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of them with knives," he said, "and with lances until the shedding of blood." 8.4 Then upon these things the narrative cry of the author adds: "and they prophesied until the evening passed." Since, therefore, the text did not distinguish whether they were prophesying true or false things, could someone say because of this that those men were true prophets? 8.5 For it should have said, according to Origen's verdict: they prophesied as they thought, in appearance, saying nothing true (since it is not even lawful <to say> that foreknowledge dwells in them), but not to declare in unembellished and plain speech, "and they prophesied until the evening passed." 8.6 Is it not possible then, consistently from the same history of the text, to see that these things are similar to those? For if the author of both is the same, he derives a similar meaning from both. 8.7 But just as here, by putting the name of the idolaters first, he declared according to the meaning that one must suppose concerning such people that they are false prophets lacking foreknowledge, so also there, by putting the possessed persons and the acts of unlawful divination first, he indicated by omission what the prudent ought to think about the frenzied.

9.1 But if I should adduce such testimonies, perhaps time would us

fail as we speak; but I will be content with adding one other image of an example. 20Therefore, in the preface of Exodus it is recorded20 how the Lord himself commanded those with Moses and Aaron to cast the rod to the ground before Pharaoh, so that, having changed its form into a serpent, it might strike the Egyptians with a fearful sign. 9.2 But when this happened miraculously, the ruler, being deceived by a mindless folly, summoned together "the sophists and the sorcerers of Egypt." "And the enchanters of the Egyptians," he said, "also did likewise with their sorceries, and each one threw down his own rod, and they became serpents; and the rod of Aaron swallowed up their rods." 9.3 Furthermore, it is also reported that "the enchanters of the Egyptians did likewise" with both the blood and the frogs. Since, therefore, the narrative voice does not distinguish the ranks of each group here either, but said that the enchanters had acted likewise, could someone say on account of this that the things done by the sorcerers are similar to the things that happened through Moses? 9.4 Certainly not, one might say, nor would it be lawful to say that magical and deceitful arts are made like the heavenly imitations. For all that was done through Moses revealed the truth from the things that were done, but all that, on the other hand, was concocted by the enchanters, deluded the sight by appearance; for the falsehood brought upon itself a complete refutation from its ineffectiveness, since how did the one rod suddenly swallow up those many rods? 9.5 Nor is it lawful to think that they were able to produce living serpents from inanimate rods all at once; for those who are able to give life to dead wood would perhaps be better than us. And perhaps Moses would have done nothing miraculous either, if he had worked things similar to these. 9.6 And yet how is it not right to show them to be ineffective by the scriptural message itself? For if God, in punishing the Egyptians, commanded all the streams of water to be changed into blood for the sake of punishment, and they, being afflicted by such plagues, change the channels into the appearance of blood likewise, contriving to increase the suffering, for what reason do they, being oppressed by thirst, demand and entreat that the waters throughout all Egypt be purified from the blood-carrying mixture? 9.7 Or again, having suddenly seen countless frogs, why indeed, while begging to be rid of the swarms of them, did they fashion others again, unless it was that they paid no mind to those appearing as in a shadow and in the form of an illusion, but were terribly tormented by the others that were shown in reality? 9.8 For no one would choose to add another countless multitude to an enemy multitude instead of enrolling newly-recruited guards as allies, nor to stir up fever with fever when desiring to be rid of the first, nor by the force of unbearable plagues

