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but guilelessly and without preparation setting forth what he had both heard and seen the manifested Son of God to have done and said; and he provided many witnesses of the wonders and words spoken by him, even from the very crowd that was present. And since the crowds were gladly disposed to the things spoken without cunning, the philosophers who came from worldly education set about to laugh at him and mock him, scoffing and reviling with immeasurable insolence, as if using their syllogisms as great weapons. But he, pushing away their nonsense, did not engage with their cunning questioning, but undauntedly did not desist from what he was saying. And once someone asked him why a gnat, being a very small creature, has six feet and wings, but an elephant, the largest of animals, being wingless, has only four feet. But he, after the question, taking up his interrupted discourse, as if answering the question, took up again the discourse that was set before him from the beginning, using only this preface at each interruption: We have a command only to tell you the words and wonderful deeds of him who sent us, and instead of logical proof we provide you as witnesses many of those present from among you, whose faces I remember as living images of sufficient testimony. For the rest, it is in your power to obey or to disobey. But I will not cease to tell you what is profitable, because for me to be silent is a loss, but for you to disobey is a harm. But I would also have been able to give the proofs for your random problems, if you were asking out of love for the truth. But to tell you now the reason for the different creation of the gnat and the elephant is not timely for those who are ignorant of the God of all things. As he was saying these things, they, as if by agreement, let out disorderly laughter, trying to make him be silent and at a loss, as some possessed barbarian. But I, seeing these things, seized somehow by zeal with a pious spirit, could no longer endure to be silent, but with boldness I cried out, saying: Rightly has God made his will incomprehensible to you, foreseeing you to be unworthy, as it seems from the present circumstances he is convincing those who have a discerning mind. For since now heralds of his will have been sent forth, not professing the art of grammar, but with simple and guileless words revealing his will, so that anyone at all who hears may understand the things said, and not with some envious disposition that is unwilling to offer itself to all; you are here, and in addition to not understanding what is profitable for you, you laugh to your own harm at the truth which, for your condemnation, has sojourned among barbarians, which, having come to you also, you are not willing to receive as a guest on account of your licentiousness and the plainness of its words, so that you may not be convicted that you are lovers of words in vain and not philosophers who are lovers of truth. Until when, then, will you learn to speak, you who have nothing to say? For many words from you are not worthy of a single reasoned statement. What then will the Greek multitude of you say, having become as one soul, if indeed there will be a judgment, as this man says? Why, O God, did you not proclaim your will to us? not all-

