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

they have fabricated certain saviors, the Dioscuri and Heracles, averter of evil, and Asclepius the physician. 2.27.1 These are the slippery and harmful deviations from the truth, dragging man down from heaven and turning him over into an abyss. But I wish to show you at close quarters the gods themselves, what sort they are and if they are at all, so that you may at last cease from your error, and run back again to 2.27.2 heaven. "For we also were once children of wrath, even as the rest; but God, being rich in mercy, for his great love with which he loved us, when we were already dead in our trespasses, made us alive together with Christ." "For the Word is living," and being buried with Christ is exalted together with God. But those who are still unbelieving are named "children of wrath," being nurtured by wrath; but we are no longer the nurslings of wrath, having been torn away from 2.27.3 error, and rushing to the truth. In this way, we who were once sons of lawlessness, through the love of man of the Word have now become sons of God; and for you your own poet, Empedocles of Acragas, also sings: therefore, wandering in grievous evils, you will never ease your soul from wretched woes. 2.27.4 The greatest part of what is said about your gods is myth and fabrication; and as much as is supposed to have happened, this has been recorded about shameful men who lived licentiously; but you walk in pride and madness, and having left the straight, right path, you have gone away on the one through thorns and stakes. Why do you wander, mortals? Cease, you foolish ones, leave behind the darkness of night, and take hold of the light. 2.27.5 These things the prophetic and poetic Sibyl enjoins upon us; and the truth also enjoins, stripping the crowd of gods of these terrifying and startling masks, refuting their glorifications by means of certain synonymies. 2.28.1 For instance, there are some who record three Zeuses: one, of Aether, in Arcadia; and the other two, sons of Cronus; of these, one in Crete, and the other in Arcadia 2.28.2 again. And there are some who suppose five Athenas: one of Hephaestus, the Athenian; another of Nilus, the Egyptian; a third of Cronus, the inventor of war; a fourth of Zeus, whom the Messenians have nicknamed Coryphasia from her mother; last of all, the one of Pallas and Titanis, daughter of Oceanus, who impiously slaughtered her father and is adorned with her paternal 