the topic of fate by the conjunction of the wandering stars with those in the zodiac, by which it is thought by them that all things on earth happen, and what concerns each human being, and perhaps also irrational animals; but indeed, even many of those who are supposed to have believed are being distracted, lest human affairs are compelled by necessity, and it is impossible for them to happen otherwise than as the stars, according to their various configurations, bring to pass. And it follows for those who hold these doctrines that they entirely do away with what is in our power; wherefore both praise and blame, and acceptable actions, and on the other hand, blameworthy ones; and if this is so, the proclaimed judgment of God is gone, and threats against those who have sinned, as about to be punished, and on the other hand, honors for those who have given themselves to better things and blessings; for none of these things will any longer reasonably come to pass. And if anyone were to see the consequences for himself of what he dogmatizes, faith also will be in vain, and Christ's coming accomplishing nothing, and the whole dispensation through the law and the prophets, and the labors of the apostles on behalf of establishing the Churches of God through Christ; unless perhaps Christ also, according to those who dare such things, having been born into the human race 12.53 under the necessity of the motion of the stars, both did and suffered all things, with God the Father of all not having gifted to him the wondrous powers, but the stars. Which arguments being godless and impious, it also follows that believers are said to believe in God, being led by the stars. We might ask them with what intention God made such a world, that some in it, being men, should suffer the things of women, having in no way become the cause of their licentiousness, while others, having taken on the state of wild beasts, because the motion of the universe made them so, because God has so ordered the universe, give themselves over to the most cruel and utterly inhuman deeds, murders and piracies. And why must we speak about the things that happen among men, and the countless sins committed by them, whom the proponents of these noble arguments, absolving from all blame, ascribe the cause of all things done badly and blameworthily to God? But if some of them, as if defending God, say that the good one is another, having the origin of none of these things, and attribute such things to the creator of all, first, they will not be able to prove, even as they wish, that he is just; for how could the Father of so many such things, according to them, reasonably be called just? And