24

...of a dogma to bring testimonies from them. How then is it possible to be confident against God on the basis of these things, in which the counsel of all is found? For instance, Simon, who is about to debate with us tomorrow, wishing to dare publicly against the monarchy of God, has many sayings from these scriptures to bring forward: that there are many gods, and that one, not the one who created the world, is superior to this one; and yet he has written proofs to provide. And we too can clearly show many passages from them, that this one who created the world is one God and “there is no other besides him.” But even if someone wishes to speak in some other way, he too will be able from them to provide the proofs as he wishes concerning what he wishes. For the scriptures say all things, so that no one who seeks inconsiderately may find the truth, but what he wishes, while the truth is reserved for the considerate. And considerateness is to preserve affection for the cause of our being. Therefore, before all things, he ought to know that he finds it from nowhere, unless from a prophet of truth. A true prophet is one who knows all things always, and furthermore the thoughts of all, sinless, as one who is fully convinced concerning the judgment of God. Therefore we ought not to judge simply concerning his foreknowledge, but whether his foreknowledge can exist without another pretext. For what physicians foretell, having the pulse of the sick person as their underlying matter (and some having birds, and others sacrifices, and others having many different underlying matters) they foretell, and they are not prophets. But if anyone should wish to say that the foretelling through such things is similar to truly innate foreknowledge, he is much deceived. For such things indicate present things only, and that if they are true (otherwise they are also useful to me, for they establish that there is foreknowledge), but the foreknowledge of the one true God not only knows present things, but extends his prophecy without limit even to the coming age, and prophesying, he does not speak obscurely and ambiguously, so that his words would require another prophet for their interpretation, but rather clearly and simply, just as our teacher, being a prophet, knew all things at all times by an innate and perpetual spirit. Therefore he boldly set forth things that were about to be, I mean sufferings, places, limits; for being an unerring prophet, with the boundless eye of his soul he beholds all things and knows them while they are hidden. But if we too accept (as many do) that even the true prophet does not foreknow always, but sometimes (when he has the spirit and for this reason), and when he does not have it, he is ignorant,—if we should suppose this, we both deceive ourselves and will lay a trap for others. For such a thing belongs to those who are frenziedly possessed by a spirit of disorder, to those who are drunk beside altars and are filled with the smoke of sacrifice. For if someone who wishes to profess prophecy is allowed to be believed, when he is caught as a liar, that at that time he did not have the holy spirit of foreknowledge, he will not be easily convicted as a liar while being a prophet; for in those few things which he hits upon while saying many things, he is believed to have the spirit at that time, and furthermore he says the first things last, the last things first, things that have happened as if they will happen, things that will happen as if they have already happened,

