδίου γόνιμον θερμοῦ τε καὶ ψυχροῦ κατὰ τὴν γένεσιν τοῦδε τοῦ κόσμου ἀποκριθῆναι, καί τινα ἐκ τούτου φλογὸς σφαῖραν περιφυῆναι τῷ περὶ τὴν γῆν ἀέρι ὡς τῷ δένδρῳ φλοιόν. ἧστινος ἀπορραγείσης καὶ εἴς τινας ἀποκλεισθείσης κύκλους ὑποστῆναι τὸν ἥλιον καὶ τὴν σελήνην καὶ τοὺς ἀστέρας. ἔτι φησὶν ὅτι κατ’ ἀρχὰς ἐξ ἀλλοειδῶν ζῴων ὁ ἄνθρωπος ἐγεννήθη ἐκ τοῦ τὰ μὲν ἄλλα δι’ ἑαυτῶν ταχὺ νέμεσθαι, μόνον δὲ τὸν ἄνθρωπον πολυχρονίου δεῖσθαι τιθηνήσεως· διὸ καὶ κατ’ ἀρχὰς οὐκ ἄν ποτε τοιοῦτον ὄντα διασωθῆναι. ταῦτα μὲν οὖν ὁ Ἀναξίμανδρος.»	^8.2 "After him, Anaximander, who became a companion of Thales, said that the Infinite (apeiron) contains the entire cause of the coming-to-be and destruction of the universe. From this, he says, the heavens were separated off, as well as, in general, all the worlds, which are infinite in number. He declared that destruction occurs, and long before that, coming-to-be, through all of them cycling from an infinite age. He says that the earth is cylindrical in shape, and its depth is one-third of its width. He further says that what was productive of hot and cold from the eternal was separated off at the coming-to-be of this world, and that a certain sphere of flame grew around the air surrounding the earth like bark around a tree. When this [sphere] broke off and was enclosed into certain circles, the sun, the moon, and the stars came into existence. Furthermore, he says that in the beginning human beings were generated from living creatures of a different kind, because while other animals quickly find food on their own, humans alone require long-term nursing; for this reason, being of such a nature in the beginning, humans could never have survived. These, then, are the views of Anaximander."
^8.3 «Ἀναξιμένην δέ φασι τὴν τῶν ὅλων ἀρχὴν τὸν ἀέρα εἰπεῖν, καὶ τοῦτον εἶναι τῷ μὲν γένει ἄπειρον, ταῖς δὲ περὶ αὐτὸν ποιότησιν ὡρισμένον· γεννᾶσθαί τε πάντα κατά τινα πύκνωσιν τούτου καὶ πάλιν ἀραίωσιν. τήν γε μὴν κίνησιν ἐξ αἰῶνος ὑπάρχειν· πιλουμένου δὲ τοῦ ἀέρος πρώτην γεγενῆσθαι λέγει τὴν γῆν, πλατεῖαν μάλα· διὸ καὶ κατὰ λόγον αὐτὴν ἐποχεῖσθαι τῷ ἀέρι· καὶ τὸν ἥλιον καὶ τὴν σελήνην καὶ τὰ λοιπὰ ἄστρα τὴν ἀρχὴν τῆς γενέσεως ἔχειν ἐκ γῆς. ἀποφαίνεται γοῦν τὸν ἥλιον γῆν, διὰ δὲ τὴν ὀξεῖαν κίνησιν καὶ μάλ’ ἱκανῶς θερμοτάτην κίνησιν λαβεῖν.»	^8.3 "And they say Anaximenes said that air is the principle of the universe, and that it is infinite in genus, but determined by the qualities surrounding it; and that all things are generated according to a certain condensation and rarefaction of it. The movement, however, exists from eternity. He says that when the air was compressed, the earth was formed first, being very flat; wherefore, logically, it floats upon the air. And the sun, moon, and other stars have the origin of their generation from the earth. He asserts, at any rate, that the sun is earth, but because of its swift movement, it gained a very intense heat."
^8.4 «Ξενοφάνης δὲ ὁ Κολοφώνιος, ἰδίαν τινὰ ὁδὸν πεπορευμένος καὶ παρηλλαχυῖαν πάντας τοὺς προειρημένους, οὔτε γένεσιν οὔτε φθορὰν ἀπολείπει, ἀλλ’ εἶναι λέγει τὸ πᾶν ἀεὶ ὅμοιον. εἰ γὰρ γίγνοιτο τοῦτο, φησί, ἀναγκαῖον πρὸ τούτου μὴ εἶναι· τὸ μὴ ὂν δὲ οὐκ ἂν γένοιτο, οὐδ’ ἂν τὸ μὴ ὂν ποιήσαι τι, οὔτε ὑπὸ τοῦ μὴ ὄντος γένοιτ’ ἄν τι. ἀποφαίνεται δὲ καὶ τὰς αἰσθήσεις ψευδεῖς, καὶ καθόλου σὺν αὐταῖς καὶ αὐτὸν τὸν λόγον διαβάλλει. ἀποφαίνεται δὲ καὶ τῷ χρόνῳ καταφερομένην συνεχῶς καὶ κατ’ ὀλίγον τὴν γῆν εἰς τὴν θάλασσαν χωρεῖν. φησὶ δὲ καὶ τὸν ἥλιον ἐκ μικρῶν καὶ πλειόνων πυριδίων ἀθροίζεσθαι. ἀποφαίνεται δὲ καὶ περὶ θεῶν ὡς οὐδεμιᾶς ἡγεμονίας ἐν αὐτοῖς οὔσης· οὐ γὰρ ὅσιον δεσπόζεσθαί τινα τῶν θεῶν· ἐπιδεῖσθαί τε μηδενὸς αὐτῶν μηδένα μηδ’ ὅλως· ἀκούειν δὲ καὶ ὁρᾶν καθόλου καὶ μὴ κατὰ μέρος. ἀποφαίνεται δὲ καὶ τὴν γῆν ἄπειρον εἶναι, καὶ κατὰ πᾶν μέρος μὴ περιέχεσθαι ὑπὸ ἀέρος· γίνεσθαι δὲ ἅπαντα ἐκ γῆς· τὸν δὲ ἥλιον φησι καὶ τὰ ἄλλα ἄστρα ἐκ τῶν νεφῶν γίνεσθαι.»	^8.4 "Xenophanes of Colophon, traveling a unique path distinct from all those previously mentioned, leaves room for neither generation nor destruction, but says that the All is always identical. For if it were to come to be, he says, it must necessarily not have existed before that; but that which is not could not come to be, nor could that which is not produce anything, nor could anything come to be from that which is not. He also declares that the senses are false, and generally discredits reason itself along with them. He asserts that the earth is constantly sinking over time and gradually passing into the sea. He says also that the sun is gathered together from small and numerous fires. Moreover, he asserts concerning the gods that there is no ruler among them, for it is unholy for any of the gods to be ruled over, and none of them stands in need of anything at all; and they hear and see as a whole, not in part. He declares too that the earth is infinite, and is not surrounded on every side by air; and that all things come from the earth, while the sun and the other stars come from clouds."
^8.5 «Παρμενίδης δὲ ὁ Ἐλεάτης, ὁ ἑταῖρος Ξενοφάνους, ἅμα μὲν καὶ τῶν τούτου δοξῶν ἀντεποιήσατο, ἅμα δὲ καὶ τὴν ἐναντίαν ἐνεχείρησε στάσιν. ἀΐδιον μὲν γὰρ τὸ πᾶν καὶ ἀκίνητον ἀποφαίνεται καὶ κατὰ τὴν τῶν πραγμάτων ἀλήθειαν· εἶναι γὰρ αὐτὸ μοῦνον, μουνογενές τε καὶ ἀτρεμές, ἠδ’ ἀγένητον· γένεσιν δὲ τῶν καθ’ ὑπόληψιν ψευδῆ δοκούντων εἶναι καὶ τὰς αἰσθήσεις ἐκβάλλει ἐκ τῆς ἀληθείας. φησὶ δὲ ὅτι εἴ τι παρὰ τὸ ὂν ὑπάρχει, τοῦτο οὐκ ἔστιν ὄν· τὸ δὲ μὴ ὂν ἐν τοῖς ὅλοις οὐκ ἔστιν. οὕτως οὖν τὸ ὂν ἀγένητον ἀπολείπει· λέγει δὲ τὴν γῆν τοῦ πυκνοῦ καταρρυέντος ἀέρος γεγονέναι.»	^8.5 "Parmenides of Elea, the companion of Xenophanes, at once claimed his doctrines and also attempted the opposite stance. For he declares that the All is eternal and immovable according to the truth of things: 'for it alone is, unique, unshakeable, and unbegotten.' But he discards generation as belonging to opinions that seem false, and expels the senses from truth. He says that if anything exists beside Being, it is not Being; and Non-Being does not exist in the universe. Thus he leaves Being as unbegotten; and he says that the earth came into being from condensed air settling downward."
^8.6 «Ζήνων δὲ ὁ Ἐλεάτης ἴδιον μὲν οὐδὲν ἐξέθετο, διηπόρησε δὲ περὶ τούτων ἐπὶ πλέον.»	^8.6 "Zeno of Elea set forth nothing unique of his own, but raised further perplexities regarding these matters."
^8.7 «Δημόκριτος ὁ Ἀβδηρίτης ὑπεστήσατο τὸ πᾶν ἄπειρον, διὰ τὸ μηδαμῶς ὑπό τινος αὐτὸ δεδημιουργῆσθαι· ἔτι δὲ καὶ ἀμετάβλητον αὐτὸ λέγει· καὶ καθόλου, οἷον πᾶν ἐστι, ῥητῶς ἐκτίθεται μηδεμίαν ἀρχὴν ἔχειν τὰς αἰτίας τῶν νῦν γιγνομένων, ἄνωθεν δὲ ὅλως ἐξ ἀπείρου χρόνου προκατέχεσθαι τῇ ἀνάγκῃ πάνθ’ ἁπλῶς τὰ γεγονότα καὶ ὄντα καὶ ἐσόμενα. ἡλίου δὲ καὶ σελήνης γένεσίν φησι, κατ’ ἰδίαν φέρεσθαι ταῦτα μηδέπω τὸ παράπαν ἔχοντα θερμὴν φύσιν, μηδὲ μὴν καθόλου λαμπροτάτην, τοὐναντίου δὲ ἐξωμοιωμένην τῇ περὶ τὴν γῆν φύσει· γεγονέναι γὰρ ἑκάτερον τούτων πρότερον ἔτι κατ’ ἰδίαν ὑποβολήν τινα κόσμου, ὕστερον δὲ μεγεθοποιουμένου τοῦ περὶ τὸν ἥλιον κύκλου ἐναποληφθῆναι ἐν αὐτῷ τὸ πῦρ.»	^8.7 "Democritus of Abdera posited that the All is infinite because it was by no means created by anyone; moreover, he says it is unchangeable. In general, as the All is, he explicitly sets forth that the causes of things now coming to be have no beginning, but from all eternity from infinite time all things that have been, are, and will be are predetermined by necessity. As for the generation of the sun and the moon, he says that they were carried along on their own, having not yet any warm nature at all, nor indeed any bright quality, but on the contrary being made like the nature around the earth. For each of these came into being earlier as a separate foundation of a world, and later, as the circle around the sun grew larger, the fire was caught inside it."
^8.8 «Ἐπίκουρος Νεοκλέους Ἀθηναῖος τὸν περὶ θεῶν τῦφον πειρᾶται καταστέλλειν· ἀλλὰ καὶ οὐδέν, φησί, γίγνεται ἐκ τοῦ μὴ ὄντος, ὅτι τὸ πᾶν ἀεὶ τοιοῦτον ἦν, καὶ ἔσται τοιοῦτον· ὅτι οὐδὲν ξένον ἐν τῷ παντὶ ἀποτελεῖται παρὰ τὸν ἤδη γεγενημένον χρόνον ἄπειρον· ὅτι πᾶν ἐστι σῶμα, καὶ οὐ μόνον ἀμετάβλητον, ἀλλὰ καὶ ἄπειρον· ὅτι τέλος τῶν ἀγαθῶν ἡδονή.»	^8.8 "Epicurus, son of Neocles, an Athenian, attempts to suppress the pride surrounding the gods; but he also says that nothing comes from Non-Being, because the All was always such as it is, and will be such; that nothing new is accomplished in the All beyond the infinite time that has already passed; that the All is body, and not only unchangeable, but also infinite; and that the end of goods is pleasure."
^8.9 «Ἀρίστιππος ὁ Κυρηναῖος τέλος ἀγαθῶν τὴν ἡδονήν, κακῶν δὲ τὴν ἀλγηδόνα· τὴν δὲ ἄλλην φυσιολογίαν περιγράφει, μόνον ὠφέλιμον εἶναι λέγων τὸ ζητεῖν ὅττι τοι ἐν μεγάροισι κακόν τ’ ἀγαθόν τε τέτυκται.»	^8.9 "Aristippus of Cyrene says the end of goods is pleasure, and of evils, pain. He sets aside other natural philosophy, saying it is only useful to seek 'what good and what evil has been wrought in your halls.'"
^8.10 «Ἐμπεδοκλῆς ὁ Ἀκραγαντῖνος στοιχεῖα τέσσαρα, πῦρ, ὕδωρ, αἰθέρα, γαῖαν· αἰτίαν δὲ τούτων φιλίαν καὶ νεῖκος. ἐκ πρώτης φησὶ τῆς τῶν στοιχείων κράσεως ἀποκριθέντα τὸν ἀέρα περιχυθῆναι κύκλῳ, μετὰ δὲ τὸν ἀέρα τὸ πῦρ ἐκδραμὸν καὶ οὐκ ἔχον ἑτέραν χώραν ἄνω ἐκτρέχειν ὑπὸ τοῦ περὶ τὸν ἀέρα πάγου. εἶναι δὲ κύκλῳ περὶ τὴν γῆν φερόμενα δύο ἡμισφαίρια, τὸ μὲν καθόλου πυρός, τὸ δὲ μικτὸν ἐξ ἀέρος καὶ ὀλίγου πυρός, ὅπερ οἴεται τὴν νύκτα εἶναι. τὴν δὲ ἀρχὴν τῆς κινήσεως συμβῆναι ἀπὸ τοῦ τετυχηκέναι κατὰ τὸν ἀθροισμόν, ἐπιβρίσαντος τοῦ πυρός. ὁ δὲ ἥλιος τὴν φύσιν οὐκ ἔστι πῦρ, ἀλλὰ τοῦ πυρὸς ἀντανάκλασις, ὁμοία τῇ ἀφ’ ὕδατος γινομένῃ. σελήνην δέ φησι συστῆναι καθ’ ἑαυτὴν ἐκ τοῦ ἀπολειφθέντος ἀέρος ὑπὸ τοῦ πυρός· τοῦτον γὰρ παγῆναι, καθάπερ καὶ τὴν χάλαζαν· τὸ δὲ φῶς αὐτὴν σχεῖν ἀπὸ τοῦ ἡλίου. τὸ δὲ ἡγεμονικὸν οὔτε ἐν κεφαλῇ οὔτε ἐν θώρακι, ἀλλ’ ἐν αἵματι· ὅθεν καθ’ ὅ τι ἂν μέρος τοῦ σώματος πλέον ᾖ παρεσπαρμένον τὸ ἡγεμονικόν, οἴεται κατ’ ἐκεῖνο προτερεῖν τοὺς ἀνθρώπους.»	^8.10 "Empedocles of Agrigentum posited four elements: fire, water, air, and earth; and as their causes, Love and Strife. He says that from the first mixture of the elements, air was separated off and poured all around; after air, fire rushed out, and having no other room above, it ran upward under the ice surrounding the air. He says there are two hemispheres moving in a circle around the earth, one composed entirely of fire, and the other a mixture of air and a little fire, which he considers to be night. The origin of movement happened accidentally during the gathering, when the fire weighed down. The sun in its nature is not fire, but a reflection of fire, similar to that formed from water. He says the moon was formed on its own from the air left behind by the fire; for this air froze, just like hail, and it receives its light from the sun. The governing part (hegemonikon) is neither in the head nor in the chest, but in the blood; hence in whichever part of the body the governing part is most scattered, in that respect he thinks humans excel."
