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they attributed glory to wood and stones. 2. For just as one who is entrusted with the king's money, and is commanded to spend it for the king's glory, if he should expend it on robbers and prostitutes and sorcerers, and make them splendid with the king's money, he is punished as one who has done the greatest injustice to the king; so also these men, having received the knowledge of God and of His glory, then having attributed it to idols, held down the truth in unrighteousness, and, as far as it was in their power, they did injustice to the knowledge, not using it for its proper purposes. Has what was said become clear to you, or must I say it again more clearly? Perhaps it is necessary to say it again. What then is being said? God implanted the knowledge of Himself in men from the beginning, but the Greeks, having attributed this knowledge to wood and stones, did injustice to the truth, for their part; for it remains unchangeable, having its own glory immoveable. And whence is it clear, O Paul, that He implanted the knowledge in them? Because, he says, that which is known of Him is manifest in them. But this is a declaration, not a proof; but do you prove to me, and show that the knowledge of God was clear to them, and that they willfully transgressed. Whence then was it clear? Did he send forth a voice to them from above? By no means; but He did that which was more able to draw them than a voice, setting creation forth in their midst, so that the wise and the unlearned, the Scythian and the barbarian, by contemplating through sight the beauty of the visible things, might ascend to God. Wherefore he says: For the invisible things of Him from the creation of the world are clearly seen, being understood by the things that are made; which indeed the prophet also said: The heavens declare the glory of God. For what will the Greeks say on that day? That, We knew you not? Then did you not hear the voice of heaven sent forth through sight, of the well-ordered harmony of all things crying out more clearly than a trumpet? Did you not see the laws of night and day remaining unmoved perpetually? The well-ordered succession of winter, spring, and the other seasons, being firm and 60.413 immoveable? The obedience of the sea amidst such great turmoil and waves? All things remaining in order, and through their beauty and their greatness proclaiming the Creator? For Paul, summing up all these things and more than these, said: For the invisible things of Him from the creation of the world are clearly seen, being understood by the things that are made; both his eternal power and Godhead, so that they are without excuse. And yet God did not make these things for this reason, even if this was the outcome. For He did not set forth