24

σατο δόγματος ἀπ' αὐτῶν μαρτυρίας φέρειν. πῶς οὖν ἐπὶ ταύταις κατὰ τοῦ θεοῦ θαρρεῖν ἔστιν, ἐν αἷς ἡ πάντων βουλὴ εἰσευρίσκεται; Aὐτίκα γοῦν Σίμων αὔριον ἡμῖν συνζητεῖν μέλλων, δημοσίᾳ κατὰ τῆς τοῦ θεοῦ μοναρχίας τολμᾶν θέλων, πολλὰς ἐξ αὐτῶν τῶν γραφῶν φωνὰς ἐνεγκεῖν ἔχει, ὅτι πολλοί εἰσιν θεοί, εἷς δέ τις οὐχ ὁ τὸν κόσμον κτίσας τούτου ἀνώτερος· καὶ ὁμῶς τὰς ἀποδείξεις ἐγγράφους ἔχει παρασχεῖν. καὶ ἡμεῖς δὲ ἐξ αὐτῶν πολλὰς περικοπὰς δεῖξαι σαφῶς ἔχομεν, ὅτι εἷς ἐστιν θεὸς οὗτος ὁ τὸν κόσμον κτίσας καὶ «ἄλλος οὐκ ἔστιν πλὴν αὐτοῦ». ἀλλὰ καὶ εἴ τις ἄλλως πως εἰπεῖν θελήσει, ἕξει καὶ αὐτὸς ἐξ αὐτῶν ὡς βού- λεται περὶ ὧν βούλεται τὰς ἀποδείξεις παρασχεῖν. πάντα γὰρ αἱ γραφαὶ λέγουσιν, ἵνα μηδεὶς τῶν ἀγνωμόνως ζητούντων τὸ ἀληθὲς εὕρῃ, ἀλλ' ὃ βούλεται, τοῦ ἀληθοῦς τοῖς εὐγνώμοσιν τετηρημένου. εὐγνωμοσύνη δέ ἐστιν τὸ πρὸς τὸν τοῦ εἶναι ἡμᾶς αἴτιον ἀποσσζειν στοργήν. ὅθεν πρὸ πάντων εἰδέναι ὀφείλει ὅτι οὐδαμόθεν αὐτὴν εὑρίσκει, εἰ μὴ ἂν ἀπὸ προφήτου ἀληθείας. προφήτης δὲ ἀληθής ἐστιν ὁ πάντα πάντοτε εἰδώς, ἔτι δὲ καὶ τὰς πάντων ἐννοίας, ἀναμάρτητος, ὡς περὶ θεοῦ κρίσεως πεπληρο- φορημένος. διὸ ἡμεῖς ὀφείλομεν περὶ τῆς προγνώσεως αὐτοῦ μὴ ἁπλῶς διαλαμβάνειν, ἀλλ' εἰ δύναται ἄνευ ἑτέρας προφάσεως συνεστάναι αὐτοῦ ἡ πρόγνωσις. ἃ γὰρ οἱ ἰατροὶ προλέγουσιν, ὑποβεβλημένην ὕλην ἔχοντες τοῦ νοσοῦντος τὸν σφυγμόν (καὶ οἱ μὲν πτηνά, οἱ δὲ θύματα, καὶ ἄλλοι ἄλλας ὕλας πολλὰς διαφόρους ὑποβεβλημένας ἔχοντες) προλέγουσιν, καὶ προφῆται οὐκ εἰσίν. εἰ δὲ βουληθείη τις λέγειν τὴν διὰ τῶν τοιούτων πρόρρησιν τῇ ὄντως ἐνφύτῳ προγνώσει ὁμοίαν εἶναι, πολὺ ἠπάτηται. τὰ γὰρ τοιαῦτα παρόντα μηνύει μόνον, καὶ ταῦτα εἰ ἀληθεύει (ἄλλως δέ μοι καὶ αὐτὰ εὐχρηστεῖ· πρόγνωσιν γὰρ εἶναι συνίστησιν), ἡ δὲ τοῦ μόνου καὶ ἀληθοῦς πρόγνωσις οὐ μόνον τὰ παρόντα ἐπίσταται, ἀλλὰ καὶ μέχρις αὐτοῦ <τοῦ> μέλλοντος αἰῶνος ἀπέραντον ἐκτείνει τὴν προφητείαν, καὶ οὐδενὸς δεῖται πρὸς ἐπίγνωσιν προφητεύων ἀμαυρὰ καὶ ἀμφίβολα, ἵνα ἄλλου προφήτου χρείαν ἔχῃ τὰ λεγόμενα πρὸς ἐπίγνωσιν, ἀλλὰ ·ητὰ καὶ ἁπλᾶ, ὥσπερ ὁ διδάσκαλος ἡμῶν καὶ προφήτης ὢν ἐνφύτῳ καὶ ἀεννάῳ πνεύματι πάντα πάντοτε ἠπίστατο. διὸ τεθαρρηκότως ἐξετίθετο περὶ τῶν μελλόντων ἔσεσθαι, λέγω δὲ πάθη, τόπους, ὅρους· προφήτης γὰρ ὢν ἄπταιστος, ἀπείρῳ ψυχῆς ὀφθαλμῷ πάντα κατοπτεύων ