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ruling over its strength and calming the surge of the waves, He who founded the earth upon the waters and gave a spirit that nourishes it, whose breath gives life to all, who, if He should hold back the spirit with Himself, all will fail. Of Him you speak, O man, His spirit you breathe, Him you do not know. And this has happened to you because of the blindness of your soul and the deadening of your heart. But if you wish, you can be healed; entrust yourself to the physician, and he will pierce the eyes of your soul and of your heart. Who is the physician? God, who heals and makes alive through the Word and Wisdom. God through His Word and His Wisdom made all things; for by His Word the heavens were made firm, and by His Spirit all their host. His wisdom is most excellent; God by wisdom founded the earth, and prepared the heavens by understanding, by His knowledge the deeps were broken up, and the clouds drop down the dew. If you understand these things, O man, living purely and holily and justly, you are able to see God. But before all things, let faith and the fear of God lead the way in your heart, and then you will understand these things. When you put off the mortal and put on incorruption, then you will see God worthily. For God will raise your flesh immortal with your soul; and then, having become immortal, you will see the Immortal, if you now believe in Him; and then you will recognize that you have spoken against Him unjustly. But you disbelieve that the dead are raised. When it happens, then you will believe, whether you want to or not; and your faith will be counted as unbelief, if you do not believe now. But why do you disbelieve? Or do you not know that faith precedes all things? For what farmer can reap, unless he first entrusts the seed to the earth? Or who can cross the sea, unless he first entrusts himself to the ship and to the pilot? And who being sick can be healed, unless he first entrusts himself to the physician? And what art or science can one learn, unless he first gives himself over and entrusts himself to the teacher? If, then, the farmer trusts the earth, and the sailor the ship, and the sick man the physician, will you not entrust yourself to God, having so many pledges from Him? First, that He made you out of nothing into being. For if your father did not exist nor your mother, much more you would never have existed. And He formed you from a moist substance, a small and least drop, which itself also did not once exist; and God brought you forth into this life. Then you believe that the images made by men are gods and perform mighty deeds. But do you disbelieve that the God who made you is able to make you also hereafter? And the names of the gods whom you say you worship are the names of dead men. And what sort and of what kind were they? Is not Kronos found to be a child-eater, consuming his own children? And if you should speak of Zeus his son, learn also of his deeds and his conduct. First, that he was raised on Ida by a goat, and

