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observes the rites being performed, while those who are called priests perform the ordinance of the orgies, but the hierophant alone knows the reason for the things 1.111 being done, and reveals it to whomever he approves. And that Priapus is the son of Dionysus and Aphrodite, some of those initiated into these things know; but why he is called their son, and why, though he is small, a member is attached to him that is erect and very large, the hierophant of the foul mysteries understands, and if anyone else has chanced upon those 1.112 accursed books. For indeed, calling Aphrodite "pleasure," and addressing Dionysus as "drunkenness," they called the result of both "Priapus"; for pleasure, when it takes on drunkenness, produces the tension of the genital parts. Thus again, the phallus of Dionysus—for so 1.113 the comic poets call the male member, and indeed the festival of the phallus was called Phallagogia among the Greeks—all the celebrants worshipped this and kissed it, but they did not know the reason; but the one called the hierophant knew of Osiris and Typhon and the limbs of Osiris cut up by Typhon and scattered everywhere, and of Isis, the sister of Osiris, collecting these with toil, but not finding the phallus alone and for this reason fashioning an image of it and ordering it to be worshipped by all— 1.114 having learned these orgies from Egypt, Orpheus the Odrysian brought them to Greece and organized the festival of the Dionysia. If, then, not even these unholy and abominable orgies are known to all, but only those called hierophants knew them, it is clear madness to seek the knowledge of the all-holy and divine mysteries before faith. 1.115 Or do you not even obey the lyric poet Pindar, who clearly forbids: "do not disclose the ancient word to all"? And Plato also recommends this very thing; for he says, "Beware lest these things ever fall among uneducated men; for, it seems to me, there are almost no teachings more ridiculous to the many than these, nor, on the other hand, more wonderful and inspiring to the gifted. But being spoken often and heard always and for many years, they are with difficulty purified like gold with great effort." And you have heard Orpheus saying in the preceding passages: "I will speak to those for whom it is lawful; you profaners, shut the doors." 