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7

having abolished the inhuman1.4.9 disease of all these things. And the fact that they no longer consider as gods either the dead and mute carved images, or the evil demons working in these, or the parts of the visible world, or the souls of mortals long departed, or the most harmful of the irrational animals, but instead of all these things, through the one evangelical teaching of our Savior, for Greeks and barbarians alike, those who genuinely, and not superficially, attend to His word, to have come to such a height of philosophy as to worship, and hymn, and speak of as God only the highest God, that very one who is beyond all things, the all-sovereign king and lord of heaven and earth, creator of the sun and stars and of the entire cosmos, and to learn to live so precisely, as to be disciplined even in the gazing of the eyes and to conceive nothing licentious from looking with desire, and to cut off by the root from the mind itself every shameful passion, how would not all these things contribute to a good life1.4.10 for all? And to have no need even of swearing well, much less to swear falsely, because of learning from Him not to swear at <παντά>all, but in all things to be without falsehood and to speak the truth, so as to be content with ‘yes’ and ‘no’, making one’s resolve more sure than any oath, and not to be indifferent even in mere trifles of speech and in common conversations, but to be precise even in these things, so as to utter with the voice neither falsehood nor slander nor any shameful and unseemly word because of His exhortation, through which He said: “for every idle word you will give an account on the day of judgment,” 1.4.11 of what an excess of a philosophical life does this partake? And the fact that, in a word, whole myriads of men and women and children, of slaves and free, of the obscure and the renowned, and furthermore of barbarians and Greeks alike, in every place and city and country, in all the nations under the sun, are persuaded to attend for instruction in such teachings as we have just learned and to give ear to the words, to control not only licentious undertakings, but also the shameful thoughts of the mind, and of the belly and the things below the belly; and that the whole race of men is taught a divine and pious education and to learn to bear nobly and with deep spirit the insults of those who rise up against them and not to retaliate against the wicked with the same, and to become superior to anger and wrath and every frenzied desire, yes, and also to share their possessions with the poor and needy, and to welcome every fellow human, and to recognize the one considered a stranger as, by the law of nature, a very close relation and brother. 