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239 That Cadmus, the son of Agenor, from exile summoned Tiresias the philosopher and beast-slayer, about whom Sophocles says, that Tiresias saw Pallas bathing, and he became a woman; and he says that he sought to know the wisdom of God, and was not able; thus Sophocles proposed these things in his writings. "that there is one truth; There is one God who made heaven and the wide earth, and the sea's grey swell and the winds' might; but many of us mortals, with hearts gone astray, have set up for comforts in our woes images of the gods made of stones and woods, of gold-wrought and ivory forms, and making for these sacrifices and public festivals, we think we are pious." For Sophocles seemed to glorify monarchy. And in the times of his son Phoenix there was Heracles the Syrian philosopher, who discovered the purple-shell. For passing by the coastal part of the city of Tyre, he saw a shepherd's dog eating the so-called purple-shell, and the shepherd, taking a flock of wool from the sheep, thinking the dog was bleeding from the blood coming down from the dog's own mouth, dyed the flock. But Heracles, having noticed it was not blood, but the quality of a strange dye, was amazed, and taking the flock from the shepherd, and realizing that the flowing blood was from the purple-shell, presented it as a great gift to Phoenix, the king of Tyre, who, amazed, ordered wool to be dyed from this dye of the purple-shell, and for it to be made a mantle ba**** they performed a sacrifice and a festival for them, saying that their souls were in the isles of the blessed and were not judged. For Terah, the father of Abraham, was also of other materials, and making gods and selling them, introducing the error of images and idolatry to men through the i...s of their ancestors; especially of those who invented writings and arts, with whom the Egyptians also eagerly concurred, and the Babylonians, and the Phrygians, and those from Greece. For of this religion there were makers of images, and explainers of mysteries and rituals, 240 by whom especially such a religion was brought to the Greeks, and from someone by the name of Hellen, son also of Picus, who is also Zeus, who performed certain mystic rites. This Hellen taught those dwelling in Greece, from the tribe of Japheth, son of Noah; Plutarch of Chaeronea, reproaching these, set forth against the ancient philosophy, which was praised among Greeks and barbarians, that some introduce the error of images, but he himself says it seemed good to deify the heavenly luminaries, the sun and moon, introducing them as nourishing