^8.11 «Μητρόδωρος ὁ Χῖος ἀίδιον εἶναί φησι τὸ πᾶν, ὅτι εἰ ἦν γενητόν, ἐκ τοῦ μὴ ὄντος ἂν ἦν· ἄπειρον δέ, ὅτι ἀΐδιον, οὐ γὰρ ἔχειν ἀρχὴν ὅθεν ἤρξατο, οὐδὲ πέρας, οὐδὲ τελευτήν· ἀλλ’ οὐδὲ κινήσεως μετέχειν τὸ πᾶν. κινεῖσθαι γὰρ ἀδύνατον, μὴ μεθιστάμενον· μεθίστασθαι δὲ ἀναγκαῖον ἤτοι εἰς πλῆρες ἢ εἰς κενόν. πυκνούμενον δὲ τὸν αἰθέρα ποιεῖν νεφέλας, εἶτα ὕδωρ, ὃ καὶ κατιὸν ἐπὶ τὸν ἥλιον σβεννύναι αὐτόν· καὶ πάλιν ἀραιούμενον ἐξάπτεσθαι. χρόνῳ δὲ πήγνυσθαι τῷ ξηρῷ τὸν ἥλιον, καὶ ποιεῖν ἐκ τοῦ λαμπροῦ ὕδατος ἀστέρας, νύκτα τε καὶ ἡμέραν ἐκ τῆς σβέσεως καὶ ἐξάψεως, καὶ καθόλου τὰς ἐκλείψεις ἀποτελεῖν.»	^8.11 "Metrodorus of Chios says that the All is eternal, because if it were generated, it would have come from Non-Being; and infinite, because eternal, for it has no beginning whence it started, nor end, nor limit; nor does the All participate in motion, for it is impossible to move without shifting place; and to shift place it must move either into fullness or into emptiness. He says that condensed ether produces clouds, then water, which descending upon the sun extinguishes it; and again, when rarefied, it ignites. Over time, the sun is solidified by dryness and creates stars out of bright water, and night and day from its extinction and ignition, and in general produces eclipses."
^8.12 «Διογένης ὁ Ἀπολλωνιάτης ἀέρα ὑφίσταται στοιχεῖον· κινεῖσθαι δὲ τὰ πάντα, ἀπείρους τε εἶναι τοὺς κόσμους. κοσμοποιεῖ δὲ οὕτως· ὅτι τοῦ παντὸς κινουμένου, καὶ ᾗ μὲν ἀραιοῦ, ᾗ δὲ πυκνοῦ γινομένου, ὅπου συνεκύρησε τὸ πυκνὸν συστροφὴν ποιῆσαι, καὶ οὕτω τὰ λοιπὰ κατὰ τὸν αὐτὸν λόγον τὰ κουφότατα τὴν ἄνω τάξιν λαβόντα τὸν ἥλιον ἀποτελέσαι.»	^8.12 "Diogenes of Apollonia posits air as the element, and that all things are moved, and that the worlds are infinite. He describes the creation of the world like this: as the All moved, and part became rarefied and part dense, wherever the dense part coincided, it formed a concentration, and thus the rest according to the same principle, with the lightest parts taking the upper position to form the sun."
^8.13 Τοιαύτη καὶ τῶν πανσόφων Ἑλλήνων τῶν δὴ φυσικῶν φιλοσόφων ἐπικληθέντων ἡ περὶ τῆς συστάσεως τοῦ παντὸς καὶ τῆς πρώτης κοσμογονίας διάληψις, οὐ δημιουργὸν ἢ ποιητήν τινα τῶν ὅλων ὑποστησαμένων, ἀλλ’ οὐδ’ ὅλως θεοῦ μνήμην ποιησαμένων, μόνῃ δὲ τῇ ἀλόγῳ φορᾷ καὶ τῇ αὐτομάτῳ κινήσει τὴν αἰτίαν τοῦ παντὸς ἀνατεθειμένων.	^8.13 "Such was the conception of the all-wise Greeks—those called natural philosophers—concerning the constitution of the universe and the original cosmogony. They posited no creator or maker of all things, nor made any mention of God at all, but attributed the cause of the universe solely to irrational impulse and automatic motion."
^8.14 τοσαύτη δὲ αὐτῶν καὶ ἡ πρὸς ἀλλήλους ἐναντιότης, ἐν μὲν οὐδενὶ ἀλλήλοις συμπεφωνηκότων, μάχης δὲ καὶ διαφωνίας τὰ πάντα ἀναπεπληρωκότων. ὅθεν καὶ ὁ θαυμάσιος Σωκράτης τουτουσὶ πάντας μωραίνοντας ἀπήλεγχε, καὶ μαινομένων κατ’ οὐδὲν ἔλεγε διαφέρειν, εἰ δή σοι μάρτυς ἀξιόχρεως Ξενοφῶν ἐν Ἀπομνημονεύμασι λέγων οὕτως·	^8.14 "And so great was their mutual opposition, agreeing with one another in nothing, but filling everything with conflict and disagreement. Wherefore the wonderful Socrates refuted all these as foolish, saying that they differed in no way from madmen, if indeed Xenophon is a trustworthy witness for you, speaking thus in the Memorabilia:"
^8.15 «Οὐδεὶς δὲ πώποτε Σωκράτους οὐδὲν ἀσεβὲς οὐδὲ ἀνόσιον οὔτε πράττοντος εἶδεν οὔτε λέγοντος ἤκουσεν. οὐδὲ γὰρ περὶ τῆς τῶν πάντων φύσεως, ᾗ τῶν ἄλλων οἱ πλεῖστοι, διελέγετο, σκοπῶν ὅπως ὁ καλούμενος ὑπὸ τῶν σοφιστῶν κόσμος ἔχει, καὶ τίσιν ἀνάγκαις ἕκαστα γίγνεται τῶν οὐρανίων, ἀλλὰ καὶ τοὺς φροντίζοντας τὰ τοιαῦτα μωραίνοντας ἀπεδείκνυε.» Καὶ ἐπιλέγει ἑξῆς·	^8.15 "'No one ever saw Socrates doing or heard him saying anything impious or unholy. For he did not discourse about the nature of all things, or about other matters as most did, examining how what is called "the world" by the sophists is conditioned, and by what necessities each of the heavenly phenomena comes to be; but he showed that those who pondered such things were foolish.'"
^8.16 «ἐθαύμαζε δ’ εἰ μὴ φανερὸν αὐτοῖς ἐστιν ὅτι ταῦτα ἀδύνατόν ἐστιν ἀνθρώποις εὑρεῖν, ἐπεὶ καὶ τοὺς τὰ μέγιστα φρονοῦντας ἐπὶ τῷ περὶ τούτων λέγειν οὐ τὰ αὐτὰ δοξάζειν ἀλλήλοις, ἀλλὰ τοῖς μαινομένοις ὁμοίως διακεῖσθαι πρὸς ἀλλήλους. τῶν τε γὰρ μαινομένων τοὺς μὲν οὐδὲ τὰ δεινὰ δεδιέναι, τοὺς δὲ τὰ μὴ φοβερὰ φοβεῖσθαι, τῶν τε περὶ τῆς πάντων φύσεως μεριμνώντων τοῖς μὲν δοκεῖν ἓν μόνον τὸ ὂν εἶναι, τοῖς δὲ ἄπειρα τὸ πλῆθος, καὶ τοῖς μὲν ἀεὶ πάντα κινεῖσθαι, τοῖς δὲ οὐδὲν ἄν ποτε κινηθῆναι· καὶ τοῖς μὲν ἅπαντα γίνεσθαί τε καὶ ἀπόλλυσθαι, τοῖς δὲ οὔτ’ ἂν γενέσθαι ποτὲ οὐδὲν οὔτ’ ἀπόλλυσθαι.»	^8.16 "And he adds next: '... whether it is not clear to them that it is impossible for humans to discover these things, since even those who pride themselves most on speaking about them do not hold the same opinions as one another, but are disposed toward each other like madmen. For of madmen, some do not fear even dangerous things, while others fear things that are not fearful; and of those concerned with the nature of all things, some think that Being is one alone, others that it is infinite in number; some that all things are always moving, others that nothing could ever be moved; and some that all things come to be and perish, others that nothing could ever come to be or perish.'"
^8.17 Ταῦθ’ ὁ Σωκράτης, ὡς ὁ Ξενοφῶν μαρτυρεῖ. συνᾴδει δὲ καὶ ὁ Πλάτων τούτοις ἐν τῷ Περὶ ψυχῆς τοιάδε λέγοντα αὐτὸν ἀναγράφων· «Ἐγὼ γάρ, ἔφη, ὦ Κέβης, νέος ὢν θαυμαστῶς ὡς ἐπεθύμησα ταύτης τῆς σοφίας, ἣν δὴ καλοῦσι περὶ φύσεως ἱστορίαν· ὑπερήφανον γάρ μοι ἐδόκει εἶναι εἰδέναι τὰς αἰτίας ἑκάστου, διὰ τί γίνεται ἕκαστον, καὶ διὰ τί ἀπόλλυται, καὶ διὰ τί ἔστι· καὶ πολλάκις ἐμαυτὸν ἄνω κάτω μετέβαλλον, σκοπῶν πρῶτον τὰ τοιάδε· ἆρ’ ἐπειδὰν τὸ θερμὸν καὶ τὸ ψυχρὸν σηπεδόνα τινὰ λάβῃ, ὥς τινες ἔλεγον, τότε ἤδη τὰ ζῷα ξυντρέφεται· καὶ πότερον τὸ αἷμά ἐστιν ᾧ φρονοῦμεν, ἢ ὁ ἀήρ, ἢ τὸ πῦρ· ἢ τούτων μὲν οὐδὲν, ὁ δ’ ἐγκέφαλός ἐστιν ὁ τὰς αἰσθήσεις παρέχων ὥστε ὁρᾶν καὶ ἀκούειν καὶ ὀσφραίνεσθαι, ἐκ τούτων δὲ γίγνοιτο μνήμη καὶ δόξα, ἐκ δὲ μνήμης καὶ δόξης λαβοῦσης τὸ ἠρεμεῖν κατὰ ταῦτα γίνεσθαι ἐπιστήμην.	^8.17 "These things Socrates said, as Xenophon bears witness. Plato also agrees with these things, recording him saying such things in On the Soul (Phaedo): 'For I,' he said, 'O Cebes, when I was young, was wonderfully eager for this wisdom which they call natural inquiry; for it seemed to me magnificent to know the causes of each thing, why each comes to be, why it perishes, and why it exists. And I kept shifting myself up and down, examining first such things as these: Is it when hot and cold undergo a certain fermentation, as some said, that living creatures are then nourished? And is it blood by which we think, or air, or fire? Or none of these, but the brain that provides the senses of seeing, hearing, and smelling, and from these memory and opinion come to be, and from memory and opinion taking rest, knowledge comes to be in this way?'"
^8.18 καὶ αὖ τούτων τὰς φθορὰς σκοπῶν, καὶ τὰ περὶ τὸν οὐρανόν τε καὶ τὴν γῆν πάθη, τελευτῶν οὕτως ἐμαυτῷ ἔδοξα πρὸς ταύτην τὴν σκέψιν ἀφυὴς εἶναι ὡς οὐδὲν χρῆμα. τεκμήριον δέ σοι ἐρῶ ἱκανόν· ἐγὼ γὰρ ἃ καὶ πρότερον σαφῶς ἠπιστάμην, ὥς γε ἐμαυτῷ καὶ τοῖς ἄλλοις ἐδόκουν, τότε ὑπ’ αὐτῆς τῆς σκέψεως οὕτω σφόδρα ἐτυφλώθην ὥστε ἀπέμαθον καὶ ταῦθ’ ἃ πρὸ τοῦ ᾤμην εἰδέναι.»	^8.18 "'And examining in turn the destructions of these things, and the occurrences regarding the heaven and the earth, I finally seemed to myself so unsuited for this investigation as to be good for nothing. I will tell you a sufficient proof: for the things which I previously knew clearly, at least as it seemed to myself and others, I was then so thoroughly blinded by this investigation itself that I unlearned even those things which before I thought I knew.'"
^8.19 Ταῦτα Σωκράτης αὐτὸς ἐκεῖνος ὁ πᾶσιν ἀοίδιμος Ἕλλησιν. ὅτε τοίνυν καὶ τῷ τηλικούτῳ φιλοσόφῳ τοιάδε εἶναι ἐδόκει τὰ τῆς τῶν δηλωθέντων φυσιολογίας, εἰκότως μοι δοκῶ καὶ ἡμᾶς τὴν τούτων ἁπάντων ἀθεότητα παρῃτῆσθαι, ἐπεὶ καὶ τὰ τῆς πολυθέου πλάνης αὐτῶν οὐκ ἔοικεν εἶναι ἀλλότρια τῶν εἰρημένων. τοῦτο μὲν οὖν ἐπὶ καιροῦ τοῦ προσήκοντος ἐλεγχθήσεται, καθ’ ὃν ἀποδείξομεν ὅτι πρῶτος Ἑλλήνων Ἀναξαγόρας νοῦν ἐπιστῆσαι τῇ τοῦ παντὸς αἰτίᾳ μνημονεύεται· νῦν δέ μοι ἐπὶ τὸν Διόδωρον μετάβηθι, καὶ σκόπει οἷα περὶ τῆς πρώτης τῶν ἀνθρώπων θεολογίας ἱστορεῖ.	^8.19 "These are the words of Socrates himself, that famed Greek renowned among all. Since, therefore, even to so great a philosopher the physical theories of those mentioned seemed to be of this sort, it seems reasonable that we too have rejected the godlessness of them all, since their polytheistic errors do not seem alien to what has been said. This matter will be exposed at the appropriate time, when we shall demonstrate that Anaxagoras was the first of the Greeks recorded to have set Mind (Nous) over the cause of the All. But now turn with me to Diodorus, and observe what sort of things he records concerning the original theology of humans."

^9.1 Τοὺς δ’ οὖν κατ’ Αἴγυπτον ἀνθρώπους τὸ παλαιὸν γενομένους ἀναβλέψαντας εἰς τὸν κόσμον, καὶ τὴν τῶν ὅλων φύσιν καταπλαγέντας τε καὶ θαυμάσαντας, ὑπολαβεῖν εἶναι δύο θεοὺς ἀϊδίους τε καὶ πρώτους, τόν τε ἥλιον καὶ τὴν σελήνην, ὧν τὸν μὲν Ὄσιριν, τὴν δὲ Ἶσιν ὀνομάσαι, ἀπό τινος ἐτύμου τεθείσης ἑκατέρας τῆς προσηγορίας.	^9.1 The ancient inhabitants of Egypt, looking up at the universe and struck with awe and wonder at the nature of the whole, supposed that there were two eternal and primary gods—namely, the Sun and the Moon—naming the former Osiris and the latter Isis, each name being assigned from a certain true etymology.
^9.2 μεθερμηνευομένων γὰρ τούτων εἰς τὸν Ἑλληνικὸν τῆς διαλέκτου τρόπον εἶναι μὲν τὸν Ὄσιριν πολυόφθαλμον, εἰκότως· πάντῃ γὰρ ἐπιβάλλοντα τὰς ἀκτῖνας ὥσπερ πολλοῖς ὀφθαλμοῖς βλέπειν ἅπασαν γῆν καὶ θάλασσαν· καὶ τὸν ποιητὴν δὲ λέγειν σύμφωνα τούτοις, Ἠέλιός θ’, ὃς πάντ’ ἐφορᾷς καὶ πάντ’ ἐπακούεις.	^9.2 For when these names are translated into the Greek idiom of speech, Osiris means "many-eyed"—and fittingly so, for by casting his rays everywhere he seems to look upon all the earth and sea with many eyes. The poet [Homer] also speaks in agreement with this: "Sun, who seest all things and cleanest all things."