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αὐτῶν μαχαίραις» ἔφη «καὶ σειρομάσταις ἕως ἐκχύσεως αἵματος». 8.4 εἶτα ἐπὶ τούτοις ἡ διηγηματικὴ τοῦ συγγραφέως ἐπιφέρει βοή· «καὶ προεφήτευον ἕως παρῆλθε τὸ δειλινόν». ἐπεὶ τοίνυν οὐ διέστειλε τὸ γράμμα πότερον ἀληθῆ προὐφήτευον ἢ ψευδῆ, παρὰ τοῦτο φαίη τις ἂν ἐκείνους εἶναι προφήτας ἀληθεῖς; 8.5 ἔδει γὰρ εἰρηκέναι κατὰ τὴν Ὠριγένους ἀπόφασιν· ἐπροεφήτευον ὡς ᾤοντο τῷ δοκεῖν, μηδὲν ἀληθὲς λέγοντες (ἐπεὶ μηδὲ θέμις <λέγειν> ἐμπολιτεύεσθαι ἐν αὐτοῖς πρόγνωσιν), ἀλλ' οὐκ ἀνεπιπλόκῳ καὶ καθαρᾷ προφωνῆσαι λέξει «καὶ προεφήτευον ἕως παρῆλθε τὸ δειλινόν». 8.6 ἆρ' οὖν ἀκολούθως ἐκ τῆς αὐτῆς τοῦ γράμματος ἱστορίας ἔστιν ἰδεῖν ὅτι ταῦτα ἐκείνοις ἐπέοικεν· εἰ γὰρ ὁ αὐτός ἐστιν ἑκατέρων ὁ συγγραφεύς, ὅμοιον ἐξ ἀμφοῖν ἀνάγει τὸν νοῦν. 8.7 ἀλλ' ὥσπερ ἐνταῦθα τὸ τῶν εἰδωλολατρῶν ὄνομα προτάξας ἐδήλωσεν κατὰ ἔννοιαν ὅτι χρὴ περὶ τῶν τοιούτων ὑπολαμβάνειν ὡς εἰσὶν ψευδοπροφῆται λειπόμενοι προγνώσεως, οὕτω κἀκεῖ πρόσωπα δαιμονιζόμενα προτάξας καὶ μαντείας ἀθεμίτου δράματα, κατὰ ἀποσιώπησιν ἐμήνυσεν τί δέοι περὶ τῶν ἐκφρόνων δοξάζειν τοὺς ἔμφρονας.

