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they consider them as nothing; but when they are bought by some people and dedicated in a so-called temple or some house, not only do those who bought them offer sacrifice to them, but also those who made and sold them come with haste and a display of sacrifices and libations to worship them, and they consider them gods, not knowing that they are of the same sort as when they were made by them, that is, stone or bronze, or wood or paint, or some other material. This very thing has also happened to you who read the histories and genealogies of the so-called gods. For whenever you come upon their origins, you think of them as humans; but later you call them gods and worship them, not considering or understanding that such as you read them to have been, such also were they born. And of the gods of that time, if indeed they were born, many a birth was found. But now, where is the birth of gods shown? For if they were then begetting and were being begotten, it is clear that begotten gods ought to be born even to this day. But if not, such a thing would be considered weak; for either they grew old, which is why they no longer beget, or they died and are no more. For if gods were born, they ought to be born even to this day, just as humans are also born. Rather, there ought to be even more gods than humans, as the Sibyl says: If gods beget and remain immortal, more gods would have been born than men, nor would there ever have been a place for mortals to stand. For if the children born of mortal and short-lived humans are shown to exist even to this day, and the begetting of humans has not ceased, which is why cities and villages are filled, and moreover countries are inhabited, how much more ought gods, who do not die according to the poets, to beget and be begotten, since you say a generation of gods has occurred? And why was the mountain called Olympus inhabited by gods then, but now happens to be deserted? Or for what reason did Zeus dwell on Ida then (he was known to dwell there according to Homer and the other poets) but now he is unknown? And why was he not everywhere, but was found in a part of the earth? For either he neglected the rest, or he was unable to be everywhere and to provide for all things. For if he was, so to speak, in an eastern place, he was not in a western place; and if, again, he was in the western parts, he was not in the eastern. But this is characteristic of God the most high and almighty and the true God, not only to be everywhere, but also to oversee all things and hear all things, and moreover not to be contained in a place; for if not, the place containing him will be found to be greater than him; for that which contains is greater than that which is contained. For God is not contained, but he himself is the place of all things. And why did Zeus leave Ida? Was it because he died, or because that mountain no longer pleased him? And where did he go? To the heavens? No. But you will say, to Crete? Yes; where also his tomb is shown to this day. Again you will say to Pisa, he who stole