secondly, it must be examined what they will say about themselves: whether they are subject to the motion of the stars, or have been freed, and existing in this life, have nothing from there acting upon themselves? For if they say they are subject to the stars, it is clear that the stars granted them to understand this, and the creator will have suggested, through the motion of the universe, the doctrine concerning the fabricated God above, which they do not wish; but if they answer that they are outside the laws of the creator which are according to the stars, so that their statement may not be an unproven assertion, let them try to bring us something more compelling, by establishing the difference 12.56 of a mind that is subject to genesis and fate, and of another that is free from these things; for it is clear to those who know such people, that when asked to give them an account, they will in no way be able. In addition to what has been said, prayers also are superfluous, being undertaken in vain; for if certain things are necessitated to happen, and the stars cause them, and nothing can happen apart from their conjunction with one another, we irrationally ask God to grant us certain things. And why is it necessary to prolong the argument further, by setting forth the impiety of the topic concerning fate that is uncritically bandied about by the many? For even the things that have been said are sufficient for a sketch. But from where, in examining the text, "Let the luminaries be for signs," have we come to these things, let us remind ourselves. Those who learn the truth about certain things, that is

μαρμένης τόπον τῇ τῶν πλανωμένων ἀστέρων ἐπιπλοκῇ πρὸς τοὺς ἐν τῷ ζωδιακῷ πάντων αὐτοῖς νομιζομένων συμβαίνειν τῶν ἐπὶ τῆς γῆς καὶ τοῦ περὶ ἕκαστον ἀνθρώπων, τάχα δὲ καὶ ἀλόγων ζώων· ἀλλὰ γὰρ καὶ πολλῶν τῶν πεπιστευκέναι ὑπολαμβανομένων περισπωμένων, μὴ ἄρα ἠνάγκασται τὰ ἀνθρώπων πράγματα, καὶ ἀμήχανον ἄλλως γενέσθαι, ἢ ὡς οἱ ἀστέρες κατὰ τοὺς διαφόρους σχηματισμοὺς ἐπιτέλ λουσιν. Ἕπεται δὲ τοῖς ταῦτα δογματίζουσιν ἐξ ὅλων τὸ ἐφ' ἡμῖν ἀναιρεῖν· διόπερ καὶ ἔπαινον, καὶ ψό γον καὶ πράξεις ἀποδεκτὰς, πάλιν τε αὖ ψεκτάς· ἅπερ εἰ οὕτως ἔχει, τὰ τῆς κεκηρυγμένης τοῦ Θεοῦ κρίσεως οἴχεται, καὶ ἀπειλαὶ πρὸς τοὺς ἡμαρτηκότας, ὡς κολασθησομένους, τιμαί τε αὖ πρὸς τοὺς τοῖς κρείτ τοσιν ἑαυτοὺς ἐπιδεδωκότας καὶ μακαριότητες· οὐ δὲν γὰρ ἔτι τούτων εὐλόγως ἔσται γενόμενον. Καὶ εἰ τὰ ἀκόλουθά τις ἑαυτῷ ἐφ' οἷς δογματίζει βλέποι, καὶ ἡ πίστις ἔσται ματαία, ἤ τε Χριστοῦ ἐπιδημία οὐδὲν ἀνύουσα, καὶ πᾶσα ἡ διὰ νόμου καὶ προφητῶν οἰκονομία, κάματοί τε ἀποστόλων ὑπὲρ τοῦ συστῆσαι τὰς τοῦ Θεοῦ διὰ Χριστοῦ Ἐκκλησίας· εἰ μὴ ἄρα καὶ Χριστὸς κατὰ τοὺς οὕτω τολμῶντας, ὑπὸ τὴν ἀνάγκην τῆς τῶν ἄστρων κινήσεως τῷ γένε 12.53 σιν ἀνειληφέναι γενόμενος, πάντα πεποιήκοι τε καὶ πάθοι, οὐ τοῦ Θεοῦ καὶ Πατρὸς τῶν ὅλων αὐτῷ τὰς παραδόξους δυνάμεις δωρησαμένου, ἀλλὰ τῶν ἀστέρων. Οἷς ἀθέοις καὶ ἀσεβέσι τυγχάνουσι λόγοις ἀκολουθεῖ καὶ τὸ τοὺς πιστεύοντας ὑπὸ τῶν ἀστέρων ἀγομένους πιστεύειν εἰς Θεὸν λέγεσθαι. Πυθοίμεθα δ' ἂν αὐτῶν τί ὁ Θεὸς βουλόμενος τοιοῦτον ἐποίει κόσμον, ἵν' οἱ μὲν ἐν αὐτῷ ἄνδρες ὄντες, τὰ γυναικῶν πάσχωσιν, οὐδαμῶς ἑαυτοῖς αἴτιοι τῆς ἀσελγείας γε γενημένοι, ἕτεροι δὲ ἀγρίων ζώων κατάστασιν εἰλη φότες, τῷ τὴν φορὰν τοῦ παντὸς τοιούτους αὐ τοὺς πεποιηκέναι, διὰ τὸ τὸν Θεὸν οὕτω κεκοσμηκέναι τὸ πᾶν, ἐπιδιδόασιν ἑαυτοὺς ὠμοτάτοις καὶ σφόδρα ἀπανθρώποις πράγμασιν, ἀνδροφονίαις καὶ πειρα τείαις. Καὶ τί δεῖ λέγειν ἡμᾶς περὶ τῶν συμβαινόν των ἐν ἀνθρώποις, καὶ ἁμαρτανομένων ὑπ' αὐτῶν μυρίων ὅσων τυγχανόντων, οὕστινας οἱ τῶν γενναίων προϊστάμενοι τούτων λόγων ἀπολύοντες παντὸς ἐγκλή ματος, τῷ Θεῷ προσγράφουσι πάντων τῶν κακῶς καὶ ψεκτῶς πραττομένων τὴν αἰτίαν; Ἐὰν δέ τινες αὐτῶν, ὡς ἀπολογούμενοι περὶ Θεοῦ, ἕτερον μὲν εἶναι λέγωσι τὸν ἀγαθὸν, οὐδενὸς τούτων ἔχοντα τὴν ἀρχὴν, τῷ δὲ δημιουργῷ πάντων τὰ τοιαῦτα προσάπτωσι, πρῶτον μὲν οὐδὲ ὡς βούλονται δυνήσονται ἀποδεικνύναι, ὅτι ἐστὶ δίκαιος· πῶς γὰρ ὁ τοσούτων κατ' αὐτοὺς Πατὴρ, εὐλόγως χρηματίζοι δίκαιος; δεύτερον δὲ περὶ ἑαυτῶν τί ποτε φήσουσιν, ἐξεταστέον· πότερον ὑπόκεινται τῇ φορᾷ τῶν ἀστέρων, ἢ ἠλευθέρωνται, καὶ ἐν τῷ βίῳ τυγχάνοντες, οὐδὲν ἐνεργούμενον εἰς ἑαυτοὺς ἔχουσιν ἐκεῖθεν; Εἰ μὲν γὰρ φήσουσιν ὑποκεῖσθαι τοῖς ἄστροις, δῆλον ὅτι τὰ ἄστρα τὸ νοῆσαι αὐτοῖς τοῦτο ἐχα ρίσατο, καὶ ὁ δημιουργὸς ὑποβεβληκὼς ἔσται διὰ τῆς τοῦ παντὸς κινήσεως τὸν λόγον τὸν περὶ τοῦ ἀνωτέρω ἀναπεπλασμένου Θεοῦ, ὅπερ οὐ βούλονται· εἰ δὲ ἀπο κρινοῦνται, ὅτι ἔξω τῶν νόμων τυγχάνουσι τοῦ δη μιουργοῦ τῶν κατὰ τοὺς ἀστέρας, ἵνα μὴ ἀπόφασις ᾖ τὸ λεγόμενον ὑπ' αὐτῶν ἀναπόδεικτος, πειραθήτω σαν ἡμᾶς προσάγειν ἀναγκαστικώτερον, διαφορὰν 12.56 περιστάντες νοῦ τινος ὑποκειμένου γενέσει καὶ εἱ μαρμένῃ, καὶ ἑτέρου ἀπὸ τούτων ἐλευθέρου· δῆλον γάρ ἐστι τοῖς εἰδόσι τοὺς τοιούτους, ὅτι λόγον ἀπαιτηθέντες διδόναι αὐτοῖς οὐδαμῶς δυνήσονται. Πρὸς δὲ τοῖς εἰρημένοις καὶ εὐχαὶ παρέλκουσι μάτην παραλαμβανόμεναι· εἰ γὰρ κατηνάγκασται τάδε τινὰ γενέσθαι, καὶ οἱ ἀστέρες ποιοῦσιν, οὐδὲν δὲ παρὰ τὴν τούτων πρὸς ἀλλήλους ἐπιπλοκὴν δύναται γενέ σθαι, Θεὸν ἀλογίστως ἀξιοῦμεν τάδε τινὰ ἡμῖν δω ρήσασθαι. Καὶ τί ἐπὶ πλεῖον μηκύνειν λόγον δεῖ, παριστάντα τὸ ἀσεβὲς τοῦ κατημαξευμένου ἀβασανί στως παρὰ τοῖς πολλοῖς περὶ εἱμαρμένης τόπου; Αὐτ άρκη γὰρ εἰς ὑπογραφὴν καὶ τὰ εἰρημένα. Πόθεν δὲ, ἐξετάζοντες τό· «Ἔστωσαν εἰς σημεῖα οἱ φωστῆρες,» ἐπὶ ταῦτα ἐληλύθαμεν, ἑαυτοὺς ὑπο μνήσωμεν. Οἱ μανθάνοντες περί τινων ἀληθῆ, ἤτοι