Protrepticus

 raging for corruptions, celebrating insolence, deifying sorrows, the first to lead men by the hand to idols, yes, indeed, to stones and wood, that is,

 may inspire, and which may receive the 1.5.4 Lord. Yes, indeed, David the king, the harpist, whom we mentioned a little before, was exhorting towards

 and to statues and to certain such images having bound them fast with the wretched bond of superstition, that which is indeed said, bringing living me

 Let her who does not give birth hear let her who does not travail break forth with a cry, for the children of the desolate are more than of her who

 breathing roughly is interpreted as the female serpent But Deo and Kore have already become a mystic drama, and Eleusis holds torches for their wande

 a herdsman, the goad, calling the narthex a herdsman's goad, I suppose, which the Bacchants indeed wreathe. 2.17.1 Do you wish that I should narrate t

 and the swineherd Eubouleus from whom sprang the hierophantic family of the Eumolpidae and Kerykes, 2.20.3 this very one at Athens. And indeed (for I

 a teacher of the woman's 2.24.2 disease to the other Scythians. For which reason (for it must by no means be concealed), it comes over me to wonder in

 they have fabricated certain saviors, the Dioscuri and Heracles, averter of evil, and Asclepius the physician. 2.27.1 These are the slippery and harmf

 Apollodorus says, and Callimachus, Phoebus is appointed over the sacrifices of asses among the Hyperboreans. And the same poet elsewhere says, Fat sac

 and of gods. He was so poured out in matters of love, as to desire all, and to fulfill his desire upon all. At any rate, he was filled with women no

 is fashioned in the manner of a member and sits upon the branch, fulfilling the promise to the dead man. A mystical memorial of this passion, phalli a

 is taught to be prudent. The myth is laid bare for you Leda died, the swan died, the eagle died. You seek your Zeus? do not meddle with the sky, but

 2.39.8 they acclaimed. But Heraclides in *Foundations of Temples* says that in Acarnania, where the Actium promontory is and the temple of Actian Apol

 he records 3.42.7 to have offered a whole burnt-offering. And Erechtheus the Attic and Marius the Roman sacrificed their own daughters of whom the on

 In Athens, on the acropolis, is that of Cecrops, as Antiochus says in the ninth book of his Histories. And what of Erichthonius? Was he not buried in

 the so-called Palladium, fallen from heaven, which Diomedes and Odysseus are said to have stolen from Ilium, and to have entrusted to Demophon, was ma

 Nor insult the blooming youth keep it pure, that it may be beautiful. Become a king of beauty, not a tyrant let it remain free then I will recogniz

 worshippers of stones, having learned by deed not to worship senseless matter, being overcome by the need itself, are destroyed by superstition But t

 And private individuals dignified themselves with divine titles, as Menecrates the physician, who was surnamed Zeus. Why must I list Alexarchus (he wa

 4.56.4 offspring of the earth, all these things that you see? Why then, O foolish and empty-minded ones (for I will say it again), having blasphemed t

 they boast, having enrolled them as their own household slaves, having made them compelled slaves by their incantations. Therefore, the remembered mar

 you shall make, says the prophet, any likeness of anything that is in heaven above and that is in the 4.62.3 earth beneath. Would we, then, still s

 those who worship it have suffered for others named this fire Hephaestus. 5.65.1 But the Magi of the Persians have honored fire, as have many of the

 of truth, do you show that those who have trusted in you are subjected to a flow and current and disorderly eddies? And why do you fill my life with i

 by counsel but indeed they raise pure arms to heaven, rising early from bed, always cleansing their skin with water, and they honor only the one who

 a comfort of the gods, images of stone, or bronze or gold-wrought or ivory figures and allotting sacrifices to them and empty festivals, thus we thin

 you will empty injustice. 8.77.1 Now that the other things have been duly completed by us in order, it is time to turn to the prophetic writings for

 I swear by myself. But he is vexed with the idolaters, saying to whom have you likened the Lord? or to what likeness have you likened him? Did a car

 For how is it permitted for the foreigner to enter? But when, I suppose, he is enrolled and made a citizen and receives the father, then he will be i

 the wanderers of the Hebrews for they are said not to have entered into the rest because of unbelief, until, having followed the successor of Moses,

 10.89.1 But to overturn a custom handed down to us from our fathers, you say, is not reasonable. And why, then, do we not use our first food, milk, to

 demands repentance. But I want to ask you, if it does not seem absurd to you that you, men, having been born a creation of God and having received you

 punishment? Why do we not accept the gift? Why do we not choose the better things, God instead of the wicked one, and prefer wisdom to idolatry, and e

