7

the moisture is so pushed by the heat, that from the other part of the wood the moisture and the smoke are expelled. And if someone lights a fire on the ground, he sees the moisture that is in the wood, being sent upwards through the smoke, not being drawn up from above, but being pushed by the heat of the fire. 1.25 Moreover, if someone washes a garment and spreads it on the ground, when it has been dried by the sun, lifting up the garment he will find the moisture, sent out by the heat, imprinted on the ground according to the shape of the garment. Likewise also, if someone puts a hot dish on a small plate, he will see the moisture being sent out from both above and below, since the heat happens to be in the middle; for from above he sees smoke rising and from below the plate sweating and the moisture being imprinted according to the shape of the base of the plate; so that it is not drawn up, according to the wise men, but rather the heat pushes it. 1.26 And when we raise the difficulty to them that: Why in the Thebaid, when the land is scorched, is the moisture not drawn up and rain produced in those very places? In their defense they say that it is moderate and not excessive heat that is accustomed to draw up moisture. To whom we shall say most briefly that: And how, further inland from the Thebaid in Ethiopia, where there is much more heat, do many rains occur? 1.27 How can the many and most excellent wise men say that the sun draws up moisture, when they strongly maintain that it is rubbed by its revolution and thus heats, and do not suppose that heat is naturally inherent in it? Moreover, since they say that the air is moist and hot, what further need is there for the wise to philosophize and say that moisture is drawn up from another place, when they have the hot and the moist right there, above? 1.28 And if someone should demand of them to show one element by itself, that is, its own quality, they are immediately at a loss and assign two qualities to the one element, and they say: The earth, dry and cold; the water, cold and moist; the air, moist and hot; the fire, hot and dry; so that, besieged by perplexity, they speak of eight qualities for the four elements. And sometimes they say that all the qualities are in each element. Therefore, they again contradict their own words by not naming each of the four elements in four ways, but only in two. 1.29 I marvel, therefore, at these best of men for presenting water as cold and moist and the air as moist and hot. From what cause do they say that water, that is, the cold and moist, freezes and turns to ice in time of winter? Whence comes the extreme coldness, that it should make it into ice? And if they should say that