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to offer a demonstration, but deeming it right that those who come to us should give heed to faith alone, and persuading them of nothing more than themselves, that, in the manner of irrational cattle, closing their eyes well and courageously they must follow without examination all that is said by us, whence they are even called faithful, on account of their irrational faith; reasonably, having divided the slanders against us, in the Preparation of the whole argument, I set forth first that of the polytheistic nations, who reproach us because we have become apostates from our ancestral gods, and who boast loudly that we have preferred barbarian things to Greek things, having embraced the oracles among the Hebrews; 1.1.16 and second, the accusation of the Jews themselves, by which they too might seem to blame us justly, because, though we misuse their scriptures, we do not follow the same manner of life as they. 1.1.17 These things having been so distinguished by us, we have responded to the first, as was possible, through the Praeparatio Evangelica, having confessed that we were formerly Greeks and from other nations held Greek opinions, and were enslaved by our fathers to the polytheistic error, yet not changing our minds through an irrational and unexamined impulse, but by judgment and sober reasoning, and having shown that our zeal for the oracles of the Hebrews has come to us with discrimination and reasonably. 1.1.18 But now it is time to arm ourselves against the second and to go through the remaining investigation; and this was against those of the circumcision, not yet examined even now, but to be fulfilled somewhere here in due course in the serious matters of the Demonstratio Evangelica. 1.1.19 Come then, having called upon the God of all, both of Jews and of Greeks, through our Savior Himself, let us first examine this: what is the manner of our own worship; and at the same time we shall add the solutions to all the questions sought. 1.2.1 It has indeed already been said before in the Praeparatio that Christianity is neither a form of Hellenism nor of Judaism, but bears a certain character of worship of its own, and this is not new nor out of place, but very ancient and familiar and known to the God-beloved men before the time of Moses, who were witnessed to for their piety and righteousness. But nevertheless, having now also considered what Hellenism and Judaism are, let us examine to which of these we might find the God-beloved men before Moses, who were witnessed by Moses himself as God-beloved and for their piety, to have been subject. 