such great instruction in their midst in order to deprive them of an excuse, but that they might know Him; but having been ungrateful, they deprived themselves of all excuse. Then, showing how they are deprived of an excuse, he says: Because that, when they knew God, they glorified him not as God, neither were thankful. This is one very great charge; and a second after that, the worshiping of idols also, which Jeremiah also, accusing, said: This people has committed two evils: they have forsaken me the fountain of living waters, and hewed them out broken cisterns. Then also as a sign of their knowing God, and not using the knowledge as they ought, he brings forward this very thing, their having acknowledged gods; wherefore he added: Because that, when they knew God, they glorified him not as God. And he also gives the cause for which they fell into such foolishness. What then is it? They entrusted everything to their reasonings. But he did not say it thus, but much more strikingly: For they became vain, he says, in their imaginations, and their foolish heart was darkened. For just as if someone in a moonless night should attempt to walk a strange road, or to sail the sea, not only will he not reach his destination, but he will also quickly perish; so also these men, attempting to walk the road leading to heaven and having removed the light from themselves, then having entrusted themselves to the darkness of their reasonings instead of it, and seeking the incorporeal in bodies, and the formless in forms, suffered a most grievous shipwreck. And after what has been said he also gives another cause of their error, saying: Professing themselves to be wise, they became fools. For having imagined something great about themselves, and not

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δόξαν ξύλοις περιέθηκαν καὶ λίθοις. βʹ. Ὥσπερ οὖν ὁ χρήματα πιστευθεὶς βασιλικὰ, καὶ εἰς τὴν τοῦ βασιλέως δόξαν ἀναλῶσαι κελευσθεὶς, ἂν εἰς λῃστὰς καὶ πόρνας καὶ γόητας δαπανήσῃ ταῦτα, καὶ λαμπροὺς τούτους ἀπὸ τῶν τοῦ βασιλέως ποιήσῃ χρημάτων, ὡς τὰ μέγιστα ἠδικηκὼς τὸν βασιλέα κολάζεται· οὕτω καὶ οὗτοι λαβόντες τὴν περὶ τοῦ Θεοῦ γνῶσιν καὶ τῆς δόξης αὐτοῦ, εἶτα εἰδώλοις αὐτὴν περιθέντες, ἐν ἀδικίᾳ τὴν ἀλήθειαν κατέσχον, καὶ, τό γε εἰς αὐτοὺς ἧκον, ἠδίκησαν τὴν γνῶσιν, οὐκ εἰς τὰ προσήκοντα αὐτῇ χρησάμενοι. Ἆρα γέγονεν ὑμῖν σαφὲς τὸ λεχθὲν, ἢ δεῖ σαφέστερον αὐτὸ πάλιν εἰπεῖν; Τάχα ἀναγκαῖον πάλιν εἰπεῖν. Τί οὖν ἐστι τὸ λεγόμενον; Τὴν περὶ αὐτοῦ γνῶσιν ἐξ ἀρχῆς τοῖς ἀνθρώποις ἐνέθηκεν ὁ Θεὸς, ἀλλὰ ταύτην τὴν γνῶσιν οἱ Ἕλληνες ξύλοις περιθέντες καὶ λίθοις, ἠδίκησαν τὴν ἀλήθειαν, τό γε αὐτῶν μέρος· ἐκείνη γὰρ ἄτρεπτος μένει, τὴν οἰκείαν δόξαν ἔχουσα ἀκίνητον. Καὶ πόθεν δῆλον, ὅτι ἐνέθηκεν αὐτοῖς τὴν γνῶσιν, ὦ Παῦλε; Ὅτι, φησὶ, τὸ γνωστὸν αὐτοῦ φανερόν ἐστιν ἐν αὐτοῖς. Ἀλλὰ τοῦτο ἀπόφασίς