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and having risen from the dead, he appeared to his disciples for forty whole days, associating with them, and while they were seeing and watching him he was taken up into the heavens, having sent forth to them the gift and power of the Holy Spirit; so that they could speak in the tongues of foreigners, and have no need of an interpreter, for the Holy Spirit was speaking in them, so that they could foresee distant things and prophesy future events. These men, having gone forth, preached him everywhere, carrying nothing with them except his invisible power alone, not holding a shield, and a spear, and a sword, but naked, and unarmed, and poor, they took the whole world captive, raising the dead, cleansing lepers, casting out demons. And who were these men? fishermen, and unlettered men, and men without a share in the wisdom of the world. 28. But those whom you yourself introduced, mocking the birth of Christ, men wise and theologians, as you have now said, even if we should grant this nonsense to be 96.1277 true, what benefit did they bring to the world, having been born twice and thrice and four times, or what small or slightest part of the world? Who, from the books of Hermes and Pythagoras, has raised the dead, or cleansed lepers, or driven out demons, whom you worship? But Hermes, who is called the greatest by you, was an Egyptian man, and having been brought up in the laws of the Egyptians he married a wife and begot children, the eldest of whom they call Tat, to whom he himself discourses and dedicates his own words, and to Asclepius from Epidaurus who according to you was the founder of the science of medicine, who also clarifies his own theology which is as follows: To conceive God is difficult, but to express it impossible; for he is of three hypostases, an ineffable substance and nature, having no likeness among mortals; but those whom men call gods have drawn much that is mythical and perilous upon themselves; and concerning the coming of Christ, he himself also utters a certain obscure prophecy, not from himself, but having drawn this from the theology of the Hebrews. But what have I to do with the rotten and stinking words of Hermes which are honored among you, having already long ago rotted and flowed away? For it is not holy to ask the dead about the living, when I have from the divinely wise oracles the true witnesses who foretold the coming and divinity of Christ. 