^9.3 τῶν δὲ παρ’ Ἕλλησι παλαιῶν μυθολόγων τινὲς τὸν Ὄσιριν Διόνυσον προσονομάζουσι καὶ Σείριον παρωνύμως. ὧν Εὔμολπος μὲν ἐν τοῖς Βακχικοῖς ἔπεσί φησιν ἀστροφαῆ Διόνυσον ἐν ἀκτίνεσσι πυρωπόν. Ὀρφεὺς δέ· τοὔνεκά μιν καλέουσι Φάνητά τε καὶ Διόνυσον. φασὶ δέ τινες καὶ τὸ ἔναμμα αὐτῷ τὸ τῆς νεβρίδος ἀπὸ τῆς τῶν ἄστρων ποικιλίας περιῆφθαι.	^9.3 Some of the ancient mythologists among the Greeks call Osiris Dionysus, and also, by a derived name, Sirius. Of these, Eumolpus says in his Bacchic verses: "Dionysus shining like a star, fiery in his rays." And Orpheus says: "Wherefore they call him Phanes and Dionysus." Some also say that the fawn-skin cloak (nebris) was tied around him to represent the intricate pattern of the stars.
^9.4 τὴν δὲ Ἶσιν μεθερμηνευομένην εἶναι παλαιάν, τεθειμένης τῆς προσηγορίας τῇ σελήνῃ ἀπὸ τῆς ἀϊδίου καὶ παλαιᾶς γενέσεως· κέρατα δ’ αὐτῇ περιτιθέασιν ἀπό τε τῆς ὄψεως, ἣν ἔχουσα φαίνεται καθ’ ὃν ἂν χρόνον ὑπάρχῃ μηνοειδής, καὶ ἀπὸ τῆς καθιερωμένης αὐτῇ βοὸς παρ’ Αἰγυπτίοις. τούτους δὲ τοὺς θεοὺς ὑφίστανται τὸν σύμπαντα κόσμον διοικεῖν.	^9.4 Isis, when translated, means "ancient," the name having been given to the Moon because of her eternal and ancient origin. They place horns upon her head both from the appearance she presents whenever she is crescent-shaped, and from the cow which is consecrated to her among the Egyptians. These gods they suppose to administer the whole world.
^9.5 Τοιαῦτα μὲν οὖν καὶ ταῦτα. ἔχεις δὲ καὶ ἐν τῇ Φοινικικῇ θεολογίᾳ ὡς ἄρα Φοινίκων οἱ πρῶτοι φυσικοὶ ἥλιον καὶ σελήνην καὶ τοὺς λοιποὺς πλανήτας ἀστέρας καὶ τὰ στοιχεῖα καὶ τὰ τούτοις συναφῆ θεοὺς μόνους ἐγίνωσκον, καὶ ὅτι τούτοις οἱ παλαίτατοι τὰ τῆς γῆς ἀφιέρωσαν βλαστήματα, καὶ θεοὺς ἐνόμισαν, καὶ προσεκύνουν ταῦτα, ἀφ’ ὧν αὐτοί τε διεγίνοντο καὶ οἱ ἑπόμενοι, καὶ οἱ πρὸ αὐτῶν πάντες, καὶ χοὰς καὶ ἐπιχύσεις ἐτέλουν· ἔλεον δὲ καὶ οἶκτον καὶ κλαυθμὸν βλαστήματι γῆς ἀπιόντι καθιέρουν, καὶ γενέσει ζῴων ἐκ γῆς πρώτῃ καὶ τῇ ἐξ ἀλλήλων καὶ τελευτῇ, καθ’ ἣν τοῦ ζῆν ἀπήρχοντο.	^9.5 Such, then, are these matters. And in the Phoenician theology you find that the first natural philosophers among the Phoenicians recognized only the sun, the moon, the other wandering stars, the elements, and things connected with them as gods; and that to these the most ancient men dedicated the fruits of the earth, holding them to be gods, and worshipped them—the very things by which they themselves, their successors, and all who went before them were sustained. They offered libations and pourings to them, and they dedicated mourning, pity, and lamentation to the fading produce of the earth, as well as to the first emergence of living creatures from the earth, their generation from one another, and their end, when they departed from life.
^9.6 αὗται δ’ ἦσαν αἱ ἐπίνοιαι τῆς προσκυνήσεως ὅμοιαι τῇ αὐτῶν ἀσθενείᾳ καὶ ψυχῆς ἔτι ἀτολμίᾳ. ταῦτα καὶ ἡ Φοινίκων γραφή, ὡς ἐξῆς ἀποδειχθήσεται. ἀλλὰ καὶ τῶν καθ’ ἡμᾶς γεγονὼς αὐτὸς ἐκεῖνος, ὁ ταῖς καθ’ ἡμῶν λαμπρυνόμενος δυσφημίαις, ἐν οἷς ἐπέγραψε Περὶ τῆς τῶν ἐμψύχων ἀποχῆς, καὶ τῶν παλαιῶν ἀρχαιότητος τὴν μνήμην ὧδέ πως αὐτολεξεὶ, Θεοφράστῳ μάρτυρι χρώμενος, παρατίθεται·	^9.6 These devices of worship corresponded to their own weakness and the timidity of their souls. This is recorded in the writing of the Phoenicians, as will be shown next. Moreover, that famous writer of our own times [Porphyry]—who makes himself illustrious by his slanders against us—in his work entitled On Abstinence from Animal Food, quotes from the antiquity of the ancients word-for-word, using Theophrastus as his witness, setting it forth in this manner:
^9.7 «Ἀνάριθμος μέν τις ἔοικεν εἶναι χρόνος, ἀφ’ οὗ τό γε πάντων λογιώτατον γένος, ὥς φησι Θεόφραστος, καὶ τὴν ἱερωτάτην ὑπὸ τοῦ Νείλου κτισθεῖσαν χώραν κατοικοῦν, ἤρξαντο οἱ πρῶτοι ἐφ’ ἑστίας τοῖς οὐρανίοις θεοῖς θύειν, οὐ σμύρνης οὐδὲ κασίας καὶ λιβανωτοῦ κρόκῳ μιχθέντων ἀπαρχάς· πολλαῖς γὰρ γενεαῖς ὕστερα παρελήφθη ταῦτα, καὶ πλάνης μαστὴρ ὁ ἄνθρωπος γιγνόμενος τῆς ἀναγκαίας ζωῆς μετὰ πολλῶν πόνων καὶ δακρύων σταγόνας τούτων ἀπήρξατο τοῖς θεοῖς·»	^9.7 "A measureless period of time seems to have elapsed since the most learned race of all men (as Theophrastus says), who inhabit that most sacred land created by the Nile, first began to sacrifice upon the hearth to the heavenly gods—offering not firstfruits of myrrh, nor cassia, nor frankincense mixed with saffron; for these were adopted many generations later, when man, becoming a wanderer in search of necessary sustenance, offered drops of these with much toil and tears to the gods."
^9.8 οὐ τούτων οὖν ἔθυον πρότερον, ἀλλὰ χλόης οἱονεί τινα τῆς γονίμου φύσεως χνοῦν ταῖς χερσὶν ἀράμενοι. δένδρα μὲν γὰρ δὴ πρὸ ζῴων ἀνέδωκεν ἡ γῆ, τῶν δένδρων δὲ πολὺ πρόσθεν τὴν ἐπέτειον γεννωμένην πόαν· ἧς δρεπόμενοι φύλλα καὶ ῥίζας καὶ τοὺς ὅλους τῆς φύσεως αὐτῶν βλαστοὺς κατέκαιον, ταύτῃ τοὺς φαινομένους οὐρανίους θεοὺς τῇ θυσίᾳ δεξιούμενοι, καὶ τοῦ πυρὸς ἀπαθανατίζοντες αὐτοῖς τὰς τιμάς.	^9.8 "They did not, therefore, sacrifice these things in earlier times, but rather grass—plucking with their hands, as it were, the soft down of fertile nature. For the earth brought forth trees before animals, and long before trees it brought forth the annual growing grass. Gathering its leaves, roots, and whole shoots of their growth, they burned them, welcoming the visible heavenly gods with this sacrifice and making their honors to them immortal through fire."
^9.9 τούτοις γὰρ καὶ τὸ πῦρ ἀθάνατον ἐφύλαττον ἐν τοῖς ἱεροῖς, ὡς ὂν μάλιστα αὐτοῖς ὁμοιότατον. ἐκ δὲ τῆς θυμιάσεως τῶν ἀπὸ γῆς θυμιατήριά τε ἐκάλουν καὶ τὸ θύειν καὶ θυσίας, ἃ δὴ ἡμεῖς ὡς τὴν ὑστέραν πλημμέλειαν σημαίνοντα οὐκ ὀρθῶς ἐξακούομεν, τὴν διὰ τῶν ζῴων δοκοῦσαν θεραπείαν καλοῦντες θυσίαν.	^9.9 "For them they also kept the fire unextinguished in their sanctuaries, as being most like unto them. And from the burning of incense (thumiasis) from the earth, they derived the terms thumiateria [censer], thuein [to sacrifice], and thusias [sacrifices]—which we misinterpret as referring to later wrongdoing, calling the ritual performed by slaughtering animals a 'sacrifice'."
^9.10 τοσοῦτον δὲ τοῖς παλαιοῖς τοῦ μὴ παραβαίνειν τὸ ἔθος ἔμελεν ὡς κατὰ τῶν ἐκλειπόντων τὸ ἀρχαῖον, ἐπεισαγόντων δὲ ἕτερον, ἀρασαμένους ἀρώματα τὰ θυμιώμενα προσαγορεῦσαι.	^9.10 "So careful were the ancients not to transgress custom, that against those who abandoned the ancient way and introduced another, they pronounced curses, calling the items burned as incense 'aromatics'."
^9.11 Ταῦτα εἰπὼν ἐπιλέγει μεθ’ ἕτερα· «Πόρρω δὲ τῶν περὶ τὰς θυσίας ἀπαρχῶν τοῖς ἀνθρώποις προϊόντων παρανομίας ἡ τῶν δεινοτάτων θυμάτων παράληψις ἐπεισήχθη ὠμότητος πλήρης, ὡς δοκεῖν τὰς πρόσθεν λεχθείσας καθ’ ἡμῶν ἀρὰς νῦν τέλος εἰληφέναι, σφαξάντων τῶν ἀνθρώπων καὶ τοὺς βωμοὺς αἱμαξάντων.»	^9.11 Having said this, he adds after other matters: "And as men proceeded further in unlawful acts regarding sacrificial firstfruits, the adoption of the most terrible offerings was introduced, full of cruelty, so that the curses formerly pronounced against us seem now to have reached their fulfillment, since men have slaughtered victims and stained the altars with blood."
^9.12 Τοσαῦτα καὶ ὁ Πορφύριος οὐ μᾶλλον ἢ ὁ Θεόφραστος. ἐπισφράγισμα δὲ τοῦ λόγου γένοιτ’ ἂν ἡμῖν ὁ Πλάτων ἐν Κρατύλῳ, πρόσθεν τῶν εἰρημένων αὐτῷ περὶ τῶν Ἑλλήνων ὧδέ πῃ φάσκων πρὸς ῥῆμα· «Φαίνονται γάρ μοι οἱ πρῶτοι τῶν ἀνθρώπων τῶν περὶ τὴν Ἑλλάδα τούτους μόνους θεοὺς ἡγεῖσθαι, οὕσπερ νῦν πολλοὶ τῶν βαρβάρων, ἥλιον καὶ σελήνην καὶ γῆν καὶ ἄστρα καὶ οὐρανόν· ἅτε οὖν αὐτὰ ὁρῶντες πάντα ἀεὶ ἰόντα δρόμῳ καὶ θέοντα, ἀπὸ ταύτης τῆς φύσεως τῆς τοῦ θεῖν θεοὺς αὐτοὺς ἐπονομάσαι.»	^9.12 So much says Porphyry, or rather Theophrastus. And Plato in the Cratylus may serve as our seal upon this argument, speaking somewhere word-for-word before his other remarks about the Greeks: "For it appears to me that the first men in the region of Greece held only those to be gods whom many of the barbarians hold today—the sun, the moon, the earth, the stars, and the sky. Seeing all these always moving on their course and running (theon), from this nature of running (thein) they called them gods (theous)."
^9.13 Ἀλλ’ ὅτι μὲν οἱ πρῶτοι καὶ παλαίτατοι τῶν ἀνθρώπων οὔτε ναῶν οἰκοδομίαις προσεῖχον οὔτε ξοάνων ἀφιδρύμασιν, οὔπω τότε γραφικῆς οὐδὲ πλαστικῆς ἢ γλυπτικῆς ἢ ἀνδριαντοποιητικῆς τέχνης ἐφευρημένης, οὐδὲ μὴν οἰκοδομικῆς οὐδὲ ἀρχιτεκτονικῆς πω συνεστώσης, παντί τῳ οἶμαι συλλογιζομένῳ δῆλον εἶναι.	^9.13 Now, that the first and most ancient of men gave no thought to the building of temples or the erection of wooden images—since neither painting, modeling, carving, nor statue-making had yet been invented, nor indeed had building or architecture yet been established—is, I think, clear to anyone who reflects upon it.
^9.14 ὅτι δὲ οὐδὲ τῶν μετὰ ταῦτα κατωνομασμένων θεῶν τε καὶ ἡρώων μνήμη τις τοῖς τότε παρῆν, οὔτ’ οὖν τις ἦν αὐτοῖς Ζεύς, οὐ Κρόνος, οὐ Ποσειδῶν, οὐκ Ἀπόλλων, οὐχ Ἥρα, οὐκ Ἀθηνᾶ, οὐ Διόνυσος, οὐδέ τις ἕτερος θῆλύς τε καὶ ἄρρην θεός, οἷοι μετὰ ταῦτα μυρίοι παρά τε βαρβάροις καὶ Ἕλλησιν, ἀλλ’ οὐδὲ δαίμων τις ἀγαθὸς ἢ φαῦλος ἐν ἀνθρώποις ἐθαυμάζετο, μόνα δὲ τὰ φαινόμενα τῶν οὐρανίων ἄστρων, παρὰ τὸ θέειν, ὅπερ ἐστὶ τρέχειν, θεῶν τε προσηγορίας, ὡς αὐτοί φασιν, ἐτύγχανε, καὶ οὐδὲ ταῦτα ταῖς διὰ ζῴων θυσίαις καὶ ταῖς μετὰ ταῦτα περινοηθείσαις τιμαῖς ἐθρησκεύετο, οὐχ ἡμέτερος ὁ λόγος, οἴκοθεν δὲ καὶ ἐξ αὐτῶν Ἑλλήνων ἡ μαρτυρία, διὰ τῶν προτεθειμένων φωνῶν καὶ τῶν αὖθις ἑξῆς παρατεθησομένων τὴν ἀπόδειξιν παρασχομένη.	^9.14 And that there was no memory among the men of that time of the gods and heroes named in later times—there was no Zeus for them, nor Cronus, Poseidon, Apollo, Hera, Athena, Dionysus, nor any other male or female god, such as existed by thousands afterwards among both barbarians and Greeks; nor was any daemon, good or bad, held in honor among men, but only the visible stars of heaven, on account of their running (thein, which means to run), received the title of gods, as they themselves say; and that even these were not worshipped with animal sacrifices or the honors devised in later times—all this is not our own claim, but testimony brought from the Greeks themselves, providing proof through the statements cited above and those that will be cited next.