1.2.2 One might reasonably name Judaism the constitution ordained according to the law of Moses, attached to the one God over all, and Hellenism, to speak in summary, the superstition of all the nations according to their ancestral customs toward many gods. 1.2.3 What then should we say about the God-beloved men before Moses and before 1.2.3 Judaism, whom Moses mentioned, such as Enoch, to whom he bears witness saying: "And Enoch was well-pleasing to God," and about Noah, about whom he says again: "But Noah was a righteous man in his generation," and about Shem and Japheth, about whom he writes these things: "Blessed be the Lord God of Shem, and may God enlarge Japheth"; 1.2.4 and further, in addition to these, about Abraham and Isaac and Jacob, with whom it is reasonable to number Job, and if any others emulated a life similar to theirs? Should one consider them to have been Jews or Greeks? But indeed they could not reasonably be called Jews, since the legislation of Moses had not yet been introduced to life. 1.2.5 For if Judaism was nothing other than the constitution according to Moses, and Moses appeared long after the time of those mentioned, it is clear that those who were witnessed to for their piety before his time could not have been Jews. But neither is it fitting to consider them Greeks, since they were not held by the polytheistic superstition. For Abraham is said to have completely left his father's house and kindred and to have given heed to one God alone, whom he also confesses, saying: 1.2.6 "I will stretch out my hand to the most high God, who

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παρέχειν δεῖγμα, πίστει δὲ μόνῃ προσέχειν ἀξιοῦν τοὺς ἡμῖν προσιόντας, τούτους δὲ καὶ πείθειν οὐδὲν πλέον ἢ σφᾶς αὐτούς, θρεμμάτων ἀλόγων δίκην, μύσαντας εὖ καὶ ἀνδρείως ἕπεσθαι δεῖν ἀνεξετάστως ἅπασι τοῖς παρ' ἡμῶν λεγομένοις, παρ' ὃ καὶ πιστοὺς χρηματίζειν, τῆς ἀλόγου χάριν πίστεως· εἰκότως διελὼν τὰς καθ' ἡμῶν διαβολάς, ἐν τῇ Προπαρασκευῇ τοῦ παντὸς λόγου πρώτην μὲν τὴν τῶν πολυθέων ἐξεθέμην ἐθνῶν, ἐπεγκαλούντων ἡμῖν ὅτι δὴ τῶν πατρίων θεῶν ἀποστάται κατέστημεν, ἐπὶ μέγα φαμένων τε ὅτι τὰ βάρβαρα τῶν Ἑλλήνων προτετιμήκαμεν, τὰ παρ' Ἑβραίοις ἀσπασάμενοι λόγια· 1.1.16 δευτέραν δὲ τὴν αὐτῶν Ἰουδαίων κατηγορίαν, δι' ἧς καὶ αὐτοὶ δόξαιεν ἂν ἡμῖν ἐνδίκως ἐπιμέμφεσθαι, ὅτι δὴ ταῖς αὐτῶν γραφαῖς καταχρώμενοι οὐ τὸν ὅμοιον αὐτοῖς μέτιμεν τοῦ βίου τρόπον. 1.1.17 τούτων δ' οὕτως ἡμῖν διευκρινημένων, πρὸς μὲν τὴν πρώτην, ὡς οἷόν τε ἦν, διὰ τῆς Εὐαγγελικῆς Προπαρασκευῆς ἀπηντήσαμεν, Ἕλληνες μὲν εἶναι τὸ πρὶν ὁμολογήσαντες καὶ ἐξ ἑτέρων ἐθνῶν τὰ Ἑλλήνων πεφρονηκότες, ἐκ πατέρων τε τῇ πολυθέῳ πλάνῃ δεδουλωμένοι, οὐ μὴν μέντοι ἀλόγῳ καὶ ἀνεξετάστῳ ὁρμῇ κρίσει δὲ καὶ σώφρονι λογισμῷ μεταθέμενοι, τήν τε περὶ τὰ Ἑβραίων λόγια σπουδὴν κεκριμένως ἡμῖν καὶ εὐλόγως γεγενημένην παραστήσαντες. 