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to be a certain incomprehensible and highest of all, and pre-existent and creator of all things, both of the ether itself and of the night and of all creation existing under and covered by the ether; and he said the earth was invisible under the darkness; and he declared that the light, having rent the ether, illuminated the earth and all creation, saying that this was the light that rent the ether, the aforementioned, the highest of all, whose name the same Orpheus, having heard from the oracle, pronounced, Metis, Phanes, Ericapaeus; which is interpreted in the common tongue as Counsel, Light, Life-giver; saying in his exposition that these same three divine powers of the names are one power and might of the one God, whom no one sees, of whose power no one can know the form or nature; and from this power all things have come to be, both incorporeal principles and sun and moon, powers and all the stars and earth and sea, all things visible in them and the invisible. And he said that the race of men 75 was fashioned by this God himself from earth and received from him a rational soul, just as the all-wise Moses set these things forth. And the same Orpheus recorded in his book that through these same three names, but one divinity, all things came to be, and he is all things. And concerning the miserable race of men, the same Orpheus set forth poetically many verses, of which these are a part. and beasts and birds and sinful tribes of mortals, interpretation. beasts, and birds, the consuming nations of men, burdens of the earth, fashioned phantoms, for no reason interpretation. the weight of the earth, a fabricated form, not knowing either why they were born nor why they die, nor knowing how to perceive approaching evil. interpretation. neither perceiving evil coming upon them, prudent men, nor how to greatly turn away from wickedness to be safe, nor from afar to turn much away from evil, nor when good is present to turn and hold it 76 nor when good is coming to turn back from evil and grasp the good are they skilled, but they are in vain ignorant, improvident. experienced. interpretation. but as it happens they are carried along most ignorantly, foreseeing nothing. And the same most wise Orpheus set forth many other verses. And all these things the most wise Timotheus the chronicler set forth, saying that the same Orpheus, so many years before, said that a consubstantial trinity created all things. And