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most unlike, charioteer of every good, incorruptible, best of the good, most prudent of the prudent; and he is also father of good law and justice, self-taught, natural and perfect and wise and the sole inventor of the sacred natural.” The same things also Osta1.10.53 nes says concerning him in the work inscribed Octateuch. And all, having taken their starting-points from Taautus, discoursed on nature, as is set forth before. And the first elements, those through the serpents, having built temples, they consecrated in the innermost shrines, and for these they held festivals and sacrifices and rites, considering them the greatest gods and rulers of the universe. So much then concerning the serpents.” 1.10.54 But indeed the theology of the Phoenicians contains this manner; from which the saving word preaches that we should flee without turning back, and pursue the cure for the madness of the ancients. 1.10.55 And that these are not myths and fictions of poets, which happen to have some secret meaning in allegories, but true testimonies of wise and ancient theologians, as they themselves would say, containing matters more ancient than all poets and prose-writers and bringing the credibility of their accounts from the appellation and history of the gods which prevails even to this day in the cities and villages throughout Phoenicia, and from the mysteries celebrated among each, would be clear, so that it is no longer necessary to track down forced physical explanations for these things, since the facts bring a clear refutation from themselves. Such then is the Phoenician theology; it is time to move on and examine the affairs of the Egyptians.

2.pin.t B THE SECOND BOOK OF THE GOSPEL PREPARATION CONTAINS THE FOLLOWING

PREPARATION 2.pin.1 I. An epitome of the Egyptian theology and how it was transferred to the Greeks, and that we have reasonably rejected all these things II. Concerning the theology among the Greeks being a later introduction III. An epitome of the myths among the Greeks concerning both gods and heroes IV. Concerning the secret rites and the hidden mysteries of the polytheistic error V. By what reasonings we have renounced thinking like the Greeks about the gods VI. Recapitulation of the things said before VII. Concerning the fact that their so-called sanctuaries of the gods are tombs of the dead VIII. What kind of opinion the ancients had concerning the gods IX. Concerning the more venerable and more physical theology of the Greeks X. How Plato thought concerning the theology of the ancients XI. Concerning the theology according to the Romans

B The theology of the Phoenicians then contains the aforementioned manner; from which the saving word preaches that we should flee without turning back, and pursue the cure for the madness of the ancients. 2.pref.2 And that these are not myths and fictions of poets, which happen to have some secret meaning in allegories, but true testimonies of wise and ancient theologians, as they themselves would say, containing matters more ancient than all poets and prose-writers and bringing the credibility of their accounts from the appellation and history of the gods which prevails even to this day in the cities and villages throughout Phoenicia, and from the mysteries celebrated among each, would be clear also from the agreement of the other writers and indeed of the reputed theologians, by which they testified that the ancients and first men who established the things concerning the gods referred nothing to physical tropes nor allegorized the myths about the gods, but preserved the histories in their literal sense. 2.pref.3 For these things the previously cited voices of the said men have shown, so that it is no longer necessary to track down forced physical explanations for these things, since the facts bring a clear refutation from themselves. 2.pref.4

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ἀνομοιότατος, ἡνίοχος παντὸς καλοῦ, ἀδωροδόκητος, ἀγαθῶν ἀγαθώτατος, φρονίμων φρονιμώτατος· ἔστι δὲ καὶ πατὴρ εὐνομίας καὶ δικαιοσύνης, αὐτοδίδακτος, φυσικὸς καὶ τέλειος καὶ σοφὸς καὶ ἱεροῦ φυσικοῦ μόνος εὑρετής». τὰ δ' αὐτὰ καὶ Ὀστά1.10.53 νης φησὶ περὶ αὐτοῦ ἐν τῇ ἐπιγραφομένῃ Ὀκτατεύχῳ. πάντες δὲ τὰς ἀφορμὰς παρὰ τοῦ Τααύτου λαβόντες ἐφυσιολόγησαν, ὥσπερ πρόκειται. καὶ τὰ μὲν πρῶτα στοιχεῖα τὰ διὰ τῶν ὄφεων, ναοὺς κατασκευασάμενοι, ἐν ἀδύτοις ἀφιέρωσαν, καὶ τούτοις ἑορτὰς καὶ θυσίας ἐπετέλουν καὶ ὄργια, θεοὺς τοὺς μεγίστους νομίζοντες καὶ ἀρχηγοὺς τῶν ὅλων. τοσαῦτα καὶ περὶ τῶν ὄφεων.» 1.10.54 Ἀλλὰ γὰρ τὰ μὲν τῆς Φοινίκων θεολογίας τοῦτον περιέχει τὸν τρόπον· ἧς ἀμεταστρεπτεὶ φεύγειν καὶ τῆς τῶν παλαιῶν φρενοβλαβείας 1.10.55 τὴν ἴασιν μεταδιώκειν ὁ σωτήριος εὐαγγελίζεται λόγος. ὅτι δὲ μὴ μῦθοι ταῦτα καὶ ποιητῶν ἀναπλάσματα λανθάνουσάν τινα ἐν ὑπονοίαις ἔχοντα θεωρίαν τυγχάνει, σοφῶν δὲ καὶ παλαιῶν, ὡς ἂν αὐτοὶ φαῖεν, θεολόγων ἀληθεῖς μαρτυρίαι, τὰ καὶ ποιητῶν ἁπάντων καὶ λογογράφων πρεσβύτερα περιέχουσαι τό τε πιστὸν τῶν λόγων ἐπαγόμεναι ἀπὸ τῆς εἰσέτι δεῦρο ἐν ταῖς κατὰ Φοινίκην πόλεσί τε καὶ κώμαις κρατούσης τῶν θεῶν προσηγορίας τε καὶ ἱστορίας τῶν τε παρ' ἑκάστοις ἐπιτελουμένων μυστηρίων, δῆλον ἂν εἴη, ὡς μηκέτι χρῆναι τούτων βιαίους ἀνιχνεύειν φυσιολογίας, σαφῆ τὸν ἐξ αὑτῶν ἔλεγχον ἐπιφερομένων τῶν πραγμάτων. τοιαύτη μὲν οὖν ἡ Φοινίκων θεολογία· ὥρα δὲ μεταβάντας καὶ τὰ Αἰγυπτίων ἐπιθεωρῆσαι. 2.pin.t Β ΤΑ∆Ε ΤΟ ∆ΕΥΤΕΡΟΝ ΠΕΡΙΕΧΕΙ ΣΥΓΓΡΑΜΜΑ ΤΗΣ ΕΥΑΓΓΕΛΙΚΗΣ