1.4.12 Anyone, then, gathering all these things together at once, how would he not confess that our doctrine has proclaimed the greatest and truly good things to all people and has provided to the life of men1.4.13 that which is inherently excellent for a good life? And of what sort does it seem to you to be, to prepare the whole race of men, not only of Greeks, but also of the most savage barbarians and of those dwelling in the ends of the earth, to check their irrational bestiality, 1.4.14 and to take up philosophical opinions? Such as, for instance, those concerning the immortality of the soul and the life with God which is laid up for the lovers of God after the departure from here, for which reason they have practiced despising this temporary life; so as to show as children those who were ever vaunted for philosophy and as a plaything that famous death sung on the lips of all philosophers, when women among us and mere children and barbarian men and common men, as it might seem to someone, by the power and cooperation of our Savior, have shown the doctrine concerning the immortality of the soul1.4.15 to be true by deeds rather than by words. And such as that universally all people, those in all the nations, are taught from the teachings of our Savior to think soundly and robustly concerning the providence of God, as overseeing all things, and that every soul learns the doctrine concerning the tribunal and judgment of God, and to live thoughtfully and watchfully

7

ἀπάν1.4.9 θρωπον τούτων ὅλων καταλύσαντος νόσον. τὸ δὲ μηκέτι θεοὺς ἡγεῖσθαι ἤτοι τὰ νεκρὰ καὶ κωφὰ ξόανα ἢ τοὺς ἐν τούτοις ἐνεργοῦντας πονηροὺς δαίμονας ἢ τὰ μέρη τοῦ φαινομένου κόσμου ἢ τὰς τῶν πάλαι κατοιχομένων θνητῶν ψυχὰς ἢ τῶν ἀλόγων ζῴων τὰ βλαπτικώτατα, ἀντὶ δὲ τούτων ἁπάντων διὰ μιᾶς τῆς εὐαγγελικῆς τοῦ σωτῆρος ἡμῶν διδασκαλίας Ἕλληνας ὁμοῦ καὶ βαρβάρους τοὺς γνησίως, ἀλλ' οὐκ ἐπιπλάστως αὐτοῦ τῷ λόγῳ προσανέχοντας εἰς τοσοῦτον ἄκρας φιλοσοφίας ἐλθεῖν ὡς μόνον τὸν ἀνωτάτω θεόν, αὐτὸν ἐκεῖνον τὸν ἐπέκεινα τῶν ὅλων, τὸν παμβασιλέα καὶ κύριον οὐρανοῦ καὶ γῆς, ἡλίου τε καὶ ἄστρων καὶ τοῦ σύμπαντος κόσμου δημιουργόν, σέβειν καὶ ὑμνεῖν καὶ θεολογεῖν βιοῦν τε ἀκριβῶς οὕτως μανθάνειν, ὡς μέχρι καὶ τοῦ ἐμβλέπειν τοῖς ὀφθαλμοῖς παιδαγωγεῖσθαι καὶ μηδὲν ἀκόλαστον ἐκ τοῦ μετ' ἐπιθυμίας ὁρᾶν ἐννοεῖν, πρόρριζον δ' ἐξ αὐτῆς διανοίας πᾶν αἰσχρὸν ὑποτέμνεσθαι πάθος, ταῦτα πάντα πῶς οὐκ ἂν τοῖς πᾶσι συμβάλλοιτο πρὸς εὐ1.4.10 ζωΐαν; καὶ τὸ μηδ' εὐορκίας δεῖσθαι, πολλοῦ δεῖ ἐπιορκεῖν, διὰ τὸ πρὸς αὐτοῦ μανθάνειν μηδὲ ὀμνύναι <παντά>πασιν ὅλως, ἐν πᾶσιν δὲ ἀψευδεῖν καὶ ἀληθεύειν, ὡς ἀρκεῖσθαι τῷ ναὶ καὶ τῷ οὔ, παντὸς ὅρ κου βεβαιοτέραν τὴν προαίρεσιν κατασκευάζοντας, τὸ δὲ μηδ' ἐν ψιλοῖς ῥηματίοις καὶ ταῖς κοιναῖς ὁμιλίαις ἀδιαφορεῖν, ἀκριβολογεῖσθαι δὲ καὶ μέχρι τούτων, ὡς μήτε ψεῦδος μήτε λοιδορίαν μήτε τι αἰσχρὸν καὶ ἄσχημον ῥῆμα προΐεσθαι τῇ φωνῇ διὰ τὴν αὐτοῦ πάλιν παρακέλευσιν, δι' ἧς ἔφησεν· «περὶ παντὸς ἀργοῦ ῥήματος δώσετε λόγον ἐν ἡμέρᾳ κρίσεως», 1.4.11 ὁποίας ὑπερβολῆς φιλοσόφου ζωῆς ἔχεται; τὸ δὲ καὶ συλλήβδην ἀθρόως μυριάδας ὅλας ἀνδρῶν καὶ γυναικῶν καὶ παίδων, οἰκετῶν τε καὶ ἐλευθέρων, ἀδόξων τε καὶ ἐπιδόξων, καὶ προσέτι βαρβάρων ὁμοῦ καὶ Ἑλλήνων, κατὰ πάντα τόπον καὶ πόλιν καὶ χώραν, ἐν πᾶσι τοῖς ὑφ' ἥλιον ἔθνεσιν ἐπὶ διδασκαλίᾳ τῶν τοιούτων μαθημάτων, οἵων ἀρτίως μεμαθήκαμεν, φοιτᾶν καὶ τὰς ἀκοὰς λόγοις παρέχειν ἀναπείθουσιν οὐ μόνον ἀκολάστων ἐγχειρημάτων, ἀλλὰ καὶ τῶν κατὰ διάνοιαν αἰσχρῶν ἐνθυμημάτων γαστρός τε καὶ τῶν ὑπὸ γαστέρα κρατεῖν· τό τε πᾶν γένος ἀνθρώπων παιδείαν παιδεύεσθαι ἔνθεον καὶ εὐσεβῆ φέρειν τε μανθάνειν γενναίως καὶ βαθεῖ φρονήματι τὰς τῶν ἐπανισταμένων ὕβρεις καὶ μὴ τοῖς ἴσοις τοὺς φαύλους ἀμύνεσθαι, θυμοῦ δὲ καὶ ὀργῆς καὶ πάσης ἐμμανοῦς ὀρέξεως κρείττους γίνεσθαι, ναὶ μὴν καὶ τῶν ὑπαρχόντων ἀπόροις καὶ ἐνδεέσι κοινωνεῖν πάντα τε ἄνθρωπον ὁμογενῆ δεξιοῦσθαι καὶ τὸν νενομισμένον ξένον ὡς ἂν νόμῳ φύσεως οἰκειότατον καὶ ἀδελφὸν γνωρίζειν. 1.4.12 Πάντα δὴ ἀθρόως ταῦτά τις συναγαγὼν πῶς οὐκ ἂν ὁμολογήσειεν τὰ μέγιστα καὶ ἀληθῶς ἀγαθὰ πάντας ἀνθρώπους εὐαγγελίσασθαι τὸν ἡμέτερον λόγον τό τε αὐτόθεν ὑπερέχον πρὸς εὐζωΐαν τῷ τῶν ἀνθρώ1.4.13 πων παρεσχηκέναι βίῳ; ὁποῖον δέ σοι εἶναι δοκεῖ τὸ πᾶν γένος ἀνθρώπων, οὐ μόνον Ἑλλήνων, ἀλλὰ καὶ τῶν ἀνημερωτάτων βαρβάρων καὶ τῶν ἐν ταῖς ἐσχατιαῖς τῆς γῆς οἰκούντων τῆς μὲν ἀλόγου θηριωδίας 1.4.14 ἀνασχεῖν, δόξας δὲ φιλοσόφους ἀναλαβεῖν παρασκευάσαι; οἷον, φέρε, τὰς περὶ ἀθανασίας ψυχῆς καὶ ζωῆς τῆς παρὰ τῷ θεῷ μετὰ τὴν ἐνθένδε ἀπαλλαγὴν τοῖς θεοφιλέσιν ἀποκειμένης, δι' ἣν τοῦ προσκαίρου τούτου ζῆν καταφρονεῖν ἐμελέτησαν· ὥστε ἀποδεῖξαι παῖδας τοὺς πώποτε ἐπὶ φιλοσοφίᾳ βοηθέντας καὶ παίγνιον τὸν θρυλούμενον ἐκεῖνον θάνατον ἀνὰ στόμα φιλοσόφων πάντων ᾀδόμενον, θηλειῶν παρ' ἡμῖν καὶ κομιδῇ παίδων βαρβάρων τε ἀνδρῶν καὶ εὐτελῶν, ὥς γέ τῳ δοκεῖν, τῇ τοῦ σωτῆρος ἡμῶν δυνάμει τε καὶ συνεργίᾳ τὸν περὶ ψυχῆς ἀθανασίας λόγον 1.4.15 ἔργοις πρότερον ἢ ῥήμασιν ἐπαληθεύοντα δειξάντων. οἷον δὲ καὶ τὸ καθόλου πάντας ἀνθρώπους, τοὺς ἐν πᾶσιν τοῖς ἔθνεσιν, ἐκ τῶν τοῦ σωτῆρος ἡμῶν μαθημάτων περὶ θεοῦ προνοίας ὡς ἐφορώσης τὰ σύμπαντα ὑγιῶς καὶ ἐρρωμένως φρονεῖν παιδεύεσθαι, καὶ τὸ πᾶσαν ψυχὴν μανθάνειν τὸν περὶ δικαιωτηρίου καὶ κρίσεως θεοῦ λόγον, καὶ τὸ πεφροντισμένως ζῆν καὶ φυλακτικῶς