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οὐδὲν αὐτοὺς ἡγοῦνται· ὅταν δὲ ἀγορασθῶσιν ὑπό τινων καὶ ἀνα- τεθῶσιν εἰς ναὸν καλούμενον ἢ οἶκόν τινα, τούτοις οὐ μόνον θύουσιν οἱ ὠνησάμενοι, ἀλλὰ καὶ οἱ ποιήσαντες καὶ πωλήσαντες ἔρχονται μετὰ σπουδῆς καὶ παρατάξεως θυσιῶν τε καὶ σπονδῶν εἰς τὸ προσκυνεῖν αὐτοῖς καὶ ἡγοῦνται θεοὺς αὐτούς, οὐκ εἰδότες ὅτι τοιοῦτοί εἰσιν ὁποῖοι καὶ ὅτε ἐγένοντο ὑπ' αὐτῶν ἤτοι λίθος ἢ χαλκός, ἢ ξύλον ἢ χρῶμα, ἢ καὶ ἑτέρα τις ὕλη. Τοῦτο δὴ καὶ ὑμῖν συμβέβηκεν τοῖς ἀναγινώσκουσι τὰς ἱστορίας καὶ γενεαλογίας τῶν λεγομένων θεῶν. ὁπόταν γὰρ ἐπιτυγχάνετε ταῖς γενέσεσιν αὐτῶν, ὡς ἀνθρώπους αὐτοὺς νοεῖτε· ὕστερον δὲ θεοὺς προσαγορεύετε καὶ θρησκεύετε αὐτοῖς, οὐκ ἐφιστάνοντες οὐδὲ συνιέντες ὅτι οἵους αὐτοὺς ἀνέγνωτε γεγονέναι τοιοῦτοι καὶ ἐγεννή- θησαν. Καὶ τῶν μὲν τότε θεῶν, εἴπερ ἐγεννῶντο, γένεσις πολλὴ ηὑρίσκετο. τὸ δὲ νῦν ποῦ θεῶν γένεσις δείκνυται; εἰ γὰρ τότε ἐγέννων καὶ ἐγεννῶντο, δῆλον ὅτι ἐχρῆν καὶ ἕως τοῦ δεῦρο γίνεσθαι θεοὺς γεν- νητούς· εἰ δὲ μή γε, ἀσθενὲς τὸ τοιοῦτο νοηθήσεσθαι· ἢ γὰρ ἐγήρασαν, διὸ οὐκ ἔτι γεννῶσιν, ἢ ἀπέθανον καὶ οὐκ ἔτι εἰσίν. εἰ γὰρ ἐγεννῶντο θεοί, ἐχρῆν καὶ ἕως τοῦ δεῦρο γεννᾶσθαι, καθάπερ γὰρ καὶ ἄνθρωποι γεννῶνται· μᾶλλον δὲ καὶ πλείονες θεοὶ ὤφειλον εἶναι τῶν ἀνθρώπων, ὥς φησιν Σίβυλλα· Eἰ δὲ θεοὶ γεννῶσι καὶ ἀθάνατοί γε μένουσι, πλείονες ἀνθρώπων γεγεννημένοι ἂν θεοὶ ἦσαν, οὐδὲ τόπος στῆναι θνητοῖς οὐκ ἄν ποθ' ὑπῆρξεν. εἰ γὰρ ἀνθρώπων θνητῶν καὶ ὀλιγοχρονίων ὄντων τὰ γεννώμενα τέκνα ἕως τοῦ δεῦρο δείκνυται, καὶ οὐ πέπαυται τὸ μὴ γεννᾶσθαι ἀνθρώπους, διὸ πληθύουσι πόλεις καὶ κῶμαι, ἔτι μὴν καὶ χῶραι κατοικοῦνται, πῶς οὐχὶ μᾶλλον ἐχρῆν θεοὺς τοὺς μὴ ἀποθνήσκοντας κατὰ τοὺς ποιητὰς γεννᾶν καὶ γεννᾶσθαι, καθώς φατε θεῶν γένεσιν γεγενῆσθαι; πρὸς τί δὲ τότε μὲν τὸ ὄρος τὸ καλούμενον Ὄλυμπος ὑπὸ θεῶν κατῳκεῖτο, νυνὶ δὲ ἔρημον τυγχάνει; ἢ τίνος εἵνεκεν τότε μὲν ὁ Ζεὺς ἐν τῇ Ἴδῃ κατῴκει (ἐγινώσκετο οἰκῶν ἐκεῖ κατὰ τὸν Ὅμηρον καὶ τοὺς λοιποὺς ποιητάς) νῦνι δὲ ἀγνοεῖται; διὰ τί δὲ καὶ οὐκ ἦν πανταχόσε, ἀλλὰ ἐν μέρει γῆς εὑρίσκετο; ἢ γὰρ τῶν λοιπῶν ἠμέλει, ἢ ἀδύνατος ἦν τοῦ πανταχόσε εἶναι καὶ τῶν πάντων προ- νοεῖν. εἰ γὰρ ἦν, εἰ τύχοι εἰπεῖν, ἐν τόπῳ ἀνατολικῷ, οὐκ ἦν ἐν τόπῳ δυτικῷ· εἰ δὲ αὖ πάλιν ἐν τοῖς δυτικοῖς ἦν, οὐκ ἦν ἐν τοῖς ἀνατολικοῖς. Θεοῦ δὲ τοῦ ὑψίστου καὶ παντοκράτορος καὶ τοῦ ὄντως θεοῦ τοῦτό ἐστιν μὴ μόνον τὸ πανταχόσε εἶναι, ἀλλὰ καὶ πάντα ἐφορᾶν καὶ πάντων ἀκούειν, ἔτι μὴν μηδὲ τὸ ἐν τόπῳ χωρεῖσθαι· εἰ δὲ μή γε, μείζων ὁ χωρῶν τόπος αὐτοῦ εὑρεθήσεται· μεῖζον γάρ ἐστιν τὸ χωροῦν τοῦ χωρουμένου· Θεὸς γὰρ οὐ χωρεῖται, ἀλλὰ αὐτός ἐστι τόπος τῶν ὅλων. Πρὸς τί δὲ καὶ καταλέλοιπεν ὁ Ζεὺς τὴν Ἴδην; πότερον τελευ- τήσας, ἢ οὐκ ἔτι ἤρεσεν αὐτῷ ἐκεῖνο τὸ ὄρος; ποῦ δὲ καὶ ἐπορεύθη; εἰς οὐρανούς; οὐχί. ἀλλὰ ἐρεῖς εἰς Κρήτην; ναί· ὅπου καὶ τάφος αὐτῷ ἕως τοῦ δεῦρο δείκνυται. πάλιν φήσεις εἰς Πεῖσαν, ὁ κλέων