2.28.3 skin like a fleece. Moreover, Aristotle says the first Apollo was of Hephaestus and Athena (here, indeed, Athena is no longer a virgin), a second in Crete, son of Cyrbas, a third, son of Zeus, and a fourth, the Arcadian, son of Silenus; this one is called Nomius among the Arcadians; in addition to these he lists the Libyan, son of Ammon; and Didymus the grammarian 2.28.4 adds to these a sixth, son of Magnes. And how many Apollos are there even now, innumerable mortal and perishable men, who are named in a similar way to those previously mentioned? 2.29.1 And what if I were to tell you of the many Asclepiuses, or the numbered Hermeses, or the fabled Hephaestuses? Shall I not seem to be superfluous, flooding your ears with these many names? But their native lands and their skills and their lives, and in addition, 2.29.2 even their tombs, prove them to have been men. Ares, for example, who is honoured as much as possible by the poets, Ares, Ares, bane of mortals, blood-stained, stormer of walls, this "fickle" and "hostile" one, as Epicharmus says, was a Spartan; but Sophocles knows him as a 2.29.3 Thracian; and others, an Arcadian. And Homer says this one was bound for thirteen months: Ares endured it, when Otus and mighty Ephialtes, sons of Aloeus, bound him in a strong chain; and he was bound in a bronze jar for thirteen months. 2.29.4 May the Carians have many good things, who sacrifice dogs to him. And the Scythians who sacrifice asses, let them not cease, as

ἀνέπλασάν τινας σωτῆρας ∆ιοσκούρους καὶ Ἡρακλέα ἀλεξίκακον καὶ Ἀσκληπιὸνἰατρόν. 2.27.1 Αὗται μὲν αἱ ὀλισθηραί τε καὶ ἐπιβλαβεῖς παρεκ βάσεις τῆς ἀληθείας, καθέλκουσαι οὐρανόθεν τὸν ἄνθρωπον καὶ εἰς βάραθρον περιτρέπουσαι. Ἐθέλω δὲ ὑμῖν ἐν χρῷ τοὺς θεοὺς αὐτοὺς ἐπιδεῖξαι ὁποῖοί τινες καὶ εἴ τινες, ἵν' ἤδη ποτὲ τῆς πλάνης λήξητε, αὖθις δὲ παλινδρομήσητε εἰς 2.27.2 οὐρανόν. "Ἦμεν γάρ που καὶ ἡμεῖς τέκνα ὀργῆς, ὡς καὶ οἱ λοιποί· ὁ δὲ θεὸς πλούσιος ὢν ἐν ἐλέει, διὰ τὴν πολλὴν ἀγάπην αὐτοῦ, ἣν ἠγάπησεν ἡμᾶς, ὄντας ἤδη νεκροὺς τοῖς παραπτώμασιν συνεζωοποίησεν τῷ Χριστῷ." "Ζῶν γὰρ ὁ λόγος" καὶ συνταφεὶς Χριστῷ συνυψοῦται θεῷ. Οἱ δὲ ἔτι ἄπιστοι "τέκνα ὀργῆς" ὀνομάζονται, τρεφόμενα ὀργῇ· ἡμεῖς δὲ οὐκ ὀργῆς θρέμματα ἔτι, οἱ τῆς πλάνης ἀπεσπασ 2.27.3 μένοι, ᾄσσοντες δὲ ἐπὶ τὴν ἀλήθειαν. Ταύτῃ τοι ἡμεῖς οἱ τῆς ἀνομίας υἱοί ποτε διὰ τὴν φιλανθρωπίαν τοῦ λόγου νῦν υἱοὶ γεγόναμεν τοῦ θεοῦ· ὑμῖν δὲ καὶ ὁ ὑμέτερος ὑποδύεται ποιητὴς ὁ Ἀκραγαντῖνος Ἐμπεδοκλῆς· τοιγάρτοι χαλεπῇσιν ἀλύοντες κακότησιν οὔ ποτε δειλαίων ἀχέων λωφήσετε θυμόν. 