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δεσπόζων τοῦ κράτους αὐτῆς καὶ τὸν σάλον τῶν κυμάτων καταπραΰνων, ὁ θεμελιώσας τὴν γῆν ἐπὶ τῶν ὑδάτων καὶ δοὺς πνεῦμα τὸ τρέφον αὐτήν, οὗ ἡ πνοὴ ζωογονεῖ τὸ πᾶν, ὃς ἐὰν συσχῇ τὸ πνεῦμα παρ' ἑαυτῷ ἐκλείψει τὸ πᾶν. Τοῦτον λαλεῖς, ἄνθρωπε, τούτου τὸ πνεῦμα ἀναπνεῖς, τοῦτον ἀγνοεῖς. τοῦτο δέ σοι συμβέβηκεν διὰ τὴν τύφλωσιν τῆς ψυχῆς καὶ πήρωσιν τῆς καρδίας σου. ἀλλὰ εἰ βούλει, δύνασαι θεραπευθῆναι· ἐπίδος σεαυτὸν τῷ ἰατρῷ καὶ παρακεντήσει σου τοὺς ὀφθαλμοὺς τῆς ψυχῆς καὶ τῆς καρδίας. τίς ἐστιν ὁ ἰατρός; ὁ θεός, ὁ θεραπεύων καὶ ζωοποιῶν διὰ τοῦ λόγου καὶ τῆς σοφίας. ὁ θεὸς διὰ τοῦ λόγου αὐτοῦ καὶ τῆς σοφίας ἐποίησε τὰ πάντα· τῷ γὰρ λόγῳ αὐτοῦ ἐστερεώθησαν οἱ οὐρανοὶ καὶ τῷ πνεύματι αὐτοῦ πᾶσα ἡ δύναμις αὐτῶν. κρατίστη ἐστὶν ἡ σοφία αὐτοῦ· ὁ θεὸς τῇ σοφίᾳ ἐθεμελίωσε τὴν γῆν, ἡτοίμασε δὲ οὐρανοὺς φρονή- σει, ἐν αἰσθήσει ἄβυσσοι ἐρράγησαν, νέφη δὲ ἐρρύησαν δρόσους. Eἰ ταῦτα νοεῖς, ἄνθρωπε, ἁγνῶς καὶ ὁσίως καὶ δικαίως ζῶν, δύνασαι ὁρᾶν τὸν θεόν. πρὸ παντὸς δὲ προηγείσθω σου ἐν τῇ καρδίᾳ πίστις καὶ φόβος ὁ τοῦ θεοῦ, καὶ τότε συνήσεις ταῦτα. ὅταν ἀπόθῃ τὸ θνητὸν καὶ ἐνδύσῃ τὴν ἀφθαρσίαν, τότε ὄψῃ κατὰ ἀξίαν τὸν θεόν. ἀνεγείρει γάρ σου τὴν σάρκα ἀθάνατον σὺν τῇ ψυχῇ ὁ θεός· καὶ τότε ὄψῃ γενόμενος ἀθάνατος τὸν ἀθάνατον, ἐὰν νῦν πιστεύσῃς αὐτῷ καὶ τότε ἐπιγνώσῃ ὅτι ἀδίκως κατελάλησας αὐτοῦ. Ἀλλὰ ἀπιστεῖς νεκροὺς ἐγείρεσθαι. ὅταν ἔσται, τότε πιστεύσεις θέλων καὶ μὴ θέλων· καὶ ἡ πίστις σου εἰς ἀπιστίαν λογισθήσεται, ἐὰν μὴ νῦν πιστεύσῃς. πρὸς τί δὲ καὶ ἀπιστεῖς; ἢ οὐκ οἶδας ὅτι ἁπάντων πραγμάτων ἡ πίστις προηγεῖται; τίς γὰρ δύναται θερίσαι γεωργός, ἐὰν μὴ πρῶτον πιστεύσῃ τὸ σπέρμα τῇ γῇ; ἢ τίς δύναται διαπερᾶσαι τὴν θάλασσαν, ἐὰν μὴ πρῶτον ἑαυτὸν πιστεύσῃ τῷ πλοίῳ καὶ τῷ κυβερνήτῃ; τίς δὲ κάμνων δύναται θεραπευθῆναι, ἐὰν μὴ πρῶτον ἑαυτὸν πιστεύσῃ τῷ ἰατρῷ; ποίαν δὲ τέχνην ἢ ἐπιστήμην δύναταί τις μαθεῖν, ἐὰν μὴ πρῶτον ἐπιδῷ ἑαυτὸν καὶ πιστεύσῃ τῷ διδασκάλῳ; εἰ οὖν γεωργὸς πιστεύει τῇ γῇ καὶ ὁ πλέων τῷ πλοίῳ, καὶ ὁ κάμνων τῷ ἰατρῷ, σὺ οὐ βούλει ἑαυτὸν πιστεῦσαι τῷ θεῷ, τοσούτους ἀρραβῶνας ἔχων παρ' αὐτοῦ; πρῶτον μὲν ὅτι ἐποίησέν σε ἐξ οὐκ ὄντος εἰς τὸ εἶναι. εἰ γὰρ ὁ πατήρ σου οὐκ ἦν οὐδὲ ἡ μήτηρ, πολὺ μᾶλλον οὐδὲ σὺ ἦς ποτε. καὶ ἔπλασέν σε ἐξ ὑγρᾶς οὐσίας μικρᾶς καὶ ἐλαχίστης ·ανίδος, ἥτις οὐδὲ αὐτὴ ἦν ποτε· καὶ προήγαγέν σε ὁ θεὸς εἰς τόνδε τὸν βίον. εἶτα πιστεύεις τὰ ὑπὸ ἀνθρώπων γινόμενα ἀγάλματα θεοὺς εἶναι καὶ ἀρετὰς ποιεῖν. τῷ δὲ ποιήσαντί σε θεῷ ἀπιστεῖς δύνασθαί σε καὶ μεταξὺ ποιῆσαι; Καὶ τὰ μὲν ὀνόματα ὧν φῂς σέβεσθαι θεῶν ὀνόματά ἐστιν νεκρῶν ἀνθρώπων. καὶ τούτων τίνων καὶ ποταπῶν; οὐχὶ Κρόνος μὲν τεκνοφάγος εὑρίσκεται καὶ τὰ ἑαυτοῦ τέκνα ἀναλίσκων; εἰ δὲ καὶ ∆ία τὸν παῖδα αὐτοῦ εἴποις, κατάμαθε κἀκείνου τὰς πράξεις καὶ τὴν ἀναστροφήν. πρῶτον μὲν ἐν Ἴδῃ ὑπὸ αἰγὸς ἀνετράφη, καὶ