ἐστιν, οὐκ ἀπόδειξις· σὺ δέ μοι κατασκεύασον, καὶ δεῖξον ὅτι ἡ γνῶσις ἡ περὶ τοῦ Θεοῦ δήλη ἦν αὐτοῖς, καὶ ἑκόντες παρέδραμον. Πόθεν οὖν δήλη ἦν; φωνὴν αὐτοῖς ἄνωθεν ἀφῆκεν; Οὐδαμῶς· ἀλλ' ὃ φωνῆς αὐτοὺς ἐφέλκεσθαι μᾶλλον ἠδύνατο, τοῦτο ἐποίησε, τὴν κτίσιν εἰς μέσον προθεὶς, ὥστε καὶ σοφὸν καὶ ἰδιώτην, καὶ Σκύθην καὶ βάρβαρον διὰ τῆς ὄψεως καταμαθόντα τῶν ὁρωμένων τὸ κάλλος, ἐπὶ τὸν Θεὸν ἀναβαίνειν. ∆ιό φησι· Τὰ γὰρ ἀόρατα αὐτοῦ ἀπὸ κτίσεως κόσμου τοῖς ποιήμασι νοούμενα καθορᾶται· ὅπερ οὖν καὶ ὁ προφήτης ἔλεγεν· Οἱ οὐρανοὶ διηγοῦνται δόξαν Θεοῦ. Τί γὰρ ἐροῦσι κατ' ἐκείνην τὴν ἡμέραν οἱ Ἕλληνες; ὅτι Ἠγνοήσαμέν σε; Εἶτα οὐκ ἠκούσατε τοῦ οὐρανοῦ φωνὴν διὰ τῆς ὄψεως ἀφιέντος, τῆς εὐτάκτου πάντων ἁρμονίας σάλπιγγος λαμπρότερον βοώσης; νυκτὸς καὶ ἡμέρας νόμους οὐκ εἴδετε μένοντας ἀκινήτους διηνεκῶς; χειμῶνος, ἔαρος, καὶ τῶν ἄλλων ὡρῶν τὴν εὐταξίαν βεβαίαν τε καὶ 60.413 ἀκίνητον οὖσαν; θαλάττης εὐγνωμοσύνην ἐν ταραχῇ τοσαύτῃ καὶ κύμασι; πάντα ἐν τάξει μένοντα, καὶ διὰ τοῦ κάλλους καὶ διὰ τοῦ μεγέθους ἀνακηρύττοντα τὸν ∆ημιουργόν; Ταῦτα γὰρ ἅπαντα, καὶ τὰ τούτων πλείονα συνελὼν ὁ Παῦλος ἔλεγε· Τὰ γὰρ ἀόρατα αὐτοῦ ἀπὸ κτίσεως κόσμου τοῖς ποιήμασι νοούμενα καθορᾶται· ἥ τε ἀΐδιος αὐτοῦ δύναμις καὶ θειότης, εἰς τὸ εἶναι αὐτοὺς ἀναπολογήτους. Καίτοι γε οὐ διὰ τοῦτο ταῦτα ἐποίησεν ὁ Θεὸς, εἰ καὶ τοῦτο ἐξέβη. Οὐ γὰρ ἵνα αὐτοὺς ἀπολογίας ἀποστερήσῃ, διδασκαλίαν τοσαύτην εἰς μέσον προὔθηκεν, ἀλλ' ἵνα αὐτὸν ἐπιγνῶσιν· ἀγνωμονήσαντες δὲ, πάσης ἑαυτοὺς ἐστέρησαν ἀπολογίας. Εἶτα δεικνὺς, πῶς εἰσιν ἀπολογίας ἀπεστερημένοι, φησίν· Ὅτι γνόντες τὸν Θεὸν οὐχ ὡς Θεὸν ἐδόξασαν ἢ εὐχαρίστησαν. Ἓν τοῦτο ἔγκλημα μέγιστον· δεύτερον δὲ μετ' ἐκεῖνο, τὸ καὶ εἴδωλα προσκυνῆσαι, ὃ καὶ Ἱερεμίας κατηγορῶν, ἔλεγε· ∆ύο πονηρὰ ἐποίησεν ὁ λαὸς οὗτος· ἐμὲ ἐγκατέλιπον πηγὴν ζῶντος ὕδατος, καὶ ὤρυξαν ἑαυτοῖς λάκκους συντετριμμένους. Εἶτα καὶ σημεῖον τοῦ εἰδέναι τὸν Θεὸν, καὶ μὴ χρῆσθαι εἰς δέον τῇ γνώσει, παράγει τοῦτο αὐτὸ, τὸ θεοὺς ἐγνωκέναι· διόπερ ἐπήγαγε· ∆ιότι γνόντες τὸν Θεὸν, οὐχ ὡς Θεὸν ἐδόξασαν. Καὶ τὴν αἰτίαν δὲ τίθησι, δι' ἣν εἰς τοσαύτην ἄνοιαν ἐξέπεσον. Τίς οὖν αὕτη ἐστί; Τοῖς λογισμοῖς τὸ πᾶν ἐπέτρεψαν. Ἀλλ' οὐκ εἶπεν οὕτως, ἀλλὰ πολλῷ πληκτικώτερον· Ἐματαιώθησαν γὰρ, φησὶ, ἐν τοῖς διαλογισμοῖς αὐτῶν, καὶ ἐσκοτίσθη ἡ ἀσύνετος αὐτῶν καρδία. Ὥσπερ γὰρ ἐν ἀσελήνῳ νυκτὶ εἴ τις ξένην ἐπιχειρήσει βαδίζειν ὁδὸν, ἢ πέλαγος πλεῖν, οὐ μόνον οὐ φθάσει πρὸς τὸ τέλος, ἀλλὰ καὶ ἀπολεῖται ταχέως· οὕτω καὶ οὗτοι τὴν πρὸς τὸν οὐρανὸν φέρουσαν ὁδὸν βαδίζειν ἐπιχειροῦντες καὶ τὸ φῶς ἀφ' ἑαυτῶν ἀφελόντες, εἶτα ἀντ' ἐκείνου τῷ σκότῳ τῶν λογισμῶν ἑαυτοὺς ἐπιτρέψαντες, καὶ ἐν σώμασι τὸν ἀσώματον, καὶ ἐν σχήμασι τὸν ἀσχημάτιστον ἐπιζητοῦντες, ναυάγιον ὑπέστησαν χαλεπώτατον. Μετὰ δὲ τῶν εἰρημένων καὶ ἑτέραν τίθησιν αἰτίαν τῆς πλάνης αὐτῶν, λέγων· Φάσκοντες εἶναι σοφοὶ, ἐμωράνθησαν. Μέγα γάρ τι περὶ ἑαυτῶν φαντασθέντες, καὶ οὐκ