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wisely; but if they offer this worship to him in a manner similar to the aforementioned, they are utterly mistaken. For what the Greeks provide as a sample of their foolishness by offering them to senseless and deaf things, these people, thinking they are providing them to God as if he needed them, would likely consider it folly rather than piety. For he who made the heaven and the earth and all things in them and provides to all of us the things we need, would himself need none of these things which he himself provides to those who think they are giving. But those who think they are performing sacrifices to him through blood and fat and whole burnt offerings and are honoring him with these honors, seem to me to differ in nothing from those who show the same liberality toward deaf things, which are unable to partake of the honor. But to think one provides to him who needs nothing *** But further, their scrupulousness about foods, and their superstition about the Sabbaths, and the boastfulness of their circumcision, and the hypocrisy of their fasting and new moons, are ridiculous things and worthy of no account, which I do not think you need to learn from me. For to accept some of the things created by God for human use as having been well created, but to reject others as useless and superfluous, how is that not unlawful? And to lie against God, as if he forbids doing something good on the Sabbath day, how is that not impious? And to boast of the mutilation of the flesh as a testimony of election, as though on account of this they are especially loved by God, how is that not worthy of ridicule? And their watching the stars and the moon to make their observance of months and of days, and to arrange the ordinances of God and the changes of the seasons according to their own impulses, some for feasts and others for sorrows: who would consider this a proof of piety and not much more of folly? Therefore, that Christians rightly abstain from the common silliness and deceit, and from the meddlesomeness and boastfulness of the Jews, I think you have learned sufficiently. But do not expect to be able to learn the mystery of their own piety from a human. For Christians are not distinguished from the rest of mankind either in country or in language or in customs. For neither do they inhabit cities of their own, nor use some peculiar dialect, nor practice an extraordinary life. Moreover, this teaching of theirs was not found by some invention and thought of meddlesome men, nor do they preside over a human doctrine, as some do. But while they dwell in Greek and barbarian cities, as each one's lot was cast, and follow the local customs in dress and diet and the rest of life, they display the wonderful and admittedly astonishing constitution of their own citizenship. They inhabit their own fatherlands, but as sojourners; they participate in everything as citizens, and endure all things as foreigners; every foreign land is their fatherland, and every fatherland is foreign. They marry like all men, they beget children; but they do not cast away their offspring. They share a common table, but not a common bed. They are in the flesh, but they do not live according to the flesh. They spend their time on earth, but their citizenship is in heaven. They obey the established laws, and in their own lives they surpass the laws.

They love all, and are persecuted by all. They are unknown, and they are condemned; they are put to death, and they are made alive. They are poor, and they make many rich; they are in need of all things, and in all things they abound. They are dishonored, and in their dishonor they are glorified; they are blasphemed, and they are justified. They are reviled and they bless; they are insulted, and they honor. Doing good, they are punished as evil; being punished, they rejoice as being brought to life. They are warred against by the Jews as foreigners, and are persecuted by the Greeks; and those who hate them are unable to state the reason for their enmity. To put it simply, what the soul is in a body, that is what Christians are in the world. It is sown throughout

