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If, then, the life of the ancients is before your eyes, consider now in your mind 7.3.2 only the children of the Hebrews among so many going the opposite way. For these men, first and alone of all mankind, from the beginning, from the first foundation of life, dedicating their minds to rational contemplation and piously applying themselves to the natural philosophy of the universe, first, learned that the elements of bodies, earth, water, air, fire, out of which this universe is composed, and the sun and moon and stars, were not gods, but reasoned that they were the works of God, having understood that the nature of corporeal substance is not only irrational, but also lifeless, inasmuch as it happens to be transient and perishable, and then reasoning that it is not possible for the order of the whole universe, being well and wisely arranged and full of living creatures both rational and irrational, to have its cause ascribed to chance, nor indeed to suppose that the creative principle of living things is lifeless 7.3.3, nor that the creator of rational beings is irrational; since neither could a building of wood and stones ever be constructed by chance, nor could a garment be completed without a weaver, nor cities and states without laws and governing order, nor a ship without a pilot, nor could the smallest instrument of art exist unless through a craftsman, nor could a ship ever reach a good harbor without a good pilot; neither, therefore, will the nature of the universal elements, being lifeless and irrational, by its own reason, apart from the highest wisdom of God, ever partake of reason and life. Having considered these and such things, the fathers of the Hebrew religion, from the greatness and beauty of created things, with a purified mind and with the clear eyes of the soul, revered the God who is the creator of all.

7.4.1 4. HOW THEY THOUGHT ABOUT THE IMMORTALITY OF THE SOUL AND ABOUT THE SUBSTANCE OF BODIES

And then, perceiving that they themselves were no small part of the universe, they considered that a certain part of them was precious, and this was the true man, the one understood according to the soul, while the other held the place of an enclosure for this; and this was the body. And indeed, having made this distinction, they brought all their care and diligence to the life of the inner man, 7.4.2 reasoning that this was also dear to God the creator of all, who surely granted human nature dominion over all things on earth not by strength of body but by virtue of soul; for some existing things are lifeless, such as stones and wood, others partake of vital power, such as the things that grow from the earth, and others have a share of sensation and imaginative impulse, such as the irrational animals; and that all these things are enslaved for service to the one race of men, compelled not by strength and might of body, but by reason and virtue of soul, by which they understood that the ruling and royal privilege over all things on earth had been granted from above by the cause of all things; 7.4.3 Starting from this point, they resolved to honor the body and the pleasures of the body no more than the other creatures on earth, but the ruling principle within them, as being akin to the ruler of all, and the rational and intellectual, the divine and scientific part of the soul, as bearing the likeness of the God over all, 7.4.4 this alone they held in earnest esteem. Then, considering that there is no other good than God, the giver of all good things, they declared the end of all happiness to be the knowledge and love of him, because he alone has attached to himself the cause of life itself and of soul and of body 7.4.5 and of the necessities for these. To him, therefore, with their whole selves, with body and

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Εἰ δὴ οὖν συνῶπταί σοι ὁ τῶν παλαιῶν βίος, ἄθρει δὴ λοιπὸν τῇ διανοίᾳ 7.3.2 μόνους παῖδας Ἑβραίων ἐν τοσούτοις τὴν ἐναντίαν ἀπιόντας. οἵδε γὰρ πρῶτοι καὶ μόνοι πάντων ἀνθρώπων ἄνωθεν ἐκ πρώτης τοῦ βίου καταβολῆς λογικῇ θεωρίᾳ τὴν διάνοιαν ἀναθέντες καὶ τῇ περὶ τοῦ παντὸς φυσιολογίᾳ εὐσεβῶς ἐπιστήσαντες, πρῶτα μὲν τὰ τῶν σωμάτων στοιχεῖα, γῆν, ὕδωρ, ἀέρα, πῦρ, ἐξ ὧν τόδε τὸ πᾶν συνεστὼς κατεμάνθανον, ἥλιόν τε καὶ σελήνην καὶ ἀστέρας οὐ θεούς, ἔργα δὲ εἶναι θεοῦ διελογίσαντο, τὴν φύσιν τῆς σωματικῆς οὐσίας οὐ μόνον ἄλογον, ἀλλὰ καὶ ἄψυχον εἶναι, καθ' ὅσον ῥοώδης καὶ φθαρτὴ οὖσα τυγχάνει, συννοήσαντες κἄπειτα λογισάμενοι ὡς οὐχ οἷόν τε τὴν τοῦ σύμπαντος κόσμου διάταξιν, εὖ καὶ σοφῶς ἡρμοσμένην ἔμπλεών τε ζῴων ἐμψύχων λογικῶν τε καὶ ἀλόγων ὑπάρχουσαν, αὐτόματον ἐπιγράφεσθαι τὴν αἰτίαν οὐδέ γε τῶν ἐμψύχων τὴν ποιητικὴν ἀρχὴν ἄψυχον 7.3.3 ὑπολαμβάνειν οὐδ' ἄλογον τὴν τῶν λογικῶν δημιουργόν· ἐπεὶ μηδὲ ξύλων καὶ λίθων αὐτόματός ποτ' ἂν οἰκοδομία συσταίη οὐδέ γε ἐσθὴς ὑφάντου δίχα συντελεσθείη οὐδὲ πόλεις καὶ πολιτεῖαι νόμων ἐκτὸς καὶ ἀρχοντικῆς διατάξεως οὐδ' ἐκτὸς κυβερνήτου ναῦς οὐδὲ τὸ σμικρότατον τέχνης ὄργανον ὑποσταίη ἂν μὴ διὰ τεχνίτου οὐδ' εὐόρμου ποτὲ ναῦς λιμένος τύχοι μὴ οὐχὶ σὺν ἀγαθῷ κυβερνήτῃ· οὐδ' ἡ τῶν καθόλου στοιχείων ἄρα φύσις, ἄψυχος οὖσα καὶ ἄλογος, τῷ καθ' ἑαυτὴν λόγῳ δίχα τῆς ἀνωτάτω τοῦ θεοῦ σοφίας λόγου ποτὲ καὶ ζωῆς ἀνθέξεται. ταῦτα δὴ καὶ τοιαῦτα διανοηθέντες οἱ τῆς Ἑβραίων εὐσεβείας πατέρες, ἐκ μεγέθους καὶ καλλονῆς κτισμάτων νῷ κεκαθαρμένῳ καὶ ψυχῆς διαυγέσιν ὄμμασι τὸν πάντων γενεσιουργὸν θεὸν ἐσεβάσθησαν.

