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voice. But if both the speakers and the listeners thought it sufficient for belief that they were the doctrines and teachings of Pythagoras, who then is so foolish, or rather so utterly stupefied, as to doubt when the God of all is teaching and not to believe what is said, and not to assign even as much reverence to the God of all, as those who partook of his teaching 1.58 rendered to Pythagoras? And how, my dear men, is it not dreadful, that Plato urges us to believe the poets without doubting, while you are angry with us, because we exhort you to believe God who is teaching? 1.59 Or are not those the words of Plato: "But to speak of the other deities and to know their generation is a task beyond us; but we must believe those who have spoken before, who were, as they said, offspring of the gods, and who must surely have known their own ancestors. It is impossible, therefore, to disbelieve the children of the gods, even though they speak without probable and necessary proofs, but as they claim to report on familiar matters, 1.60 we must follow the law and believe them." This Plato said in the Timaeus about the poets, and he commanded us to believe Homer and Hesiod and the other poets who narrate myths, and he was not ashamed to say that they speak without probable and necessary proofs, and this, while elsewhere making a comedy of the things said by them, as we shall clearly demonstrate in another place. 1.61 But if Plato exhorts us to believe those who narrate those trifles and invent the most 1.61 shameful myths, and not to demand any proof from them, how much more holy and just it is to believe the divine apostles and prophets, who say nothing shameful or mythical or incredible, but teach all things fitting for God, all-holy and salutary. 1.62 And that even those who followed the opinions of the philosophers, using faith as their guide, some embraced the opinions of these, others of those, one might very easily learn by examining the differences 1.63 of their doctrines. For some said the soul is immortal, others mortal, others defined it as something mixed, and said that one part of it is mortal, the other immortal; and some said that visible things are uncreated, others created, and some that they are composed from earth, others from matter, others from atoms; 1.64 and some that the universe is ensouled, others that it is soulless. But nevertheless, though saying different things, both these and those had some who believed what was said by them; and some would not have supposed these things to be right, and others those, unless some faith had persuaded them to accept 1.65 what was said. And so too Plato's Socrates in the