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ἀλλὰ ἀκάκως καὶ ἀπαρασκευάστως ἐκτιθέμενον ἅ τε ἤκουσεν καὶ ἑώρακεν τὸν τοῦ θεοῦ φανέντα υἱὸν πεποιηκέναι τε καὶ εἰρηκέναι· πολλοὺς δὲ μάρτυρας τῶν ὑπ' αὐτοῦ λεγομένων θαυμασίων τε καὶ λόγων καὶ ἐξ αὐτοῦ τοῦ παρεστῶτος ὄχλου παρεῖχεν. ἐπειδὴ δὲ πρὸς τὰ ἀπανούρ- γως λεγόμενα ἡδέως οἱ ὄχλοι διετίθεντο, οἱ ἐκ παιδείας κοσμικῆς ὁρμώ μενοι φιλόσοφοι γελᾶν αὐτὸν καὶ χλευάζειν ἐπεβάλλοντο, σκώπτοντες καὶ διασύροντες θράσει ἀμέτρῳ, ὡς μεγάλοις ὅπλοις κεχρημένοι τοῖς συλλογισμοῖς. ὁ δὲ ἀπωθούμενος αὐτῶν τὸν λῆρον οὐ συνέτρεχεν αὐτῶν τῇ πανούργῳ πεύσει, ἀλλὰ ἀκαταπλήκτως ὧν ἔλεγεν οὐκ ἀφίστατο. καί ποτέ τις αὐτοῦ ἐπύθετο διὰ τί κώνωψ ἐγένετο καὶ βραχύτατον ὄν, ἓξ πόδας ἔχον ἔχει καὶ πτερά, ἐλέφας δέ, τὸ μέγιστον τῶν ζσων, ἄπτερος ὢν τέσσαρας μόνους ἔχει πόδας. ὁ δὲ μετὰ τὴν πεῦσιν τὸν ἐμποδισθέντα ἀναλαβὼν λόγον, ὡς πρὸς τὴν πεῦσιν ἀποκρινάμενος τὸν αὐτῷ ἀπ' ἀρχῆς προκείμενον ἀνελάμβανεν λόγον τούτῳ μόνῳ προοιμίῳ χρώμενος καθ' ἑκάστην ἐνκοπήν· Ἡμεῖς τοῦ πέμψαντος ἡμᾶς τοὺς λόγους καὶ τὰς θαυμασίους πράξεις εἰπεῖν ὑμῖν μόνον ἔχομεν ἐντολήν, καὶ ἀντὶ τῆς λογικῆς ἀποδείξεως μάρτυρας παρέχομεν ὑμῖν τῶν ἐξ ὑμῶν παρε- στώτων πολλούς, ὧν ἐγὼ τὰ εἴδη μέμνημαι ὡς ἐμψύχους εἰκόνας ἱκανὰς μαρτυρίας. λοιπὸν τῆς ὑμετέρας ἐστὶν ἐξουσίας ὑπείκειν ἢ ἀπειθεῖν. τοῦ δὲ λέγειν ὑμῖν τὸ συμφέρον οὐ παύσομαι, ὅτι ἐμοὶ μὲν ζημία τὸ σιωπᾶν, ὑμῖν δὲ τὸ ἀπειθεῖν βλάβη. ἀλλὰ καὶ τῶν εἰκαίων ὑμῶν προβλη- μάτων τὰς ἀποδείξεις ἀποδοῦναι ἐδυνάμην, εἰ φιλαλήθως ἐπυνθάνεσθε. κώνωπος δὲ καὶ ἐλέφαντος τὴν αἰτίαν τῆς διαφόρου δημιουργίας νῦν ὑμῖν εἰπεῖν οὐκ ἔστιν εὔκαιρον τοῖς τὸν τῶν ὅλων ἀγνοοῦσι θεόν. Ταῦτα αὐτοῦ λέγοντος, ὡς ἐκ συμφωνίας ἄτακτον ἠφίεσαν γέλωτα, κατα- σιωπᾶν καὶ ἀπορεῖν αὐτὸν πειρώμενοι ὡς βάρβαρόν τινα δαιμονῶντα. ἐγὼ δὲ ταῦτα ὁρῶν, ζήλῳ οὐκ οἶδ' ὅπως ληφθεὶς εὐσεβεῖ θυμῷ τοῦ λοιποῦ σιγᾶν οὐκ ἐκαρτέρουν, ἀλλὰ μετὰ παρρησίας ἐβόων λέγων· Eὐλόγως ὁ θεὸς ὑμῖν ἀκατάληπτον τὴν αὐτοῦ βούλησιν ἔθετο, ἀναξίους προϊδὼν ὡς ἐκ τῶν νῦν τοὺς κριτικὸν νοῦν ἔχοντας πληροφορῶν φαίνεται. ἐπεὶ γὰρ νῦν τῆς αὐτοῦ βουλήσεως κήρυκες ἐξαπεστάλησαν, οὐ γραμματικὴν ἐπαγ- γελλόμενοι τέχνην, ἀλλὰ ἁπλοῖς καὶ ἀπανούργοις λόγοις τὴν αὐτοῦ βού- λησιν ἐκφαίνοντες, ὡς πάνθ' ὁντιναοῦν ἀκούσαντα νοεῖν τὰ λεγόμενα, καὶ οὐ μετὰ ἕξεώς τινος φθονερᾶς παρέχειν πᾶσιν ἑαυτὴν μὴ βουλομένης· πάρεστε ὑμεῖς πρὸς τῷ μὴ νοεῖν τὸ ὑμῖν συμφέρον ἐπὶ τῇ ὑμετέρᾳ βλάβῃ γελᾶν τὴν εἰς τὴν ὑμετέραν καταδίκην ἐν βαρβάροις πολιτευσα- μένην ἀλήθειαν, ἣν καὶ ὑμῖν ἐπιδημήσασαν ξενίσαι οὐ βούλεσθε διὰ τὰς ἀσελγείας ὑμῶν καὶ τὸ λιτὸν τῶν λόγων αὐτῆς, ἵνα μὴ ἐλεγχθῆτε ὅτι εἰκῆ φιλόλογοί ἐστε καὶ οὐ φιλαλήθεις φιλόσοφοι. μέχρι μὲν οὖν πότε λαλεῖν μανθάνετε οἱ τὸ λαλεῖν οὐκ ἔχοντες; πολλὰ γὰρ παρ' ὑμῶν ῥήματα ἑνὸς οὐκ ἄξια λόγου. τί ἄρα ἐρεῖ ὑμῶν τὸ ἑλλη- νικὸν πλῆθος μία ψυχὴ γενόμενον, εἴπερ ἔσται κρίσις, ὡς οὗτος λέγει; ∆ιὰ τί, ὦ θεέ, τὴν σὴν βούλησιν οὐκ ἐκήρυξας ἡμῖν; οὐ πάν-