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However, the Maker did not allow some of these things to become completely effaced, demonstrating his own 1.122 providence for men through creation. And the divine apostle made this clear when he spoke publicly in Lystra; for besides many other things, he also said these things: "Who in past generations allowed all the nations to walk in their own ways; and yet he did not leave himself without witness, by doing good, giving you rains from heaven and fruitful seasons, filling your hearts with food 1.123 and gladness." For the race of Abraham both received a divine law and enjoyed prophetic grace; but the Ruler of all was guiding the other nations 1.124 toward the worship of God through nature and creation. And just as the great Giver sends the rain especially indeed on the cultivated land for the sake of providing for men, but out of abundance and generosity he rains both in the deserts and on the mountains—and the ploughed land brings forth the cultivated fruits, but the uncultivated the wild ones; but we see sometimes even fig trees growing in tombs and on walls—, so the gift of knowledge has been given especially indeed to the pious, but to those who are not such, it is like the rain on the deserts and the thickets. 1.125 From where they often also bring forth some edible things and imitate the fruits of cultivated lands, but it is nevertheless evident, that it has not received prophetic cultivation; for a certain harshness and bitterness is mixed in them; but those who know to distinguish, reaping what is useful, leave the rest alone, just as those who gather from rose-bushes leave behind the thorns, but collect 1.126 the rosebuds. And indeed this law is also innate in bees; for settling not only on sweet, but also on bitter flowers, they draw up the sweet quality, but turn away from the bitter and from different qualities, both bitter and astringent and harsh and pungent, they produce the sweetest honey for men; 1.127 imitating these, we also, from your bitter meadows produce for you the sweet honey of benefit. And just as those who heal bodies prepare beneficial medicines from venomous beasts, and discarding some parts of vipers and boiling others, they drive out many diseases through these, so we also, handling the works of your poets and writers and philosophers, some things we leave behind as poisonous, but other things, having prepared them with the science of teaching, we offer to you an antidotal cure; and those whom you have supposed to be our adversaries, these we show to be advocates of our doctrines and reveal as teachers of the faith. 1.128 Thus, so to speak with God's help, we shall also bring 1.128 to you the other teaching. But you, having learned how necessary the matter of faith is, cherish the Pythagorean silence and give your ears quietly to the word, faithfully receiving the things being said; for in this way indeed you will be able to learn the truth little by little.

t ON THE BEGINNING.

2.1 Sensible light, both that which comes from above and that which is devised by men below, shows to those who see what is gold and what is silver, and what is bronze and iron and tin, and the other materials likewise, and indeed it also teaches the difference of colors and shapes and plants and animals, but only those whose sight is strong receive this knowledge. For those who are blind benefit nothing from the ray; for not even 2.2 do they see the very splendor of the light. Like these are those not willing to see the intelligible light of truth, but gladly living in the darkness of ignorance, just like the winged creatures that fly by night, which indeed very fittingly are called derivatively from the night; for bats indeed and

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τινα ὅμως τούτων ὁ ποιητὴς καὶ πάμπαν ἐξίτηλα γενέσθαι οὐκ εἴα, τὴν οἰκείαν τοῖς ἀνθρώ 1.122 ποις διὰ τῆς κτίσεως προμήθειαν ἐπιδεικνύμενος. Καὶ τοῦτο δεδήλωκεν ὁ θεῖος ἀπόστολος ἐν Λύστροις δημηγορήσας· πρὸς γὰρ αὖ πολλοῖς ἑτέροις καὶ τάδε εἴρηκεν· "Ὃς ἐν ταῖς παρῳ χημέναις γενεαῖς εἴασε πάντα τὰ ἔθνη πορεύεσθαι ταῖς ὁδοῖς αὐτῶν· καίτοιγε οὐκ ἀμάρτυρον ἑαυτὸν ἀφῆκεν ἀγαθοποιῶν, οὐρανόθεν ὑμῖν ὑετοὺς διδοὺς καὶ καιροὺς καρποφόρους, ἐμπιπλῶν τροφῆς 1.123 καὶ εὐφροσύνης τὰς καρδίας ὑμῶν." Τὸ μὲν γὰρ Ἀβραμιαῖον γένος καὶ νόμον θεῖον ἐδέξατο καὶ προφητικῆς ἀπήλαυσε χάριτος· τὰ δέ γε ἄλλα ἔθνη διὰ τῆς φύσεως καὶ τῆς κτίσεως ἐποδήγει 1.124 πρὸς θεοσέβειαν τῶν ὅλων ὁ πρύτανις. Καὶ καθάπερ τὸν ὑετὸν διαφερόντως μὲν τῇ γεωργουμένῃ γῇ τῆς τῶν ἀνθρώπων εἵνεκα χορηγίας ὁ μεγαλόδωρος ἐνίησιν, ἐκ περιουσίας δὲ καὶ φιλοτι μίας κἀν ταῖς ἐρήμοις κἀν τοῖς ὄρεσιν ὕει-καὶ ἡ μὲν ἀρουμένη τοὺς ἡμέρους φύει καρπούς, ἡ δὲ ἀγεώργητος τοὺς ἀγρίους· ὁρῶ μεν δὲ ἔστιν ὅτε καὶ ἐν μνήμασι καὶ ἐν τοίχοις φυομένας συκᾶς-, οὕτω τὸ τῆς γνώσεως δῶρον ἐξαιρέτως μὲν τοῖς εὐσεβέσι δεδώ ρηται, τοῖς δέ γε οὐ τοιούτοις, ὡς ταῖς ἐρήμοις καὶ ταῖς λό 1.125 χμαις ὁ ὑετός. Ὅθεν πολλάκις καί τινα ἐδώδιμα φύουσι καὶ τοὺς τῶν γεωργουμένων μιμοῦνται καρπούς, ἐπίδηλα δὲ ὅμως ἐστίν, ὡς γεωργίας προφητικῆς οὐ τετύχηκε· τραχύτης γάρ τις αὐτοῖς ἀναμέμικται καὶ πικρότης· οἱ δέ γε διακρίνειν εἰδότες, τὸ χρει ῶδες καρπούμενοι, τὸ λοιπὸν χαίρειν ἐῶσι, καθάπερ οἱ τὰς ῥοδω νιὰς τρυγῶντες καταλείπουσι μὲν τὰς ἀκάνθας, ξυλλέγουσι δὲ 1.126 τὰς κάλυκας. Καὶ μὲν δὴ καὶ ταῖς μελίτταις οὗτος ὁ νόμος ἐμπέφυκεν· οὐ γλυκέσι γὰρ μόνοις, ἀλλὰ καὶ πικροῖς ἄνθεσιν ἐφιζάνουσαι, τὴν μὲν γλυκεῖαν ἀνιμῶνται ποιότητα, τὴν δὲ πικρὰν ἀποστρέφονται καὶ ἐκ διαφόρων ποιοτήτων, πικρῶν τε καὶ στρυ φνῶν καὶ αὐστηρῶν καὶ δριμέων, τὸ γλυκύτατον μέλι τοῖς ἀνθρώ 1.127 ποις κατασκευάζουσιν· ταύτας δὴ καὶ ἡμεῖς μιμούμενοι, ἐκ τῶν πικρῶν ὑμῶν λειμώνων τὸ γλυκὺ τῆς ὠφελείας ὑμῖν κατασκευά ζομεν μέλι. Καὶ ὥσπερ οἱ τὰ σώματα θεραπεύοντες ἐκ τῶν ἰοβόλων θηρίων ὀνησιφόρα κατασκευάζουσι φάρμακα, καὶ τῶν ἐχιδνῶν τὰ μὲν ἀποβάλλοντες, τὰ δὲ ἕψοντες, πολλὰς διὰ τού των ἐξελαύνουσι νόσους, οὕτως καὶ ἡμεῖς, τὰ τῶν ὑμετέρων ποιητῶν καὶ ξυγγραφέων καὶ φιλοσόφων πονήματα μεταχειρισά μενοι, τὰ μὲν ὡς δηλητήρια καταλείπομεν, τὰ δὲ τῇ τῆς διδα σκαλίας ἐπιστήμῃ διασκευάσαντες, ἀλεξιφάρμακον ὑμῖν θεραπείαν προσφέρομεν· καὶ οὓς ἀντιπάλους ἡμῶν ὑπειλήφατε, τούτους τῶν ἡμετέρων λόγων ἀποφαίνομεν ξυνηγόρους καὶ τῆς πίστεως 1.128 δείκνυμεν διδασκάλους. Οὕτω, ξὺν Θεῷ φάναι, καὶ τὴν ἄλλην 1.128 ὑμῖν διδασκαλίαν προσοίσομεν. Ὑμεῖς δὲ μεμαθηκότες ὡς ἀναγκαῖον τὸ τῆς πίστεως χρῆμα, τὴν Πυθαγόρειον σιωπὴν ἀγα πήσατε καὶ τὰς ἀκοὰς ἡσυχῇ τῷ λόγῳ παράσχετε, πιστῶς δεχό μενοι τὰ λεγόμενα· οὕτω γὰρ δὴ κατὰ βραχὺ δυνήσεσθε μαθεῖν τὴν ἀλήθειαν.

t ΠΕΡΙ ΑΡΧΗΣ.

2.1 Τὸ φῶς τὸ αἰσθητόν, καὶ τὸ ἄνωθεν φερόμενον καὶ τὸ κάτω παρ'

ἀνθρώπων ἐπινοούμενον, ἐπιδείκνυσι τοῖς ὁρῶσι, τί μὲν χρυσὸς καὶ τί ἄργυρος, τί δὲ χαλκὸς καὶ σίδηρος καὶ κασσίτε ρος, καὶ τὰς ἄλλας ὕλας ὡσαύτως, καὶ μὲν δὴ καὶ χρωμάτων καὶ σχημάτων καὶ φυτῶν καὶ ζῴων διδάσκει διαφοράν, ἀλλ' οἱ τὰς ὄψεις ἐρρωμένοι μόνοι τήνδε τὴν γνῶσιν δέχονται. Οἱ γὰρ δὴ τυφλώττοντες οὐδὲν ἀπὸ τῆς ἀκτῖνος ὀνίνανται· οὐδὲ γὰρ αὐτὴν 2.2 τοῦ φωτὸς ὁρῶσι τὴν αἴγλην. Τούτοις ἐοίκασιν οἱ τὸ νοερὸν φῶς τῆς ἀληθείας ἰδεῖν οὐκ ἐθέλοντες, ἀλλ' ἀσπασίως ἐν τῷ ζόφῳ τῆς ἀγνοίας διάγοντες, καθάπερ τῶν πτηνῶν τὰ νύκτωρ πετό μενα, ἅπερ δὴ μάλα εἰκότως ἀπὸ τῆς νυκτὸς παρωνύμως προσ αγορεύονται· νυκτερίδες γάρ τοι καὶ