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φρονίμως· εἰ δὲ τοῖς προειρημένοις ὁμοιοτρόπως τὴν θρησκείαν προσάγουσιν αὐτῷ ταύτην, διαμαρτάνουσιν. Ἂ γὰρ τοῖς ἀναισθήτοις καὶ κωφοῖς προσφέροντες οἱ Ἕλληνες ἀφροσύνης δεῖγμα παρέχουσι, ταῦθ' οὗτοι, καθάπερ προσδεομένῳ τῷ θεῷ λογιζόμενοι παρέχειν, μωρίαν εἰκὸς μᾶλλον ἡγοῖντ' ἄν, οὐ θεοσέβειαν. Ὁ γὰρ ποιήσας τὸν οὐρανὸν καὶ τὴν γῆν καὶ πάντα τὰ ἐν αὐτοῖς καὶ πᾶσιν ἡμῖν χορηγῶν, ὧν προσδεόμεθα, οὐδενὸς ἂν αὐτὸς προσδέοιτο τούτων ὧν τοῖς οἰομένοις διδόναι παρέχει αὐτός. Oἱ δέ γε θυσίας αὐτῷ δι' αἵματος καὶ κνίσης καὶ ὁλοκαυτωμάτων ἐπιτελεῖν οἰόμενοι καὶ ταύταις ταῖς τιμαῖς αὐτὸν γεραίρειν, οὐδέν μοι δοκοῦσι διαφέρειν τῶν εἰς τὰ κωφὰ τὴν αὐτὴν ἐνδεικνυμένων φιλοτιμίαν, τὰ μὴ δυνάμενα τῆς τιμῆς μεταλαμβάνειν. Τὸ δὲ δοκεῖν τινὰ παρέχειν τῷ μηδενὸς προσδεομένῳ *** Ἀλλὰ μὴν τό γε περὶ τὰς βρώσεις αὐτῶν ψοφοδεές, καὶ τὴν περὶ τὰ σάββατα δεισιδαιμονίαν, καὶ τὴν τῆς περιτομῆς ἀλαζονείαν, καὶ τὴν τῆς νηστείας καὶ νουμηνίας εἰρωνείαν, καταγέλαστα καὶ οὐδενὸς ἄξια λόγου, οὐ νομίζω σε χρῄζειν παρ' ἐμοῦ μαθεῖν. Τό τε γὰρ τῶν ὑπὸ τοῦ Θεοῦ κτισθέντων εἰς χρῆσιν ἀνθρώπων ἃ μὲν ὡς καλῶς κτισθέντα παραδέχεσθαι, ἃ δ' ὡς ἄχρηστα καὶ περισσὰ παραιτεῖσθαι, πῶς οὖν θέμις ἐστί; τὸ δὲ καταψεύδεσθαι Θεοῦ ὡς κωλύοντος ἐν τῇ τῶν σαββάτων ἡμέρᾳ καλόν τι ποιεῖν, πῶς οὐκ ἀσεβές; τὸ δὲ καὶ τὴν μείωσιν τῆς σαρκὸς μαρτύριον ἐκλογῆς ἀλαζονεύεσθαι ὡς διὰ τοῦτο ἐξαιρέτως ἠγαπημένους ὑπὸ Θεοῦ, πῶς οὐ χλεύης ἄξιον; τὸ δὲ παρεδρεύοντας αὐτοὺς ἄστροις καὶ σελήνῃ τὴν παρατήρησιν τῶν μηνῶν καὶ τῶν ἡμερῶν ποιεῖσθαι, καὶ τὰς οἰκονομίας Θεοῦ καὶ τὰς τῶν καιρῶν ἀλλαγὰς καταδιαιρεῖν πρὸς τὰς αὐτῶν ὁρμάς, ἃς μὲν εἰς ἑορτάς, ἃς δὲ εἰς πένθη· τίς ἂν θεοσεβείας καὶ οὐκ ἀφροσύνης πολὺ πλέον ἡγήσεται τὸ δεῖγμα; τῆς μὲν οὖν κοινῆς εἰκαιότητος καὶ ἀπάτης καὶ τῆς Ἰουδαίων πολυπραγμοσύνης καὶ ἀλαζονείας ὡς ὀρθῶς ἀπέχονται Χριστιανοί, ἀρκούντως σε νομίζω μεμαθηκέναι. Τὸ δὲ τῆς ἰδίας αὐτῶν θεοσεβείας μυστήριον μὴ προσδοκήσῃς δύνασθαι παρὰ ἀνθρώπου μαθεῖν. Χριστιανοὶ γὰρ οὔτε γῇ οὔτε φωνῇ οὔτε ἔσθεσι διακεκριμένοι τῶν λοιπῶν εἰσιν ἀνθρώπων. Oὔτε γάρ που πόλεις ἰδίας κατοικοῦσιν οὔτε διαλέκτῳ τινὶ παρηλ λαγμένῃ χρῶνται οὔτε βίον παράσημον ἀσκοῦσιν. Oὐ μὴν ἐπινοίᾳ τινὶ καὶ φροντίδι πολυπραγμόνων ἀνθρώπων μάθημα τοῦτ' αὐτοῖς ἐστὶν εὑρημένον, οὐδὲ δόγματος ἀνθρωπίνου προεστᾶσιν ὥσπερ ἔνιοι. Κατοικοῦντες δὲ πόλεις Ἑλληνίδας τε καὶ βαρβάρους ὡς ἕκαστος ἐκληρώθη, καὶ τοῖς ἐγχωρίοις ἔθεσιν ἀκολουθοῦντες ἔν τε ἐσθῆτι καὶ διαίτῃ καὶ τῷ λοιπῷ βίῳ, θαυμαστὴν καὶ ὁμολογουμένως παράδοξον ἐνδείκνυνται τὴν κατάστασιν τῆς ἑαυτῶν πολιτείας. Πατρίδας οἰκοῦσιν ἰδίας, ἀλλ' ὡς πάροικοι· μετέχουσι πάντων ὡς πολῖται, καὶ πανθ' ὑπομένουσιν ὡς ξένοι· πᾶσα ξένη πατρίς ἐστιν αὐτῶν, καὶ πᾶσα πατρὶς ξένη. αμοῦσιν ὡς πάντες, τεκνογονοῦσιν· ἀλλ' οὐ ·ίπτουσι τὰ γεννώμενα. Τράπεζαν κοινὴν παρατίθενται, ἀλλ' οὐ κοίτην. Ἐν σαρκὶ τυγχάνουσιν, ἀλλ' οὐ κατὰ σάρκα ζῶσιν. Ἐπὶ γῆς διατρίβουσιν, ἀλλ' ἐν οὐρανῷ πολι τεύονται. Πείθονται τοῖς ὡρισμένοις νόμοις, καὶ τοῖς ἰδίοις βίοις νικῶσι τοὺς νόμους.

Ἀγαπῶσι πάντας, καὶ ὑπὸ πάντων διώκονται. Ἀγνοοῦνται, καὶ κατακρίνονται· θανατοῦνται, καὶ ζωοποιοῦνται. Πτωχεύουσι, καὶ πλουτίζουσι πολλούς· πάντων ὑστεροῦνται, καὶ ἐν πᾶσι περισσεύουσιν. Ἀτιμοῦνται, καὶ ἐν ταῖς ἀτιμίαις δοξά ζονται· βλασφημοῦνται, καὶ δικαιοῦνται. Λοιδοροῦνται καὶ εὐλογοῦσιν· ὑβρίζονται, καὶ τιμῶσιν. Ἀγαθοποιοῦντες ὡς κακοὶ κολάζονται· κολαζόμενοι χαίρουσιν ὡς ζωοποιούμενοι. Ὑπὸ Ἰουδαίων ὡς ἀλλόφυλοι πολεμοῦνται, καὶ ὑπὸ Ἑλλήνων διώκονται, καὶ τὴν αἰτίαν τῆς ἔχθρας εἰπεῖν οἱ μισοῦντες οὐκ ἔχουσιν. Ἁπλῶς δ' εἰπεῖν, ὅπερ ἐστὶν ἐν σώματι ψυχή, τοῦτ' εἰσὶν ἐν κόσμῳ Χριστιανοί. Ἔσπαρται κατὰ