2

For that which moves is stronger than that which is moved, and that which holds together is stronger than that which is held together. 1.3 Therefore, I say that God is the one who established and sustains all things, without beginning and eternal, immortal and without need, superior to all passions and defects, of anger and forgetfulness and ignorance and the rest. 1.4 And through him all things exist. He needs no sacrifice and libation, nor anything of all that is visible, but all need him.

2.1 These things having been thus said concerning God, as far as it was possible for me to speak concerning him, let us come also to the human race, that we may see who of them partake of the truth and who of error. 2.2 For it is clear to us, O king, that there are three races of men in this world. Of these are the worshipers of the gods spoken of among you, and Jews, and Christians; and again, they who worship the many gods are divided into three races, Chaldeans and Greeks and Egyptians; for these have become leaders and teachers to the other nations of the worship and adoration of the gods of many names.

3.1 Let us see, then, which of these partake of the truth and which of error. 3.2 For the Chaldeans, not knowing God, went astray after the elements and began to worship creation rather than the one who created them; and having made certain forms of these they named them an image of the heaven and of the earth and of the sea, of the sun and of the moon, and of the other elements or luminaries, and shutting them up in temples they worship them, calling them gods, whom they also guard securely, lest they be stolen by robbers, and they did not understand that whatever guards is greater than what is guarded, and he who makes is greater than what is made. For if their gods are powerless for their own salvation, how will they grant salvation to others? The Chaldeans, therefore, have gone astray in a great error, worshipping dead and useless images. 3.3 And it comes to me to marvel, O king, how their so-called philosophers have not understood at all that the elements themselves are corruptible. And if the elements are corruptible and subject to necessity, how are they gods? And if the elements are not gods, how are the images, which have been made in their honor, gods?

4.1 Let us come then, O king, to the elements themselves, so that we may demonstrate concerning them that they are not gods, but corruptible and changeable things, produced out of what is not by the command of the true God, who is incorruptible and unchangeable and invisible; but he himself sees all things and, as he wishes, alters and changes them. What then do I say concerning the elements? 4.2 But those who think the heaven to be God are mistaken. For we see it turning and moved by necessity and composed of many things; for which reason also it is called 'cosmos' (order). And a 'cosmos' is the construction of some craftsman; and that which has been constructed has a beginning and an end. And the heaven is moved by necessity along with its luminaries; for the stars, carried in order and at intervals from one sign to another, some set, and others rise, and in due seasons they make their journey to bring about summers and winters, as has been commanded them by God, and they do not transgress their own bounds according to the unavoidable necessity of nature along with the heavenly order. Whence it is clear that the heaven is not God but a work of God. 4.3 But those who think the earth to be a goddess have gone astray. For we see it being violated by men and dominated and dug and defiled and becoming useless. For if it is baked, it becomes dead; for from pottery nothing grows. And furthermore if it is soaked too much, both it and its fruits are destroyed. And it is trodden upon by both men and the other animals, it is stained by the blood of the slain, it is dug up,

2

γὰρ τὸ κινοῦν ἰσχυρότερον τοῦ κινουμένου καὶ τὸ διακρατοῦν ἰσχυρότερον τοῦ διακρατουμένου ἐστίν. 1.3 αὐτὸν οὖν λέγω εἶναι θεὸν τὸν συστησάμενον τὰ πάντα καὶ διακρατοῦντα, ἄναρχον καὶ ἀΐδιον, ἀθάνατον καὶ ἀπροσδεῆ, ἀνώτερον πάντων τῶν παθῶν καὶ ἐλαττωμάτων, ὀργῆς τε καὶ λήθης καὶ ἀγνοίας καὶ τῶν λοιπῶν. 1.4 δι' αὐτοῦ δὲ τὰ πάντα συνέστηκεν. οὐ χρῄζει θυσίας καὶ σπονδῆς οὐδέ τινος πάντων τῶν φαινομένων, πάντες δὲ αὐτοῦ χρῄζουσιν.

2.1 Τούτων οὕτως εἰρημένων περὶ θεοῦ, καθὼς ἐμὲ ἐχώρησε περὶ αὐτοῦ λέγειν, ἔλθωμεν καὶ ἐπὶ τὸ ἀνθρώπινον γένος, ὅπως ἴδωμεν, τίνες αὐτῶν μετέχουσι τῆς ἀληθείας καὶ τίνες τῆς πλάνης. 2.2 φανερὸν γάρ ἐστιν ἡμῖν, ὦ βασιλεῦ, ὅτι τρία γένη εἰσὶν ἀνθρώπων ἐν τῷδε τῷ κόσμῳ. ὧν εἰσὶν οἱ τῶν παρ' ὑμῖν λεγομένων θεῶν προσκυνηταὶ καὶ Ἰουδαῖοι καὶ Χριστιανοί· αὐτοὶ δὲ πάλιν οἱ τοὺς πολλοὺς σεβό- μενοι θεοὺς εἰς τρία διαιροῦνται γένη, Χαλδαίους τε καὶ Ἕλληνας καὶ Αἰγυπτίους· οὗτοι γὰρ γεγόνασιν ἀρχηγοὶ καὶ διδάσκαλοι τοῖς λοιποῖς ἔθνεσι τῆς τῶν πολυωνύμων θεῶν λατρείας καὶ προσκυνήσεως.

3.1 Ἴδωμεν οὖν, τίνες τούτων μετέχουσι τῆς ἀληθείας καὶ τίνες τῆς πλάνης. 3.2 οἱ μὲν γὰρ Χαλδαῖοι, οἱ μὴ εἰδότες θεόν, ἐπλανήθησαν ὀπίσω τῶν στοιχείων καὶ ἤρξαντο σέβεσθαι τὴν κτίσιν παρὰ τὸν κτίσαντα αὐτούς· ὧν καὶ μορφώματά τινα ποιήσαντες ὠνόμασαν ἐκτύπωμα τοῦ οὐρανοῦ καὶ τῆς γῆς καὶ τῆς θαλάσσης, ἡλίου τι καὶ σελήνης, καὶ τῶν λοιπῶν στοιχείων ἢ φωστήρων, καὶ συγκλείσαντες ναοῖς προσκυνοῦσι θεοὺς καλοῦντες, οὓς καὶ τηροῦσιν ἀσφαλῶς, ἵνα μὴ κλαπῶσιν ὑπὸ λῃστῶν, καὶ οὐ συνῆκαν ὅτι πᾶν τὸ τηροῦν μεῖζον τοῦ τηρουμένου ἐστὶ καὶ ὁ ποιῶν μείζων ἐστὶ τοῦ ποιουμένου. εἰ γὰρ ἀδυνατοῦσιν οἱ θεοὶ αὐτῶν περὶ τῆς ἰδίας σωτηρίας, πῶς ἄλλοις σωτηρίαν χαρίσονται; πλάνην οὖν μεγάλην ἐπλανήθησαν οἱ Χαλδαῖοι, σεβόμενοι ἀγάλματα νεκρὰ καὶ ἀνωφελῆ. 3.3 καὶ θαυμάζειν μοι ἐπέρχεται, ὦ βασιλεῦ, πῶς οἱ λεγόμενοι φιλόσοφοι αὐτῶν οὐδ' ὅλως συνῆκαν ὅτι καὶ αὐτὰ τὰ στοιχεῖα φθαρτά ἐστιν. εἰ δὲ τὰ στοιχεῖα φθαρτά ἐστι καὶ ὑποτασσόμενα κατὰ ἀνάγκην, πὼς εἰσὶ θεοί; εἰ δὲ τὰ στοιχεῖα οὐκ εἰσὶ θεοί, πῶς τὰ ἀγάλματα, ἃ γέγονεν εἰς τιμὴν αὐτῶν, θεοὶ ὑπάρχουσιν;

4.1 Ἔλθωμεν οὖν, ὦ βασιλεῦ, ἐπ' αὐτὰ τὰ στοιχεῖα, ὅπως ἀποδείξωμεν περὶ αὐτῶν ὅτι οὐκ εἰσὶ θεοί, ἀλλὰ φθαρτὰ καὶ ἀλλοιούμενα, ἐκ τοῦ μὴ ὄντος παραχθέντα προστάγματι τοῦ ὄντως θεοῦ, ὅς ἐστιν ἄφθαρτός τε καὶ ἀναλλοίωτος καὶ ἀόρατος· αὐτὸς δὲ πάντα ὁρᾷ καὶ καθὼς βούλεται ἀλλοιοῖ καὶ μεταβάλλει. τί οὖν λέγω περὶ τῶν στοιχείων; 4.2 οἱ δὲ νομίζοντες τὸν οὐρανὸν εἶναι θεὸν πλανῶνται. ὁρῶμεν γὰρ αὐτὸν τρεπόμενον καὶ κατὰ ἀνάγκην κινούμενον καὶ ἐκ πολλῶν συνεστῶτα· διὸ καὶ κόσμος καλεῖται. κόσμος δὲ κατασκευή ἐστί τινος τεχνίτου· τὸ κατασκευασθὲν δὲ ἀρχὴν καὶ τέλος ἔχει. κινεῖται δὲ ὁ οὐρανὸς κατὰ ἀνάγκην σὺν τοῖς αὐτοῦ φωστῆρσι· τὰ γὰρ ἄστρα τάξει καὶ διαστήματι φερόμενα ἀπὸ σημείου εἰς σημεῖον, οἱ μὲν δύνουσιν, οἱ δὲ ἀνατέλλουσι, καὶ κατὰ καιροὺς πορείαν ποιοῦνται τοῦ ἀποτελεῖν θέρη καὶ χειμῶνας, καθὰ ἐπιτέτακται αὐτοῖς παρὰ τοῦ θεοῦ, καὶ οὐ παραβαίνουσι τοὺς ἰδίους ὅρους κατὰ ἀπαραίτητον φύσεως ἀνάγκην σὺν τῷ οὐρανίῳ κόσμῳ. ὅθεν φανερόν ἐστι μὴ εἶναι τὸν οὐρανὸν θεὸν ἀλλ' ἔργον θεοῦ. 4.3 οἱ δὲ νομίζοντες τὴν γῆν εἶναι θεὰν ἐπλανήθησαν. ὁρῶμεν γὰρ αὐτὴν ὑπὸ τῶν ἀνθρώπων ὑβριζομένην καὶ κατακυριευομένην καὶ σκαπτομένην καὶ φυρομένην καὶ ἄχρηστον γινομένην. ἐὰν γὰρ ὀπτηθῇ, γίνεται νεκρά· ἐκ γὰρ τοῦ ὀστράκου φύεται οὐδέν. ἔτι δὲ καὶ ἐὰν ἐπὶ πλέον βραχῇ, φθείρεται καὶ αὐτὴ καὶ οἱ καρποὶ αὐτῆς. καταπατεῖται δὲ ὑπό τε ἀνθρώπων καὶ τῶν λοιπῶν ζῴων, αἵμασι φονευομένων μιαίνεται, διορύσσεται,