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their evil desires, so that having these as advocates of their wickedness they might commit adultery, seize, murder and do all terrible things. 8.4 For if their gods did such things, how will the men who attend to them not do such things themselves? 8.5 Therefore, from these practices of error it came to pass for men to have frequent wars and slaughters and bitter captivities.

9.1 But if we should wish to go through our account for each of their gods, you will see much absurdity. 9.2 Thus before all a god called Cronus is introduced by them and to him they sacrifice their own children. 9.3 who had many children from Rhea and, going mad, ate his own children. 9.4 And they say that Zeus cut off his private parts and threw them into the sea, from whence Aphrodite is fabled to have been born. So Zeus, having bound his own father, threw him into Tartarus. 9.5 Do you see the error and licentiousness which they introduce concerning their god; is it possible, then, for a god to be a prisoner and castrated? O the folly; who of those having sense would say these things? 9.6 Second is introduced Zeus, who they say became king of their gods and was transformed into animals, in order to commit adultery with mortal women. 9.7 For they introduce him as being transformed into a bull for Europa, and into gold for Danae, and into a swan for Leda, and into a satyr for Antiope, and into a thunderbolt for Semele; then from these were born many children, Dionysus, and Zethus and Amphion, and Heracles, and Apollo and Artemis, and Perseus, Castor and Helen and Polydeuces, and Minos, and Rhadamanthus, and Sarpedon, and the nine daughters whom they called the Muses. Then in this way they introduce the stories about Ganymede. 9.8 It came to pass therefore, O king, for men to imitate all these things, and to become adulterers and pederasts, and workers of other terrible deeds, in imitation of their god. 9.9 How then is it possible for a god to be an adulterer or a sodomite or a patricide?

10.1 And along with this they introduce a certain Hephaestus to be a god, and this one lame and holding a hammer and tongs and working as a blacksmith for the sake of food. 10.2 Is he then in need? For it is not possible for a god to be lame and in need of men. 10.3 Then they introduce Hermes to be a god, covetous and greedy and a magician and crooked and an interpreter of words. 10.4 For it is not possible for a god to be such a one. 10.5 And they introduce Asclepius to be a god, being a physician and preparing medicines and the composition of plasters for the sake of food. For he was in need; and later he was struck by a thunderbolt by Zeus because of Tyndareus, son of Lacedaemon, and died. 10.6 But if Asclepius, being a god and struck by lightning, was not able to help himself, how will he help others? 10.7 And Ares is introduced as being a god, a warrior and desirous of flocks and of other things; but later, while committing adultery with Aphrodite, he was bound by the infant Eros and by Hephaestus. How then is he a god who is desirous and a warrior and a captive and an adulterer? 10.8 And they introduce Dionysus to be a god, leading nocturnal festivals and a teacher of drunkenness and carrying off the wives of his neighbors and being mad and a fugitive; and later he was slain by the Titans. If then Dionysus, having been slain, was not able to help himself, but was also mad and a runaway, how could he be a god? 10.9 And they introduce Heracles to have gotten drunk and gone mad and slain his own children, then to have been consumed by fire and so to have died. And how could he be a god who is a drunkard and a child-killer and one who is burned up? Or how could he help others, being unable to help himself?

11.1 And they introduce Apollo to be a god, a jealous one, and also holding a bow and quiver, and sometimes also a lyre and plectrum and prophesying to the

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τὰς ἐπιθυμίας αὐτῶν τὰς πονηράς, ἵνα τούτους συνηγόρους ἔχοντες τῆς κακίας μοιχεύωσιν, ἁρπάζωσι, φονεύωσι καὶ τὰ δεινὰ πάντα ποιῶσιν. 8.4 εἰ γὰρ οἱ θεοὶ αὐτῶν τοιαῦτα ἐποίησαν, πῶς καὶ αὐτοὶ οἱ προσέχοντες αὐτοῖς ἄνθρωποι οὐ τοιαῦτα πράξουσιν; 8.5 ἐκ τούτων οὖν τῶν ἐπιτηδευμάτων τῆς πλάνης συνέβη τοῖς ἀνθρώ- ποις πολέμους ἔχειν συχνοὺς καὶ σφαγὰς καὶ αἰχμαλωσίας πικράς.

