15

having as his only barrier and rampart those who had participated in the murder and conspired with him. Here one might wonder at the evil disposition of both, of the one, how he had no one to help him from among so many flatterers and friends at that time, as all of them had retreated into hiding places like reptiles, and of the other, his fearlessness and bloodthirstiness toward all, among whom, like some prize-winner 42 returning from a victory, and not an executioner (for this happened by the Providence that directs all things) he was passing through the main street when he should have been covering his face and lamenting, not for the worthy blood he had justly shed (and yet not even this is among the praiseworthy things), but because it was not in a worthy place, but a divine and pure one, and only where the Lord’s blood is poured out daily, the ransom for our sins. 3 But let the history be brought to the one who nurtured him, and let it take him into the middle, proclaiming his own deeds. The city in upper Phrygia called Amorion bore him, in which a multitude of both Jews and certain Athinganoi always somehow dwells; and a certain heresy grows up from their mutual association and continuous intercourse, having a new manner and dogmas, in which he himself also participated, having received it from his fathers. This heresy permits those being initiated to partake of the divine font, as it is saving and acknowledged even among them, but it preserves everything else, observing them according to the Mosaic law, except for circumcision. And the one initiated into this heresy has as a teacher and, as it were, a leader, some Hebrew man or Hebrew woman, who completely abstains from divine baptism, in his own house, to whom he entrusts and places under his hand not only his spiritual affairs but also his household economies. Having therefore partaken of this from childhood 43 and having had his soul preoccupied by it, he did not even so possess the purity of this preconception, but, having become like a synod of unbelief, he at the same time, not being far from it, debased this heresy, and adulterated the Christian faith, and counterfeited the Jewish one. For a time, then, he held to it, and was brought to the age that reaches manhood, having rusticity and ignorance growing up with him like the tendrils of a vine; or rather, being held and tutored by these, he approached and was taught suitable lessons, in which he often, having seized the imperial power, appeared to pride himself and adorn himself more than with his own diadem. But he completely dishonored and cast out from his treacherous soul the art of reasoning, as something that overturned the things he put forward and was able to persuade and re-teach one not to follow after his heresy and religion. And yet it was possible for him to revere his own things and not dishonor ours, when he was not able to compete against so great a chorus of those who shone for their wisdom, which had prevailed in time and number. (4) Nevertheless, he honored his own things. And these were to predict of newborn swine both how many would be well-fed and not lack size of body, and how many would be beset by the opposite conditions, and to know to stand near kicking horses, but to skillfully turn away as far as possible from kicking asses, and to be an excellent judge of mules, and of these, 44 how many are suitable and fit for carrying burdens, and how many carry their riders with ease, but not becoming fearful with some fright. Moreover, also to distinguish horses by the glances of their eyes alone, how many are naturally well-strung and swiftest for running, and how many preserve their hardiness for war, and the fertility of sheep and cattle, and how many have by nature been allotted an abundance of milk, and, what is greater, while the mother and the newborn offspring are silent, to know how to distinguish which belongs to which. And these indeed were the lessons and solemn pronouncements of his first age, and one might say, of his last as well; (5) but as he was now flourishing, struggling through and enduring his life of poverty, he was eager to rub this off in every way

15

μόνους φραγμὸν καὶ περιχαράκωμα εχων τοὺς τοῦ φόνου μετεσχηκότας καὶ συνομωμοκότας αὐτῷ. ενθα καί τις ἀμ- φοτέρων θαυμάσειεν τὸ κακόγνωμον, τοῦ μὲν οπως οὐδένα ειχε τῶν τηλικούτων κολάκων καὶ φιλούντων τότε δὴ βοηθόν, πάντων ωσπερ ἑρπετῶν εἰς καταδύσεις χωρησάντων, τοῦ δευτέρου δὲ τὸ πρὸς πάντας αφοβον καὶ αἱμοχαρές, οις ωσπερ τις ἀπὸ νίκης 42 ἀθλοφόρος ἐπανερχόμενος ἀλλ' οὐ δήμιος (τοῦτο γὰρ ὑπὸ τῆς τὰ πάντα διοικούσης προνοίας ἐγένετο) κατὰ τὴν πλατεῖαν διήρχετο δέον ἐγκαλύπτεσθαι καὶ θρηνεῖν, οὐκ ἐφ' οις αξιον αιμα δικαίως ἐξέχεεν (καί τοί γε οὐδὲ τοῦτο τῶν ἐπαινετῶν), ἀλλ' ἐφ' οις οὐκ ἐν ἀξίῳ τόπῳ, θείῳ δὲ καὶ καθαρῷ, καὶ μόνον ενθα τὸ δεσπο- τικὸν καθ' ἡμέραν ἐκχέεται, τῶν ἡμετέρων λύτρον ἁμαρτιῶν. 3 ̓Αλλ' ἐπὶ τὴν θρεψαμένην τοῦτον ἡ ἱστορία ἀγέσθω, καὶ μέσον αὐτὸν λαμβανέτω τὰ αὐτοῦ ἐπαγγέλλουσα. ηνεγκε μὲν ουν αὐτὸν ἡ κατὰ τὴν ανω Φρυγίαν πόλις ̓Αμόριον ουτω καλου- μένη, ἐν ῃ  καὶ ̓Ιουδαίων καί τινων ̓Αθιγγάνων πλῆθος ἀεί πως ἐγκατοικίζεται· καί τις δὲ αιρεσις ἐκ τῆς ἀλλήλων κοινωνίας καὶ διηνεκοῦς ὁμιλίας καινὸν εχουσα τρόπον καὶ δόγματα ἐπιφύεται, ης καὶ αὐτὸς μετέσχεν ἐκ πατέρων διαδεξάμενος. αυτη δὲ τοῦ μὲν θείου λουτροῦ ὡς σωτηριώδους οντος καὶ παρ' αὐτοὺς διω- μολογημένου τοὺς τελουμένους μεταλαγχάνειν ἀνίησι, ταλλα δὲ πάντα σώζει φυλάττουσα κατὰ νόμον τὸν Μωσαϊκόν, πλὴν τῆς περιτομῆς. διδάσκαλον δὲ καὶ οιον εξαρχον ὁ ταύτῃ μεμυσταγω- γημένος ̔Εβραῖόν τινα η  ̔Εβραΐδα κέκτηται, τοῦ θείου τελέως βα- πτίσματος ἀπεχόμενον, κατὰ τὸν ἑαυτοῦ οικον, ῳ  καὶ τὰ ἑαυτοῦ οὐ μόνον τὰ ψυχικὰ ἀλλὰ δὴ καὶ τὰς κατ' οικον οἰκονομίας ἐμπι- στεύει καὶ ὑπὸ χεῖρα δίδωσι τὴν αὐτοῦ. ταύτης ουν ἐκ παιδὸς 43 μετασχὼν καὶ ῃ  τὴν ψυχὴν προκαταληφθεὶς οὐκ ειχεν οὐδ' ουτως τὸ τῆς προλήψεως καθαρόν, ἀλλ' οιόν τις ἀπιστίας σύνοδος γε- γονὼς ὁμοῦ τε ταύτην οὐ πόρρω γενόμενος παρεχάραξεν καὶ τὴν Χριστιανῶν παρενόθευσεν καὶ τὴν ̓Ιουδαϊκὴν ἐκιβδήλευσεν. τέως μὲν ουν ειχετο αὐτῆς, καὶ τὴν εἰς ανδρας τελοῦσαν ἡλικίαν ἀνή- γετο, ἀγροικίαν καὶ ἀμαθίαν ωσπερ τινὰς ελικας αμπελος συνανι- ούσας εχων αὐτῷ· μᾶλλον δὲ ὑπὸ τούτων ἐχόμενος καὶ παιδα- γωγούμενος κατάλληλα προσῄει μαθήματα διδασκόμενος, οις πολλάκις τὴν βασίλειον δεδραγμένος ἀρχὴν ἐφαίνετο σεμνυνόμε- νός τε καὶ καλλωπιζόμενος η  τῷ ἑαυτοῦ διαδήματι. τὴν λογικὴν δὲ παντάπασιν, ὡς τὰ παρ' ἑαυτοῦ προβαλλόμενα ἀνατρέπουσαν καὶ πείθειν δυναμένην τε καὶ μεταδιδάσκειν τοῦ μὴ τῆς αἱρέσεως αὐτοῦ καὶ θρησκείας ὀπίσω πορεύεσθαι, ἠτίμαζέ τε καὶ ἀπεβάλ- λετο τῆς ἑαυτοῦ ἐπιβούλως ψυχῆς. καί τοί γε ην αὐτῷ δυνατὸν τὰ ἑαυτοῦ τε σέβεσθαι καὶ τὰ ἡμέτερα μὴ ἀτιμοῦν, οταν μὴ πρὸς τοσοῦτον χορὸν τῶν ἐπὶ σοφίᾳ διαλαμψάντων χρόνῳ καὶ ἀριθμῷ κεκρατηκότα ἀνθαμιλλᾶσθαι ἠδύνατο. (4) πλὴν ἐτίμα τὰ ἑαυ- τοῦ. τὰ δὲ ην συῶν μὲν τῶν ἀρτιτόκων προλέγειν οσοι τε εσον- ται εὐτραφεῖς καὶ σωμάτων μεγέθους οὐκ ἀμοιρήσουσι, καὶ οσοι τοῖς ἐναντίοις περισχεθήσονται, καὶ ιππων μὲν ἐγγὺς ἑστάναι τῶν λακτιζόντων εἰδέναι, ονους δὲ λακτίζοντας ὡς πορρωτάτω ἀπο- τρέπεσθαι εὐφυῶς, ἡμιόνων τε κριτὴς αριστος ειναι, καὶ τούτων 44 οσοι μὲν πρὸς φόρτον ἁρμόδιοί τε καὶ ἐπιτήδειοι, οσοι δὲ τοὺς ἐπιβάτας εὐφόρως, ἀλλὰ μή τινι πτοίᾳ περιδεεῖς γινόμενοι, φέ- ρουσιν. οὐ μὴν ἀλλὰ καὶ τοὺς ιππους μόναις ὀφθαλμῶν διακρί- νειν βολαῖς, οσαι τε πρὸς δρόμον ευτονοί τε καὶ τάχισται πεφύ- κασιν καὶ οσοι πρὸς πόλεμον τὸ καρτερικὸν διασώζουσιν, προβά- των τε καὶ βοῶν τὴν εὐτοκίαν, καὶ τὴν τοῦ γάλακτος οσαι τὴν δαψίλειαν ἐκ φύσεως ελαχον, καὶ ὡς σιγώντων, τὸ δὴ μεῖζον, τῆς τε μητρὸς καὶ τῶν ἀρτιγενῶν γεννημάτων, εἰδέναι διακρίνειν ποῖον ὁποίας ἐστὶν ιδιον. καὶ τὰ μὲν τῆς πρώτης ἡλικίας, εἰπεῖν δὲ καὶ τῆς τελευταίας, ταῦτα δὴ τὰ μαθήματά τε καὶ σεμνολο- γήματα· (5) ὡς δ' ηδη ηκμαζε τὸν πένητα βίον διαθλῶν τε καὶ καρτερῶν, εσπευδε δὲ τοῦτον πάσῃ ἀποτρίψασθαι