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Therefore the earth is contemporaneous with the stars and derives from them no cause either of chance event or of stability, but in certain particular regions it undergoes such afflictions, then it happens that such things come to be in such chance events not by the necessity of fate but according to some other 56 particular cause. When, therefore, the earth suffers some such thing and works such disasters, with its inhabitants being shaken down together in the collapse, what will they say who worship fate and decree that the movement of the stars presides over all things? How is it that there the infant, the babe, the youth, the man, the father, the old man, the noble, the well-born, the hireling, the prisoner are hindered neither by the time of their birth nor by any difference in rank from an equal share in the evils? Furthermore: who does not know that intercourse with a daughter, marriage with a sister, and transgression against mothers is the ultimate of every abomination? If, then, this happened by some necessity of fate, it would surely also have been dared in the regions where we live; but since such an abomination is dared only by the Persian nation and by those taught their customs, it is clear from what follows that the fate and destiny of each person becomes his own choice, choosing what it sees fit according to its authority.

Furthermore: so that they may not be able to say such a thing, that according to the particular enclosures of regions, certain peculiar movements of the stars are comprehended, and for this reason some 57 marry their mothers, others kill strangers and are cannibals, because this position of the stars falls peculiarly upon them; although such an argument belongs entirely to the uneducated and to those unacquainted with the contemplation of realities, who suppose that according to the particular descriptions of the earth their allotment from above is also stamped (for thus earthly things would be found to be more determinative than heavenly ones, if the latter were thought to be conditioned by the former), nevertheless we will add this as well, for the refutation of their mistaken supposition: the Jewish race has spread over almost all parts of the earth, eastern, southern, inland, western, northern; almost all nations are mingled with the cohabitation of the Jews. How then has no necessity of the stars prevailed over any of them to grant to anyone of that nation immunity from mutilation, but in the myriad conjunctions of the stars, with whatever a child may be born, it is in every case the same, with nature undergoing mutilation according to the appointed