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in love with Daphne and ignorant of the fate of Hyacinthus, or Aphrodite being wounded, and Ares the man-slayer, and moreover the ichor flowing from these so-called gods? And these things are moderate to speak of, when indeed a god is found dismembered, the one called Osiris, for whom yearly rites are held as for one who was lost and found and sought for limb by limb; for neither is he conceived of as being lost, nor is he shown to be found. And why should I speak of Attis being castrated, or Adonis wandering in the woods and hunting and being wounded by a boar, or Asclepius being struck by a thunderbolt, and Sarapis who was a fugitive from Sinope to Alexandria, or the Scythian Artemis, who was herself a fugitive and a murderer of men and a huntress and who fell in love with Endymion? For we do not say these things, but your own prose writers and poets proclaim them. Why should I go on to list the multitude of animals the Egyptians worship, both reptiles and cattle and beasts and birds and swimming water creatures, and moreover even foot-basins and shameful noises? And if you should speak of the Greeks and the other nations, they worship stones and wood and the rest of matter, as we have already said, images of dead men. For Phidias is found in Pisa making the Olympian Zeus for the Eleans, and for the Athenians on the acropolis the Athena. But I will also ask you, O man, how many Zeuses are found; for first Zeus is called Olympian, and Zeus Latiaris, and Zeus Cassius, and Zeus Ceraunius, and Zeus Propator, and Zeus Pannychius, and Zeus Polieus, and Zeus Capitolinus. And the Zeus who was the son of Cronus, having become king of the Cretans, has a tomb in Crete; but the others perhaps were not even thought worthy of burial. And if you should speak of the mother of the so-called gods, may it not be for my mouth to relate her deeds (for it is unlawful for us even to name such things), or the deeds of her attendants by whom she is served, and what taxes and contributions she and her sons provide to the king. For they are not gods, but idols, as we have said before, the works of men's hands and unclean demons. May those who make them and those who hope in them become like them. Therefore, I will honor the king rather, not by worshipping him, but by praying for him. But I worship God who is truly God and true, knowing that the king has been made by Him. You will say to me then: "Why do you not worship the king?" Because he was not made to be worshipped, but to be honored with the honor that is his due. For he is not God, but a man, appointed by God, not to be worshipped, but to judge justly. For in a way he has been entrusted with an administration from God; for he himself does not wish those appointed under him to be called kings; for "king" is his title, and it is not lawful for another to be called this; so also worship is due to God alone. So in all things you are deceived, O man. But honor the king by being well-disposed toward him, by submitting to him, by praying for him. this

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τῆς ∆άφνης ἐρῶντα καὶ τὸν Ὑακίνθου μόρον ἀγνοοῦντα, ἢ Ἀφρο- δίτην τὴν τιτρωσκομένην, καὶ Ἄρεα τὸν βροτολοιγόν, ἔτι δὲ καὶ ἰχῶρα ·έοντα τούτων τῶν λεγομένων θεῶν; Καὶ ταῦτα μὲν μέτριον εἰπεῖν, ὅπου γε θεὸς εὑρίσκεται μεμελισ- μένος ὁ καλούμενος Ὄσιρις, οὗ καὶ κατ' ἔτος γίνονται τελεταὶ ὡς ἀπολλυμένου καὶ εὑρισκομένου καὶ κατὰ μέλος ζητουμένου· οὔτε γὰρ εἰ ἀπόλλυται νοεῖται, οὔτε εἰ εὑρίσκεται δείκνυται. τί δέ μοι λέγειν Ἄττιν ἀποκοπτόμενον ἢ Ἄδωνιν ἐν ὕλῃ ·εμβόμενον καὶ κυνηγετοῦντα καὶ τιτρωσκόμενον ὑπὸ συός, ἢ Ἀσκληπιὸν κεραυνού- μενον, καὶ Σάραπιν τὸν ἀπὸ Σινώπης φυγάδα εἰς Ἀλεξάνδρειαν γεγονότα, ἢ τὴν Σκυθίαν Ἄρτεμιν καὶ αὐτὴν φυγάδα γεγονυῖαν καὶ ἀνδροφόνον καὶ κυνηγέτιν καὶ τοῦ Ἐνδυμίωνος ἐρασθεῖσαν; Ταῦτα γὰρ οὐχ ἡμεῖς φαμεν, ἀλλὰ οἱ καθ' ὑμᾶς συγγραφεῖς καὶ ποιηταὶ κηρύσσουσιν. Τί μοι λοιπὸν καταλέγειν τὸ πλῆθος ὧν σέβονται ζώων Aἰγύπ- τιοι, ἑρπετῶν τε καὶ κτηνῶν καὶ θηρίων καὶ πετεινῶν καὶ ἐνύδρων νηκτῶν, ἔτι δὲ καὶ ποδόνιπτρα καὶ ἤχους αἰσχύνης; εἰ δὲ καὶ Ἕλληνας εἴποις καὶ τὰ λοιπὰ ἔθνη, σέβονται λίθους καὶ ξύλα καὶ τὴν λοιπὴν ὕλην, ὡς ἔφθημεν εἰρηκέναι, ἀπεικονίσματα νεκρῶν ἀνθρώ- πων. Φειδίας μὲν γὰρ εὑρίσκεται ἐν Πείσῃ ποιῶν Ἠλείοις τὸν Ὀλύμπιον ∆ία, καὶ Ἀθηναίοις ἐν ἀκροπόλει τὴν Ἀθηνᾶν. Πεύσομαι δέ σου κἀγώ, ὦ ἄνθρωπε, πόσοι Ζῆνες εὑρίσκονται· Ζεὺς μὲν γὰρ ἐν πρώτοις προσαγορεύεται Ὀλύμπιος καὶ Ζεὺς Λατεάριος καὶ Ζεὺς Κάσσιος καὶ Ζεὺς Κεραύνιος καὶ Ζεὺς Προπά- τωρ καὶ Ζεὺς Παννύχιος καὶ Ζεὺς Πολιοῦχος καὶ Ζεὺς Καπετώλιος. καὶ ὁ μὲν Ζεὺς παῖς Κρόνου, βασιλεὺς Κρητῶν γενόμενος, ἔχει τάφον ἐν Κρήτῃ· οἱ δὲ λοιποὶ ἴσως οὐδὲ ταφῆς κατηξιώθησαν. εἰ δὲ καὶ εἴποις τὴν μητέρα τῶν λεγομένων θεῶν, μή μοι γένοιτο διὰ στόματος τὰς πράξεις αὐτῆς ἐξειπεῖν (ἀθέμιτον γὰρ ἡμῖν τὰ τοιαῦτα καὶ ὀνομάζειν), ἢ τῶν θεραπόντων αὐτῆς τὰς πράξεις ὑφ' ὧν θεραπεύεται, ὁπόσα τε τέλη καὶ εἰσφορὰς παρέχει τῷ βασιλεῖ αὐτή τε καὶ οἱ υἱοὶ αὐτῆς. Oὐ γάρ εἰσιν θεοί, ἀλλὰ εἴδωλα, καθὼς προειρήκαμεν, ἔργα χειρῶν ἀνθρώπων καὶ δαιμόνια ἀκάθαρτα. γένοιντο δὲ τοιοῦτοι οἱ ποιοῦντες αὐτὰ καὶ οἱ ἐλπίζοντες ἐπ' αὐτοῖς. Τοιγαροῦν μᾶλλον τιμήσω τὸν βασιλέα, οὐ προσκυνῶν αὐτῷ, ἀλλὰ εὐχόμενος ὑπὲρ αὐτοῦ. θεῷ δὲ τῷ ὄντως θεῷ καὶ ἀληθεῖ προσκυνῶ, εἰδὼς ὅτι ὁ βασιλεὺς ὑπ' αὐτοῦ γέγονεν. ἐρεῖς οὖν μοι· "∆ιὰ τί οὐ προσκυνεῖς τὸν βασιλέα;" ὅτι οὐκ εἰς τὸ προσκυνεῖσθαι γέγονεν, ἀλλὰ εἰς τὸ τιμᾶσθαι τῇ νομίμῳ τιμῇ. θεὸς γὰρ οὐκ ἔστιν, ἀλλὰ ἄνθρωπος, ὑπὸ θεοῦ τεταγμένος, οὐκ εἰς τὸ προσκυνεῖσθαι, ἀλλὰ εἰς τὸ δικαίως κρίνειν. τρόπῳ γάρ τινι παρὰ θεοῦ οἰκονομίαν πεπίστευται· καὶ γὰρ αὐτὸς οὓς ἔχει ὑφ' ἑαυτὸν τεταγμένους οὐ βούλεται βασιλεῖς καλεῖσθαι· τὸ γὰρ βασιλεὺς αὐτοῦ ἐστιν ὄνομα, καὶ οὐκ ἄλλῳ ἐξόν ἐστιν τοῦτο καλεῖσθαι· οὕτως οὐδὲ προσκυνεῖσθαι ἀλλ' ἢ μόνῳ θεῷ. Ὥστε κατὰ πάντα πλανᾶσαι, ὦ ἄνθρωπε. τὸν δὲ βασιλέα τίμα εὐνοῶν αὐτῷ, ὑποτασσόμενος αὐτῷ, εὐχόμενος ὑπὲρ αὐτοῦ. τοῦτο