9.1 Ἀλλὰ καὶ καθ' ἕκαστον τῶν θεῶν αὐτῶν εἰ θελήσομεν ἐπεξελθεῖν τῷ λόγῳ, πολλὴν ὄψει ἀτοπίαν. 9.2 οὕτως παρεισάγεται αὐτοῖς πρὸ πάντων θεὸς ὁ λεγόμενος Κρόνος καὶ τούτῳ θύουσι τὰ ἴδια τέκνα. 9.3 ὃς ἔσχε παῖδας πολλοὺς ἐκ τῆς Ῥέας καὶ μανεὶς ἤσθιε τὰ ἴδια τέκνα. 9.4 φασὶ δὲ τὸν ∆ία κόψαι αὐτοῦ τὰ ἀναγκαῖα καὶ βαλεῖν εἰς τὴν θάλασσαν, ὅθεν Ἀφροδίτη μυθεύεται γεννηθῆναι. δήσας οὖν τὸν ἴδιον πατέρα ὁ Ζεὺς ἔβαλεν εἰς τὸν Τάρταρον. 9.5 ὁρᾷς τὴν πλάνην καὶ ἀσέλγειαν, ἣν παρεισάγουσι κατὰ τοῦ θεοῦ αὐτῶν· ἐνδέχεται οὖν θεὸν εἶναι δέσμιον καὶ ἀπόκοπον; ὢ τῆς ἀνοίας· τίς τῶν νοῦν ἐχόντων ταῦτα φήσειεν; 9.6 δεύτερος παρεισάγεται ὁ Ζεύς, ὅν φασι βασιλεῦσαι τῶν θεῶν αὐτῶν καὶ μεταμορφοῦσθαι εἰς ζῷα, ὅπως μοιχεύσῃ θνητὰς γυναῖκας. 9.7 παρεισάγουσι γὰρ τοῦτον μεταμορφούμενον εἰς ταῦρον πρὸς Εὐρώ-πην, καὶ εἰς χρυσὸν πρὸς ∆ανάην, καὶ εἰς κύκνον πρὸς Λήδαν, καὶ εἰς σάτυρον πρὸς Ἀντιόπην, καὶ εἰς κεραυνὸν πρὸς Σεμέλην· εἶτα γενέσθαι ἐκ τούτων τέκνα πολλά, ∆ιόνυσον, καὶ Ζῆθον καὶ Ἀμφίονα, καὶ Ἡρακλῆν, καὶ Ἀπόλλωνα καὶ Ἄρτεμιν, καὶ Περσέα, Κάστορά τε καὶ Ἑλένην καὶ Πολυδεύκην, καὶ Μίνωα, καὶ Ῥαδάμανθυν, καὶ Σαρπηδόνα, καὶ τὰς ἐννέα θυγατέρας ἃς προσηγόρευσαν Μούσας. εἶθ' οὕτως παρεισάγουσι τὰ κατὰ τὸν Γανυμήδην. 9.8 συνέβη οὖν, βασιλεῦ, τοῖς ἀνθρώποις μιμεῖσθαι ταῦτα πάντα, καὶ γίνεσθαι μοιχοὺς καὶ ἀρρενομανεῖς, καὶ ἄλλων δεινῶν ἔργων ἐργάτας, κατὰ μίμησιν τοῦ θεοῦ αὐτῶν. 9.9 πῶς οὖν ἐνδέχεται θεὸν εἶναι μοιχὸν ἢ ἀνδροβάτην ἢ πατροκτόνον;