the departure of the sun reveals it in its natural state, how does it not reveal the air, which is by nature hot and moist, but on the contrary most cold? And how does the cold itself, that is, the water, not freeze the air, that is, the moist, but on the contrary the latter freezes the former, as we see? Therefore, though I have many things to say about this and about the examples which, being in error, they again bring forward concerning it, I restrain myself, being ashamed at the futility of the things said by them, considering what has been said before about this to be sufficient, and hastening rather to busy myself with another sophism of the wise, which I will state immediately. 1.30 Saying that heaven is a body, they say that it contains the whole cosmos, while strongly maintaining that nothing exists outside of it; yet angels and demons and souls, being part of the cosmos, they in turn define as uncircumscribed, neither containing the heaven nor contained by the heaven, not understanding what is said, that what neither contains nor is contained is not observed at all among existing things. If, then, these things are so, let them say concerning their own soul whether it exists or does not exist. And if they should say: 'It does not exist,' it is an exceedingly shameless thing, and they suppose themselves to be soulless. But if [they should say]: 'It exists,' let them say again: Is it in them, or is it not in them? If the latter, it is again no less shameless and foolish than the former. But if the former, they must be asked again: Since the body is circumscribed by the heaven, how is it not also circumscribed

7

τοσοῦτον ὠθεῖται ἡ ὑγρότης ἐκ τῆς θερμότητος, ὡς ἐκ τοῦ ἑτέρου μέρους τοῦ ξύλου τὴν ὑγρότητα καὶ τὸν καπνὸν ἐκβάλλεσθαι. Καὶ πῦρ τις ἀνάψας εἰς γῆν τὴν ὑγρότητα, τὴν ἐν τοῖς ξύλοις, διὰ τοῦ καπνοῦ ἐκπεμπομένην ἐπὶ τὰ ἄνω θεωρεῖ, οὐχὶ ἀπὸ τῶν ἄνω ἀνιμωμένην, ἀλλ' ὠθουμένην ἀπὸ τῆς θερμότητος τοῦ πυρός. 1.25 Οὐ μὴν ἀλλὰ καὶ πλύνων τις ἱμάτιον καὶ ἁπλώσας ἐν τῇ γῇ, ἐπειδὰν ξηρανθῇ ἐκ τοῦ ἡλίου, ἐπάρας τὸ ἱμάτιον τὴν ὑγρότητα ἐκπεμφθεῖσαν ὑπὸ τῆς θερμότητος ἐν τῇ γῇ εὑρήσει τυπωθεῖσαν κατὰ τὸ σχῆμα τοῦ ἱματίου. Ὁμοίως καὶ εἰς πινάκιόν τις ἐμβαλὼν θερμὸν ὄψον δι' ἑκατέρου ἐκπεμπομένην τὴν ὑγρότητα θεωρήσει ἄνωθεν καὶ κάτωθεν, ἐπειδὴ μέση τυγχάνει ἡ θερμότης· ἄνωθεν γὰρ θεωρεῖ καπνὸν ἀνιόντα καὶ κάτωθεν ἱδροῦντα τὸν πίνακα καὶ τὴν ὑγρότητα τυπουμένην κατὰ τὸν τύπον τοῦ δίφρου τοῦ πίνακος· ὥστε οὐκ ἀνιμᾶται, κατὰ τοὺς σοφούς, ἀλλὰ μᾶλλον ὠθεῖ ἡ θερμότης. 