after Gideon, Tola led Israel. And in the times of Tola, in the country of Phrygia, there was Marsyas the philosopher, who invented through music flutes from reeds. And he lost his mind, deifying himself and saying, I have found nourishment for men through the melody of musical reeds. And this Marsyas lived in his own fields his whole life; which Marsyas, having incurred the wrath of a god, was driven out of his own mind, and having gone mad, threw himself into the river and perished; which river the people of that country call Marsyas to this day. concerning whom the poets relate that he came into conflict with Apollo; this they say, he says, that he, having blasphemed, was driven out of his own mind and was killed, just as the most wise Ninus also wrote. And the most wise 77 Lucian also mentioned this story, who said that he was from Colchis. And in the times of Tola, there was Heracles the hero and the Argonauts with Jason the Thessalian and Castor and Polydeuces and Hylas and Telamon and the rest. who, while sailing up the Hellespont, were suddenly attacked by Cyzicus, king of the Hellespont. And having engaged in a sea battle, they killed King Cyzicus; and having entered by night, they took over Cyzicus, the metropolis of the province of Hellespont. And having learned from the citizens and the senators that it was Cyzicus who had been slain by them, they mourned for him, because

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ἀκατάληπτόν τινα καὶ πάντων ὑπέρτατον εἶναι, καὶ προγενέστερον δὲ καὶ δημιουργὸν ἁπάντων καὶ τοῦ αἰθέρος αὐτοῦ καὶ τῆς νυκτὸς καὶ πάσης τῆς ὑπὸ τὸν αἰθέρα οὔσης καὶ καλυπτομένης κτίσεως· τὴν δὲ γῆν εἶπεν ὑπὸ τοῦ σκότους ἀόρατον οὖσαν· ἔφρασε δὲ ὅτι τὸ φῶς ῥῆξαν τὸν αἰθέρα ἐφώτισε τὴν γῆν καὶ πᾶσαν τὴν κτίσιν, εἰπὼν ἐκεῖνο εἶναι τὸ φῶς τὸ ῥῆξαν τὸν αἰθέρα τὸ προειρημένον, τὸ ὑπέρτατον πάντων, οὗ ὄνομα ὁ αὐτὸς Ὀρφεὺς ἀκούσας ἐκ τῆς μαντείας ἐξεῖπε, Μῆτιν, Φάνητα, Ἐρικεπαῖον· ὅπερ ἑρμηνεύεται τῇ κοινῇ γλώσσῃ βουλή, φῶς, ζωοδοτήρ· εἰπὼν ἐν τῇ αὐτοῦ ἐκθέσει τὰς αὐτὰς τρεῖς θείας τῶν ὀνομάτων δυνάμεις μίαν εἶναι δύναμιν καὶ κράτος τοῦ μόνου θεοῦ, ὃν οὐδεὶς ὁρᾷ, ἧστινος δυνάμεως οὐδεὶς δύναται γνῶναι ἰδέαν ἢ φύσιν· ἐξ αὐτῆς δὲ τῆς δυνάμεως τὰ πάντα γεγενῆσθαι, καὶ ἀρχὰς ἀσωμάτους καὶ ἥλιον καὶ σελήνην, ἐξουσίας καὶ ἄστρα πάντα καὶ γῆν καὶ θάλασσαν, τὰ ὁρώμενα ἐν αὐτοῖς πάντα καὶ τὰ ἀόρατα. τὸ δὲ τῶν ἀνθρώ 75 πων γένος εἶπεν ὑπ' αὐτοῦ τοῦ θεοῦ πλασθέντα ἐκ γῆς καὶ ψυχὴν ὑπ' αὐτοῦ λαβόντα λογικήν, καθὼς Μωσῆς ὁ πάνσοφος