and making all things grow by the third partial motion of the five planets, and of the rest of the celestial arrangement. and administering the things related to birth and the air. But Abraham, having recognized the true knowledge of God, and having reasoned that the images which his father made are of dead men, and that they ought not to be honored, as not having become gods in heaven, but are earth and dust, he also condemned his own father Terah, saying, "Why do you lead men astray for profit? For there is no other god, except the one in the heavens, who created all these visible things?" And he departed into Mesopotamia.

And from Adam until Abraham are 3423 years; and in the times of Abraham there was also Melchizedek, a god-fearing man, descending from the race of Sidus, son of Aegyptus, king of the land of Libya, from whom the Egyptians are also called; This Sidus, having come from the... , took possession of the land of the so-called Canaanites, which is now called Palestine; and having subjugated it, as he dwelled in it, he also builds a city, which he called Sidon after his own name. And so from the race of Sidus, son of Aegyptus, king of the land of Libya, Melchizedek was descended; This Melchizedek, having become a priest and king of the Canaanites, builds a city on the so-called mount Sion, which he called Salem, which is interpreted as city of peace, and he reigned in it for 113 years, and he died righteous and a virgin, as Josephus set forth. Therefore from the flood

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239 Ὅτι Κάδμος ὁ τοῦ Ἀγήνορος υἱὸς, ἐκ τῆς ἐξορίας ἀνακαλέσατο Τιρεσίαν τὸν φιλόσοφον καὶ θηρολέτην, περὶ οὗ φησι Σοφοκλῆς, ὅτι τὴν Παλλάδα εἶδε λουομένην ὁ Τηρεσίας, καὶ γυνὴ ἐγένετο· φησὶ δὲ ὅτι τὴν σοφίαν τοῦ Θεοῦ ἐζήτησε γνῶναι, καὶ οὐκ ἠδυνήθη· οὕτως δὲ ὁ Σοφοκλῆς ἐρέθετο ἐν τοῖς συγγράμμασιν αὐτοῦ ταῦτα. "ὡς ἕνα τῆς ἀληθείας εἶναι· εἶ ἔστι Θεὸς ὃς οὐρανὸν ἔτευξε καὶ γαῖαν μακρὰν, πόντου τε χαροπὸν οἶδμα καὶ ἀνέμων βίας· θνητοὶ δὲ πολλοὶ καρδίαν πεπλανημένοι, ἱδρυσάμεθα πεμμάτων παραψυχὰς, θεῶν ἀγάλματα ἐκ λίθων καὶ ξύλων χρυσοτεύκτων ἐλεφαντίνων τύπων, θυσίας τε τούτοις καὶ κοινὰς πανηγύρεις τεύχοντες, εὐσεβεῖν νομίζομεν." μοναρχίαν γὰρ ἐδόκει δοξάζειν Σοφοκλῆς. Ἐν δὲ τοῖς χρόνοις τοῦ υἱοῦ αὐτοῦ Φοίνικος ἦν Ἡρακλῆς ὁ φιλόσοφος Σύρος, ὅστις ἐφεῦρε τὴν κογχύλην. διερχόμενος γὰρ περὶ τὸ παράλιον μέρος τῆς πόλεως Τύρου, εἶδεν κύνα ποιμένος ἐσθίοντα τὴν λεγομένην κογχύλην, καὶ τὸν ποιμένα λαβόντα πόκον ἐρίου ἀπὸ τῶν προβάτων, νομίζοντα αἱμάττειν τὸν κύνα τὸ καταφερόμενον αἷμα ἐκ τοῦ στόματος αὐτοῦ τοῦ κυνὸς, κατέβαψε τὸν πόκον. ὁ δὲ Ἡρακλῆς προσεσχηκὼς μὴ εἶναι αὐτῷ αἶμα, ἀλλὰ βάμματος παραξένου ἀρετὴν, ἐθαύμασε, καὶ ἄρας ἐκ τοῦ ποιμένος τὸν πόκον, καὶ γνοὺς ὅτι ἐκ τῆς κογχύλης ἐστὶ τὸ καταρέον αἷμα, ὡς μέγα τί δῶρον προσήγαγε τῷ βασιλεῖ τῆς Τύρου Φοίνικι, ὅστις θαυμάσας, ἐκέλευσε ἐξ αὐτοῦ τοῦ βάματος τῆς κογχύλης βαφῆναι ἔριον, καὶ γενέσθαι αὐτὸ περιβόλαιον βα**** θυσίαν καὶ ἑορτὴν αὐτοῖς ἐπετέλουν, λέγοντες εἰς τὰς τῶν μακάρων νήσους εἶναι τὰς ψυχὰς αὐτῶν καὶ μὴ κρίνεσθαι. Ἦν γὰρ Θάρρας ὁ πατὴρ Ἀβραὰμ, καὶ τῶν ἄλλων ὑλῶν, καὶ ποιῶν θεοὺς καὶ πιπράσκων, πλάνην ἀγαλμάτων καὶ εἰδωλολατρείας εἰσάγων τοῖς ἀνθρώποις διὰ τῶν εἰ...σμάτων τῶν προγόνων αὐτῶν· μάλιστα τῶν εὑρισκόντων τὰ συγγράμματα καὶ τὰς τέχνας, οἷς καὶ συνέτρεχε σπουδαίως οἱ Αἰγύπτιοι, καὶ οἱ Βαβυλώνιοι, καὶ οἱ Φρύγες, καὶ οἱ ἐκ τῆς Ἑλλάδος. ταύτης γὰρ τῆς θρησκείας ὑπῆρχον ἀγαλματοποιοὶ, καὶ μυστηρίων ἐξη 240 γηταὶ καὶ τελεταὶ, ὑφ' ὧν μάλιστα εἰς Ἕλληνας ἤχθη ἡ τοιαύτη θρησκεία, καὶ ἀπό τινος Ἕλληνος ὀνόματι, υἱοῦ καὶ αὐτοῦ Πίκου, τοῦ καὶ ∆ιὸς, μυστικά τινα ποιοῦντος. ὅστις Ἕλλην ἐδίδαξε τοὺς ἐν Ἑλλάδι οἰκοῦντας, ἐκ τῆς φυλῆς τοῦ Ἰάφεθ υἱοῦ Νῶε· οὕστινας μεμφόμενος ὁ Χερρονήσιος Πλούταρχος τῇ παλαιᾷ φιλοσοφίᾳ, παρ' Ἕλλησι καὶ βαρβάροις ἐπαινουμένῃ ἐξέθετο, ὡς πλάνην ἀγαλμάτων τινὲς εἰσάγουσιν, αὐτὸς δέ φησι τοὺς κατ' οὐρανὸν φωστῆρας θεοποιεῖν ἔδοξεν, ἥλιον καὶ σελήνην, παρεισάγων ὡς τρέφοντας καὶ αὔξοντας πάντα τῇ τρίτῃ μερικῇ κινήσει τῶν πέντε πλανητῶν, καὶ τῆς λοιπῆς ἀστροθεσίας. καὶ τὰ κατὰ γένεσιν καὶ ἀέρα διοικοῦντας. Ἀβραὰμ δὲ ἐπιγνοὺς τὴν ὄντος θεογνωσίαν, καὶ λογισάμενος ὅτι τὰ ἀγάλματα ἃ ἐποίει ὁ πατὴρ αὐτοῦ, ἀνθρώπων τεθνηκότων εἰσὶ, καὶ οὐκ ἐχρῆν αὐτοὺς τιμᾶσθαι, ὡς μὴ γενομένους θεοὺς ἐν τῷ οὐρανῷ, ἀλλὰ γῆν καὶ κόνιν, καὶ κατεγίνωσκε τοῦ ἰδίου πατρὸς Θάρρα, λέγων, "τί πλανᾷς τοὺς ἀνθρώπους διὰ κέρδος, οὐ γάρ ἐστιν ἄλλος θεὸς, εἰ μὴ ὁ ἐν τοῖς οὐρανοῖς, ὁ δημιουργήσας τὰ ὁρώμενα ταῦτα πάντα;" καὶ ἀνεχώρησεν εἰς τὴν Μεσοποταμίαν.

Εἰσὶ δὲ ἀπὸ Ἀδὰμ ἕως Ἀβραὰμ ἔτη γυκγ· ἐν δὲ τοῖς χρόνοιςἈβραὰμ ἦν καὶ ὁ Μελχισεδὲκ, ἀνὴρ θεοσεβὴς, καταγόμενος ἐκ τοῦ γένους τοῦ Σίδου υἱοῦ Αἰγύπτου βασιλέως τῆς Λιβύης χώρας, ἐξ οὗ καὶ Αἰγύπτιοι καλοῦνται· ὅστις Σῖδος ἐκ τῆς ἐπελθὼν παρέλαβε τὴν χώραν τῶν λεγομένων Χαναναίων, τὴν νῦν λεγομένην Παλαιστίνην· καὶ ὑποτάξας αὐτὴν, ὡς ᾤκησεν ἐν αὐτῇ, καὶ κτίζει πόλιν, ἣν ἐκάλεσε Σιδῶνα εἰς ἴδιον ὄνομα. καὶ λοιπὸν ἐκ τοῦ γένους τοῦ Σίδου υἱοῦ Αἰγύπτου βασιλέως τῆς Λιβύης χώρας κατήχθη Μελχισεδέκ· ὅστις Μελχισεδὲκ γενόμενος ἱερεὺς καὶ βασιλεὺς τῶν Χαναναίων, κτίζει πόλιν ἐν τῷ ὄρει Σιὼν λεγομένῳ, ἥν τινα ἐκάλεσε Σαλὴμ, ὅ ἐστιν ἑρμηνευόμενον πόλις εἰρήνης, καὶ ἐβασίλευσεν ἐν αὐτῇ ἔτη ριγ, καὶ τελευτᾷ δίκαιος καὶ παρθένος, καθὼς Ἰώσηπος ἐξέθετο. ἀπὸ οὖν τοῦ κατακλυσμοῦ