^9.15 τοῦτο δὲ καὶ οἱ ἱεροὶ καθ’ ἡμᾶς διδάσκουσι λόγοι, πᾶσι μὲν τοῖς ἔθνεσι τὸ κατ’ ἀρχὰς τὴν τῶν ὁρωμένων φωστήρων τιμὴν ἀπονενεμῆσθαι περιέχοντες, μόνῳ δὲ τῷ Ἑβραίων γένει τὴν ἐποπτείαν ἀνατεθεῖσθαι τοῦ τῶν ὅλων ποιητοῦ τε καὶ δημιουργοῦ θεοῦ καὶ τῆς εἰς αὐτὸν ἀληθοῦς εὐσεβείας.	^9.15 This is also taught by our own sacred scriptures, which contain the doctrine that in the beginning the honor of the visible luminaries was assigned to all the nations, but that to the race of the Hebrews alone was committed the contemplation of the Maker and Creator of all things, and true piety toward Him.
^9.16 οὐκ ἄρα τις ἦν θεογονίας Ἑλληνικῆς ἢ βαρβαρικῆς τοῖς παλαιτάτοις τῶν ἀνθρώπων λόγος, οὐδὲ ξοάνων ἀψύχων ἵδρυσις οὐδ’ ἡ νῦν πολλὴ φλυαρία τῆς τῶν θεῶν ἀρρένων τε καὶ θηλειῶν κατονομασίας.	^9.16 There was, therefore, no account of a Greek or barbarian theogony among the most ancient of men, nor any erection of lifeless statues, nor the modern mass of nonsense regarding the naming of gods as male and female.
^9.17 εἰ γοῦν προσηγορίαι καὶ τὰ ὀνόματα ἐξ ἀνθρώπων ὕστερον ἐφευρημένα οὔπω τότε ἐν ἀνθρώποις ἐγνωρίζετο, ἀλλ’ οὐδὲ δαιμόνων καὶ πνευμάτων ἀφανῶν ἀνακλήσεις, οὐκ ἔκτοποι περὶ θεῶν καὶ ἡρώων μυθολογίαι, οὐκ ἀπορρήτων τελετῶν μυστήρια, οὐδ’ ὅλως τι τῆς πολλῆς καὶ ἀδολέσχου τῶν μετέπειτα ἀνδρῶν δεισιδαιμονίας.	^9.17 For if those titles and names, invented later by men, were not yet known among men at that time, neither were invocations of daemons and invisible spirits, nor strange mythologies about gods and heroes, nor mysteries of secret rites, nor anything at all of the widespread, babbling superstition of later generations.
^9.18 ἀνθρώπων ἄρα ταῦτα ἦν εὑρήματα καὶ θνητῆς φύσεως ἀναπλάσματα, μᾶλλον δὲ τρόπων αἰσχρῶν καὶ ἀκολάστων ἐπιτεχνήματα, κατὰ τὸ παρ’ ἡμῖν θεῖον λόγιον τὸ φάσκον· «ἀρχὴ πορνείας ἐπίνοια εἰδώλων.»	^9.18 These were, then, human inventions and creations of mortal nature—or rather, the contrivances of base and licentious habits, according to our divine oracle which states: "The invention of idols was the beginning of fornication."
^9.19 ἡ γοῦν τῶν ἐθνῶν ἁπάντων πολύθεος πλάνη μακροῖς ὕστερον αἰῶσι πέφανται, ἀρξαμένη μὲν ἀπὸ Φοινίκων καὶ Αἰγυπτίων, διαβᾶσα δὲ ἐκ τούτων ἐπί τε τὰ λοιπὰ ἔθνη καὶ μέχρις αὐτῶν Ἑλλήνων, ὡς καὶ τοῦτο πάλιν ἡ τῶν παλαιτάτων ἱστορία κατέχει, ἣν καὶ αὐτὴν ἐπισκέψασθαι καιρὸς ἀπὸ τῶν Φοινικικῶν ἀρξαμένους.	^9.19 At any rate, the polytheistic error of all the nations appeared many ages later, beginning with the Phoenicians and Egyptians, and passing from them to the rest of the nations and even to the Greeks themselves, as the history of the most ancient times records—which history it is now time to examine, starting from the Phoenician records.
^9.20 Ἱστορεῖ δὲ ταῦτα Σαγχουνιάθων, ἀνὴρ παλαίτατος καὶ τῶν Τρωικῶν χρόνων, ὥς φασι, πρεσβύτερος, ὃν καὶ ἐπ’ ἀκριβείᾳ καὶ ἀληθείᾳ τῆς Φοινικικῆς ἱστορίας ἀποδεχθῆναι μαρτυροῦσι. Φίλων δὲ τούτου πᾶσαν τὴν συγγραφὴν ὁ Βύβλιος, οὐχ ὁ Ἑβραῖος, μεταβαλὼν ἀπὸ τῆς Φοινίκων γλώττης ἐπὶ τὴν Ἑλλάδα φωνὴν ἐξέδωκε. μέμνηται τούτων ὁ καθ’ ἡμᾶς τὴν καθ’ ἡμῶν πεποιημένος συσκευὴν ἐν τετάρτῳ τῆς πρὸς ἡμᾶς ὑποθέσεως, ὧδε τῷ ἀνδρὶ μαρτυρῶν πρὸς λέξιν·	^9.20 These things are recorded by Sanchuniathon, a man of great antiquity who lived, they say, prior to the Trojan times, and who is attested to have been accepted for the accuracy and truth of his Phoenician history. Philo of Byblos (not the Hebrew) translated his entire work from the Phoenician tongue into the Greek language and published it. The writer of our own time who prepared the attack against us [Porphyry] mentions these things in the fourth book of his treatise against us, bearing witness to the man in these exact words:
^9.21 «ἱστορεῖ δὲ τὰ περὶ Ἰουδαίων ἀληθέστατα, ὅτι καὶ τοῖς τόποις καὶ τοῖς ὀνόμασιν αὐτῶν τὰ συμφωνότατα, Σαγχουνιάθων ὁ Βηρύτιος, εἰληφὼς τὰ ὑπομνήματα παρὰ Ἱερομβάλου τοῦ ἱερέως θεοῦ τοῦ Ἰευώ· ὃς Ἀβιβάλῳ τῷ βασιλεῖ Βηρυτίων τὴν ἱστορίαν ἀναθεὶς ὑπ’ ἐκείνου καὶ τῶν κατ’ αὐτὸν ἐξεταστῶν τῆς ἀληθείας παρεδέχθη. οἱ δὲ τούτων χρόνοι καὶ πρὸ τῶν Τρωϊκῶν πίπτουσι χρόνων, καὶ σχεδὸν τοῖς Μώσεως πλησιάζουσιν, ὡς αἱ τῶν Φοινίκης βασιλέων μηνύουσι διαδοχαί. Σαγχουνιάθων δὲ κατὰ τὴν Φοινίκων διάλεκτον φιλαληθῶς πᾶσαν τὴν παλαιὰν ἱστορίαν ἐκ τῶν κατὰ πόλιν ὑπομνημάτων καὶ τῶν ἐν τοῖς ἱεροῖς ἀναγραφῶν συναγαγὼν δὴ καὶ συγγράψας ἐπὶ Σεμιράμεως γέγονε τῆς Ἀσσυρίων βασιλίδος, ἣ πρὸ τῶν Ἰλιακῶν, ἢ κατ’ αὐτούς γε τοὺς χρόνους γενέσθαι ἀναγέγραπται. τὰ δὲ τοῦ Σαγχουνιάθωνος εἰς Ἑλλάδα γλῶσσαν ἡρμήνευσε Φίλων ὁ Βύβλιος.»	^9.21 "Sanchuniathon of Berytus records the matters concerning the Jews with the greatest truthfulness, since his accounts agree most completely with their places and names. He received the memoirs from Jerombaal, the priest of the god Ieuo, and having dedicated his history to Abibalus, king of Berytus, it was accepted by him and by those who examined the truth in his time. The dates of these men fall even before the Trojan times, and approach near to the times of Moses, as the successions of the kings of Phoenicia indicate. Sanchuniathon, having collected the entire ancient history with a love of truth out of the records in each city and the inscriptions in the temples, compiled it in the time of Semiramis, queen of the Assyrians, who is recorded to have lived before or during the Trojan war. And the writings of Sanchuniathon were translated into the Greek language by Philo of Byblos."
^9.22 Ταῦτα μὲν ὁ δηλωθείς, ἀλήθειαν ὁμοῦ καὶ παλαιότητα τῷ δὴ θεολόγῳ μαρτυρήσας. ὁ δὲ προϊόν, οὐ τὸν ἐπὶ πάντων θεόν, οὐδὲ μὴν θεοὺς τοὺς κατ’ οὐρανόν, θνητοὺς δὲ ἄνδρας καὶ γυναῖκας, οὐδὲ τὸν τρόπον ἀστείους, οἴους δι’ ἀρετὴν ἄξιον εἶναι ἀποδέξασθαι ἢ ζηλῶσαι τῆς φιλοσοφίας, φαυλότητος δὲ καὶ μοχθηρίας ἁπάσης κακίαν περιβεβλημένους θεολογεῖ. καὶ μαρτυρεῖ γε τούτους αὐτοὺς ἐκείνους εἶναι, τοὺς εἰσέτι καὶ νῦν θεοὺς παρὰ τοῖς πᾶσι νενομισμένους κατά τε τὰς πόλεις καὶ τὰς χώρας. δέχου δὲ καὶ τούτων ἐκ τῶν ἐγγράφων τὰς ἀποδείξεις.	^9.22 Thus wrote the author mentioned, witnessing to both the truth and the antiquity of the theologian. But as he proceeds, he treats as gods not the God over all, nor indeed the gods in heaven, but mortal men and women—and these by no means noble in character or worthy of acceptance or imitation on account of virtue, but rather clad in the wickedness of all baseness and villainy. And he testifies that these very persons are the ones who even to this day are held to be gods among all people in both cities and countries. Receive the proofs of these things from the written texts themselves.
^9.23 ὁ δὴ Φίλων εἰς ἐννέα βίβλους τὴν πᾶσαν τοῦ Σαγχουνιάθωνος πραγματείαν διελών, κατὰ τὸ προοίμιον τοῦ πρώτου συγγράμματος αὐτοῖς ῥήμασι προλέγει περὶ τοῦ Σαγχουνιάθωνος ταῦτα·	^9.23 Philo, having divided the entire work of Sanchuniathon into nine books, in the preface to the first book says these very words concerning Sanchuniathon:
^9.24 «Τούτων οὕτως ἐχόντων ὁ Σαγχουνιάθων, ἀνὴρ πολυμαθὴς καὶ πολυπράγμων γενόμενος, καὶ τὰ ἐξ ἀρχῆς, ἀφ’ οὗ τὰ πάντα συνέστη, παρὰ πάντων εἰδέναι ποθῶν, πολυφροντίστως ἐξεμάστευσε τὰ Τααύτου, εἰδὼς ὅτι τῶν ὑφ’ ἡλίῳ γεγονότων πρῶτός ἐστι Τάαυτος, ὁ τῶν γραμμάτων τὴν εὕρεσιν ἐπινοήσας καὶ τῆς τῶν ὑπομνημάτων γραφῆς κατάρξας, καὶ ἀπὸ τοῦδε ὥσπερ κρηπῖδα βαλόμενος τοῦ λόγου, ὃν Αἰγύπτιοι μὲν ἐκάλεσαν Θώυθ, Ἀλεξανδρεῖς δὲ Θώθ, Ἑρμῆν δὲ Ἕλληνες μετέφρασαν.»	^9.24 "These things being so, Sanchuniathon—having become a man of great learning and curiosity, and desiring to know all things from the beginning, from the time when all things were established—searched out with great care the writings of Taautus, knowing that of all who ever lived under the sun, Taautus was the first who devised the invention of letters and began the writing of records; and from him, as it were, he laid the foundation of his discourse—he whom the Egyptians called Thoyth, the Alexandrians Thoth, and whom the Greeks translated as Hermes."
^9.25 Ταῦτα εἰπὼν ἐπιμέμφεται τοῖς νεωτέροις τοῖς μετὰ ταῦτα, ὡς ἂν βεβιασμένως καὶ οὐκ ἀληθῶς τοὺς περὶ θεῶν μύθους ἐπ’ ἀλληγορίας καὶ φυσικὰς διηγήσεις τε καὶ θεωρίας ἀνάγουσι· λέγει δ’ οὖν προϊόν·	^9.25 Having said this, he blames the later writers who came after him, on the ground that they forcibly and untruthfully turned the myths about the gods into allegories and physical explanations and theories. Proceeding, he says:
^9.26 «Ἀλλ’ οἱ μὲν νεώτατοι τῶν ἱερολόγων τὰ μὲν γεγονότα πράγματα ἐξ ἀρχῆς ἀπεπέμψαντο, ἀλληγορίας δὲ καὶ μύθους ἐπινοήσαντες καὶ τοῖς κοσμικοῖς παθήμασι συγγένειαν πλασάμενοι μυστήρια κατέστησαν, πολὺν αὐτοῖς ἐπῆγον τῦφον, ὡς μὴ ῥᾳδίως τινὰ συνορᾶν τὰ κατ’ ἀλήθειαν γενόμενα· ὁ δὲ συμβαλὼν τοῖς ἀπὸ τῶν ἀδύτων εὑρεθεῖσιν ἀποκρύφοις Ἀμμουνέων γράμμασι συγκειμένοις, ἃ δὴ οὐκ ἦν πᾶσι γνώριμα, τὴν μάθησιν ἁπάντων αὐτὸς ἤσκησε· καὶ τέλος ἐπιθεὶς τῇ πραγματείᾳ, τὸν κατ’ ἀρχὰς μῦθον καὶ τὰς ἀλληγορίας ἐκποδὼν ποιησάμενος, ἐξηνύσατο τὴν πρόθεσιν, ἕως πάλιν οἱ ἐπιγενόμενοι ἱερεῖς χρόνοις ὕστερον ἠθέλησαν αὐτὴν ἀποκρύψαι, καὶ εἰς τὸ μυθῶδες ἀποκαταστῆσαι· ἐξ οὗ τὸ μυστικὸν ἀνέκυπτεν οὐδέπω φθάσαν εἰς Ἕλληνας.»	^9.26 "But the most recent of the sacred writers rejected the actual events from the beginning, and having invented allegories and myths, and fabricated a kinship between them and cosmic phenomena, established mysteries and introduced much vanity into them, so that one could not easily perceive the events as they truly happened. But he [Sanchuniathon], coming upon the secret writings of the Ammuneans discovered in the inner shrines, which were not known to all, applied himself to the study of them all; and having brought his work to a conclusion, he put aside the original myth and allegories and accomplished his purpose, until later priests again wished to conceal it and restore it to the mythical state—from which the mystical element arose, not yet having reached the Greeks."
^9.27 Τούτοις ἑξῆς φησιν· «Ταῦθ’ ἡμῖν εὕρηται ἐπιμελῶς εἰδέναι τὰ Φοινίκων ποθοῦσι, καὶ πολλὴν ἐξερευνησαμένοις ὕλην, οὐχὶ τὴν παρ’ Ἕλλησι· διάφωνος γὰρ αὕτη καὶ φιλονεικότερον ὑπ’ ἐνίων μᾶλλον ἢ πρὸς ἀλήθειαν συντεθεῖσα.»	^9.27 Following this he says: "These things have been carefully discovered by us in our desire to know the affairs of the Phoenicians, having thoroughly searched out much material—not that among the Greeks, for that is contradictory and composed by some more out of love of dispute than for the sake of truth."
^9.28 Καὶ μεθ’ ἕτερα· «Οὕτως τε ἔχειν πεπεῖσθαι ἡμῖν παρέστη ὡς ἐκεῖνος γέγραφε, τὴν διαφωνίαν ὁρῶσι τὴν παρ’ Ἕλλησι. περὶ ἧς μοι τρία πεφιλοτίμηται βιβλία τὴν ἐπιγραφὴν ἔχοντα Παραδόξου ἱστορίας.»	^9.28 And after other matters: "We have come to be persuaded that things are as he wrote, seeing the disagreement among the Greeks, concerning which three books have been painstakingly written by me, bearing the title Strange History."
