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He both captivated us and reasonably made us zealous for his own knowledge of God and piety, because we have been able to find nothing similar to these things among the theologians of the aforementioned nations.7.10.9 After the first theology, he proceeds to the second doctrine, which is at once physical and philosophical. So, after the knowledge of God and the ordering of the universe, he proceeds in order to that which is also second in nature; and this was concerning the nature of man, because, indeed, after the knowledge of God, it is necessary for one to know himself. Therefore he next teaches what man is, and what leads him to the knowledge and piety of God, and what is the life of man according to his principal state. Indeed, dividing the account of soul and body, he defines the true man in the soul, as a partaker of an intelligent, incorporeal, and rational substance, as one created in the image of God; and that the body is an earthly covering of the soul; and to these he adds a third, the breath of life, a certain unitive and connective power of that which was taken from the earth to that which was made in the image of God. 7.10.10 And he records that the first way of life of the man being described was in the thrice-blessed paradise of God, full of immortal and eternal goods; but that this man, having been subjected to God's law just like the other things in the beginning of the universe, was deprived of the thrice-desired life through carelessness and transgression of the divine commandment. 7.10.11 These things, you see, Moses philosophizes about in the introductions to the sacred laws, almost proclaiming that we should not neglect our own dignity and the likeness to the divine which we obtained, from which the immortality of the soul has also been allotted to us.7.10.12 For indeed it is not right for the image of a king to be destroyed; but the archetype and true image of the God of the universe is his Word, being wisdom itself and life itself and light and truth and whatever beautiful and good thing one might conceive; and the human mind is an image of the image, wherefore it is also acknowledged to have been made in the image 7.10.13 of God. And he thought it necessary for these things to be taught beforehand to those who are about to apply themselves to the sacred laws, and to remember what in them was taken from the earth and will be dissolved into earth again, and what in us is superior and like God, and how one ought to treat each of the aforesaid, and not to be insolent and impious towards the man in the image of God, nor indeed to defile him with shameful and lawless deeds, but to bear always the longing for that first and thrice-blessed way of life and life, and to hasten to return, making it their prayer to obtain the first and thrice-blessed life and dignity; but also to prepare themselves from this time forth for the journey there, because it is not otherwise possible for the profane and unpurified to enter upon those sacred things, from which also the first man fell away through carelessness, having despised the divine commandment.7.10.14 To these things the hierophant adds another most essential doctrine, teaching not to be ignorant that indeed a certain wicked demon sits by each person, envious and hating the good and plotting against the salvation of men from the beginning.7.10.15 And he calls this one a dragon and a serpent, something black and akin to darkness and full of the venom of evil; whom he also says, out of envy for our divine life, trips up and tries to drag down even now each of those who devote themselves to God; and that by his deceit the forefathers of our race also fell away from the more divine portion, wherefore it is necessary to be always watchful against the mischievous machinations of the one described.7.10.16 And why must I anticipate these things, when it is now time to go through each of the things that have been related from the writings themselves? Let us then begin again from God, first calling upon Him as our helper through our Savior.