1.116 Therefore, let faith lead the way, and knowledge will follow; for to those who believe sincerely and purely the Lord who is believed provides knowledge, and knowledge, being added to faith, perfects 1.117 the science of the truth; and he who possesses this is blessed and thrice-blessed. And this Plato has made clear in the *Laws*; for he says, "He who is to be blessed and happy must be a partaker of the truth right from the beginning, 1.118 so that he may live as a truthful person for as long as possible." For indeed, for those who have partaken of the truth and have lived worthy of it, heaven is prepared and the dwelling-places of the angels; but he who is bereft of it and uninitiated and uninstructed in the all-holy and divine mysteries will be bereft of these good things, and will be handed over to everlasting 1.119 punishments. And this again Plato has made clear in the *Phaedo*; for he says that those who handed down the initiations to them said, that "whoever arrives in Hades uninitiated and unperfected will lie in the mire, but he who arrives there purified and perfected will dwell with the gods." 1.1 Be persuaded, then, O friends, by your own philosophers, who initiate you beforehand and teach our doctrines in advance. For they are simply like those songbirds, which imitate the human voice, but are ignorant of the meaning of what is said; for indeed, in a similar way, these men too, while discoursing on divine matters, 1.121 did not know the truth of what they were saying. But they have, I think, some excuse, having enjoyed neither prophetic torch-bearing nor apostolic enlightenment, but having had nature alone as their guide, whose divinely-inscribed letters the error of impiety long ago corrupted; but was renewed

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δρώμενα θεωρεῖ, οἱ δὲ προσαγορευόμενοι ἱερεῖς τὸν τῶν ὀργίων ἐπιτελοῦσι θεσμόν, ὁ δὲ ἱεροφάντης μόνος οἶδε τῶν γινο 1.111 μένων τὸν λόγον, καὶ οἷς ἂν δοκιμάσῃ καταμηνύει. Καὶ ὅτι μὲν ὁ Πρίαπος ∆ιονύσου καὶ τῆς Ἀφροδίτης υἱός, ἴσασι τῶν ταῦτα μεμυημένων τινές· ἀνθ' ὅτου δὲ τούτων υἱὸς ὀνομάζεται, καὶ σμικρῷ γε ὄντι ἐντίθεται μόριον ἐντεταμένον καὶ μέγιστον, ὁ τῶν μυσαρῶν μυστηρίων ἱεροφάντης ἐπίσταται, καὶ εἴ τις ἕτερος τοῖς 1.112 ἐναγέσι βιβλίοις ἐκείνοις ἐνέτυχεν. Τὴν γάρ τοι Ἀφροδίτην ἡδο νὴν ὀνομάζοντες, τὸν δέ γε ∆ιόνυσον μέθην προσαγορεύοντες, τὸ ἐξ ἀμφοτέρων τελούμενον ἐκάλεσαν Πρίαπον· ἡδονὴ γὰρ προσλα βοῦσα μέθην τὴν τῶν παιδογόνων μορίων ἔντασιν ἀπεργάζεται. Οὕτω πάλιν τὸν τοῦ ∆ιονύσου φαλλόν-τὸ δὲ ἀνδρεῖον οὕτω 1.113 καλοῦσι μόριον οἱ τοῦ γέλωτος ποιηταί, καὶ ἐκαλεῖτό γε παρὰ τοῖς Ἕλλησι φαλλαγώγια ἡ τοῦ φαλλοῦ ἑορτή-προσεκύνουν μὲν τοῦτον καὶ κατεφίλουν οἱ ὀργιάζοντες ἅπαντες, τὸν δὲ λό γον οὐκ ᾔδεσαν· ὁ δὲ καλούμενος ἱεροφάντης ᾔδει τὸν Ὄσιριν καὶ τὸν Τυφῶνα καὶ τὰ τοῦ Ὀσίριδος ὑπὸ τοῦ Τυφῶνος κατα κοπτόμενα μέλη καὶ πανταχόσε διασπειρόμενα, τὴν δὲ Ἶσιν, τὴν τοῦ Ὀσίριδος