^9.29 Καὶ αὖθις μεθ’ ἕτερα ἐπιλέγει· «Προδιαρθρῶσαι δὲ ἀναγκαῖον πρὸς τὴν αὖθις σαφήνειαν, καὶ τὴν τῶν κατὰ μέρος διάγνωσιν ὅτι οἱ παλαίτατοι τῶν βαρβάρων, ἐξαιρέτως δὲ Φοίνικές τε καὶ Αἰγύπτιοι, παρ’ ὧν καὶ οἱ λοιποὶ παρέλαβον ἄνθρωποι, θεοὺς ἐνόμιζον μεγίστους τοὺς τὰ πρὸς τὴν βιωτικὴν χρείαν εὑρόντας, ἢ καὶ κατά τι εὖ ποιήσαντας τὰ ἔθνη· εὐεργέτας τε τούτους καὶ πολλῶν αἰτίους ἀγαθῶν ἡγούμενοι ὡς θεοὺς προσεκύνουν, καὶ εἰς τὸ χρεὼν μεταστάντας ναοὺς κατασκευασάμενοι, στήλας τε καὶ ῥάβδους ἀφιέρουν ἐξ ὀνόματος αὐτῶν, καὶ ταῦτα μεγάλως σεβόμενοι, καὶ ἑορτὰς ἔνεμον αὐτοῖς τὰς μεγίστας Φοίνικες· ἐξαιρέτως δὲ καὶ ἀπὸ τῶν σφετέρων βασιλέων τοῖς κοσμικοῖς στοιχείοις καί τισι τῶν νομιζομένων θεῶν τὰς ὀνομασίας ἐπέθεσαν· φυσικοὺς δὲ ἥλιον καὶ σελήνην καὶ τοὺς λοιποὺς πλανήτας ἀστέρας καὶ τὰ στοιχεῖα καὶ τὰ τούτοις συναφῆ θεοὺς μόνους ἐγίνωσκον, ὥστ’ αὐτοῖς τοὺς μὲν θνητούς, τοὺς δὲ ἀθανάτους θεοὺς εἶναι.»	^9.29 And again after other matters he adds: "It is necessary to explain beforehand, for the sake of future clarity and the discernment of details, that the most ancient of the barbarians—especially the Phoenicians and Egyptians, from whom the rest of mankind received the tradition—reckoned as the greatest gods those who had discovered things necessary for living, or who had in some way done good to the nations. Regarding these benefactors as the causes of many goods, they worshipped them as gods, and when they departed this life they built temples for them, consecrated pillars and rods after their names, held them in great reverence, and the Phoenicians assigned to them the greatest festivals. Especially from their own kings they applied names to the elements of the world and to certain of the acknowledged gods. But physical gods—the sun, the moon, the remaining wandering stars, the elements, and things connected with them—they recognized as the only gods, so that to them some gods were mortal and others immortal."
^9.30 Ταῦτα κατὰ τὸ προοίμιον ὁ Φίλων διαστειλάμενος ἐξῆς ἀπάρχεται τῆς τοῦ Σαγχουνιάθωνος ἑρμηνείας, ὧδέ πως τὴν Φοινικικὴν ἐκτιθέμενος θεολογίαν·	^9.30 Philo, having distinguished these matters in his preface, next begins his translation of Sanchuniathon, setting forth the Phoenician theology in this manner...

^10.1 «Τὴν τῶν ὅλων ἀρχὴν ὑποτίθεται ἀέρα ζοφώδη καὶ πνευματώδη, ἢ πνοὴν ἀέρος ζοφώδους, καὶ χάος θολερόν, ἐρεβῶδες. ταῦτα δὲ εἶναι ἄπειρα καὶ διὰ πολὺν αἰῶνα μὴ ἔχειν πέρας. ὅτε δέ, φησίν, ἠράσθη τὸ πνεῦμα τῶν ἰδίων ἀρχῶν καὶ ἐγένετο σύγκρασις, ἡ πλοκὴ ἐκείνη ἐκλήθη πόθος. αὕτη δὲ ἀρχὴ κτίσεως ἁπάντων. αὐτὸ δὲ οὐκ ἐγίνωσκε τὴν αὐτοῦ κτίσιν, καὶ ἐκ τῆς αὐτοῦ συμπλοκῆς τοῦ πνεύματος ἐγένετο Μώτ.	^10.1 "He supposes the principle of the universe to be a dark and windy air, or a blast of dark air, and a turbid, gloomy chaos; and that these were boundless and for a long age had no limit. But when," he says, "the spirit became enamored of its own principles and a mingling occurred, that interweaving was called Desire (Pothos). This was the origin of the creation of all things. But it [the spirit] did not know its own creation, and from its interweaving of the spirit came Môt."
^10.2 τοῦτό τινές φασιν ἰλύν, οἳ δὲ ὑδατώδους μίξεως σῆψιν. καὶ ἐκ ταύτης ἐγένετο πᾶσα σπορὰ κτίσεως καὶ γένεσις τῶν ὅλων. ἦν δέ τινα ζῷα οὐκ ἔχοντα αἴσθησιν, ἐξ ὧν ἐγένετο ζῷα νοερά, καὶ ἐκλήθη Ζωφασημίν, τοῦτ’ ἔστιν οὐρανοῦ κατόπται. καὶ ἀνεπλάσθη ὁμοίως ᾠοῦ σχήματι, καὶ ἐξέλαμψε Μὼτ ἥλιός τε καὶ σελήνη ἀστέρες τε καὶ ἄστρα μεγάλα.»	^10.2 "Some say this [Môt] is mud, others the decay of a watery mixture. And from this arose all the seed of creation and the generation of the universe. And there were certain animals having no sensation, out of which came intelligent animals, and they were called Zophasemin (that is, 'beholders of heaven'). And it [Môt] was shaped like an egg, and Môt shone forth, along with the sun, the moon, the stars, and the great constellations."
^10.3 Τοιαύτη μὲν αὐτῶν ἡ κοσμογονία, ἄντικρυς ἀθεότητα εἰσάγουσα· ἴδωμεν δὲ ἐξῆς ὡς καὶ τὴν ζωογονίαν ὑποστῆναι λέγει. φησὶν οὖν·	^10.3 Such is their cosmogony, directly introducing outright atheism. Let us see next how he says the origin of living creatures came about. He says, therefore:
^10.4 «Καὶ τοῦ ἀέρος διαυγάσαντος, διὰ πύρωσιν καὶ τῆς θαλάσσης καὶ τῆς γῆς ἐγένετο πνεύματα καὶ νέφη καὶ οὐρανίων ὑδάτων μέγισται καταφοραὶ καὶ χύσεις. καὶ ἐπειδὴ διεκρίθη, καὶ τοῦ ἰδίου τόπου διεχωρίσθη διὰ τὴν τοῦ ἡλίου πύρωσιν, καὶ πάντα συνήντησε πάλιν ἐν ἀέρι τάδε τοῖσδε, καὶ συνέρραξαν, βρονταί τε ἀπετελέσθησαν καὶ ἀστραπαί, καὶ πρὸς τὸν πάταγον τῶν βροντῶν τὰ προγεγραμμένα νοερὰ ζῷα ἐγρηγόρησεν, καὶ πρὸς τὸν ἦχον ἐπτόη, καὶ ἐκινήθη ἔν τε γῇ καὶ θαλάσσῃ ἄρρεν καὶ θῆλυ.»	^10.4 "And when the air became brightly illuminated, through the scorching heat of both the sea and the land, winds were generated and clouds, and massive downpours and deluges of heavenly waters. And when they were separated and detached from their own place through the heat of the sun, and all met again in the air—these with those—and collided, thunders and lightnings were produced. At the crash of the thunders, the aforementioned intelligent animals woke up, were startled at the sound, and moved on land and in the sea, male and female."
^10.5 Τοιαύτη αὐτοῖς καὶ ἡ ζωογονία. τούτοις ἐξῆς ὁ αὐτὸς συγγραφεὺς ἐπιφέρει λέγων· «Ταῦθ’ ηὑρέθη ἐν τῇ κοσμογονίᾳ γεγραμμένα Τααύτου καὶ τοῖς ἐκείνου ὑπομνήμασιν, ἔκ τε στοχασμῶν καὶ τεκμηρίων ὧν ἑώρακεν αὐτοῦ ἡ διάνοια καὶ ηὗρε καὶ ἡμῖν ἐφώτισεν.»	^10.5 Such also was their zoogony. Following these things, the same writer adds, saying: "These things were found written in the Cosmogony of Taautos and in his memoirs, drawn from the conjectures and proofs which his mind saw and discovered and enlightened for us."
^10.6 Ἑξῆς τούτοις ὀνόματα τῶν ἀνέμων εἰπὼν νότου καὶ βορέου καὶ τῶν λοιπῶν ἐπιλέγει· «Ἀλλ’ οὗτοί γε πρῶτοι ἀφιέρωσαν τὰ τῆς γῆς βλαστήματα καὶ θεοὺς ἐνόμισαν, καὶ προσεκύνουν ταῦτα, ἀφ’ ὧν αὐτοί τε διεγένοντο καὶ οἱ ἑπόμενοι, καὶ οἱ πρὸ αὐτῶν πάντες, καὶ χοὰς καὶ ἐπιθύσεις ἐποίουν.»	^10.6 Next to these things, after naming the winds—the South Wind, the North Wind, and the rest—he adds: "But these first men consecrated the productions of the earth and regarded them as gods, and worshiped these things upon which they themselves lived, as well as those who followed them and all those before them, and they offered libations and sacrifices."
^10.7 Καὶ ἐπιλέγει· «Αὗται δ’ ἦσαν αἱ ἐπίνοιαι τῆς προσκυνήσεως ὅμοιαι τῇ αὐτῶν ἀσθενείᾳ καὶ ψυχῆς ἀτολμίᾳ. εἶτά φησι γεγενῆσθαι ἐκ τοῦ Κολπία ἀνέμου καὶ γυναικὸς Βάαυτ, τοῦτο δὲ νύκτα ἑρμηνεύει, Αἰῶνα καὶ Πρωτόγονον, θνητοὺς ἄνδρας, οὕτω καλουμένους· εὑρεῖν δὲ τὸν Αἰῶνα τὴν ἀπὸ δένδρων τροφήν. ἐκ τούτων τοὺς γενομένους κληθῆναι Γένος καὶ Γενεάν, καὶ οἰκῆσαι τὴν Φοινίκην· αὐχμῶν δὲ γενομένων τὰς χεῖρας εἰς οὐρανὸν ὀρέγειν πρὸς τὸν ἥλιον. τοῦτον γάρ (φησί) θεὸν ἐνόμιζον μόνον οὐρανοῦ κύριον, Βεελσάμην καλοῦντες, ὅ ἐστι παρὰ Φοίνιξι κύριος οὐρανοῦ, Ζεὺς δὲ παρ’ Ἕλλησι.»	^10.7 And he adds: "These were their notions of worship, matching their own weakness and lack of courage of soul. Then he says that from the wind Kolpias and his wife Baau (which he interprets as 'night') were born Aion and Protogonos, mortal men so named; and that Aion discovered food from trees. From these were born those named Genos and Genea, who inhabited Phoenicia; and when droughts occurred, they stretched their hands to heaven toward the sun. For this [sun]," he says, "they regarded as the only god, the lord of heaven, calling him Beelsamen, which among the Phoenicians is 'lord of heaven,' and among the Greeks 'Zeus.'"
^10.8 Μετὰ δὲ ταῦτα πλάνην Ἕλλησιν αἰτιᾶται λέγων· «Οὐ γὰρ ματαίως αὐτὰ πολλαχῶς διεστειλάμεθα, [διάσεισιν] ὀνομάτων, ἅπερ οἱ Ἕλληνες ἀγνοήσαντες ἄλλως ἐξεδέξαντο, πλανηθέντες τῇ ἀμφιβολίᾳ τῆς μεταφράσεως.»	^10.8 After these things he blames the Greeks for error, saying: "For it was not in vain that we distinguished these things in many ways, [explaining the confusion] of names, which the Greeks in ignorance took in a different sense, being led astray by the ambiguity of the translation."
^10.9 Ἑξῆς φησιν· «Ἀπὸ Γένους Αἰῶνος καὶ Πρωτογόνου γεννηθῆναι αὖθις παῖδας θνητούς, οἷς εἶναι ὀνόματα Φῶς καὶ Πῦρ καὶ Φλόξ. οὗτοι (φησίν) ἐκ παρατριβῆς ξύλων εὗρον πῦρ καὶ τὴν χρῆσιν ἐδίδαξαν. υἱοὺς δὲ ἐγέννησαν οὗτοι μεγέθει τε καὶ ὑπεροχῇ κρείσσονας, ὧν τὰ ὀνόματα τοῖς ὄρεσιν ἐπετέθη ὧν ἐκράτησαν, ὡς ἐξ αὐτῶν κληθῆναι τὸ Κάσσιον, καὶ τὸν Λίβανον, καὶ τὸν Ἀντιλίβανον, καὶ τὸ Βραθύ. ἐκ τούτων (φησίν) ἐγεννήθη Σαμημροῦμος, ὁ καὶ Ὑψουράνιος, καὶ Οὔσωος· ἀπὸ μητέρων δέ (φησίν) ἐχρημάτιζον, τῶν τότε γυναικῶν ἀνέδην μισγομένων οἷς ἀν’ ἐντύχοιεν.»	^10.9 Next he says: "From Genos, Aion, and Protogonos were born again mortal children, whose names were Light (Phos), Fire (Pyr), and Flame (Phlox). These," he says, "discovered fire by rubbing sticks together and taught its use. And these begat sons superior in size and excellence, whose names were given to the mountains over which they ruled, so that from them were named Mount Cassius, Libanus, Antilibanus, and Brathy. From these," he says, "were born Samemroumos (who is also Hypsouranios) and Ousoos. They took their names from their mothers," he says, "since women in those days mated indiscriminately with whomever they met."
^10.10 Εἶτά φησι· «Τὸν Ὑψουράνιον οἰκῆσαι Τύρον, καλύβας τε ἐπινοῆσαι ἀπὸ καλάμων καὶ θρύων καὶ παπύρου. στασιάσαι δὲ πρὸς τὸν ἀδελφὸν Οὔσωον, ὃς σκέπην τῷ σώματι πρῶτος ἐκ δερμάτων ὧν ἴσχυσε συλλαβεῖν θηρίων εὗρε. ῥαγδαίων δὲ γενομένων ὄμβρων καὶ πνευμάτων, παρατριβέντα τὰ ἐν τῇ Τύρῳ δένδρα πῦρ ἀνάψαι καὶ τὴν αὐτόθι ὕλην καταφλέξαι. δένδρου δὲ λαβόμενον τὸν Οὔσωον καὶ ἀποκλαδώσαντα πρῶτον τολμῆσαι εἰς θάλατταν ἐμβῆναι· ἀνιερῶσαι δὲ δύο στήλας πυρὶ καὶ πνεύματι, καὶ προσκυνῆσαι, αἷμά τε σπένδειν αὐταῖς ἐξ ὧν ἤγρευε θηρίων.»	^10.10 Then he says: "Hypsouranios inhabited Tyre and devised huts from reeds, rushes, and papyrus. But he quarreled with his brother Ousoos, who was the first to invent a covering for the body from the skins of wild beasts he managed to catch. Heavy rains and winds having occurred, the trees in Tyre rubbed against one another, set fire to the forest, and burned it down. Ousoos took a tree, stripped off its branches, and was the first who dared to venture onto the sea. He dedicated two pillars to Fire and Wind and worshiped them, pouring out libations to them of the blood of the wild beasts he hunted."
