they set up their plot for the souls of the more simple. For they deceived those throughout all the earth, saying that the heaven and the other elements were god. And, as the all-wise Paul writes, professing to be wise, they became fools, and changed the glory of the incorruptible God into an image made like corruptible man, and birds, and four-footed beasts, and creeping things. But that we may concede also to his own notions, not so much letting the thing said apply to others but allowing it to attack the holy apostles, that is, once and for all, both the all-wise Moses himself and the holy prophets, let him come, let him show clearly what is the fabrication wickedly put together, and what he says is the monstrous tale, and what is the myth-loving and childish element of the Christians' religion. Did Moses write myths for us, saying that there is one God by nature and in truth, unbegotten, eternal, incorruptible, without quantity, invisible, unchangeable, intangible, life and life-giving, wisdom, power, creator, king, Lord of all? Did the word of the holy prophets miss the truth, having striven to follow in the footsteps of the Mosaic doctrines? Shall we find the teaching of the holy apostles to be of a different sort? Certainly not. 2.6 Then how does he maintain that what is held by the Galileans has nothing divine in it, but says that they are otherwise vain myths and monstrous tales? And yet who would not agree that nothing better could happen for men than to know well and unerringly the one who is by nature and in truth the Creator and Lord of all? And I know that they themselves would say that the most beautiful and excellent part of philosophy is and is called the contemplative, through which, for those who are able to perceive more intelligently, the things concerning God might with difficulty become apprehensible, and at least insofar as is possible for men. But since he himself says he is persuaded, let him teach from where or from whom. For let him not boast that he alone knows this; but if he was persuaded by himself and this is sufficient for a most complete proof, as he at least thinks and says, that the Christians' position is not right, I will pass over saying that the thing is nonsense to him; but let him alone revel in the things against us, for we shall not use so very hostile a judge. But if he thinks it necessary that the arguments of those who bring charges, whatever they may be against someone, must be true and not false, let him not say that he alone has persuaded himself, but let him prove it by facts. But that he will rather indict himself, and not us, for myth-making, and that he does not have an unsuspected charge, we shall know again through what he said. {ΙΟΥΛΙΑΝΟΣ} 2.7 As I am about to make my argument concerning all the doctrines spoken of among them, I wish to say this first: that it is necessary for those who encounter this, if they should wish to speak against it, as in a court of law not to meddle in anything from outside, nor to make a counter-accusation as it is called, until they have made their defense concerning the first points; it is better thus and clearer to compose a separate treatise when they wish to censure any of our positions, and in the things in which they are defending themselves against our censures, not to make a counter-accusation. {ΚΥΡΙΛΛΟΣ} Must then, tell me, the one prosecuted by you be speechless, and do you command the defendant to be convicted in silence, and, having remembered none of your points at all, to choose to validate the indictment against himself? And yet, your not wanting us to say anything of your points belongs to one who fears refutation and is not ignorant of the unpleasantness of the shamefulness in them. If, therefore, in accusing the Christians' religion, he himself does not deem the superstition of the Hellenes worthy of all praise and crown it with the highest honors, let him demand the same in return; but if he exults in his words against us and attaches the better reputation to his own ill counsels, the