ΠΡΟΠΑΡΑΣΚΕΥΗΣ 2.pin.1 αʹ. Ἐπιτομὴ τῆς Αἰγυπτίων θεολογίας καὶ ὡς εἰς Ἕλληνας μετεκομίσθη ὅτι τε εὐλόγως τὴν τούτων ἁπάντων ἀποστροφὴν πεποιήμεθα βʹ. Περὶ τοῦ νεωτέραν εἰσῆχθαι τοῖς Ἕλλησιν τὴν παρ' αὐτοῖς θεολογίαν γʹ. Ἐπιτομὴ τῶν παρ' Ἕλλησι περί τε θεῶν καὶ τῶν παρ' αὐτοῖς ἡρώων μυθευομένων δʹ. Περὶ τῶν ἀπορρήτων τελετῶν καὶ τῶν κρυφίων μυστηρίων τῆς πολυθέου πλάνης εʹ. Τίσι λογισμοῖς τοῦ τὰ ὅμοια τοῖς Ἕλλησι περὶ θεῶν φρονεῖν ἀνεχρήσαμεν ʹ. Ἀνακεφαλαίωσις τῶν πρόσθεν εἰρημένων ζʹ. Περὶ τοῦ νεκρῶν εἶναι τάφους τὰ καλούμενα αὐτῶν ἱερὰ τῶν θεῶν ηʹ. Ὁποία τις ἦν ἡ τῶν παλαιῶν περὶ θεῶν δόξα θʹ. Περὶ τῆς Ἑλλήνων σεμνοτέρας δὴ καὶ φυσικωτέρας θεολογίας ιʹ. Ὅπως ὁ Πλάτων περὶ τῆς τῶν παλαιῶν θεολογίας ἐδόξαζεν ιαʹ. Περὶ τῆς κατὰ Ῥωμαίους θεολογίας Β Τὰ μὲν δὴ τῆς Φοινίκων θεολογίας τὸν προειρημένον περιέχει τρόπον· ἧς ἀμεταστρεπτεὶ φεύγειν καὶ τῆς τῶν παλαιῶν φρενοβλαβείας τὴν ἴασιν 2.pref.2 μεταδιώκειν ὁ σωτήριος εὐαγγελίζεται λόγος. ὅτι δὲ μὴ μῦθοι ταῦτα καὶ ποιητῶν ἀναπλάσματα λανθάνουσάν τινα ἐν ὑπονοίαις ἔχοντα θεωρίαν τυγχάνει, σοφῶν δὲ καὶ παλαιῶν, ὡς ἂν αὐτοὶ φαῖεν, θεολόγων ἀληθεῖς μαρτυρίαι, τὰ καὶ ποιητῶν ἁπάντων καὶ λογογράφων πρεσβύτερα περιέχουσαι τό τε πιστὸν τῶν λόγων ἐπαγόμεναι ἀπὸ τῆς εἰσέτι δεῦρο ἐν ταῖς κατὰ Φοινίκην πόλεσί τε καὶ κώμαις κρατούσης τῶν θεῶν προσηγορίας τε καὶ ἱστορίας τῶν τε παρ' ἑκάστοις ἐπιτελουμένων μυστηρίων, δῆλον ἂν εἴη ἀπό τε τῆς τῶν λοιπῶν συγγραφέων καὶ δὴ καὶ τῶν νομιζομένων θεολόγων ὁμολογίας, δι' ἧς ἐμαρτύρησαν τοὺς παλαιοὺς καὶ πρώτους τὰ περὶ θεῶν συστησαμένους μηδὲν εἰς φυσικὰς ἀναφέρειν τροπολογίας μηδ' ἀλληγορεῖν τοὺς περὶ θεῶν μύθους, ἐπὶ μόνης δὲ τῆς λέξεως φυλάττειν τὰς ἱστορίας. 2.pref.3 ταῦτα γὰρ αἱ προπαρατεθεῖσαι τῶν εἰρημένων ἐδήλουν φωναί, ὡς μηκέτι χρῆναι τούτων βιαίους ἀνιχνεύειν φυσιολογίας, σαφῆ τὸν ἐξ αὑτῶν ἔλεγχον ἐπιφερομένων τῶν πραγμάτων. 2.pref.4