ἀδελφήν, ταῦτα ξὺν πόνῳ ξυλλέγουσαν, μόνον δὲ τὸν φαλλὸν οὐχ εὑρίσκουσαν καὶ τούτου γε χάριν εἰκόνα τούτου κατασκευάζουσαν καὶ παρὰ πάντων προσκυνεῖσθαι κελεύουσαν- 1.114 ταῦτα ἐκ τῆς Αἰγύπτου τὰ ὄργια μαθὼν ὁ Ὀδρύσης Ὀρφεὺς εἰς τὴν Ἑλλάδα μετήνεγκε καὶ τὴν τῶν ∆ιονυσίων ἑορτὴν διε σκεύασεν. Εἰ τοίνυν οὐδὲ τὰ δυσαγῆ ταῦτα καὶ βδελυρὰ ὄργια πᾶσίν ἐστι γνώριμα, μόνοι δὲ αὐτὰ ᾔδεσαν οἱ ἱεροφάνται καλούμενοι, μανία σαφὴς τῶν παναγῶν καὶ θείων μυστηρίων πρό γε τῆς πίστεως 1.115 τὴν γνῶσιν ἐπιζητεῖν. Ἢ οὐδὲ Πινδάρῳ τῷ λυρικῷ πείθεσθε σαφῶς ἀπαγορεύοντι· μὴ πρὸς ἅπαντας ἀναρρῆ ξαι τὸν ἀρχαῖον λόγον; Ταὐτὸ δὲ τοῦτο καὶ ὁ Πλάτων παρεγγυᾷ· "Εὐλαβοῦ" γάρ φησι "μήποτε ἐκπέσῃ ταῦτα εἰς ἀνθρώπους ἀπαιδεύτους· σχεδὸν γάρ, ὡς ἐμοὶ δοκεῖ, οὐκ ἔστι τούτων τοῖς πολλοῖς καταγελαστό τερα ἀκούσματα, οὐδ' αὖ πρὸς τοὺς εὐφυεῖς θαυμασιώτερά τε καὶ ἐνθουσιαστικώτερα. Πολλάκις δὲ λεγόμενα καὶ ἀεὶ ἀκουόμενα καὶ πολλὰ ἔτη μόλις ὥσπερ χρυσὸς ἐκκαθαίρεται μετὰ πολλῆς πραγματείας." Ἠκούσατε δὲ καὶ ἐν τοῖς πρόσθεν εἰρηκότος Ὀρφέως· φθέγξομαι οἷς θέμις ἐστί, θύρας δ' ἐπίθεσθε βέβηλοι. 1.116 Τοιγαροῦν ἡγείσθω ἡ πίστις, καὶ ἕψεται ἡ γνῶσις· τοῖς γάρ τοι εἰλικρινῶς καὶ ἀκραιφνῶς πιστεύουσι παρέχει τὴν γνῶσιν ὁ πιστευόμενος κύριος, προσγενομένη δὲ τῇ πίστει ἡ γνῶσις τελε 1.117 σιουργεῖ τῆς ἀληθείας τὴν ἐπιστήμην· ὁ δέ γε ταύτην κεκτημέ νος ὄλβιος καὶ τρισόλβιος. Καὶ τοῦτο δὲ ὁ Πλάτων ἐν τοῖς Νόμοις δεδήλωκεν· "Τὸν μέλλοντα" γάρ φησι "μακάριον καὶ εὐδαί μονα ἔσεσθαι τῆς ἀληθείας εὐθὺς ἐξ ἀρχῆς εἶναι μέτοχον χρή, 1.118 ἵν' ὡς ἐπὶ πλεῖστον χρόνον ἀληθὴς ὢν διαβιῷ." Τοῖς γὰρ δὴ με τασχοῦσι τῆς ἀληθείας καὶ ταύτης ἀξίως βεβιωκόσιν οὐρανὸς εὐτρεπὴς καὶ τὰ τῶν ἀγγέλων ἐνδιαιτήματα· ὁ δὲ ταύτης ἔρημος καὶ ἀτέλεστος καὶ τῶν παναγῶν καὶ θείων ἀμύητος μυστηρίων ἔρημος μὲν τῶνδε τῶν ἀγαθῶν γενήσεται, κολαστηρίοις δὲ διη 1.119 νεκέσι παραδοθήσεται. Καὶ τοῦτο αὖ πάλιν καὶ ὁ Πλάτων δεδή λωκεν ἐν τῷ Φαίδωνι· τοὺς γὰρ τὰς τελετὰς αὐτοῖς παραδεδω κότας εἰρηκέναι φησίν, ὅτι "ὃς ἂν ἀμύητος καὶ ἀτέλεστος εἰς Ἅιδου ἀφίκηται ἐν βορβόρῳ κείσεται, ὁ δὲ κεκαθαρμένος τε καὶ τετελεσμένος ἐκεῖσε ἀφικόμενος μετὰ θεῶν οἰκήσει." 1.1 Πείσθητε τοίνυν, ὦ φίλοι, τοῖς ὑμετέροις φιλοσόφοις, προτε λοῦσιν ὑμᾶς καὶ τὰ ἡμέτερα προδιδάσκουσιν. Ἀτεχνῶς γὰρ ἐοίκασι τῶν ᾠδικῶν ὀρνίθων ἐκείνοις, οἳ τὴν μὲν ἀνθρωπείαν μιμοῦνται φωνήν, ἀγνοοῦσι δὲ τῶν λεγομένων τὸν νοῦν· παρα πλησίως γὰρ δὴ καὶ οὗτοι, περὶ θείων πραγμάτων διαλεγόμενοι, 1.121 οὐκ ἔγνωσαν ὧνπερ ἔλεγον τὴν ἀλήθειαν. Ἔχουσι δὲ οἶμαι ἀμηγέπη ξυγγνώμην, οὔτε προφητικῆς δᾳδουχίας οὔτε ἀποστο λικῆς ἀπολαύσαντες φωταγωγίας, μόνην δὲ τὴν φύσιν ποδηγὸν ἐσχηκότες, ἧς ὁ τῆς δυσσεβείας πλάνος τὰ θεοχάρακτα πάλαι διέφθειρε γράμματα· ἀνενεοῦτο δέ