29. But Pythagoras, the founder of the Italic sect, what great and wonderful thing did he accomplish in his life, having been brought forth thrice? or that when he was at Olympia, as you claim, he showed his golden thigh to the Hellanodikai? and when an ox, about to be sacrificed, lowed; "It has," he said, "the soul of a man most dear to me, and through its lowing the poor wretch addresses me?" and an eagle flying on high, did he make fall to the earth by an incantation? These things the thrice-born one worked as wonders when he was at Olympia, the thrice-wretched one being mad for glory and imagining things; he who made the tetractys an oath, and called this the fount of ever-flowing nature; he who revered beans, on account of which he also perished with his companions being pursued by the Tarentines; for not wishing to tread upon the place where the beans happened to have been sown, he himself with his companions and disciples is slaughtered, and becomes the prey of his enemies. And Theano, his wife and disciple, not wanting to state the reason, for which they do not eat the bean, first having her tongue cut out, she herself also perishes. 30. These are the pre-eminent deeds of your philosophers who were born twice and thrice, as you yourself have declaimed; and those are the deeds of my Christ, the wonders wrought for the salvation and restoration of the human race. 96.1280 And Pythagoras and Hermes lead the souls of men down to the bottom of Hades, with certain transmigrations and transferences

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καὶ ἀναστὰς ἐκ τῶν νεκρῶν, ὤφθη τοῖς μαθηταῖς αὐτοῦ ἐφ' ὅλαις τεσσαράκοντα ἡμέραις μετ' αὐτῶν συναναστρεφόμενος, καὶ ὁρώντων αὐτὸν καὶ βλεπόντων ἀνελήφθη εἰς τοὺς οὐρανοὺς, ἐξαποστείλας αὐτοῖς τὴν τοῦ ἁγίου Πνεύματος δωρεάν τε καὶ δύναμιν· ὥστε καὶ γλώσσαις ἀλλογενῶν ἀποφθέγγεσθαι, καὶ μὴ ἔχειν χρείαν τοῦ ἑρμηνεύοντος, ἐλάλει γὰρ ἐν αὐτοῖς τὸ Πνεῦμα τὸ ἅγιον, ὥστε καὶ τὰ πόῤῥω προβλέπειν καὶ προφητεύειν τὰ μέλλοντα. Οἵτινες ἐξελθόντες, ἐκήρυξαν αὐτὸν πανταχοῦ, μηδὲν ἐπιφερόμενοι ἢ μόνην τὴν αὐτοῦ ἀόρατον δύναμιν, οὐκ ἀσπίδα, καὶ δόρυ, καὶ ξίφος κατέχοντες, ἀλλὰ γυμνοὶ, καὶ ἄοπλοι, καὶ πένητες, πάντα τὸν κόσμον ἐζώγρησαν, νεκροὺς ἐγείροντες, λεπροὺς καθαρίζοντες, δαιμόνια ἐκβάλλοντες. Καὶ ταῦτα τίνες; ἁλιεῖς, καὶ ἀγράμματοι, καὶ τῆς τοῦ κόσμου σοφίας ἀμέτοχοι. κηʹ. Οὓς δὲ αὐτὸς παρεισήγαγες, ἐπικερτομῶν τὴν τοῦ Χριστοῦ γέννησιν, ἄνδρας σοφούς τε καὶ θεολόγους, ὡς νῦν εἴρηκας, εἰ καὶ δοίημεν ἀληθὲς γενέ 96.1277 σθαι τοῦτο τὸ παραλήρημα, τί γεννηθέντες δίς τε καὶ τρὶς καὶ τετράκις τὸν κόσμον ὠφέλησαν, ἢ μέρος τί τῶν τοῦ κόσμου μικρὸν ἢ ἐλάχιστον; Τίς, ἐκ τῶν βίβλων Ἑρμοῦ τε καὶ Πυθαγόρου, νεκροὺς ἐξανέστησεν, ἢ λεπροὺς ἐκαθάρισεν, ἢ δαίμονας ἀπήλασεν, οὓς ὑμεῖς θεραπεύετε; Ἀλλ' Ἑρμῆς μὲν ὁ μέγιστος ὑφ' ὑμῶν προσαγορευόμενος, Αἰγύπτιος γέγονεν ἄνθρωπος, καὶ τοῖς Αἰγυπτίων νόμοις τραφεὶς γυναῖκά τε γήμας, παῖδας ἐτέκνωσεν, ὧν τὸν πρεσβύτερον, Τὰτ ὀνομάζουσι, πρὸς ὃν αὐτὸς διαλέγεται καὶ τοὺς ἑαυτοῦ λόγους ἀφοσιοῖ, πρός τε τὸν ἐξ Ἐπιδαύρου Ἀσκλήπιον τὸν προκατάρξαντα καθ' ὑμᾶς τῆς ἰατρικῆς ἐπιστήμης, ὃς καὶ τὴν ἑαυτοῦ θεολογίαν διασαφεῖ ἔχουσαν οὕτως· Θεὸν νοῆσαι μὲν χαλεπὸν, φράσαι δὲ ἀδύνατον· ἔστι γὰρ τρισυπόστατος, ἀνερμήνευτος οὐσία καὶ φύσις, οὐκ ἔχουσα παρὰ βροτοῖς ἐξομοίωσιν· οὓς δὲ θεοὺς ὀνομάζουσιν ἄνθρωποι πολὺ τὸ μυθῶδες καὶ σφαλερὸν ἐφ' ἑαυτοὺς ἐπεσπάσαντο· καὶ περὶ τῆς τοῦ Χριστοῦ ἐλεύσεως, καὶ αὐτὸς ἀμυδράν τινα προφητείαν διαγορεύει, οὐκ ἐξ ἑαυτοῦ, ἀλλ' ἐκ τῆς Ἑβραίων θεολογίας ταύτην ἀπαῤῥυσάμενος. Ἀλλὰ τί μοι τῶν σαπρῶν τε καὶ ὀδωδότων Ἑρμοῦ ῥημάτων τῶν παρ' ὑμῖν τιμωμένων, ἤδη πρὸ πολλοῦ σεσηπότων καὶ ἀπεῤῥυηκότων; Οὐδὲ γὰρ ὅσιον περὶ τῶν ζώντων ἐρωτᾷν τοὺς νεκροὺς, ἔχων ἐκ τῶν θεοσόφων λογίων τοὺς ἀληθεῖς μάρτυρας οἳ, τὴν Χριστοῦ παρουσίαν τε καὶ θεότητα προκατήγγειλαν. κθʹ. Πυθαγόρας δὲ ὁ τῆς Ἰταλικῆς κατάρξας αἱρέσεως, τί μέγα καὶ θαυμαστὸν ἐν τῷ βίῳ τρὶς παραχθεὶς ἀπειργάσατο; ἢ ὅτι ἐν Ὀλυμπίᾳ γενόμενος, ὡς ὑμεῖς φάσκετε, χρυσοῦν τὸν ἑαυτοῦ μηρὸν Ἑλλανοδίκαις ὑπέδειξε; καὶ βοῦν θύεσθαι μέλλοντα μυκησάμενον· Ἀνδρὸς, ἔφη, ψυχὴν ἐμοὶ φιλτάτου κέκτηται, καὶ διὰ τοῦ μυκήματος προσαγορεύει με ὁ ταλαίπωρος; καὶ ἀετὸν ἐν ὕψει πετόμενον, δι' ἐπῳδῆς καταπεσεῖν ἐπὶ γῆς πεποίηκε; Ταῦτα ὁ τρὶς γεννηθεὶς ἐθαυματούργει ἐν Ὀλυμπίᾳ γενόμενος, δοξομανῶν καὶ φαντασιούμενος ὁ τρισάθλιος· ὁ τὴν τετρακτὺν ὅρκον τιθέμενος, καὶ ταύτην φάσκων πηγὴν ἀεννάου φύσεως· ὁ τοὺς κυάμους σεβόμενος, δι' οὓς καὶ ἀπώλετο μετὰ τῶν αὐτοῦ ἑταίρων ὑπὸ τῶν Ταραντίνων συνελαυνόμενος· μὴ βουλόμενος γὰρ τὸν τόπον πατῆσαι ἐν ᾧ οἱ κύαμοι ἐσπαρμένοι ἐτύγχανον, αὐτὸς μετὰ τῶν ἑταίρων καὶ μαθητῶν κατασφάττεται, καὶ τῶν ἐχθρῶν γίνεται παρανάλωμαι Θεανῶ δὲ ἡ τούτου γαμετὴ καὶ μαθήτρια, μὴ θέλουσα τὴν αἰτίαν κατειπεῖν, δι' ἣν τὸν κύαμον οὐκ ἐσθίουσι, τὴν γλῶσσαν ἐκτμηθεῖσα πρότερον, καὶ αὐτὴ προσαπόλλυται. λʹ. Ταῦτα τῶν σῶν φιλοσόφων τὰ προτερήματα τῶν δὶς καὶ τρὶς γεννηθέντων, ὡς αὐτὸς ἐρητόρευσας· κἀκεῖνα τοῦ ἐμοῦ Χριστοῦ ἐπὶ σωτηρίᾳ καὶ ἀνακλήσει τοῦ τῶν ἀνθρώπων γένους τὰ τερα 96.1280 τουργήματα. Καὶ Πυθαγόρας μὲν καὶ Ἑρμῆς τὰς τῶν ἀνθρώπων ψυχὰς εἰς τὸν ᾅδου πυθμένα κατάγουσι, μετεμψυχώσεις δή τινας καὶ μεταγγισμοὺς