1.26 Ἐπαπορούντων δὲ ἡμῶν πρὸς αὐτοὺς ὅτι· ∆ιατί ἐν Θηβαΐδι καυματουμένης τῆς χώρας οὐκ ἀνιμᾶται τὸ ὑγρὸν καὶ γίνεται ὁ ὑετὸς ἐν τοῖς αὐτόθι; Ἀπολογούμενοι φάσκου σιν ὅτι ἡ μετρία καὶ οὐχ ἡ ἄγαν μᾶλλον θερμότης εἴωθεν ἀνιμᾶσθαι. Πρὸς οὓς συντομώτατα ἐροῦμεν ὅτι· Καὶ πῶς ἐνδοτέρω τῆς Θηβαΐδος εἰς τὴν Αἰθιοπίαν, ἔνθα πολὺ πλέον θερμότης ὑπάρχει, πολλοὶ ὑετοὶ γίνονται; 1.27 Πῶς δὲ δύνανται λέγειν τὸν ἥλιον ἀνιμᾶσθαι οἱ πολλοὶ καὶ ἀκρότατοι σοφοί, ἐκ τῆς περιφορᾶς συντρίβεσθαι καὶ θερμαίνειν διισχυριζόμενοι, καὶ οὐχὶ ἐνυπάρχειν αὐτῷ κατὰ φύσιν τὸ θερμὸν ὑποτιθέμενοι; Οὐδὲ μὴν ἀλλὰ καὶ τὸν ἀέρα ὑγρὸν καὶ θερμὸν λέγοντες εἶναι, τίς ἔτι χρεία σοφίζεσθαι τοὺς σοφοὺς καὶ λέγειν ἑτέρωθεν ἀνιμᾶσθαι τὸ ὑγρόν, αὐτόθεν ἄνωθεν ἔχοντες τὸ θερμὸν καὶ τὸ ὑγρόν; 1.28 Εἰ δέ τις ἀπαιτήσειεν αὐτοὺς στοιχεῖον ἓν καθ' ἑαυτὸ ἤγουν τὴν αὐτοῦ ποιότητα δεῖξαι, εὐθέως ἀποροῦντες τῷ ἑνὶ στοιχείῳ δύο ποιότητας χαρίζονται καί φησιν· Ἡ γῆ, ξηρὸν καὶ ψυχρόν, τὸ ὕδωρ, ψυχρὸν καὶ ὑγρόν, ὁ ἀήρ, ὑγρὸς καὶ θερμός, τὸ πῦρ, θερμὸν καὶ ξηρόν, ὥστε ἀπορίᾳ πολιορκούμενοι ὀκτὼ ποιότητας λέγουσι τῶν τεσσάρων στοιχείων. Ποτὲ δὲ τὰς ποιότητας πάσας ἐν ἑκάστῳ στοιχείῳ λέγουσιν εἶναι. Πάλιν οὖν ἀντίκεινται τοῖς ἑαυτῶν λόγοις ἕκαστον τῶν τεσσάρων στοιχείων τετραχῶς μὴ ὀνομάζοντες, ἀλλὰ διχῶς μόνον. 1.29 Θαυμάζω τοίνυν τοὺς βελτίστους τούτους ψυχρὸν καὶ ὑγρὸν τὸ ὕδωρ παρέχοντας καὶ τὸν ἀέρα ὑγρὸν καὶ θερμόν. Πόθεν λέγουσι τὸ ὕδωρ, τουτέστι τὸ ψυχρὸν καὶ ὑγρόν, πήγνυσθαι καὶ κρυσταλλοῦσθαι ἐν καιρῷ χειμῶνος; Πόθεν ἐπέρχεται ἡ ἄκρα ψυχρότης, ἵνα καὶ κρύσταλλον αὐτὸ ἀπεργάσηται; Καὶ εἰ μὲν ἐροῦσιν ὅτι ἡ ἀπόστασις τοῦ ἡλίου εἰς τὸ κατὰ φύσιν αὐτὸ ἀποδείκνυσι, πῶς τὸν ἀέρα κατὰ φύσιν ὄντα θερμὸν καὶ ὑγρὸν οὐκ ἀποδείκνυσιν, ἀλλὰ τοὐναντίον ψυχρότατον; Πῶς δὲ αὐτὸ τὸ ψυχρόν, τουτέστι τὸ ὕδωρ, οὐ πήγνυσι τὸν ἀέρα, τουτέστι τὸ ὑγρόν, ἀλλὰ τοὐναντίον ἐκεῖνο τοῦτο πήγνυσι, καθὼς ὁρῶμεν; Πολλὰ μὲν οὖν ἔχων εἰπεῖν περὶ τούτου καὶ περὶ ὧν πάλιν πλανώμενοι φέρουσι παραδείγματα ἐπ' αὐτοῦ, χαλινοῦμαι τῇ ματαιότητι τῶν ὑπ' αὐτῶν λεγομένων ἐντρεπόμενος, ἀρκετὰ ἡγησάμενος τὰ προλεχθέντα περὶ τούτου, περὶ ἕτερον δὲ μᾶλλον ἐπειγόμενος τῶν σοφῶν ἀσχολεῖσθαι σόφισμα, ὅπερ εὐθέως ἐρῶ. 1.30 Τὸν οὐρανὸν σῶμα λέγοντες εἶναι περιέχειν λέγουσι τὸν πάντα κόσμον, μηδὲν δὲ ἔξωθεν αὐτοῦ ὑπάρχειν διισχυριζόμενοι, ἀγγέλους καὶ δαίμονας καὶ ψυχάς, μέρος ὄντας τοῦ κόσμου, ἀπεριγράφους πάλιν ὁρίζονται, μήτε περιέχοντας τὸν οὐρανόν, μήτε περιεχομένους ὑπὸ τοῦ οὐρανοῦ, οὐ συνιέντες τὸ λεγόμενον, ὅτι τὸ μήτε περιέχον μήτε περιεχόμενον ἐν τοῖς οὖσιν ὅλως οὐ θεωρεῖται. Εἰ τοίνυν ταῦθ' οὕτως ἔχει, εἰπάτωσαν περὶ τῆς ἰδίας αὐτῶν ψυχῆς πότερον ἔστιν ἢ οὐκ ἔστι. Καὶ εἰ μέν· Οὐκ ἔστιν, ἐροῦσι λίαν ἀναιδέςκαὶ ἀψύχους ἑαυτοὺς ὑποτίθενται. Εἰ δέ· Ἔστι, πάλιν λεγέτωσαν· Ἐν αὐτοῖς ἐστιν, ἢ οὐκ ἔστιν ἐν αὐτοῖς; Εἰ μὲν τὸ ὕστερον, πάλιν ἀναιδές τε καὶ μωρὸν οὐκ ἔλαττον τοῦ προτέρου. Εἰ δὲ τὸ πρῶτον, πάλιν ἐρωτητέον αὐτούς· Τοῦ σώματος περιγραφομένου ὑπὸ τοῦ οὐρανοῦ, πῶς οὐ συμπεριγράφεται