10.1 Σὺν τούτῳ δὲ καὶ Ἥφαιστόν τινα παρεισάγουσι θεὸν εἶναι καὶ τοῦτον χωλὸν καὶ κρατοῦντα σφῦραν καὶ πυρολάβον καὶ χαλκεύοντα χάριν τροφῆς. 10.2 ἆρα ἐπενδεής ἐστιν; ὅπερ οὐκ ἐνδέχεται θεὸν εἶναι χωλὸν καὶ προσδεόμενον ἀνθρώπων. 10.3 εἶτα τὸν Ἡρμῆν παρεισάγουσι θεὸν εἶναι ἐπιθυμητὴν καὶ πλεονέκτην καὶ μάγον καὶ κυλλὸν καὶ λόγων ἑρμηνευτήν. 10.4 ὅπερ οὐκ ἐνδέχεται θεὸν εἶναι τοιοῦτον. 10.5 Τὸν δὲ Ἀσκληπιὸν παρεισάγουσι θεὸν εἶναι, ἰατρὸν ὄντα καὶ κατασκευάζοντα φάρμακα καὶ σύνθεσιν ἐμπλάστρων χάριν τροφῆς. ἐπενδεὴς γὰρ ἦν· ὕστερον δὲ κεραυνοῦσθαι αὐτὸν ὑπὸ τοῦ ∆ιὸς διὰ Τυνδάρεων Λακεδαίμονος υἱὸν καὶ ἀποθανεῖν. 10.6 εἰ δὲ Ἀσκληπιὸς θεὸς ὢν καὶ κεραυνωθεὶς οὐκ ἠδυνήθη ἑαυτῷ βοηθῆσαι πῶς ἄλλοις βοηθήσει; 10.7 Ἄρης δὲ παρεισάγεται θεὸς εἶναι πολεμιστὴς καὶ ἐπιθυμητὴς θρεμμάτων καὶ ἑτέρων τινῶν· ὕστερον δὲ αὐτὸν μοιχεύοντα τὴν Ἀφροδίτην δεθῆναι αὐτὸν ὑπὸ τοῦ νηπίου Ἔρωτος καὶ ὑπὸ Ἡφαίστου. πῶς οὖν θεός ἐστιν ὁ ἐπιθυμητὴς καὶ πολεμιστὴς καὶ δέσμιος καὶ μοιχός; 10.8 Τὸν δὲ ∆ιόνυσον παρεισάγουσι θεὸν εἶναι, νυκτερινὰς ἄγοντα ἑορτὰς καὶ διδάσκαλον μέθης καὶ ἀποσπῶντα τὰς τῶν πλησίον γυναῖκας καὶ μαινόμενον καὶ φεύγοντα· ὕστερον δὲ αὐτὸν σφαγῆναι ὑπὸ τῶν Τιτάνων. εἰ οὖν ∆ιόνυσος σφαγεὶς οὐκ ἠδυνήθη ἑαυτῷ βοηθῆσαι, ἀλλὰ καὶ μαινόμενος ἦν καὶ δραπέτης, πῶς ἂν εἴη θεός; 10.9 Τὸν δὲ Ἡρακλῆν παρεισάγουσι μεθυσθῆναι καὶ μανῆναι καὶ τὰ ἴδια τέκνα σφάξαι, εἶτα πυρὶ ἀναλωθῆναι καὶ οὕτως ἀποθανεῖν. πῶς δ' ἂν εἴη θεὸς μέθυσος καὶ τεκνοκτόνος καὶ κατακαιόμενος; ἢ πῶς ἄλλοις βοηθῆσαι, ἑαυτῷ βοηθῆσαι μὴ δυνηθείς;

11.1 Τὸν δὲ Ἀπόλλωνα παρεισάγουσι θεὸν εἶναι ζηλωτήν, ἔτι δὲ καὶ τόξον καὶ φαρέτραν κρατοῦντα, ποτὲ δὲ καὶ κιθάραν καὶ ἐπαυθίδα καὶ μαντευόμενον τοῖς