cycle of days? But he says, 'These things have not yet been examined by us, by what reasoning things established by certain laws among many of the nations escape the necessity from the stars; however, the prediction of future events would not be considered a small proof of the unalterable nature of what is fated for each person. For how was so-and-so, having learned beforehand that he would live for such a number of years and would encounter such fortunes during his life, not 58 deceived, unless some necessity, according to what is unalterable, both spun out these things to happen to him in every case, and made it clear to the one foretelling it through the specific observation of the things signified by number?' But I said that in such matters it is better to seem ignorant than to provide a cause for laughter to those who are more unlearned in our doctrines; nevertheless, caring little for those who treat our affairs with laughter, I will set forth in few words, as I am able, the whole reason for this. There is a certain power hostile by nature to the human race, which is known from things contrary to the good nature. Of this it is possible to present countless proofs from clear facts. However, I do not think it necessary at the present time to go through in order everything by which these things are believed to be so. Since, therefore, the divine nature is contemplated in every good thought and name, from which comes life, light, truth, justice and wisdom and incorruptibility and everything good that can be grasped in thought, being this and bestowing this, the power known from its contraries, from all

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τοίνυν ὁμόχρονος τοῖς ἄστροις ἡ γῆ καὶ οὐδεμίαν ἐκεῖθεν οὔτε συμπτώσεως οὔτε διαμονῆς αἰτίαν ἐπάγεται, ἐν μερικαῖς δέ τισι τόπων περιγραφαῖς τὰ τοιαῦτα ὑφίσταται πάθη, ἄρα οὐχ εἱμαρμένης ἀνάγκῃ ἀλλὰ κατά τινα ἑτέραν 56 ἰδιάζουσαν αἰτίαν ἐν τοῖς τοιούτοις συμπτώμασι γενέσθαι τὰ τοιαῦτα συμβαίνει. ὅταν οὖν πάθῃ τι τοιοῦτον ἡ γῆ καί τινας τοιαύτας συμφορὰς κατεργάσηται τῶν οἰκητόρων συγκατασεισθέντων τῷ καταπτώματι, τί ἐροῦσιν οἱ προσκυνοῦντες τὴν εἱμαρμένην καὶ τὴν τῶν ἄστρων κίνησιν ἐπι στατεῖν τῶν ὄντων διοριζόμενοι; πῶς ἐκεῖ τὸ νήπιον, τὸ βρέφος, τὸ μειράκιον, ὁ ἀνήρ, ὁ πατήρ, ὁ πρεσβύτης, ὁ εὐγενής, ὁ εὐπατρίδης, ὁ μισθωτός, ὁ δεσμώτης οὔτε τῷ χρόνῳ τῆς γενέσεως οὔτε διαφορᾷ τινι τῆς ἀξίας εἰς τὴν τῶν κακῶν ὁμοτιμίαν κωλύονται; ἔτι πρὸς τούτοις· τίς οὐκ οἶδεν ὅτι παντὸς ἄγους ἔσχατόν ἐστιν ἡ θυγατρομιξία καὶ ἀδελφογαμία καὶ ἡ εἰς μητέρας παρανομία; τοῦτο τοίνυν εἰ κατά τινα μοίρας ἀνάγκην ἐγίνετο, πάντως ἂν καὶ ἐν τοῖς καθ' ἡμᾶς ἐτολμήθη τόποις· ἐπεὶ δὲ μόνῳ τῷ ἔθνει Περσῶν καὶ τοῖς τὰ ἐκείνων νόμιμα δεδιδαγμένοις τὸ τοιοῦτον ἄγος τολμᾶται, δῆλον ἐκ τοῦ ἀκολούθου ὅτι μοῖρα καὶ εἱμαρμένη ἡ ἑκάστου προαίρεσις γίνεται τὸ δοκοῦν κατ' ἐξουσίαν προ αιρουμένη.

Ἔτι πρὸς τούτοις· ὡς ἂν μηδὲ τὸ τοιοῦτον ἔχοιεν λέγειν, ὅτι κατὰ τὰς ποιὰς περικλείσεις τῶν τόπων ἰδιάζουσαί τινες ἄστρων κινήσεις καταλαμβάνονται, καὶ διὰ τοῦτο οἱ μὲν 57 μητρογαμοῦσιν, οἱ δὲ ξενοκτονοῦσι καὶ ἀνθρωποβοροῦσι τῆσδε τῶν ἄστρων τῆς θέσεως ἐκείνοις ἰδιαζόντως ἐπι πιπτούσης· εἰ καὶ παντάπασι τῶν ἀπαιδεύτων καὶ τῆς τῶν ὄντων θεωρίας ἀνεπισκέπτων ὁ τοιοῦτος λόγος ἐστί, τῶν οἰομένων ὅτι κατὰ τὰς ποιὰς τῆς γῆς περιγραφὰς καὶ ἡ ἄνω θεν αὐτοῖς λῆξις ἐπιτυποῦται (οὕτω γὰρ ἂν εὑρεθείη τὰ γήϊνα τῶν οὐρανίων ἀρχηγικώτερα, εἰ κατὰ ταῦτα νομίζοιτο κἀκεῖνα ἔχειν), ὅμως καὶ τοῦτο προσθήσομεν πρὸς ἔλεγχον τῆς ἠπατημένης αὐτῶν ὑπολήψεως· πάντα σχεδὸν τὰ μέρη τῆς γῆς τὸ τῶν Ἰουδαίων ἐπενεμήθη γένος, ἀνατολικοί, νότιοι, μεσογεῶται, δυτικοί, προσάρκτιοι, πάντα σχεδὸν τὰ ἔθνη μέμικται πρὸς τὴν τῶν Ἰουδαίων συνοίκησιν. πῶς τοίνυν οὐδεμία τῶν ἄστρων ἀνάγκη ἐπ' οὐδενὸς αὐτῶν ἴσχυσέ τινι τῶν ἐκ τοῦ ἔθνους χαρίσασθαι τὸ ἀλώβητον, ἀλλ' ἐν ταῖς μυριοτρόποις τῶν ἄστρων ἐπιπλοκαῖς, ᾧπερ ἂν συνενεχθῇ τὸ τικτόμενον, ἐν τῷ ὁμοίῳ πάντως ἐστί, κατὰ τὴν τεταγμένην τῶν ἡμερῶν περίοδον ὑπομενούσης τὴν λώβην τῆς φύσεως; Ὁ δέ, Ταῦτα μὲν οὔπω, φησίν, ἐξήτασται παρ' ἡμῖν, τίνι λόγῳ διαφεύγει τὴν ἐκ τῶν ἄστρων ἀνάγκην τὰ νόμοις τισὶ κεκρατημένα παρὰ πολλοῖς τῶν ἐθνῶν· ἡ μέντοι πρόρρησις τῶν ἀποβησομένων οὐκ ἂν μικρὸν εἰς ἀπόδειξιν νομισθείη τοῦ ἀπαραβάτως ἔχειν τὰ μεμοιραμένα ἑκάστῳ. πῶς γὰρ ὁ δεῖνα τόνδε τὸν ἀριθμὸν τῶν ἐτῶν βιοτεύσειν καὶ τοιαῖσδε συντυχίαις κατὰ τὸν βίον συνενεχθήσεσθαι προμαθὼν οὐ 58 διεψεύσθη, εἰ μή τις ἀνάγκη κατὰ τὸ ἀπαράβατον ἐκείνῳ τε ταῦτα γενέσθαι πάντως ἐπέκλωσε, τῷ τε προαγορεύοντι διὰ τῆς ποιᾶς τῶν κατὰ τὸν ἀριθμὸν σεσημειωμένων παρα τηρήσεως δῆλον ἐποίησεν; Ἐγὼ δὲ κρεῖττον μὲν ἔφην ἐν τοῖς τοιούτοις δοκεῖν ἀγνοεῖν ἢ γέλωτος ἀφορμὴν παρέχειν τοῖς ἀμαθεστέροις τῶν ἡμετέρων δογμάτων· πλὴν ἀλλὰ μικρὰ φροντίσας τῶν ἐν γέλωτι τὰ καθ' ἡμᾶς τιθεμένων, δι' ὀλίγων, ὡς ἂν οἷός τε ὦ, πᾶσαν τὴν περὶ τούτου αἰτίαν ἐκθήσομαι. ἔστι τῷ γένει τῶν ἀνθρώπων κατὰ φύσιν πολέμιος δύναμίς τις ἐκ τῶν ἐναντίων τῇ ἀγαθῇ φύσει γινωσκομένη. τούτου δὲ μυρίας μὲν ἔστι τὰς ἀποδείξεις ἐξ ἐναργῶν παραστῆσαι πραγμάτων. οὐ μὴν ἀναγκαῖον ἡγοῦμαι τῷ παρόντι καιρῷ πάντα κατὰ τὸ ἀκόλουθον διεξιέναι δι' ὧν ταῦτα οὕτως ἔχειν πεπίστευται. τῆς τοίνυν θείας φύσεως ἐν παντὶ ἀγαθῷ νοήματί τε καὶ ὀνόματι θεωρουμένης, παρ' ἧς ἡ ζωή, τὸ φῶς, ἡ ἀλήθεια, τὸ δίκαιόν τε καὶ σοφὸν καὶ τὸ ἄφθαρτον καὶ πᾶν ὅ τί περ ἔστι κατ' ἔννοιαν λαβεῖν ἀγαθόν, τοῦτο οὔσης καὶ τοῦτο χαριζομένης, ἡ ἐκ τῶν ἐναντίων γνωριζομένη δύναμις ἐκ πάντων