^10.11 «Τούτων δὲ τελευτησάντων τοὺς ἀπολειφθέντας φησὶ ῥάβδους αὐτοῖς ἀφιερῶσαι, καὶ τὰς στήλας προσκυνεῖν, καὶ τούτοις ἑορτὰς ἄγειν κατ’ ἔτος. χρόνοις δὲ ὕστερον πολλοῖς ἀπὸ τῆς Ὑψουρανίου γενεᾶς γενέσθαι Ἀγρέα καὶ Ἁλιέα, τοὺς ἄγρας καὶ ἁλείας εὑρετάς, ἐξ ὧν κληθῆναι ἀγρευτὰς καὶ ἁλιεῖς· ἐξ ὧν γενέσθαι δύο ἀδελφοὺς σιδήρου εὑρετὰς καὶ τῆς τούτου ἐργασίας, ὧν θάτερον τὸν Χρυσὼρ λόγους ἀσκῆσαι καὶ ἐπῳδὰς καὶ μαντείας· εἶναι δὲ τοῦτον Ἥφαιστον, εὑρεῖν δὲ καὶ ἄγκιστρον καὶ δέλεαρ καὶ ὁρμιὰν καὶ σχεδίαν, πρῶτόν τε πάντων ἀνθρώπων πλεῦσαι· διὸ καὶ ὡς θεὸν αὐτὸν μετὰ θάνατον ἐσεβάσθησαν.»	^10.11 "When these died, he says that those who survived dedicated rods to them, worshiped the pillars, and held annual feasts in their honor. Many years later, from the lineage of Hypsouranios, came Agreus and Halieus, the inventors of hunting and fishing, from whom hunters and fishermen were named. From them came two brothers, inventors of iron and its working, one of whom, Chrysor, practiced speeches, incantations, and divinations; this man was Hephaestus, and he invented the hook, bait, fishing line, and raft, and was the first of all men to sail; wherefore they revered him as a god after his death."
^10.12 «Καλεῖσθαι δὲ αὐτὸν καὶ Δία Μειλίχιον· οἱ δὲ τοὺς ἀδελφοὺς αὐτοῦ τοίχους φασὶν ἐπινοῆσαι ἐκ πλίνθων. μετὰ ταῦτ’ ἐκ τοῦ γένους τούτων γενέσθαι νεανίας δύο, καλεῖσθαι δὲ αὐτῶν τὸν μὲν Τεχνίτην, τὸν δὲ Γήινον Αὐτόχθονα. οὗτοι ἐπενόησαν τῷ πηλῷ τῆς πλίνθου συμμιγνύειν φορυτὸν καὶ τῷ ἡλίῳ αὐτὰς τερσαίνειν, ἀλλὰ καὶ στέγας ἐξεῦρον. ἀπὸ τούτων ἐγένοντο ἕτεροι, ὧν ὁ μὲν Ἀγρὸς ἐκαλεῖτο, ὁ δὲ Ἀγρούηρος ἢ Ἀγρότης, οὗ καὶ ξόανον εἶναι μάλα σεβάσμιον καὶ ναὸν ζυγοφορούμενον ἐν Φοινίκῃ· παρὰ δὲ Βυβλίοις ἐξαιρέτως θεῶν ὁ μέγιστος ὀνομάζεται.»	^10.12 "They also called him Zeus Meilichios. Others say that his brothers invented brick walls. After these things, from their lineage came two youths, one called Technites ('Artisan') and the other Geïnos Autochthon ('Earth-born Native'). These devised the mixing of straw with brick-clay and drying them in the sun; they also invented roofs. From these were born others, one called Agros ('Field') and the other Agroueros or Agrotes ('Farmer'), whose wooden statue was very sacred and who had a shrine drawn by oxen in Phoenicia; among the Byblians he is named preeminently as the greatest of gods."
^10.13 «Ἐπενόησαν δὲ οὗτοι αὐλὰς προστιθέναι τοῖς οἴκοις καὶ περιβόλαια καὶ σπήλαια. ἐκ τούτων ἀγρόται καὶ κυνηγοί. οὗτοι δὲ καὶ Ἄληται καὶ Τιτᾶνες καλοῦνται. ἀπὸ τούτων γενέσθαι Ἄμυνον καὶ Μάγον, οἳ κατέδειξαν κώμας καὶ ποίμνας. ἀπὸ τούτων γενέσθαι Μισὼρ καὶ Συδύκ, τοῦτ’ ἔστιν εὔλυτον καὶ δίκαιον. οὗτοι τὴν τοῦ ἁλὸς χρῆσιν εὗρον.»	^10.13 "These devised the addition of courtyards, enclosures, and caves to houses. From these came farmers and hunters. These are also called Aletai ('Wanderers') and Titans. From them came Amynos and Magos, who introduced villages and flocks. From them came Misor and Sydyk, that is, 'Straightforward' [or 'Unbound'] and 'Just.' These discovered the use of salt."
^10.14 «Ἀπὸ Μισὼρ Τάαυτος, ὃς εὗρε τὴν τῶν πρώτων στοιχείων γραφήν· ὃν Αἰγύπτιοι μὲν Θωύθ, Ἀλεξανδρεῖς δὲ Θώθ, Ἕλληνες δὲ Ἑρμῆν ἐκάλεσαν. ἐκ δὲ τοῦ Συδὺκ Διόσκουροι, ἢ Κάβειροι, ἢ Κορύβαντες, ἢ Σαμοθρᾷκες. οὗτοι (φησί) πρῶτοι πλοῖον εὗρον. ἐκ τούτων γεγόνασιν ἕτεροι, οἳ καὶ βοτάνας εὗρον καὶ τὴν τῶν δακετῶν ἴασιν καὶ ἐπῳδάς. κατὰ τούτους γίνεταί τις Ἐλιοῦν καλούμενος Ὕψιστος, καὶ Θήλεια λεγομένη Βηρούθ· οἳ καὶ κατῴκουν περὶ Βύβλον.»	^10.14 "From Misor came Taautos, who discovered the writing of the first elements, whom the Egyptians called Thoyth, the Alexandrians Thoth, and the Greeks Hermes. From Sydyk came the Dioscuri, or Cabiri, or Corybantes, or Samothracians; these," he says, "were the first to discover a ship. From them came others who discovered herbs, the healing of bites, and incantations. In their time there lived a certain Elioun called 'Most High' (Hypsistos), and a female called Berouth, who dwelt around Byblos."
^10.15 «Ἐξ ὧν γεννᾶται Ἐπίγειος Αὐτόχθων, ὃν ὕστερον ἐκάλεσαν Οὐρανόν· ὡς ἀπ’ αὐτοῦ καὶ τὸ ὑπὲρ ἡμᾶς στοιχεῖον δι’ ὑπερβολὴν τοῦ κάλλους ὀνομάζειν οὐρανόν. γεννᾶται δὲ τούτῳ ἀδελφὴ ἐκ τῶν προειρημένων, ἣ καὶ ἐκλήθη Γῆ, καὶ διὰ τὸ κάλλος αὐτῆς (φησίν) ἐκάλεσαν τὴν ὁμώνυμον γῆν. ὁ δὲ τούτων πατὴρ ὁ Ὕψιστος ἐν συμβολῇ θηρίων τελευτήσας ἀφιερώθη, ᾧ χοὰς καὶ θυσίας οἱ παῖδες ἐτέλεσαν.»	^10.15 "From them was born Epigeios Autochthon, whom they later called Ouranos ('Heaven'), so that from him they named the element above us 'heaven' because of its supreme beauty. To him was born a sister by the aforesaid parents, who was called Ge ('Earth'), and because of her beauty," he says, "they named the earth of the same name after her. Their father, Hypsistos, having died in an encounter with wild beasts, was deified, and his children offered libations and sacrifices to him."
^10.16 «Παραλαβὼν δὲ ὁ Οὐρανὸς τὴν τοῦ πατρὸς ἀρχὴν ἄγεται πρὸς γάμον τὴν ἀδελφὴν Γῆν, καὶ ποιεῖται ἐξ αὐτῆς παῖδας τέσσαρας, Ἦλον, τὸν καὶ Κρόνον, καὶ Βαίτυλον καὶ Δαγών, ὅς ἐστι Σιτών, καὶ Ἄτλαντα. καὶ ἐξ ἄλλων δὲ γαμετῶν ὁ Οὐρανὸς πολλὴν ἔσχε γενεάν. διὸ χαλεπαίνουσα ἡ Γῆ τὸν Οὐρανὸν ζηλοτυποῦσα ἐκάκιζεν, ὡς καὶ διαστῆναι ἀλλήλων.»	^10.16 "Ouranos, having succeeded to his father's rule, took his sister Ge in marriage and had by her four sons: Elus (who is also Cronus), Baetylus, Dagon (who is Siton, 'Grain-Man'), and Atlas. Ouranos also had many children by other wives. Wherefore Ge, being aggrieved and jealous of Ouranos, reviled him, so that they separated from one another."
^10.17 «Ὁ δὲ Οὐρανὸς ἀποχωρήσας αὐτῆς, μετὰ βίας ὅτε καὶ ἐβούλετο ἐπιὼν καὶ πλησιάζων αὐτῇ, πάλιν ἀπηλλάττετο· ἐπεχείρει δὲ καὶ τοὺς ἐξ αὐτῆς παῖδας διαφθείρειν· τὴν δὲ Γῆν ἀμύνασθαι πολλάκις, συμμαχίαν αὐτῇ συλλεξαμένην. εἰς ἄνδρας δὲ προελθὼν ὁ Κρόνος, Ἑρμῇ τῷ τρισμεγίστῳ συμβούλῳ καὶ βοηθῷ χρώμενος—οὗτος γὰρ ἦν αὐτῷ γραμματεύς—τὸν πατέρα Οὐρανὸν ἀμύνεται, τιμωρῶν τῇ μητρί.»	^10.17 "Ouranos, having departed from her, would return by force whenever he wished, lie with her, and depart again. He also attempted to destroy the children he had by her, but Ge defended herself repeatedly, having gathered allies. When Cronus came of age, using Hermes Trismegistus as his counselor and helper—for he was his secretary—he repelled his father Ouranos, avenging his mother."
^10.18 «Κρόνῳ δὲ γίνονται παῖδες Περσεφόνη καὶ Ἀθηνᾶ. ἡ μὲν οὖν πρώτη παρθένος ἐτελεύτα· τῆς δὲ Ἀθηνᾶς γνώμῃ καὶ Ἑρμοῦ κατεσκεύασε Κρόνος ἐκ σιδήρου ἅρπην καὶ δόρυ. εἶτα ὁ Ἑρμῆς τοῖς τοῦ Κρόνου συμμάχοις λόγους μαγείας διαλεχθεὶς πόθον ἐνεποίησε τῆς κατὰ τοῦ Οὐρανοῦ μάχης ὑπὲρ τῆς Γῆς. καὶ οὕτω Κρόνος τὸν Οὐρανὸν πολέμῳ συμβαλὼν τῆς ἀρχῆς ἤλασε καὶ τὴν βασιλείαν διεδέξατο. ἑάλω δὲ καὶ ἐν τῇ μάχῃ ἡ ἐπέραστος τοῦ Οὐρανοῦ σύγκοιτος ἐγκύμων οὖσα, ἣν ἐκδίδωσιν ὁ Κρόνος Δαγῶνι πρὸς γάμον.»	^10.18 "To Cronus were born children, Persephone and Athena. The former died a virgin; but by the counsel of Athena and Hermes, Cronus made a sickle and a spear of iron. Then Hermes, addressing the allies of Cronus with words of magic, produced in them a longing to fight against Ouranos on behalf of Ge. And so Cronus, joining battle with Ouranos, drove him from power and succeeded to the kingdom. In the battle, Ouranos’s beloved concubine was captured while pregnant, and Cronus gave her to Dagon in marriage."
^10.19 «Τίκτει δὲ τούτῳ ὃ κατὰ γαστρὸς ἐξ Οὐρανοῦ ἔφερεν, ὃ καὶ ἐκάλεσε Δημαροῦν. ἐπὶ τούτοις ὁ Κρόνος τεῖχος περιβάλλει τῇ ἑαυτοῦ οἰκήσει, καὶ πόλιν πρώτην κτίζει τὴν ἐπὶ Φοινίκης Βύβλον.»	^10.19 "She gave birth to the child she carried in her womb from Ouranos, whom he called Demarous. Thereupon Cronus built a wall around his dwelling and founded the first city, Byblos in Phoenicia."
^10.20 «Μετὰ ταῦτα τὸν ἀδελφὸν τὸν ἴδιον Ἄτλαντα ὑπονοήσας ὁ Κρόνος, μετὰ γνώμης τοῦ Ἑρμοῦ εἰς βάθος γῆς ἐμβαλὼν κατέχωσε. Κατὰ τοῦτον τὸν χρόνον οἱ ἀπὸ τῶν Διοσκούρων σχεδίας καὶ πλοῖα συνθέντες ἔπλευσαν, καὶ ἐκριφέντες περὶ τὸ Κάσσιον ὄρος ναὸν αὐτόθι ἀφιέρωσαν. οἱ δὲ σύμμαχοι Ἤλου τοῦ Κρόνου Ἐλωεὶμ ἐπεκλήθησαν, ὡς ἂν Κρόνιοι οὗτοι ἦσαν οἱ λεγόμενοι ἐπὶ Κρόνου.»	^10.20 "After these things, Cronus, suspecting his own brother Atlas, threw him into a deep pit in the earth and covered him, on the advice of Hermes. At about this time, the descendants of the Dioscuri built rafts and ships and sailed, and being cast ashore near Mount Cassius, they dedicated a temple there. The allies of Elus (Cronus) were named Eloeim, as these were called 'Cronians' in the time of Cronus."
^10.21 «Κρόνος δὲ υἱὸν ἔχων Σάδιδον ἰδίῳ αὐτὸν σιδήρῳ διεχρήσατο, δι’ ὑπονοίας αὐτὸν ἐσχηκώς, καὶ τῆς ψυχῆς αὐτόχειρ τοῦ παιδὸς γενόμενος ἐστέρησεν· ὡσαύτως καὶ θυγατρὸς ἰδίας τὴν κεφαλὴν ἀπέτεμεν, ὡς πάντας ἐκπεπλῆχθαι θεοὺς τὴν Κρόνου γνώμην.»	^10.21 "Cronus, having a son named Sadidos, slew him with his own iron sword because he held him in suspicion, depriving his child of life with his own hand; in like manner he cut off the head of his own daughter, so that all the gods were amazed at the disposition of Cronus."
^10.22 «Χρόνου δὲ προϊόντος Οὐρανὸς ἐν φυγῇ τυγχάνων θυγατέρα αὐτοῦ παρθένον Ἀστάρτην μεθ’ ἑτέρων ἀδελφῶν αὐτῆς δύο, Ῥέας καὶ Διώνης, δόλῳ τὸν Κρόνον ἀνελεῖν ὑποπέμπει· ἃς καὶ ἑλὼν ὁ Κρόνος κουριδίας γαμετὰς ἀδελφὰς οὔσας ἐποιήσατο.»	^10.22 "As time went on, Ouranos, while in exile, secretly sent his virgin daughter Astarte, along with two of her sisters, Rhea and Dione, to destroy Cronus by deceit. But Cronus captured them and made them his wedded wives, though they were his sisters."
^10.23 «Γνοὺς δὲ Οὐρανὸς ἐπιστρατεύει κατὰ τοῦ Κρόνου Εἱμαρμένην καὶ Ὥραν μεθ’ ἑτέρων συμμάχων, καὶ ταύτας ἐξοικειωσάμενος ὁ Κρόνος παρ’ ἑαυτῷ κατέσχεν. ἔτι δέ (φησιν) ἐπενόησε θεὸς Οὐρανὸς βαιτύλια, λίθους ἐμψύχους μηχανησάμενος. Κρόνῳ δὲ ἐγένοντο ἀπὸ Ἀστάρτης θυγατέρες ἑπτὰ Τιτανίδες ἢ Ἀρτέμιδες.»	^10.23 "Ouranos, learning of this, sent Fate (Heimarmene) and Hour (Hora) with other allies against Cronus, but Cronus won these over as well and kept them with him. Moreover," he says, "the god Ouranos devised baetylia, inventing animated stones. To Cronus were born by Astarte seven daughters, the Titanides or Artemides."