1.1.18 πρὸς δὲ τὴν δευτέραν ὥρα νῦν φράξασθαι καὶ τὸ λεῖπον ἐπελθεῖν σκέμμα· τοῦτο δ' ἦν πρὸς τοὺς ἐκ περιτομῆς, οὔπω καὶ νῦν ἐξητασμένον, ἐνταῦθα δέ που κατὰ καιρὸν ἐν τοῖς σπουδαζομένοις τῆς Εὐαγγελικῆς Ἀποδείξεως ἀναπληρωθησόμενον. 1.1.19 φέρε οὖν τὸν τῶν ἁπάντων Ἰουδαίων τε καὶ Ἑλλήνων θεὸν δι' αὐτοῦ τοῦ σωτῆρος ἡμῶν ἐπικαλεσάμενοι, πρῶτον ἐκεῖνο διασκεψώμεθα, τίς ὁ τρόπος τυγχάνει τῆς καθ' ἡμᾶς αὐτοὺς θεοσεβείας· ἐν ταὐτῷ δὲ καὶ τῶν ἐπιζητουμένων ἁπάντων ἐπιθήσομεν τὰς λύσεις. 1.2.1 Εἴρηται μὲν ἤδη καὶ πρότερον ἐν τῇ Προπαρασκευῇ ὡς ὁ χριστιανισμὸς οὔτε ἑλληνισμός τίς ἐστιν οὔτε ἰουδαϊσμός, οἰκεῖον δέ τινα φέρων χαρακτῆρα θεοσεβείας, καὶ τοῦτον οὐ νέον οὐδὲ ἐκτετοπισμένον, ἀλλ' εὖ μάλα παλαιότατον καὶ τοῖς πρὸ τῶν Μωσέως χρόνων θεοφιλέσιν ἐπ' εὐσεβείᾳ τε καὶ δικαιοσύνῃ μεμαρτυρημένοις συνήθη καὶ γνώριμον. πλὴν ἀλλὰ καὶ νῦν ἐπιθεωρήσαντες τί ποτ' ἐστὶν ὅ τε ἑλληνισμὸς καὶ ἰουδαϊσμός, σκεψώμεθα ποτέρῳ τούτων ὑπηγμένους τοὺς πρὸ Μωσέως θεοφιλεῖς ἄνδρας πρὸς αὐτοῦ Μωσέως θεοφιλεῖς καὶ ἐπ' εὐσεβείᾳ μεμαρτυρημένους εὕροιμεν ἄν. 1.2.2 Τὸν μὲν ἰουδαϊσμὸν εὐλόγως ἄν τις ὀνομάσειε τὴν κατὰ τὸν Μωσέως νόμον διατεταγμένην πολιτείαν, ἑνὸς ἐξημμένην τοῦ ἐπὶ πάντων θεοῦ, τὸν δὲ ἑλληνισμόν, ὡς ἐν κεφαλαίῳ φάναι, τὴν κατὰ τὰ πάτρια τῶν ἐθνῶν ἁπάντων εἰς πλείονας θεοὺς δεισιδαιμονίαν. 1.2.3 Τί οὖν φήσαιμεν ἂν περὶ τῶν πρὸ Μωσέως καὶ πρὸ τοῦ 1.2.3 ἰουδαϊσμοῦ θεοφιλῶν ἀνδρῶν, ὧν ὁ Μωσῆς ἐμνημόνευσεν, οἷον περὶ τοῦ Ἐνώχ, ᾧ μαρτυρεῖ λέγων· «εὐηρέστησε δὲ Ἐνὼχ τῷ θεῷ», καὶ περὶ τοῦ Νῶε, περὶ οὗ πάλιν φησί· «Νῶε δὲ ἦν ἄνθρωπος δίκαιος ἐν τῇ γενεᾷ αὐτοῦ», περί τε τοῦ Σὴμ καὶ τοῦ Ἰάφεθ, περὶ ὧν ταῦτα ἀναγράφει· «εὐλογητὸς κύριος ὁ θεὸς τοῦ Σήμ, καὶ πλατύναι ὁ θεὸς τῷ Ἰάφεθ»· 1.2.4 καὶ ἔτι πρὸς τούτοις περὶ τοῦ Ἀβραὰμ καὶ τοῦ Ἰσαὰκ καὶ τοῦ Ἰακώβ, οἷς καὶ τὸν Ἰὼβ συναριθμεῖν εὔλογον, καὶ εἴ τινες ἄλλοι τὸν ἐμφερῆ τούτοις ἐζήλωσαν βίον; ἆρά γε Ἰουδαίους αὐτοὺς χρὴ νομίζειν γεγονέναι ἢ Ἕλληνας; ἀλλὰ γὰρ Ἰουδαῖοι μὲν οὐκ ἂν εὐλόγως λεχθεῖεν, μήπω τῆς Μωσέως παρεισαχθείσης τῷ βίῳ νομοθεσίας. 1.2.5 εἰ γὰρ ἰουδαϊσμὸς οὐδὲν ἦν ἕτερον ἢ ἡ κατὰ Μωσέα πολιτεία, Μωσῆς δὲ μακροῖς ὕστερον χρόνοις τῶν εἰρημένων πέφηνε, δῆλον ὡς οὐκ ἂν εἶεν Ἰουδαῖοι οἱ πρὸ τῶν αὐτοῦ χρόνων ἐπ' εὐσεβείᾳ μεμαρτυρημένοι. ἀλλ' οὐδὲ Ἕλληνας προσήκει νομίζειν αὐτούς, μὴ τῇ πολυθέῳ δεισιδαιμονίᾳ κεκρατημένους. ὅ τε γὰρ Ἀβραὰμ καταλεῖψαι τελέως λέγεται οἶκον πατρῷον καὶ συγγένειαν καὶ ἑνὶ μόνῳ προσεσχηκέναι θεῷ, ὃν καὶ ὁμολογεῖ φάσκων· 1.2.6 «ἐκτενῶ τὴν χεῖρά μου πρὸς τὸν θεὸν τὸν ὕψιστον, ὃς