7.11.1 13. HEBREW DOCTRINES CONCERNING GOD THE FIRST CAUSE OF ALL THINGS

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ἡμᾶς τε εἷλε καὶ τῆς οἰκείας θεογνωσίας τε καὶ εὐσεβείας εἰκότως ζηλωτὰς κατεστήσατο, ὅτι μηδὲν τούτοις ὅμοιον παρὰ τοῖς τῶν προδηλωθέντων ἐθνῶν θεολόγοις εὑρεῖν δεδυνή7.10.9 μεθα. μετὰ δὲ τὴν πρώτην θεολογίαν μέτεισιν ἐπὶ τὸ δεύτερον δόγμα φυσικὸν ὁμοῦ καὶ φιλόσοφον. μετὰ γοῦν τὴν περὶ θεοῦ γνῶσιν τήν τε περὶ τῶν ὅλων διακόσμησιν τάξει πρόεισιν ἐπὶ τὸ καὶ τῇ φύσει δεύτερον· τοῦτο δ' ἦν τὸ περὶ φύσεως ἀνθρώπου, ὅτι δὴ μετὰ θεοῦ γνῶσιν ἀναγκαῖον γνῶναί τινα ἑαυτόν· διόπερ ἑξῆς παιδεύει τί ἄνθρωπος καὶ τί τὸ προάγον αὐτὸν εἰς γνῶσιν καὶ εὐσέβειαν θεοῦ τίς τε ἡ κατὰ τὸ προηγούμενον ἀνθρώπου ζωή. διελόμενος δῆτα τὸν περὶ ψυχῆς καὶ σώματος λόγον ἐν ψυχῇ μὲν ὁρίζεται τὸν ἀληθῆ ἄνθρωπον, νοερᾶς οὐσίας καὶ ἀσωμάτου καὶ λογικῆς μέτοχον ὡς ἂν κατ' εἰκόνα θεοῦ δεδημιουργημένον· σῶμα δὲ γεῶδες εἶναι περίβλημα ψυχῆς· τρίτον δὲ τούτοις προστίθησι πνοὴν ζωῆς, ἑνωτικήν τινα καὶ τοῦ ἀπὸ γῆς ληφθέντος τῷ κατ' εἰκόνα θεοῦ πεποιημένῳ συναπτικὴν δύναμιν. 7.10.10 καὶ τὴν πρώτην γε τοῦ δηλουμένου ἀνδρὸς διατριβὴν ἐν τρισμακαρίῳ θεοῦ παραδείσῳ, ἀθανάτων καὶ αἰωνίων ἀγαθῶν ἔμπλεῳ, γεγονέναι ἱστορεῖ· νόμῳ δὲ θεοῦ καὶ τοῦτον ὁμοίως τοῖς ἄλλοις ἐν ἀρχαῖς τοῦ παντὸς ὑποβληθέντα δι' ἀπροσεξίαν καὶ τῆς θείας ἐντολῆς παράβασιν τῆς τριποθήτου στερηθῆναι ζωῆς. 7.10.11 Ταῦτά τοι ὁ Μωσῆς ἐν προοιμίοις τῶν ἱερῶν νόμων φιλοσοφεῖ, μονονουχὶ προκηρύττων μὴ παραμελεῖν τῆς οἰκείας ἀξίας καὶ ἧς ἐτύχομεν πρὸς τὸ θεῖον ἀφομοιώσεως, ἐξ ἧς ἡμῖν καὶ τὸ ἀθάνατον τῆς ψυχῆς προσκεκληρῶ7.10.12 σθαι. μὴ γὰρ δὴ θεμιτὸν εἶναι βασιλέως ἀφανίζεσθαι εἰκόνα· εἶναι δὲ ἀρχέτυπον καὶ ἀληθῆ τοῦ θεοῦ τῶν ὅλων εἰκόνα τὸν αὐτοῦ λόγον, αὐτοσοφίαν τυγχάνοντα καὶ αὐτοζωὴν καὶ φῶς καὶ ἀλήθειαν καὶ εἴ τι καλὸν καὶ ἀγαθόν τις ἐπινοήσειεν· εἰκόνα δὲ εἰκόνος τὸν ἀνθρώπειον νοῦν, παρ' ὃ καὶ κατ' εἰκόνα 7.10.13 θεοῦ γεγονέναι ἀνωμολόγηται. ἀναγκαῖα δὲ ταῦτα εἶναι ᾤετο προπαιδεύεσθαι τοὺς μέλλοντας ἱεροῖς προσανέχειν νόμοις μνημονεύειν τε τί τὸ ἀπὸ γῆς ληφθὲν αὐτοῖς καὶ εἰς γῆν αὖθις ἀναλυθησόμενον, καὶ τί τὸ ἐν ἡμῖν κρεῖττον καὶ θεῷ ἐμφερὲς ὅπως τε χρῆν ἑκατέρῳ τῶν εἰρημένων προσφέρεσθαι μηδὲ ἐνυβρίζειν καὶ ἀσεβεῖν εἰς τὸν κατ' εἰκόνα τοῦ θεοῦ ἄνθρωπον μηδέ γε αὐτὸν ῥυπαίνειν αἰσχραῖς καὶ παρανόμοις πράξεσι, φέρειν δὲ διὰ παντὸς τῆς πρώτης καὶ τρισμακαρίας ἐκείνης διατριβῆς τε καὶ ζωῆς τὸν πόθον καὶ σπεύδειν παλινδρομεῖν, εὐχὴν ποιουμένους τῆς πρώτης καὶ τρισμακαρίου ζωῆς τε καὶ ἀξίας τυχεῖν· ἀλλὰ καὶ παρασκευάζεσθαι ἐνθένδε ἤδη ἐπὶ τὴν ἐκεῖσε ἀποδημίαν, ὅτι μηδὲ ἄλλως δυνατὸν βεβήλοις καὶ μὴ κεκαθαρμένοις τῶν ἱερῶν ἐκείνων ἐπιβαίνειν, ὧν καὶ ὁ πρῶτος δι' ἀπροσεξίαν, θείας καταφρο7.10.14 νήσας ἐντολῆς, ἀποπέπτωκεν. ἐπὶ τούτοις ὁ ἱεροφάντης προστίθησιν ἄλλο συνεκτικώτατον δόγμα, μὴ ἀμφιγνοεῖν διδάσκων ὅτι δὴ πάρεστί τις ἑκάστῳ πονηρὸς δαίμων ἔφεδρος, βάσκανος καὶ μισόκαλος καὶ τῆς ἀνθρώ7.10.15 πων ἀρχῆθεν ἐπίβουλος σωτηρίας. δράκοντα δὲ τοῦτον καὶ ὄφιν ὀνομάζει, μέλανά τινα καὶ σκότους οἰκεῖον ἰοῦ τε κακίας πλήρη· ὃν καί φησι φθόνῳ τῆς ἡμετέρας ἐνθέου ζωῆς ὑποσκελίζειν εἰσέτι καὶ νῦν καὶ ὑποσύρειν ἕκαστον τῶν τῷ θεῷ προσανεχόντων πειρᾶσθαι· τούτου δ' ἀπάτῃ καὶ τοὺς προπάτορας ἡμῶν τοῦ γένους τῆς θειοτέρας λήξεως ἀποπεσεῖν, διὸ καὶ χρῆναι διὰ παντὸς ἐγρηγορέναι πρὸς τὰς τοῦ δηλωθέντος κακοτέχνους ῥᾳδιουρ7.10.16 γίας. καὶ τί χρὴ ταῦτα προλαμβάνειν, δέον ἤδη ποτὲ καὶ ἐξ αὐτῶν τῶν ἐγγράφων ἕκαστα διελθεῖν τῶν διηγορευμένων; ἀρξώμεθα δ' οὖν πάλιν ἀπὸ τοῦ θεοῦ, βοηθὸν ἐν πρώτοις αὐτὸν διὰ τοῦ σωτῆρος ἡμῶν ἐπικαλεσάμενοι.

7.11.1 ιγʹ. ΕΒΡΑΙΩΝ ∆ΟΞΑΙ ΠΕΡΙ ΘΕΟΥ ΤΟΥ ΠΡΩΤΟΥ ΤΩΝ ΟΛΩΝ ΑΙΤΙΟΥ