^10.24 «Καὶ πάλιν τῷ αὐτῷ γίνονται ἀπὸ Ῥέας παῖδες ἑπτὰ, ὧν ὁ νεώτατος ἅμα τῇ γενέσει ἀφιερώθη· καὶ ἀπὸ Διώνης θήλειαι, καὶ ἀπὸ Ἀστάρτης πάλιν ἄρρενες δύο, Πόθος καὶ Ἔρως.»	^10.24 "And again to the same were born by Rhea seven sons, the youngest of whom was consecrated at his birth; and by Dione daughters; and by Astarte again two males, Pothos ('Desire') and Eros ('Love')."
^10.25 «Ὁ δὲ Δαγών, ἐπειδὴ εὗρε σῖτον καὶ ἄροτρον, ἐκλήθη Ζεὺς Ἀρότριος. Συδύκῳ δὲ, τῷ λεγομένῳ δικαίῳ, μία τῶν Τιτανίδων συνελθοῦσα γεννᾷ τὸν Ἀσκληπιόν.»	^10.25 "Dagon, when he discovered grain and the plow, was called Zeus Arotrios ('Zeus of the Plow'). To Sydyk, called the Just, one of the Titanides bore Asclepius."
^10.26 «Ἐγεννήθησαν δὲ καὶ ἐν Περαίᾳ Κρόνῳ τρεῖς παῖδες, Κρόνος ὁμώνυμος τῷ πατρί, καὶ Ζεὺς Βῆλος, καὶ Ἀπόλλων. κατὰ τούτους γίνονται Πόντος καὶ Τυφὼν καὶ Νηρεύς, πατὴρ Πόντου.»	^10.26 "There were also born to Cronus in Peraea three sons: Cronus, named after his father, Zeus Belus, and Apollo. Contemporary with these were Pontus, Typhon, and Nereus, the father of Pontus."
^10.27 «Ἀπὸ δὲ τοῦ Πόντου γίνεται Σιδών, ἣ καθ’ ὑπερβολὴν εὐφωνίας πρώτη ὕμνον ᾠδῆς εὗρε, καὶ Ποσειδῶν. τῷ δὲ Δημαροῦντι γίνεται Μέλκαθρος, ὁ καὶ Ἡρακλῆς.»	^10.27 "From Pontus was born Sidon (who, through her exceptional sweetness of voice, was the first to invent a hymn of song) and Poseidon. To Demarous was born Melkarth, who is also Heracles."
^10.28 «Εἶτα πάλιν Οὐρανὸς πολεμεῖ Πόντῳ, καὶ ἀποστὰς Δημαροῦντι προστίθεται· ἔπεισί τε Πόντῳ ὁ Δημαροῦς, τροποῦταί τε αὐτὸν ὁ Πόντος, ὁ δὲ Δημαροῦς φυγῆς θυσίαν ηὔξατο.»	^10.28 "Then again Ouranos made war on Pontus, and revolting, joined Demarous. Demarous attacked Pontus, but Pontus put him to flight, and Demarous vowed a sacrifice for his escape."
^10.29 «Ἔτει δὲ τριακοστῷ δευτέρῳ τῆς ἑαυτοῦ κρατήσεως καὶ βασιλείας ὁ Ἦλος, τοῦτ’ ἔστιν ὁ Κρόνος, Οὐρανὸν τὸν πατέρα λοχήσας ἐν τόπῳ τινὶ μεσογείῳ καὶ λαβὼν ὑποχείριον ἐκτέμνει αὐτοῦ τὰ αἰδοῖα, σύνεγγυς πηγῶν τε καὶ ποταμῶν. ἔνθα ἀφιερώθη Οὐρανός, καὶ ἀπηρτίσθη αὐτοῦ τὸ πνεῦμα, καὶ ἀπέσταξεν αὐτοῦ τὸ αἷμα τῶν αἰδοίων εἰς τὰς πηγὰς καὶ τῶν ποταμῶν τὰ ὕδατα, καὶ μέχρι τούτου δείκνυται τὸ χωρίον.»	^10.29 "In the thirty-second year of his power and reign, Elus (that is, Cronus), having ambushed his father Ouranos in an inland place and gotten him into his power, castrated him near springs and rivers. There Ouranos was consecrated, his spirit was parted, and the blood of his genitals dripped into the springs and the waters of the rivers; and the place is shown to this day."
^10.30 Τοσαῦτα μὲν δὴ τὰ τοῦ Κρόνου, καὶ τοιαῦτά γε τὰ σεμνὰ τοῦ παρ’ Ἕλλησι βοωμένου βίου τῶν ἐπὶ Κρόνου, οὓς καί φασι γεγονέναι πρῶτον χρύσεόν τε γένος μερόπων ἀνθρώπων, τῆς μακαριζομένης ἐκείνης τῶν παλαιῶν εὐδαιμονίας. πάλιν δὲ ὁ συγγραφεὺς τούτοις μεθ’ ἕτερα ἐπιφέρει λέγων·	^10.30 Such were the deeds of Cronus, and such were the grand features of the life celebrated among the Greeks of the time of Cronus—whom they say was the first golden race of articulate men, that blessed happiness of the ancients! Again, after other matters, the author adds, saying:
^10.31 «Ἀστάρτη δὲ ἡ μεγίστη καὶ Ζεὺς Δημαροῦς καὶ Ἄδωδος βασιλεὺς θεῶν ἐβασίλευον τῆς χώρας Κρόνου γνώμῃ. ἡ δὲ Ἀστάρτη ἐπέθηκε τῇ ἰδίᾳ κεφαλῇ βασιλείας παράσημον κεφαλὴν ταύρου· περινοστοῦσα δὲ τὴν οἰκουμένην εὗρεν ἀεροπετῆ ἀστέρα, ὃν καὶ ἀνελομένη ἐν Τύρῳ τῇ ἁγίᾳ νήσῳ ἀφιέρωσε.»	^10.31 "Astarte the Great, Zeus Demarous, and Adodos, king of the gods, reigned over the country by the consent of Cronus. Astarte placed upon her own head, as a mark of royalty, the head of a bull; and roaming about the inhabited world, she found a star fallen from the air, which she picked up and consecrated in the holy island of Tyre."
^10.32 «Τὴν δὲ Ἀστάρτην Φοίνικες τὴν Ἀφροδίτην εἶναι λέγουσι. καὶ ὁ Κρόνος δὲ περιιὼν τὴν οἰκουμένην Ἀθηνᾷ τῇ ἑαυτοῦ θυγατρὶ δίδωσι τῆς Ἀττικῆς τὴν βασιλείαν.»	^10.32 "The Phoenicians say that Astarte is Aphrodite. Cronus also, going about the inhabited world, gave the kingdom of Attica to his own daughter Athena."
^10.33 «Λοιμοῦ δὲ γενομένου καὶ φθορᾶς τὸν ἑαυτοῦ μονογενῆ υἱὸν Κρόνος Οὐρανῷ τῷ πατρὶ ὁλοκαρποῖ, καὶ τὰ αἰδοῖα περιτέμνεται, ταὐτὸν ποιῆσαι καὶ τοὺς ἅμ’ αὐτῷ συμμάχους καταναγκάσας.»	^10.33 "When a pestilence and destruction occurred, Cronus offered up his only-begotten son as a burnt offering to his father Ouranos, and circumcised himself, compelling his allies to do the same."
^10.34 «Καὶ μετ’ οὐ πολὺ ἕτερον αὐτοῦ παῖδα ἀπὸ Ῥέας ὀνομαζόμενον Μοὺθ ἀποθανόντα ἀφιεροῖ. Θάνατον δὲ καὶ Πλούτωνα Φοίνικες ὀνομάζουσι.»	^10.34 "Not long afterward, he consecrated another son of his by Rhea, named Mouth, after his death. The Phoenicians name him Death (Thanatos) and Pluto."
^10.35 «Καὶ ἐπὶ τούτοις ὁ Κρόνος Βύβλον μὲν τὴν πόλιν θεᾷ Βααλτίδι, τῇ καὶ Διώνῃ, δίδωσι, Βηρυτὸν δὲ Ποσειδῶνι καὶ Καβείροις Ἀγρόταις τε καὶ Ἁλιεῦσιν, οἳ καὶ τὰ τοῦ Πόντου λείψανα εἰς τὴν Βηρυτὸν ἀφιέρωσαν.»	^10.35 "In addition to these, Cronus gave the city of Byblos to the goddess Baaltis (who is Dione), and Berytus to Poseidon and to the Cabiri, Agrotes, and Halieis, who consecrated the remains of Pontus at Berytus."
^10.36 «Πρὸ δὲ τούτων θεὸς Ταυθὸς μιμησάμενος τῶν συνόντων θεῶν ὄψεις, Κρόνου τε καὶ Δαγῶνος καὶ τῶν λοιπῶν, διετύπωσεν τοὺς ἱεροὺς τῶν στοιχείων χαρακτῆρας. ἐπενόησε δὲ καὶ τῷ Κρόνῳ παράσημα βασιλείας ὄμματα τέσσαρα ἐκ τῶν ἐμπροσθίων καὶ ὀπισθίων μερῶν, ... δύο δὲ ἡσυχῇ μύοντα, καὶ ἐπὶ τῶν ὤμων πτερὰ τέσσαρα, δύο μὲν ὡς ἱπτάμενα, δύο δὲ ὡς ὑφειμένα.»	^10.36 "Prior to these things, the god Taautos, imitating the features of the gods who were with him—of Cronus, Dagon, and the rest—formed the sacred characters of the elements. He also devised for Cronus, as emblems of royalty, four eyes in the front and back parts ... two closing quietly in sleep, and upon his shoulders four wings, two as if flying and two as if folded."
^10.37 «Τὸ δὲ σύμβολον ἦν, ἐπειδὴ Κρόνος κοιμώμενος ἔβλεπε, καὶ ἐγρηγορὼς ἐκοιμᾶτο· καὶ ἐπὶ τῶν πτερῶν ὁμοίως, ὅτι ἀναπαυόμενος ἔπτατο καὶ ἱπτάμενος ἀνεπαύετο. τοῖς δὲ λοιποῖς θεοῖς δύο ἑκάστῳ πτερώματα ἐπὶ τῶν ὤμων, ὡς ὅτι δὴ συνίπταντο τῷ Κρόνῳ. καὶ αὐτῷ δὲ πάλιν ἐπὶ τῆς κεφαλῆς πτερὰ δύο, ἓν ἐπὶ τοῦ ἡγεμονικωτάτου νοῦ καὶ ἓν ἐπὶ τῆς αἰσθήσεως.»	^10.37 "The symbol meant that Cronus saw while sleeping and slept while awake; and similarly for the wings, that while resting he flew, and while flying he rested. To the other gods he gave two wings each upon their shoulders, signifying that they flew along with Cronus. He also had two wings upon his head, one for the ruling mind and one for sensation."
^10.38 «Ἐλθὼν δὲ ὁ Κρόνος εἰς νότου χώραν ἅπασαν τὴν Αἴγυπτον ἔδωκε θεῷ Ταυθῷ, ὅπως βασίλειον αὐτῷ γένηται. ταῦτα δέ (φησι) πρῶτοι πάντων ὑπεμνηματίσαντο οἱ ἑπτὰ παῖδες Κάβειροι, καὶ ὁ ἴδιος αὐτῶν ἀδελφὸς Ἀσκληπιός, ὡς αὐτοῖς ἐνετείλατο θεὸς Ταυθός.»	^10.38 "Cronus, coming into the southern land, gave all Egypt to the god Taautos, that it might be his kingdom. These things," he says, "were first recorded of all by the seven sons of Cabirus and their own brother Asclepius, as the god Taautos commanded them."
^10.39 «Ταῦτα πάντα ὁ Θαβίων, ὃς πάμπρωτος τῶν ἀπ’ αἰῶνος γεγονότων Φοινίκων ἱεροφάντης ἀλληγορήσας, τοῖς τε φυσικοῖς καὶ κοσμικοῖς πάθεσιν ἀναμίξας, παρέδωκε τοῖς ὀργεῶσι καὶ τελετῶν κατάρχουσι προφήταις· οἱ δὲ τὸν τῦφον αὔξειν ἐκ παντὸς ἐπινοοῦντες τοῖς αὐτῶν διαδόχοις παρέδοσαν καὶ τοῖς ἐπεισάκτοις· ὧν εἷς ἦν καὶ Εἰσίριος τῶν τριῶν γραμματέων εὑρετής, ἀδελφὸς Χνᾶ τοῦ πρώτου μετονομασθέντος Φοίνικος.»	^10.39 "All these things Thabion—who was the very first hierophant of the Phoenicians from the beginning of time—allegorized and mixed with natural and cosmic phenomena, and handed down to the initiates and the prophets who led the rites. They, devising ways to increase their pomposity by every means, handed them down to their successors and to foreigners; one of whom was Eisirios, inventor of the three letters, brother of Chna, who was the first to be renamed Phoenix."
^10.40 Εἶθ’ ἑξῆς αὖθις ἐπιλέγει· «Οἱ δὲ Ἕλληνες εὐφυΐᾳ πάντας ὑπερβαλλόμενοι τὰ μὲν πρῶτα πλεῖστα ἐξιδιώσαντο, εἶτα καὶ τοῖς προκοσμήμασι ποικίλως ἐξετραγῴδησαν, ταῖς τε τῶν μύθων ἡδοναῖς θέλγειν ἐπινοοῦντες παντοίως ἐποίκιλλον. ἔνθεν Ἡσίοδος οἵ τε κυκλικοὶ περιηχημένοι θεογονίας καὶ γιγαντομαχίας καὶ Τιτανομαχίας ἔπλασαν ἰδίας καὶ ἐκτομάς, οἷς συμπεριφερόμενοι ἐξενίκησαν τὴν ἀλήθειαν.»	^10.40 Then again he adds next: "The Greeks, surpassing all in natural abilities, first made most of these things their own property, and then embellished them with elaborate drama, aiming to charm with the pleasures of myths in every way. Hence Hesiod and the Cyclic poets sang tales of theogonies, gigantomachies, and titanomachies of their own making, and castrations, by which, becoming entangled, they defeated the truth."
^10.41 «Σύντροφοι δὲ τοῖς ἐκείνων πλάσμασιν αἱ ἀκοαὶ ἡμῶν γενόμεναι, καὶ προληφθεῖσαι πολλοῖς αἰῶσιν, ὡς παρακαταθήκην φυλάσσουσιν ἣν παρεδέξαντο μυθοποιίαν, καθάπερ καὶ ἀρχόμενος εἶπον, ἥτις συνεργηθεῖσα χρόνῳ δυσεξίτητον αὐτῆς τὴν κατοχὴν εἴργασται, ὥστε τὴν μὲν ἀλήθειαν δοκεῖν λῆρον, τὸ δὲ τῆς ἀφηγήσεως νόθον ἀλήθειαν.»	^10.41 "Our ears having grown up accustomed to their fictions and preoccupied for many ages, they preserve as a trust the myth-making they received—just as I said at the beginning—which, aided by time, has made its hold difficult to erase, so that truth seems nonsense, and the illegitimate narrative seems truth."