 10.98.3 promised? Who has promised immortality? Only the Creator of all things, the father, the master-craftsman, fashioned us, man, such a living s

 to wipe away the hindrances to salvation, both pride and wealth and fear, uttering this very poetic saying: Where, indeed, do I carry these many posse

 they inhumanly attempt to slaughter him who teaches humanely, who calls them to righteousness, neither awaiting the grace from above nor shunning the

 a portion to those who have turned to any part of life, and to consider wisdom the same waveless harbor of salvation 10.107.3 through which those who

 He who also was, through what He taught and showed, having presented himself, our truce-bearer and reconciler and savior, the Word, a life-giving, pea

 since you were not ashamed of your brother. 11.114.1 Let us then take away, let us take away the forgetfulness of the truth having cast down the igno

 The trumpet with its great blast sounded, gathered soldiers, and announced war but Christ, having breathed a peaceful melody to the ends of the earth

 bound, you shall be loosed from all corruption, the Word of God will steer you, and the Holy Spirit will bring you to anchor in the harbors of the hea

 12.121.1 Let us hasten, let us run, O God-loving and God-like images of the Word [men] let us hasten, let us run, let us take up His yoke, let us mou

a teacher of the woman's 2.24.2 disease to the other Scythians. For which reason (for it must by no means be concealed), it comes over me to wonder in what way they have called atheists Euhemerus of Acragas and Nicanor of Cyprus and Diagoras and Hippon, the two Melians, and besides these that Cyrenian (Theodorus was his name) and several others, who had lived temperately and had seen more sharply, I suppose, than the rest of mankind the delusion concerning these gods, even if they had not understood the truth itself, yet had at least suspected the delusion, which springs up as no small seed and spark of truth 2.24.3 for wisdom; of whom one recommends to the Egyptians, "If you believe them to be gods, do not lament them nor beat your breasts; but if you mourn for them, no longer 2.24.4 consider these to be gods," and another, taking a Heracles made of wood (for he happened to be cooking something at home, as was likely); "Come now, O Heracles," he said; "now is the time for you, just as for Eurystheus, so also for us to perform this thirteenth labor and prepare the relish for Diagoras," "and then he put it on the fire like a piece of wood." 2.25.1 The extremes of ignorance, then, are atheism and superstition, which one must strive to remain outside of. Do you not see Moses, the hierophant of truth, commanding one with crushed testicles and one whose member is cut off not to enter the assembly, 2.25.2 and in addition, the son of a prostitute? And by the former he signifies the atheistic manner, which is deprived of the divine and generative power, and by the latter, the third, the one who claims many falsely named gods instead of the only true God, just as the son of a prostitute claims many fathers out of ignorance of his true father. 2.25.3 But there was a certain innate, ancient communion of men with heaven, darkened, on the one hand, by ignorance, but, on the other, suddenly leaping out from the darkness somewhere and shining forth, as for example that which was said by someone: "Do you see this boundless aether on high, holding the earth around in its moist embrace?" And the saying "O vehicle of the earth and having your throne upon the earth, whoever you may be, hard to guess at and to see," 2.25.4 and whatever other such things the sons of poets sing. But erroneous notions, turned aside from the straight path, truly destructive, turned man, the "heavenly plant," away from his heavenly way of life and stretched him out upon the earth, persuading him to attend to earthly fabrications. 2.26.1 For some, being straightway deceived about the sight of heaven and trusting in sight alone, observing the motions of the stars, both marveled and deified them, naming the stars gods from the word 'to run' (thein), and they worshiped the sun, as 2.26.2 the Indians, and the moon, as the Phrygians; and others, reaping the cultivated fruits of things that grow from the earth, called the grain Deo, as the Athenians, and the vine Dionysus, as the Thebans. 2.26.3 Others, observing the requitals of wickedness, deify and worship retributions and misfortunes. From this the dramatic poets have fabricated the Erinyes and the Eumenides, and the Palamnaean and Prostropaean avengers, and also the Alastors. 2.26.4 And then certain philosophers also, after the poets, make images of the types of passions among you, Fear and Love and Joy and Hope, just as, of course, the ancient Epimenides also, 2.26.5 having set up altars to Insolence and Shamelessness in Athens; and others, starting from events themselves, are deified for men and are fashioned with bodies, a certain Justice and Clotho and Lachesis and Atropos and Fate, and Auxo 2.26.6 and Thallo, the Attic goddesses. The sixth is an introductory mode of delusion, productive of gods, according to which they number the twelve gods; of whom Hesiod also sings his own theogony, and 2.26.7 all the things about which Homer theologizes. And the last one remains (for all these modes are seven in number) that which arises from the divine benefactions which come to men. For not understanding the beneficent God