Gorgias, after saying many things about those who are punished in Hades, and indeed also about those proclaimed as pious, added: "These are the things, Callicles, which I have heard and believe to be true." 1.66 And yet they were matters neither clear nor visible, but hidden from most people and acknowledged by few; but nevertheless he said that he believes they are true, and neither did he himself offer proof of his belief, nor did his listeners demand it. 1.67 And indeed in the first book of the Laws Plato confirmed the argument about faith; he speaks thus: "For if your laws are even moderately well-framed, one of the finest laws would be this, to allow none of the young men to question which of them are good or not good, but for all to agree with one voice and from one mouth 1.68 that all things are well established." So not even in these matters does Plato permit meddling, but rather to accept faithfully what is legislated and not to be inquisitive, whether it is right, or not. 1.69 And Theognis the Sicilian poet proclaims his pupil as a man of faith and says: a faithful man is worth weighing against gold and silver in a difficult, Cyrnus, strife. But if he said that a man faithful in strife is more precious than gold and silver, what equivalent value could one declare for him who believes the divine oracles 1.70 without doubt? But indeed I think what Heraclitus the Ephesian said applies to those who contradict like you: "Having heard they do not understand, they are like the deaf; the saying bears witness for them, that being present they are absent;" And with the Ephesian agrees also the

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φωνήν. Εἰ δ' ἀποχρῆν εἰς πίστιν ἐνόμιζον καὶ οἱ λέγοντες καὶ οἱ ἀκούοντες τὸ Πυθαγόρου εἶναι δόγματα καὶ μαθήματα, τίς οὕτως ἄρα ἠλίθιος, μᾶλλον δὲ ἄγαν ἐμβρόντητος, ὡς τοῦ Θεοῦ τῶν ὅλων διδάσκοντος ἐνδοιάσαι καὶ μὴ πιστεῦσαι τοῖς λεγομένοις καὶ μηδὲ τοσοῦτον ἀπονεῖμαι σέβας τῷ τῶν ὅλων Θεῷ, ὅσον τῷ Πυθαγόρᾳ προσένεμον οἱ τῆς ἐκείνου διδασκαλίας 1.58 μετεσχηκότες; Πῶς δέ γε, ὦ φίλοι ἄνδρες, οὐ σχέτλιον, τὸν μὲν Πλάτωνα καὶ τοῖς ποιηταῖς ἀνενδοιάστως πιστεύειν παρεγγυᾶν, ἡμῖν δὲ χαλεπαίνειν ὑμᾶς, ὅτι δὴ τῷ Θεῷ διδάσκοντι παραινοῦμεν 1.59 πιστεύειν; Ἢ οὐ Πλάτωνος ἐκεῖνα τὰ ῥήματα· "Περὶ δὲ τῶν ἄλλων δαιμόνων εἰπεῖν καὶ γνῶναι τὴν γένεσιν μεῖζον ἢ καθ' ἡμᾶς· πιστευτέον δὲ τοῖς εἰρηκόσιν ἔμπροσθεν, ἐκγόνοις μὲν θεῶν οὖσιν, ὡς ἔφασαν, σαφῶς δέ πως τοὺς ἑαυτῶν προγόνους εἰδό των. Ἀδύνατον οὖν θεῶν παισὶν ἀπιστεῖν, καίπερ ἄνευ εἰκότων καὶ ἀναγκαίων ἀποδείξεων λέγουσιν, ἀλλ' ὡς οἰκεῖα φασκόντων 1.60 ἀπαγγέλλειν ἑπομένους τῷ νόμῳ πιστευτέον." Ταῦτα ἐν τῷ Τιμαίῳ περὶ τῶν ποιητῶν ὁ Πλάτων εἴρηκε καὶ προσέταξεν Ὁμήρῳ καὶ Ἡσιόδῳ καὶ τοῖς ἄλλοις ποιηταῖς μυθολογοῦσι πιστεῦσαι καὶ οὐκ ᾐδέσθη φάναι, ὅτι ἄνευ εἰκότων καὶ ἀναγκαίων ἀποδείξεων λέγουσι, καὶ ταῦτα κωμῳδῶν ἀλλαχοῦ τὰ παρ' ἐκείνων λεγόμενα, ὡς ἐν ἑτέρῳ δὴ χωρίῳ σαφῶς ἐπιδείξομεν. 