^10.42 Ταῦτα ἀπὸ τῆς Σαγχουνιάθωνος προκείσθω γραφῆς, ἑρμηνευθείσης μὲν ὑπὸ Φίλωνος τοῦ Βυβλίου, δοκιμασθείσης δὲ ὡς ἀληθοῦς ὑπὸ τῆς Πορφυρίου τοῦ φιλοσόφου μαρτυρίας. ὁ δ’ αὐτὸς ἐν τῷ περὶ Ἰουδαίων συγγράμματι ἔτι καὶ ταῦτα περὶ τοῦ Κρόνου γράφει·	^10.42 Let these extracts suffice from the writing of Sanchuniathon, translated by Philo of Byblos and approved as true by the testimony of Porphyry the philosopher. The same writer, in his work On the Jews, writes these further things concerning Cronus:
^10.43 «Ταυθός, ὃν Αἰγύπτιοι Θωὺθ προσαγορεύουσι, σοφίᾳ διενεγκὼν παρὰ τοῖς Φοίνιξι, πρῶτος τὰ κατὰ τὴν θεοσέβειαν ἐκ τῆς τῶν χυδαίων ἀπειρίας εἰς ἐπιστημονικὴν ἐμπειρίαν διέταξεν. ᾧ μετὰ γενεὰς πλείους θεὸς Σουρμουβηλὸς Θουρώ τε ἡ μετονομασθεῖσα Εὔσαρθις ἀκολουθήσαντες κεκρυμμένην τοῦ Ταυοῦ καὶ ἀλληγορίαις ἐπεσκιασμένην τὴν θεολογίαν ἐφώτισαν.»	^10.43 "Taautos, whom the Egyptians call Thoyth, distinguished for wisdom among the Phoenicians, was the first to organize matters regarding divine worship from the ignorance of the common people into scientific experience. Many generations later, the god Sourmoubelos and Thouro (who was renamed Eusarthis) followed him and brought to light the theology of Taautos which had been hidden and obscured by allegories."
^10.44 Καὶ μετὰ βραχέα φησίν· «Ἔθος ἦν τοῖς παλαιοῖς ἐν ταῖς μεγάλαις συμφοραῖς τῶν κινδύνων ἀντὶ τῆς πάντων φθορᾶς τὸ ἠγαπημένον τῶν τέκνων τοὺς κρατοῦντας ἢ πόλεως ἢ ἔθνους εἰς σφαγὴν ἐπιδιδόναι, λύτρον τοῖς τιμωροῖς δαίμοσι· κατεσφάττοντο δὲ οἱ διδόμενοι μυστικῶς. Κρόνος τοίνυν, ὃν οἱ Φοίνικες Ἤλον προσαγορεύουσι, βασιλεύων τῆς χώρας, καὶ ὕστερον μετὰ τὴν τοῦ βίου τελευτὴν εἰς τὸν τοῦ Κρόνου ἀστέρα καθιερωθείς, ἐξ ἐπιχωρίας νύμφης Ἀνωβρὲτ λεγομένης υἱὸν ἔχων μονογενῆ, ὃν διὰ τοῦτο Ἰεδοὺδ ἐκάλουν (τοῦ μονογενοῦς οὕτως ἔτι καὶ νῦν καλουμένου παρὰ τοῖς Φοίνιξι), κινδύνων ἐκ πολέμου μεγίστων κατειληφότων τὴν χώραν, βασιλικῷ κοσμήσας σχήματι τὸν υἱὸν βωμόν τε κατασκευάσας ἄσμενος κατέθυσεν.»	^10.44 And shortly after he says: "It was a custom among the ancients in great perils of danger, in place of the destruction of all, for the rulers of a city or nation to give up the most beloved of their children for slaughter as a ransom to the avenging demons; and those thus given were slaughtered mystically. Cronus, therefore, whom the Phoenicians call Elus, who was king of the country, and later, after the end of his life, was consecrated into the star of Cronus [Saturn], had an only-begotten son by a native nymph called Anobret, whom on this account they called Iedoud (the only-begotten being so called even now among the Phoenicians). When supreme dangers from war had overtaken the country, he arrayed his son in royal attire, prepared an altar, and willingly sacrificed him."
^10.45 Ὁ δ’ αὐτὸς πάλιν περὶ τῶν Φοινίκων στοιχείων ἐκ τῶν Σαγχουνιάθωνος μεταβαλών, θέα ὁποῖά φησι περὶ τῶν ἑρπυστικῶν καὶ ἰοβόλων θηρίων, ἃ δὴ χρῆσιν μὲν ἀγαθὴν ἀνθρώποις οὐδεμίαν συντελεῖ, φθορὰν δὲ καὶ λύμην οἷς ἂν τὸν δυσαλθῆ καὶ χαλεπὸν ἰὸν ἐγχρίμψειεν ἀπεργάζεται. γράφει δὲ καὶ ταῦτα πρὸς λέξιν ὧδέ πως λέγων·	^10.45 The same writer again, translating from Sanchuniathon regarding the Phoenician elements, see what he says concerning creeping and venomous beasts, which render no good service to men, but bring ruin and destruction upon whomever they inject their incurable and dreadful poison. He writes these things word for word as follows:
^10.46 «Τὴν μὲν οὖν τοῦ δράκοντος φύσιν καὶ τῶν ὄφεων αὐτὸς ἐξεθείασεν ὁ Ταυθός, καὶ μετ’ αὐτὸν αὖθις Φοίνικές τε καὶ Αἰγύπτιοι· πνευματικώτατον γὰρ τὸ ζῷον πάντων τῶν ἑρπετῶν καὶ πυρῶδες ὑπ’ αὐτοῦ παρεδόθη· παρ’ ὃ καὶ τάχος ἀνυπέρβλητον διὰ τοῦ πνεύματος παρίστησι, χωρὶς ποδῶν τε καὶ χειρῶν ἢ ἄλλου τινὸς τῶν ἔκτοσθεν, δι’ ὧν τὰ λοιπὰ ζῷα τὰς κινήσεις ποιεῖται· καὶ ποικίλων σχημάτων τύπους ἀποτελεῖ, καὶ κατὰ τὴν πορείαν ἑλικοειδεῖς ἔχει τὰς ὁρμὰς ἐφ’ ὃ βούλεται τάχος.»	^10.46 "The nature of the dragon and of serpents Taautos himself deified, and after him again the Phoenicians and Egyptians. For this animal was declared by him to be the most full of spirit of all reptiles, and fiery; wherefore it also displays unsurpassed speed through its spirit, without feet, hands, or any other external organs through which other animals make their movements. It forms shapes of various figures, and in its course makes spiral springs at whatever speed it chooses."
^10.47 «Καὶ πολυχρονιώτατον δέ ἐστιν, οὐ μόνον τε ἐκδυόμενον τὸ γήρας νεάζειν, ἀλλὰ καὶ αὔξησιν ἐπιδέχεσθαι μείζονα πέφυκε· καὶ ἐπειδὰν τὸ ὡρισμένον μέτρον πληρώσῃ, εἰς ἑαυτὸν ἀναλίσκεται, ὡς ἐν ταῖς ἱεραῖς ὁμοίως αὐτὸς ὁ Ταυθὸς κατέταξε γραφαῖς. διὸ καὶ ἐν ἱεροῖς τοῦτο τὸ ζῷον καὶ ἐν μυστηρίοις συμπαρείληπται.»	^10.47 "It is also very long-lived, and not only sheds its old age to become young again, but is naturally capable of receiving a larger increase. When it has fulfilled its appointed measure, it is consumed into itself, as Taautos himself likewise set down in the sacred writings. Wherefore this animal is included in sacred rites and in mysteries."
^10.48 «Εἴρηται δὲ ἡμῖν περὶ αὐτοῦ ἐν τοῖς ἐπιγραφομένοις Ἐθωθιῶν ὑπομνήμασιν ἐπὶ πλέον· ἐν οἷς κατασκευάζεται ὅτι ἀθάνατον εἴη, καὶ ὡς εἰς ἑαυτὸν ἀναλύεται, ὥσπερ πρόκειται· οὐ γὰρ θνήσκει ἰδίῳ θανάτῳ, εἰ μὴ βίᾳ τινὶ πληγέν, τοῦτο τὸ ζῷον. Φοίνικες δὲ αὐτὸ Ἀγαθὸν Δαίμονα καλοῦσιν· ὁμοίως καὶ Αἰγύπτιοι Κνὴφ ἐπονομάζουσι· προστιθέασι δὲ αὐτῷ ἱέρακος κεφαλήν, διὰ τὸ πρακτικὸν τοῦ ἱέρακος.»	^10.48 "We have spoken more fully about it in the memoirs entitled Ethothia, in which it is established that it is immortal, and how it dissolves into itself as stated above. For this animal does not die a natural death, unless struck by some force. The Phoenicians call it Agathodaimon ('Good Demon'); similarly the Egyptians name it Kneph, and they add to it the head of a hawk on account of the activity of the hawk."
^10.49 «Καί φησιν ὁ Ἐπήεις ἀλληγορῶν (ὁ ὀνομασθεὶς παρ’ αὐτοῖς μέγιστος ἱεροφάντης καὶ ἱερογραμματεύς, ὃν μετέφρασεν Ἄρειος Ἡρακλεοπολίτης) κατὰ λέξιν οὕτως· ‘Τὸ πρῶτον ὂν θειότατον ὄφις ἐστὶν ἱέρακος ἔχων μορφήν, ἄγαν ἐπίχαρις· ὃς εἰ ἀναβλέψειε, φωτὸς τὸ πᾶν ἐπλήρου ἐν τῇ πρωτογόνῳ χώρᾳ αὐτοῦ· εἰ δὲ καμμύσειε, σκότος ἐγίνετο.’»	^10.49 And Epeis says in his allegory (who was named among them as the greatest hierophant and sacred scribe, whom Areios of Heracleopolis translated), word for word thus: "‘The first most divine Being is a serpent having the form of a hawk, exceedingly delightful; who, if he opened his eyes, filled all with light in his primeval land; but if he closed them, darkness arose.’"
^10.50 Ἔμφασιν διδοὺς ὁ Ἐπήεις ὅτι καὶ διάπυρόν ἐστι διὰ τοῦ φάναι διηύγασε· φωτὸς γὰρ ἴδιόν ἐστι τὸ διαυγάσαι. παρὰ Φοινίκων δὲ καὶ Φερεκύδης λαβὼν τὰς ἀφορμὰς ἐθεολόγησε περὶ τοῦ παρ’ αὐτῷ λεγομένου Ὀφίονος θεοῦ καὶ τῶν Ὀφιονιδῶν, περὶ ὧν αὖθις λέξομεν.	^10.50 Epeis implies that it is also fiery by saying 'it filled with light,' for it is peculiar to light to shine. Pherecydes also, taking his starting points from the Phoenicians, theologized concerning the god called by him Ophion and the Ophionidae, of whom we shall speak again.
^10.51 Ἔτι μὴν οἱ Αἰγύπτιοι ἀπὸ τῆς αὐτῆς ἐννοίας τὸν κόσμον γράφοντες περιφερῆ κύκλον ἀεροειδῆ καὶ πυρωπὸν χαράσσουσι, καὶ μέσα τεταμένον ὄφιν ἱερακόμορφον· καὶ ἔστι τὸ πᾶν σχῆμα ὡς τὸ παρ’ ἡμῖν θῆτα· τὸν μὲν κύκλον κόσμον μηνύοντες, τὸν δὲ μέσον ὄφιν συνεκτικὸν τούτου ἀγαθὸν δαίμονα σημαίνοντες.	^10.51 Moreover, the Egyptians, drawing the world from the same idea, trace a circular ring, airy and fiery in appearance, and a hawk-shaped serpent stretched through the middle; and the whole shape is like our letter Theta (Θ), indicating by the circle the world, and by the serpent in the middle the Good Demon that holds it together.
^10.52 Καὶ Ζωροάστρης δὲ ὁ μάγος ἐν τῇ ἱερᾷ συναγωγῇ τῶν Περσικῶν φησι κατὰ λέξιν· «Ὁ δὲ θεός ἐστι κεφαλὴν ἔχων ἱέρακος. οὗτός ἐστιν ὁ πρῶτος ἄφθαρτος, ἀίδιος, ἀγένητος, ἀμερής, ἀνομοιότατος, ἡνίοχος παντὸς καλοῦ, ἀδωροδόκητος, ἀγαθῶν ἀγαθώτατος, φρονίμων φρονιμώτατος· ἔστι δὲ καὶ πατὴρ εὐνομίας καὶ δικαιοσύνης, αὐτοδίδακτος, φυσικός, καὶ τέλειος, καὶ σοφός, καὶ ἱεροῦ φυσικοῦ μόνος εὑρετής.» Τὰ δ’ αὐτὰ καὶ Ὀστάνης φησὶ περὶ αὐτοῦ ἐν τῇ ἐπιγραφομένῃ Ὀκτατεύχῳ.	^10.52 Zoroaster the Magus also says word for word in the sacred collection of Persian lore: "‘God has the head of a hawk. He is the first, indestructible, eternal, unbegotten, indivisible, most unlike any other, the guide of every good, unbribable, best of the good, wisest of the wise; he is also the father of order and justice, self-taught, natural, perfect, wise, and the sole discoverer of sacred nature.’" Ostanes says the same things concerning him in the work entitled Octateuch.
^10.53 Πάντες δὲ τὰς ἀφορμὰς παρὰ Ταυθοῦ λαβόντες ἐφυσιολόγησαν, ὥσπερ πρόκειται. καὶ τὰ μὲν πρῶτα στοιχεῖα τὰ διὰ τῶν ὄφεων ναοὺς κατασκευασάμενοι ἐν ἀδύτοις ἀφιέρωσαν, καὶ τούτοις ἑορτὰς καὶ θυσίας ἐπετέλουν καὶ ὄργια, θεοὺς τοὺς μεγίστους νομίζοντες καὶ ἀρχηγοὺς τῶν ὅλων. Τοσαῦτα καὶ περὶ τῶν ὄφεων.	^10.53 All these, taking their starting points from Taautos, naturalized as set forth above. Having constructed temples to the primary elements represented by serpents, they consecrated them in inner sanctuaries, and performed feasts, sacrifices, and rites to them, regarding them as the greatest gods and rulers of the universe. So much, then, concerning serpents.
^10.54 Ἀλλὰ γὰρ τὰ μὲν τῆς Φοινίκων θεολογίας τοῦτον περιέχει τὸν τρόπον· ἣν ἀμεταστρεπτὶ φεύγειν καὶ τῆς τῶν παλαιῶν φρενοβλαβείας τὴν ἴασιν μεταδιώκειν ὁ σωτήριος εὐαγγελίζεται λόγος.	^10.54 Such, indeed, is the nature of the Phoenician theology, which the saving word preaches that we should flee without turning back, seeking instead the healing of the mental madness of the ancients.
^10.55 Ὅτι δὲ μὴ μῦθοι ταῦτα καὶ ποιητῶν ἀναπλάσματα λανθάνουσάν τινα ἐν ὑπονοίαις ἔχοντα θεωρίαν τυγχάνει, σοφῶν δὲ καὶ παλαιῶν, ὡς ἂν αὐτοὶ φαῖεν, θεολόγων ἀληθεῖς μαρτυρίαι, τὰ καὶ ποιητῶν ἁπάντων καὶ λογογράφων πρεσβύτερα περιέχουσαι, τό τε πιστὸν τῶν λόγων ἐπαγόμεναι ἀπὸ τῆς εἰσέτι δεῦρο ἐν ταῖς κατὰ Φοινίκην πόλεσί τε καὶ κώμαις κρατούσης τῶν θεῶν προσηγορίας τε καὶ ἱστορίας, τῶν τε παρ’ ἑκάστοις ἐπιτελουμένων μυστηρίων, δῆλον ἂν εἴη, ὡς μηκέτι χρῆναι τούτων βιαίους ἀνιχνεύειν φυσιολογίας, σαφῆ τὸν ἐξ αὐτῶν ἔλεγχον ἐπιφερομένων τῶν πραγμάτων. Τοιαύτη μὲν οὖν ἡ Φοινίκων θεολογία· ὥρα δὲ μεταβάντας καὶ τὰ Αἰγυπτίων ἐπιθεωρῆσαι.	^10.55 That these are not myths or fictions of poets containing some hidden theory under allegories, but true testimonies of wise and ancient theologians (as they themselves would say), containing matters older than all poets and historians, and bringing credibility to their statements from the name and story of the gods still prevailing in the cities and villages throughout Phoenicia, and from the mysteries celebrated among each, should be clear: so that it is no longer necessary to force physical explanations onto these things, since the facts themselves carry their own clear exposure. Such, then, is the Phoenician theology; it is time for us to pass on and inspect that of the Egyptians.