θηλείας τοῖς ἄλλοις Σκυθῶν διδάσκαλον 2.24.2 νόσου. Ὧν δὴ χάριν (οὐ γὰρ οὐδαμῶς ἀποκρυπτέον) θαυμά ζειν ἔπεισί μοι ὅτῳ τρόπῳ Εὐήμερον τὸν Ἀκραγαντῖνον καὶ Νικάνορα τὸν Κύπριον καὶ ∆ιαγόραν καὶ Ἵππωνα τὼ Μηλίω τόν τε Κυρηναῖον ἐπὶ τούτοις ἐκεῖνον (ὁ Θεόδωρος ὄνομα αὐτῷ) καί τινας ἄλλους συχνούς, σωφρόνως βεβιω κότας καὶ καθεωρακότας ὀξύτερόν που τῶν λοιπῶν ἀνθρώ πων τὴν ἀμφὶ τοὺς θεοὺς τούτους πλάνην, ἀθέους ἐπικεκλή κασιν, εἰ καὶ τὴν ἀλήθειαν αὐτὴν μὴ νενοηκότας, ἀλλὰ τὴν πλάνην γε ὑπωπτευκότας, ὅπερ οὐ σμικρὸν εἰς ἀλήθειαν 2.24.3 φρονήσεως ζώπυρον ἀναφύεται σπέρμα· ὧν ὃ μέν τις παρεγγυᾷ τοῖς Αἰγυπτίοις, "εἰ θεοὺς νομίζετε, μὴ θρηνεῖτε αὐτοὺς μηδὲ κόπτεσθε· εἰ δὲ πενθεῖτε αὐτούς, μηκέτι 2.24.4 τούτους ἡγεῖσθε εἶναι θεούς", ὃ δ' Ἡρακλέα ἐκ ξύλου λαβὼν κατεσκευασμένον (ἔτυχε δὲ ἕψων τι οἴκοι, οἷα εἰκός)· "Εἶα δή, ὦ Ἡράκλεις", εἶπεν· "νῦν σοι ἤδη καιρός, ὥσπερ Εὐρυσθεῖ, ἀτὰρ δὴ καὶ ἡμῖν ὑπουργῆσαι τὸν τρισκαιδέκατον τοῦτον ἆθλον καὶ ∆ιαγόρᾳ τοὔψον παρα σκευάσαι", "κᾆτ' αὐτὸν εἰς τὸ πῦρ ἐνέθηκεν ὡς ξύλον". 2.25.1 Ἀκρότητες ἄρα ἀμαθίας ἀθεότης καὶ δεισιδαιμονία, ὧν ἐκτὸς μένειν σπουδαστέον. Οὐχ ὁρᾷς τὸν ἱεροφάντην τῆς ἀληθείας Μωσέα προστάττοντα θλαδίαν καὶ ἀποκεκομμένον 2.25.2 μὴ ἐκκλησιάζειν, καὶ προσέτι τὸν ἐκ πόρνης; Αἰνίττεται δὲ διὰ μὲν τῶν προτέρων τὸν ἄθεον τρόπον τὸν τῆς θείας καὶ γονίμου δυνάμεως ἐστερημένον, διὰ δὲ τοῦ λοιποῦ τοῦ τρίτου τὸν πολλοὺς ἐπιγραφόμενον ψευδωνύμους θεοὺς ἀντὶ τοῦ μόνου ὄντος θεοῦ, ὥσπερ ὁ ἐκ τῆς πόρνης τοὺς πολλοὺς ἐπιγράφεται πατέρας ἀγνοίᾳ τοῦ πρὸς ἀλήθειαν πατρός. 2.25.3 Ἦν δέ τις ἔμφυτος ἀρχαία πρὸς οὐρανὸν ἀνθρώποις κοινωνία, ἀγνοίᾳ μὲν ἐσκοτισμένη, ἄφνω δέ που διεκθρῴσκουσα τοῦ σκότους καὶ ἀναλάμπουσα, οἷον δὴ ἐκεῖνο λέλεκταί τινι τὸ ὁρᾷς τὸν ὑψοῦ τόνδ' ἄπειρον αἰθέρα καὶ γῆν πέριξ ἔχονθ' ὑγραῖς ἐν ἀγκάλαις; Καὶ τὸ ὦ γῆς ὄχημα κἀπὶ γῆς ἔχων ἕδραν, ὅστις ποτ' εἶ σύ, δυστόπαστος εἰσιδεῖν, 2.25.4 καὶ ὅσα ἄλλα τοιαῦτα ποιητῶν ᾄδουσι παῖδες. Ἔννοιαι δὲ ἡμαρτημέναι καὶ παρηγμέναι τῆς εὐθείας, ὀλέθριαι ὡς ἀληθῶς, τὸ "οὐράνιον φυτόν", τὸν ἄνθρωπον, οὐρανίου ἐξέτρεψαν διαίτης καὶ ἐξετάνυσαν ἐπὶ γῆς, γηΐνοις προσα νέχειν ἀναπείσασαι πλάσμασιν. 2.26.1 Οἳ μὲν γὰρ εὐθέως ἀμφὶ τὴν οὐρανοῦ θέαν ἀπατώ μενοι καὶ ὄψει μόνῃ πεπιστευκότες τῶν ἀστέρων τὰς κινήσεις ἐπιθεώμενοι ἐθαύμασάν τε καὶ ἐξεθείασαν, θεοὺς ἐκ τοῦ θεῖν ὀνομάσαντες τοὺς ἀστέρας, καὶ προσεκύνησαν ἥλιον, ὡς 2.26.2 Ἰνδοί, καὶ σελήνην, ὡς Φρύγες· οἳ δὲ τῶν ἐκ γῆς φυομένων τοὺς ἡμέρους δρεπόμενοι καρποὺς ∆ηὼ τὸν σῖτον, ὡς Ἀθηναῖοι, καὶ ∆ιόνυσον τὴν ἄμπελον, ὡς Θηβαῖοι, προση 2.26.3 γόρευσαν. Ἄλλοι τὰς ἀμοιβὰς τῆς κακίας ἐπισκοπήσαντες θεοποιοῦσι τὰς ἀντιδόσεις προσκυνοῦντες καὶ τὰς συμφοράς. Ἐντεῦθεν τὰς Ἐρινύας καὶ τὰς Εὐμενίδας Παλαμναίους τε καὶ Προστροπαίους, ἔτι δὲ Ἀλάστορας ἀναπεπλάκασιν 2.26.4 οἱ ἀμφὶ τὴν σκηνὴν ποιηταί. Φιλοσόφων δὲ ἤδη τινὲς καὶ αὐτοὶ μετὰ τοὺς ποιητικοὺς τῶν ἐν ὑμῖν παθῶν ἀνειδωλο ποιοῦσι τύπους τὸν Φόβον καὶ τὸν Ἔρωτα καὶ τὴν Χαρὰν καὶ τὴν Ἐλπίδα, ὥσπερ ἀμέλει καὶ Ἐπιμενίδης ὁ παλαιὸς 2.26.5 Ὕβρεως καὶ Ἀναιδείας Ἀθήνησιν ἀναστήσας βωμούς· οἳδὲ ἐξ αὐτῶν ὁρμώμενοι τῶν πραγμάτων ἐκθεοῦνται τοῖς ἀνθρώποις καὶ σωματικῶς ἀναπλάττονται, ∆ίκη τις καὶ Κλωθὼ καὶ Λάχεσις καὶ Ἄτροπος καὶ Εἱμαρμένη, Αὐξώ 2.26.6 τε καὶ Θαλλώ, αἱ Ἀττικαί. Ἕκτος ἐστὶν εἰσηγητικὸς τρόπος ἀπάτης, θεῶν περιποιητικός, καθ' ὃν ἀριθμοῦσι θεοὺς τοὺς δώδεκα· ὧν καὶ θεογονίαν Ἡσίοδος ᾄδει τὴν αὑτοῦ, καὶ 2.26.7 ὅσα θεολογεῖ Ὅμηρος. Τελευταῖος δὲ ὑπολείπεται (ἑπτὰ γὰρ οἱ ἅπαντες οὗτοι τρόποι) ὁ ἀπὸ τῆς θείας εὐεργεσίας τῆς εἰς τοὺς ἀνθρώπους καταγινομένης ὁρμώμενος. Τὸν γὰρ εὐεργετοῦντα μὴ συνιέντες θεὸν