7.4.1 δʹ. ΟΠΩΣ ΕΦΡΟΝΟΥΝ ΠΕΡΙ ΑΘΑΝΑΣΙΑΣ ΨΥΧΗΣ ΚΑΙ ΠΕΡΙ ΤΗΣ ΤΩΝ ΣΩΜΑΤΩΝ ΟΥΣΙΑΣ

Κἄπειτα μέρος οὐ μικρὸν τοῦ παντὸς σφᾶς αὐτοὺς εἶναι συναισθόμενοι τὸ μέν τι αὐτῶν τίμιον εἶναι ἡγήσαντο τοῦτο δὲ καὶ τὸν ἀληθῆ ἄνθρωπον, τὸν κατὰ ψυχὴν νενοημένον, τὸ δὲ τούτου χώραν περιβολῆς ἐπέχειν· τοῦτο δὲ εἶναι τὸ σῶμα. καὶ δὴ τοῦτον διελόμενοι τὸν τρόπον, τὴν πᾶσαν περὶ τῆς τοῦ ἔνδον ἀνθρώπου ζωῆς φροντίδα καὶ σπουδὴν εἰσηνέγκαντο, 7.4.2 τοῦτο καὶ παρὰ τῷ πάντων δημιουργῷ θεῷ προσφιλὲς εἶναι λογισάμενοι, ὅς που τὴν ἀνθρώπων φύσιν τῶν ἐπὶ γῆς ἁπάντων κρατεῖν οὐ ῥώμῃ σώματος ὡς ἀρετῇ ψυχῆς ἐδωρήσατο τὰ μὲν γὰρ τῶν ὄντων εἶναι ἄψυχα, οἷα λίθους καὶ ξύλα, τὰ δὲ ζωτικῆς δυνάμεως μέτοχα, οἷα τὰ ἀπὸ γῆς βλαστήματα, τὰ δὲ αἰσθήσεως ὁρμῆς τε φανταστικῆς μεμοιραμένα, οἷα ζῴων τὰ ἄλογα· πάντα δὲ ταῦτα ἑνὶ τῷ τῶν ἀνθρώπων γένει πρὸς ὑπηρεσίαν δουλοῦσθαι, οὐ ῥώμῃ σώματος καὶ ἰσχύϊ κατηναγκασμένα, λογισμῷ δὲ καὶ ψυχῆς ἀρετῇ, ᾗ τὸ κατὰ πάντων τῶν ἐπὶ γῆς ἀρχικόν τε καὶ βασιλικὸν γέρας ἄνωθεν παρὰ τοῦ τῶν ὅλων αἰτίου συγκεχωρῆσθαι κατειλήφεσαν· 7.4.3 ἔνθεν ὁρμώμενοι σῶμα μὲν καὶ τὰ σωμάτων ἡδέα οὐδέν τι μᾶλλον τῶν ἄλλων ἐπὶ γῆς θρεμμάτων προτιμᾶν διενοήθησαν, τὸ δ' ἐν αὐτοῖς ἄρχον, ὡς ἂν τοῦ πάντων ἄρχοντος οἰκεῖον, καὶ τῆς ψυχῆς τὸ λογικόν τε καὶ νοερὸν θεῖόν τε καὶ ἐπιστημονικόν, ὡς ἂν τοῦ ἐπὶ πάντων θεοῦ τὴν ὁμοίωσιν φέρον, 7.4.4 μόνον διὰ σπουδῆς ἔσχον. εἶτα μηδ' ἄλλο τι ἐνθυμηθέντες ἀγαθὸν εἶναι τοῦ πάντων ἀγαθῶν χορηγοῦ θεοῦ, τέλος ἁπάσης εὐδαιμονίας τὴν αὐτοῦ γνῶσίν τε καὶ φιλίαν εἶναι ἀπεφήναντο, ὅτι καὶ αὐτῆς ζωῆς καὶ ψυχῆς καὶ σώ7.4.5 ματος καὶ τῶν τούτοις ἀναγκαίων μόνος αὐτὸς ἀνῆπται τὴν αἰτίαν. τούτῳ δὴ οὖν σφᾶς ὅλους αὐτῷ σώματι καὶ