2.27.4 Τὰ μὲν δὴ πλεῖστα μεμύθευται καὶ πέπλασται περὶ θεῶν ὑμῖν· τὰ δὲ καὶ ὅσα γεγενῆσθαι ὑπείληπται, ταῦτα δὲ περὶ ἀνθρώπων αἰσχρῶν καὶ ἀσελγῶς βεβιωκότων ἀναγέγραπται· τύφῳ καὶ μανίῃ δὲ βαδίζετε καὶ τρίβον ὀρθὴν εὐθεῖαν προλιπόντες ἀπήλθετε τὴν δι' ἀκανθῶν καὶ σκολόπων. Τί πλανᾶσθε, βροτοί; παύσασθε, μάταιοι, καλλίπετε σκοτίην νυκτός, φωτὸς δὲ λάβεσθε. 2.27.5 Ταῦτα ἡμῖν ἡ προφητικὴ παρεγγυᾷ καὶ ποιητικὴ Σίβυλλα· παρεγγυᾷ δὲ καὶ ἡ ἀλήθεια, γυμνοῦσα τῶν καταπληκτικῶν τουτωνὶ καὶ ἐκπληκτικῶν προσωπείων τὸν ὄχλον τῶν θεῶν, συνωνυμίαις τισὶ τὰς δοξοποιίας διελέγχουσα. 2.28.1 Αὐτίκα γοῦν εἰσὶν οἳ τρεῖς τοὺς Ζῆνας ἀναγράφουσιν, τὸν μὲν Αἰθέρος ἐν Ἀρκαδίᾳ, τὼ δὲ λοιπὼ τοῦ Κρόνου παῖδε, τούτοιν τὸν μὲν ἐν Κρήτῃ, θάτερον δὲ ἐν Ἀρκαδίᾳ 2.28.2 πάλιν. Εἰσὶ δὲ οἳ πέντε Ἀθηνᾶς ὑποτίθενται, τὴν μὲν Ἡφαίστου, τὴν Ἀθηναίαν· τὴν δὲ Νείλου, τὴν Αἰγυπτίαν· τρίτην τοῦ Κρόνου, τὴν πολέμου εὑρέτιν· τετάρτην τὴν ∆ιός, ἣν Μεσσήνιοι Κορυφασίαν ἀπὸ τῆς μητρὸς ἐπικεκλή κασιν· ἐπὶ πᾶσι τὴν Πάλλαντος καὶ Τιτανίδος τῆς Ὠκεανοῦ, ἣ τὸν πατέρα δυσσεβῶς καταθύσασα τῷ πατρῴῳ κεκόσμηται 2.28.3 δέρματι ὥσπερ κῳδίῳ. Ναὶ μὴν Ἀπόλλωνα ὁ μὲν Ἀριστοτέλης πρῶτον Ἡφαίστου καὶ Ἀθηνᾶς (ἐνταῦθα δὴ οὐκέτι παρθένος ἡ Ἀθηνᾶ), δεύτερον ἐν Κρήτῃ τὸν Κύρβαντος, τρίτον τὸν ∆ιὸς καὶ τέταρτον τὸν Ἀρκάδα τὸν Σιληνοῦ· Νόμιος οὗτος κέκληται παρὰ Ἀρκάσιν· ἐπὶ τούτοις τὸν Λίβυν καταλέγει τὸν Ἄμμωνος· ὁ δὲ ∆ίδυμος ὁ γραμμα 2.28.4 τικὸς τούτοις ἕκτον ἐπιφέρει τὸν Μάγνητος. Πόσοι δὲ καὶ νῦν Ἀπόλλωνες, ἀναρίθμητοι θνητοὶ καὶ ἐπίκηροί τινες ἄνθρωποι, εἰσίν, οἱ παραπλησίως τοῖς προειρημένοις ἐκείνοις κεκλημένοι; 2.29.1 Τί δ' εἴ σοι τοὺς πολλοὺς εἴποιμι Ἀσκληπιοὺς ἢ τοὺς Ἑρμᾶς τοὺς ἀριθμουμένους ἢ τοὺς Ἡφαίστους τοὺς μυθολογουμένους; Μὴ καὶ περιττὸς εἶναι δόξω τὰς ἀκοὰς ὑμῶν τοῖς πολλοῖς τούτοις ἐπικλύζων ὀνόμασιν; Ἀλλ' αἵ γε πατρίδες αὐτοὺς καὶ αἱ τέχναι καὶ οἱ βίοι, πρὸς δέ γε 2.29.2 καὶ οἱ τάφοι ἀνθρώπους γεγονότας διελέγχουσιν. Ἄρης γοῦν ὁ καὶ παρὰ τοῖς ποιηταῖς, ὡς οἷόν τε, τετιμημένος, Ἆρες, Ἄρες, βροτολοιγέ, μιαιφόνε, τειχεσιπλῆτα, ὁ "ἀλλοπρόσαλλος" οὗτος καὶ "ἀνάρσιος", ὡς μὲν Ἐπί χαρμός φησι, Σπαρτιάτης ἦν· Σοφοκλῆς δὲ Θρᾷκα οἶδεν 2.29.3 αὐτόν· ἄλλοι δὲ Ἀρκάδα. Τοῦτον δὲ Ὅμηρος δεδέσθαι φησὶν ἐπὶ μῆνας τρισκαίδεκα· τλῆ μὲν Ἄρης, ὅτε μιν Ὦτος κρατερός τ' Ἐπιάλτης, παῖδες Ἀλωῆος, δῆσαν κρατηρῷ ἐνὶ δεσμῷ· χαλκέῳ δ' ἐν κεράμῳ δέδετο τρισκαίδεκα μῆνας. 2.29.4 Πολλὰ κἀγαθὰ Κᾶρες σχοῖεν, οἳ καταθύουσιν αὐτῷ τοὺς κύνας. Σκύθαι δὲ τοὺς ὄνους ἱερεύοντες μὴ παυέσθων, ὡς