ταῖς τῶν ἁπλουστέρων ψυχαῖς τὴν σκευωρίαν ἐστήσαντο. Ἐπλάνησαν γὰρ τοὺς ἀνὰ πᾶσαν τὴν γῆν, θεὸν εἶναι λέγοντες τὸν οὐρανὸν καὶ τὰ ἕτερα τῶν στοιχείων. Καί, ὡς ὁ πάνσοφος γράφει Παῦλος, φάσκοντες εἶναι σοφοὶ ἐμωράνθησαν, καὶ ἠλλάξαντο τὴν δόξαν τοῦ ἀφθάρτου Θεοῦ ἐν ὁμοιώματι εἰκόνος φθαρτοῦ ἀνθρώπου καὶ πετεινῶν καὶ τετραπόδων καὶ ἑρπετῶν. Ἵνα δὲ καὶ ταῖς αὐτοῦ παραχωρῶμεν ἐννοίαις, οὐχ ἑτέροις μᾶλλον ἐπαφιέντες τὸ εἰρημένον ἀλλὰ καὶ τοῖς ἁγίοις ἀποστόλοις ἐῶντες ἐπιπηδᾶν, ἤγουν καθάπαξ αὐτῷ τε τῷ πανσόφῳ Μωσεῖ καὶ τοῖς ἁγίοις προφήταις, ἡκέτω, δεικνύτω σαφῶς τί τὸ πλάσμα τὸ κακούργως συντεθέν, ποίαν δὲ εἶναί φησι τὴν τερατολογίαν, καὶ τί τὸ φιλόμυθον καὶ παιδαριῶδες τῆς τῶν Χριστιανῶν θρησκείας. Ἆρα μύθους ἡμῖν συγγέγραφεν ὁ Μωσῆς ἕνα τὸν φύσει καὶ ἀληθῶς εἶναι Θεὸν λέγων, ἀγέννητον, ἀΐδιον, ἄφθαρτον, ἄποσον, ἀόρατον, ἀναλλοίωτον, ἀναφῆ, ζωὴν καὶ ζωοποιόν, σοφίαν, δύναμιν, γενεσιουργόν, βασιλέα, Κύριον τῶν ὅλων; Ἆρα διημάρτηκε τἀληθοῦς τῶν ἁγίων προφητῶν ὁ λόγος, τῶν μωσαϊκῶν δογμάτων κατ' ἴχνος ἰέναι διεσπουδακώς; Ἆρα τῶν ἁγίων ἀποστόλων ἑτεροτρόπως ἔχουσαν τὴν διδασκαλίαν εὑρήσομεν; Οὐ μὲν οὖν. 2.6 Εἶτα πῶς θεῖον μὲν ἔχειν οὐδὲν τὰ παρὰ τοῖς Γαλιλαίοις ἰσχυρίζεται, μύθους δὲ ἄλλως εἰκαίους καὶ τερατολογίας εἶναί φησι; Καίτοι τίς οὐκ ἂν συνομολογήσειεν ὡς οὐκ ἂν γένοιτό τι τὸ ἄμεινον ἀνθρώποις τοῦ διειδέναι καλῶς τε καὶ ἀπλανῶς τὸν ἕνα τε καὶ φύσει καὶ ἀληθῶς ὄντα τῶν ὅλων ∆ημιουργὸν καὶ Κύριον; Φαῖεν δ' ἂν οἶδ' ὅτι καὶ αὐτοὶ τὸ κάλλιστον καὶ ἐξαίρετον τῆς φιλοσοφίας μόριον εἶναί τε καὶ λέγεσθαι τὸ θεωρητικόν, δι' οὗ τοῖς κατιδεῖν ἰσχύουσι νουνεχέστερον γένοιτ' ἂν μόλις, καὶ κατά γε τὸ ἀνθρώποις ἐφικτόν, ἁλώσιμα τὰ περὶ Θεοῦ. Ἐπειδὴ δὲ πεπεῖσθαί φησιν αὐτός, διδασκέτω πόθεν ἢ παρὰ τίνων. Μὴ γὰρ δὴ μόνος αὐχείτω τοῦτο εἰδέναι· ἀλλ' εἰ μὲν αὐτὸς ἐπείσθη καθ' ἑαυτὸν καὶ τοῦτο ἀπόχρη πρὸς ἐντελεστάτην ἀπόδειξιν ὡς γοῦν οἴεται καί φησι τοῦ μὴ εὖ ἔχειν τὰ Χριστιανῶν, ὅτι μὲν λῆρος τὸ χρῆμα αὐτῷ παρήσω λέγειν· πλὴν ἐντρυφάτω μόνος τοῖς καθ' ἡμῶν, οὐ γάρ τοι οὕτω πολεμιωτάτῳ χρησόμεθα δικαστῇ. Εἰ δὲ δεῖν οἴεται τοὺς τῶν εὐθυνόντων λόγους, οὕπερ ἂν γένοιντο κατά τινων, ἀληθεῖς εἶναι καὶ οὐκ ἐψευσμένους, μὴ αὐτὸς ἑαυτὸν πεπεῖσθαι λεγέτω μόνος, ἀλλ' ἐλεγχέτω διὰ πραγμάτων. Ὅτι δὲ μᾶλλον ἑαυτὸν ἐν δίκῃ, καὶ οὐχ ἡμᾶς, ἐπὶ τῇ μυθοπλαστίᾳ γράψεται, καὶ οὐκ ἀνύποπτον ἔχει τὸ ἔγκλημα, δι' ὧν ἔφη πάλιν εἰσόμεθα. {ΙΟΥΛΙΑΝΟΣ} 2.7 Μέλλων δὲ ὑπὲρ τῶν παρ' αὐτοῖς λεγομένων δογμάτων ἁπάντων ποιεῖσθαι τὸν λόγον, ἐκεῖνο βούλομαι πρῶτον εἰπεῖν ὅτι χρὴ τοὺς ἐντυγχάνοντας, εἴπερ ἀντιλέγειν ἐθέλοιεν, ὥσπερ ἐν δικαστηρίῳ μηδὲν ἔξωθεν πολυπραγμονεῖν, μηδὲ τὸ λεγόμενον ἀντικατηγορεῖν, ἕως ἂν ὑπὲρ τῶν πρώτων ἀπολογήσωνται· ἄμεινον μὲν οὕτω καὶ σαφέστερον ἰδίαν μὲν ἐνστήσασθαι πραγματείαν ὅταν τι τῶν παρ' ἡμῖν εὐθύνειν θέλωσιν, ἐν οἷς δὲ πρὸς τὰς παρ' ἡμῶν εὐθύνας ἀπολογοῦνται μηδὲ ἀντικατηγορεῖν. {ΚΥΡΙΛΛΟΣ} Ἄγλωττον οὖν, εἰπέ μοι, τὸν παρὰ σοῦ διωκόμενον εἶναι χρή, καὶ σιωπῶντα κελεύεις ἁλῶναι τὸν φεύγοντα, καὶ οὐδενὸς τὸ παράπαν τῶν σῶν διαμνημονεύσαντα διακυροῦν ἑλέσθαι καθ' ἑαυτοῦ τὴν γραφήν; Καίτοι τὸ μὴ βούλεσθαί τι λέγειν ἡμᾶς τῶν σῶν δεδιότος ἐστὶ τὸν ἔλεγχον καὶ τῆς ἐν αὐτοῖς αἰσχρότητος οὐκ ἠγνοηκότος τὸ ἀτερπές. Εἰ μὲν οὖν αὐτὸς τῆς Χριστιανῶν καταγορεύων θρησκείας οὐκ ἐπαίνου παντὸς ἀξιοῖ, καὶ ταῖς ἀνωτάτω τιμαῖς στεφανοῖ τὴν Ἑλλήνων δεισιδαιμονίαν, ἀνταπαιτείτω τὸ ἴσον· εἰ δὲ δὴ τοῖς καθ' ἡμῶν ἐναβρύνεται λόγοις καὶ τὴν ἀμείνω δόξαν ἀνάπτει ταῖς ἑαυτοῦ δυσβουλίαις, τὰ