1.61 Εἰ δὲ τοῖς τοὺς λήρους ἐκείνους μυθολογοῦσι καὶ τοὺς αἰσχρο 1.61 τάτους διαπλάττουσι μύθους πιστεύειν ὁ Πλάτων παρακελεύεται καὶ μηδεμίαν αὐτοὺς ἀπόδειξιν ἀπαιτεῖν, πολλῷ μᾶλλον ὁσιώτε ρόν τε καὶ δικαιότερον τοῖς θεσπεσίοις ἀποστόλοις καὶ προφήταις πιστεῦσαι, αἰσχρὸν μὲν οὐδὲν οὐδὲ μυθῶδες οὐδὲ ἀπίθανον λέ γουσι, θεοπρεπῆ δὲ ἅπαντα καὶ παναγῆ διδάσκουσι καὶ σωτήρια. 1.62 Ὅτι δέ γε καὶ οἱ ταῖς δόξαις τῶν φιλοσόφων ἀκολουθήσαντες, πίστει χρώμενοι ποδηγῷ, οἱ μὲν τὰ τούτων, οἱ δὲ τὰ ἐκείνων ἠσπάσαντο, μάλα ἄν τις μάθοι ῥᾳδίως, τὰς τῶν δογμάτων δια 1.63 φορὰς ἐξετάσας. Οἱ μὲν γὰρ ἀθάνατον ἔφασαν τὴν ψυχήν, οἱ δὲ θνητήν, οἱ δὲ μικτήν τινα ὡρίσαντο καὶ τὸ μὲν αὐτῆς θνητόν, τὸ δὲ ἀθάνατον ἔφασαν· καὶ τὰ ὁρώμενα οἱ μὲν ἀγένητα, οἱ δὲ γε νητά, καὶ οἱ μὲν ἐκ γῆς, οἱ δὲ ἐξ ὕλης, οἱ δὲ ἐξ ἀτόμων ξυστῆ 1.64 ναι· καὶ οἱ μὲν ἔμψυχον εἶναι τὸ πᾶν, οἱ δὲ ἄψυχον. Ἀλλ' ὅμως καὶ διάφορα λέγοντες, ἔσχον καὶ οὗτοι κἀκεῖνοί τινας τοῖς παρὰ σφῶν λεγομένοις πιστεύοντας· οὐκ ἂν δὲ οἱ μὲν ταῦτα, οἱ δὲ ἐκεῖνα εὖ ἔχειν ὑπέλαβον, εἰ μή τις αὐτοὺς πίστις ἔπεισε δέξα 1.65 σθαι τὰ λεγόμενα. Τῷ τοι καὶ ὁ Πλάτωνος Σωκράτης ἐν τῷ Γοργίᾳ, πολλὰ περὶ τῶν ἐν τῷ Ἅιδῃ κολαζομένων εἰπών, καὶ μέντοι καὶ περὶ τῶν ἀνακηρυττομένων ὡς εὐσεβῶν ἐπήγαγεν· "Ταῦτά ἐστιν, ὦ Καλλίκλεις, ἃ ἐγὼ ἀκηκοὼς πιστεύω ἀληθῆ 1.66 εἶναι." Καίτοι οὔτε δῆλα ἦν οὔτε ὁρώμενα πράγματα, ἀλλὰ τοὺς πλείστους τῶν ἀνθρώπων λανθάνοντα καὶ παρ' ὀλίγων ὁμολογού μενα· ἀλλ' ὅμως ἔφη πιστεύειν ὡς ἀληθῆ ἐστι, καὶ τῆς πίστεως ἀπόδειξιν οὔτε αὐτὸς προσενήνοχεν, οὔτε οἱ ἀκούσαντες ἀπῃτή 1.67 κασιν. Καὶ μέντοι κἀν τῷ πρώτῳ τῶν Νόμων ὁ Πλάτων τὸν περὶ τῆς πίστεως ἐβεβαίωσε λόγον· λέγει δὲ ὧδε· "Ὑμῖν γὰρ εἰ καὶ μετρίως κατεσκεύασται τὰ τῶν νόμων, εἷς τῶν καλλίστων ἂν εἴη νόμων, μὴ ζητεῖν νέων μηδένα ἐᾶν, ποῖα καλῶς αὐτῶν ἢ μὴ καλῶς ἔχει, μιᾷ δὲ φωνῇ καὶ ἐξ ἑνὸς στόματος πάντας 1.68 ξυμφωνεῖν, ὡς πάντα καλῶς κεῖται." Οὐδ' ἐν τούτοις ἄρα ὁ Πλάτων περιεργάζεσθαι ξυγχωρεῖ, ἀλλὰ πιστῶς δέχεσθαι τὰ νομοθετούμενα καὶ μὴ πολυπραγμονεῖν, εἴτε εὖ ἔχει, εἴτε καὶ 1.69 μή. Καὶ Θέογνις δὲ ὁ Σικελιώτης ποιητὴς τῆς πίστεως ἀναγο ρεύει τὸν τρόφιμον καί φησιν· πιστὸς ἀνὴρ χρυσοῦ καὶ ἀργύρου ἀντερύσασθαι ἄξιος ἐν χαλεπῇ, Κύρνε, διχοστασίῃ. Εἰ δὲ τὸν ἐν στάσει πιστὸν χρυσοῦ καὶ ἀργύρου τιμιώτερον ἔφη, τίνος ἀντάξιον ἀποφήναιτο ἄν τις τὸν τοῖς θείοις λογίοις 1.70 ἀναμφιβόλως πιστεύοντα; ἀλλὰ γὰρ ἀτεχνῶς οἶμαι ἁρμόττει τοῖς ὁμοίως ὑμῖν ἀντιλέγουσιν, ἅπερ Ἡράκλειτος ὁ Ἐφέσιος εἴρηκεν· "Ἀξύνετοι ἀκούσαντες κωφοῖς ἐοίκασι· φάτις αὐτοῖσι μαρ τυρεῖ, παρεόντας ἀπεῖναι·" Ξυμφωνεῖ δὲ τῷ Ἐφεσίῳ καὶ ὁ