9.1 Ἀλλὰ τὰ τοιαῦτα μὲν εἰ παραφέροιμι μαρτύρια, τάχα ἴσως ὁ χρόνος ἡμᾶς

ἐπιλείψει λέγοντας· ἄλλην δὲ μίαν παραδείγματος εἰκόνα προσθεὶς ἀρκεσθήσομαι. 20τοιγαροῦν ἐν τῷ τῆς Ἐξόδου κατασεσήμανται20 προγράμματι πῶς ἐπέταττε τοῖς ἀμφὶ Μωσέα καὶ Ἀαρὼν αὐτὸς ὁ κύριος εἰς ἔδαφος ἐκρίψειν τὴν ῥάβδον ἀντικρὺ Φαραώ, ἵνα εἰς ὄφιν ἀμείψασα τὸ σχῆμα σημείῳ καταπλήξοι φοβερῷ τοὺς Αἰγυπτίους. 9.2 ὡς δὲ τοῦτο ἐγίνετο παραδόξως, ὁ δυνάστης ἀνοίᾳ φενακιζόμενος ἀβούλῳ συνεκαλέσατο μὲν ὁμόσε «τοὺς σοφιστὰς καὶ τοὺς φαρμακοὺς Αἰγύπτου». «ἐποίησαν» δὲ «καὶ οἱ ἐπαοιδοὶ τῶν Αἰγυπτίων» ἔφη «ταῖς φαρμακείαις αὐτῶν ὡσαύτως, καὶ ἔρριψεν ἕκαστος τὴν ἑαυτοῦ ῥάβδον, καὶ ἐγένοντο δράκοντες· καὶ κατέπιεν ἡ ῥάβδος Ἀαρὼν τὰς ἐκείνων ῥάβδους». 9.3 ἔτι γε μὴν ἀναφερόμενόν ἐστιν ὡς αἷμά τε καὶ βατράχους «ἐποίησαν οἱ ἐπαοιδοὶ τῶν Αἰγυπτίων ὡσαύτως». ἐπεὶ οὖν ἡ διηγηματικὴ μηδὲ δεῦρο διαιρεῖ φωνὴ τὰς ἑκατέρων τάξεις, ὡσαύτως δὲ καὶ τοὺς ἐπαοιδοὺς ἐξεῖπεν πεποιηκέναι, παρὰ τοῦτο φαίη τις ἂν ὅτι τὰ δεδραμένα τοῖς φαρμακοῖς ὅμοια τοῖς διὰ Μωσέως γενομένοις ἐστίν. 9.4 οὐ μὲν οὖν, εἴποι τις ἄν, ἀλλ' οὐδὲ θεμιτὸν ἂν εἴη λέγειν ὡς ἐξομοιοῦται τὰ περίεργα καὶ γοώδη τοῖς οὐρανίοις ἀπομιμήμασιν. ὅσα μέν γε διὰ Μωσέως ἐπράττετο τὴν ἀλήθειαν ἐκ τῶν δρωμένων ἐξέφαινεν, ὅσα δ' αὖ διὰ τῶν ἐπαοιδῶν ἐκαττύετο, τῷ δοκεῖν ἐφάνταζε τὰς ὄψεις· αὐτοτελῆ γὰρ ἔλεγχον ἐκ τῆς ἀδρανείας ἐπεφέρετο τὸ ψεῦδος, ἐπεὶ πῶς ἡ μία κατέπιεν ῥάβδος ἄφνω τὰς πολλὰς ἐκείνας; 9.5 οὐδέ γε θέμις ἐστὶν ἐννοεῖν ὡς ἐκ τῶν ἀψύχων ἐκεῖνοι ῥάβδων ἐμψύχους ἠδύναντο δράκοντας ἀποτελεῖν ἀθρόως· ἀμείνους γὰρ ἂν ἧσαν ἴσως ἡμῶν οἱ τὰ νεκρὰ δυνάμενοι ψυχῶσαι ξύλα. τάχα δὲ οὐδὲ Μωσῆς παράδοξον ἔπραττεν ἂν οὐδέν, εἰ τὰ παραπλήσια τούτοις εἰργάζετο. 9.6 καίτοι πῶς οὐ δίκαιον ἀδρανῆ φαίνειν αὐτὰ δι' αὐτοῦ τοῦ γραφικοῦ μηνύματος; εἰ γὰρ ἀμυνόμενος τοὺς Αἰγυπτίους ὁ θεὸς ἅπαντα μὲν ἐπεκελεύετο τὰ ῥεῖθρα τῶν ὑδάτων εἰς αἷμα μεταβάλλεσθαι τιμωρίας χάριν, οἱ δὲ τοιαύταις αἰκιζόμενοι πληγαῖς εἰς αἵματος ἰδέαν ἀμείβουσι τοὺς ὀχετοὺς ὡσαύτως, αὔξειν ἐπιτεχνώμενοι τὸ πάθος, ἕνεκα τίνος ἀξιοῦσι καὶ δέονται πιεζόμενοι τῇ δίψῃ καθαρισθῆναι τὰ κατὰ πᾶσαν Αἴγυπτον ὕδατα τῆς αἱμοφόρου μίξεως; 9.7 ἢ αὖ πάλιν ἀπειροπληθεῖς ἄφνω θεασάμενοι βατράχους, τί δήποτε παραιτούμενοι τοὺς ὄχλους αὐτῶν αὖθις ἔπλαττον ἄλλους, εἰ μὴ τῶν μὲν ὡς ἐν σκιᾷ καὶ φαντασίας εἴδει φαινομένων οὐκ ἐπεφρόντιζον, ὑπὸ δὲ τῶν ἄλλων ἔργῳ δεικνυμένων ἐλυμήναντο δεινῶς; 9.8 οὐδεὶς γὰρ ἂν ἕλοιτο τῷ πολεμίῳ πλήθει ἕτερον προστιθέναι πλῆθος ἀναρίθμητον ἀντὶ τοῦ νεολέκτους στρατολογεῖν εἰς συμμαχίαν δορυφόρους, οὐδὲ ἐπεγεῖραι πυρετῷ πυρετὸν ἀπαλλαγῆναι τοῦ πρώτου γλιχόμενος, οὐδὲ πληγῶν ἀφορήτων βίᾳ