ἐξέθετο ταῦτα. ὁ δὲ αὐτὸς Ὀρφεὺς ἐν τῇ αὐτοῦ βίβλῳ συνέταξεν ὅτι διὰ τῶν αὐτῶν τριῶν ὀνομάτων, μιᾶς δὲ θεότητος, τὰ πάντα ἐγένετο, καὶ αὐτός ἐστι τὰ πάντα. Περὶ δὲ τοῦ ταλαιπώρου γένους τῶν ἀνθρώπων ὁ αὐτὸς Ὀρφεὺς ἐξέθετο ποιητικῶς στίχους πολλούς, ὧν μέρος εἰσὶν οὗτοι. θῆρές τε οἰωνοί τε βροτῶν τ' ἀλιτήρια φῦλα, ἑρμηνεία. θηρία, ὄρνεά τε, τῶν ἀνθρώπων τὰ καταναλισκόμενα ἔθνη, ἄχθεα γῆς, εἴδωλα τετυγμένα, μὴ διὰ μηδὲν ἑρμηνεία. τὸ βάρος τῆς γῆς, εἶδος κατεσκευασμένον, μηδὲ διὰ τί ἐγεννήθησαν μηδὲ διὰ τί ἀποθνήσκουσιν εἰδότες, οὔτε κακοῖο προσερχομένοιο νοῆσαι γινώσκοντες. ἑρμηνεία. οὔτε κακοῦ ἐρχομένου κατ' αὐτῶν αἰσθανόμενοι, φράδμονες, οὔτε ποῖον μάλ' ἀποστρέψαι κακότητος ἀσφαλίσασθαι, οὔτε ἀπὸ μακρόθεν πολὺ ἀποστρέψαι ἐκ τοῦ κακοῦ, οὔτε ἀγαθοῦ παρεόντος ἐπιστρέψαι καὶ εἶρξαι 76 οὔτε ἀγαθοῦ ἐρχομένου ὑποστρέψαι ἐκ τοῦ κακοῦ καὶ κρατῆσαι καλὸν ἴδριες, ἀλλὰ μάτην ἀδαήμονες, ἀπρονόητοι. ἔμπειροι. ἑρμηνεία. ἀλλ' ὡς ἔτυχεν ἅμα ἀμαθεστάτως φέρονται, μηδὲν προεννοούμενοι. καὶ ἄλλους δὲ πολλοὺς στίχους ἐξέθετο ὁ αὐτὸς σοφώτατος Ὀρφεύς. ταῦτα δὲ πάντα ἐξέθετο ὁ σοφώτατος Τιμόθεος χρονογράφος, λέγων τὸν αὐτὸν Ὀρφέα πρὸ τοσούτων χρόνων εἰπόντα τριάδα ὁμοούσιον δημιουργῆσαι τὰ πάντα. Μετὰ δὲ Γεδεὼν ἡγεῖτο τοῦ Ἰσραὴλ Θῶλας. ἐν δὲ τοῖς καιροῖς τοῦ Θῶλα ἦν ἐν τῇ Φρυγίᾳ χώρᾳ Μαρσύας ὁ φιλόσοφος, ὅστις ἐφεῦρε διὰ μουσικῆς αὐλοὺς ἀπὸ καλάμων. καὶ ἀπενοεῖτο ἀποθεῶν ἑαυτὸν καὶ λέγων, Εὗρον τροφὴν ἀνθρώποις διὰ τοῦ μέλους τῶν μουσικῶν καλάμων. ᾤκει δὲ ὁ αὐτὸς Μαρσύας εἰς τοὺς ἰδίους ἀγροὺς τὸν ἅπαντα χρόνον· ὅστις Μαρσύας θεοχολωτηθεὶς ἐξέστη τοῦ ἰδίου νοός, καὶ παραφρονήσας ἔῤῥιψεν ἑαυτὸν εἰς τὸν ποταμὸν καὶ ἀπώλετο· ὅντινα ποταμὸν οἱ τῆς αὐτῆς χώρας Μαρσύαν καλοῦσιν ἕως τῆς νῦν. περὶ οὗ ἱστοροῦσιν οἱ ποιηταὶ ὅτι πρὸς ἔριν τοῦ Ἀπόλλωνος ἦλθε· τοῦτο λέγουσι, φησίν, ὅτι οὗτος βλασφημήσας ἐξέστη τοῦ ἰδίου νοὸς καὶ ἐφονεύθη, καθὰ καὶ ὁ σοφώτατος Νίνος συνεγράψατο. καὶ ὁ σοφώ 77 τατος δὲ Λουκιανὸς ἐμνημόνευσε τῆς ἱστορίας ταύτης, ὅστις εἶπεν αὐτὸν ἀπὸ Κολχίδος εἶναι. Ἐν δὲ τοῖς καιροῖς τοῦ Θῶλα ἦν Ἡρακλῆς ὁ ἥρως καὶ οἱ Ἀργοναῦται οἱ περὶ Ἰάσονα τὸν Θεσσαλὸν καὶ Κάστορα καὶ Πολυδεύκην καὶ Ὕλαν καὶ Τελαμῶνα καὶ τοὺς λοιπούς. οἵτινες ἀνιόντες τὸν Ἑλλήσποντον ἐπολεμήθησαν ἐξαίφνης ὑπὸ Κυζίκου, βασιλέως τῆς Ἑλλησπόντου. καὶ συγκρούσαντες ναυμαχίᾳ ἐφόνευσαν τὸν Κύζικον βασιλέα· καὶ εἰσελθόντες νυκτὸς παρέλαβον τὴν Κύζικον, μητρόπολιν τῆς Ἑλλησπόντου ἐπαρχίας. καὶ μεμαθηκότες ἀπὸ τῶν πολιτῶν καὶ τῶν συγκλητικῶν ὅτι Κύζικός ἐστιν ὁ σφαγεὶς παρ' αὐτῶν, ἐπένθησαν δι' αὐτόν, ὅτι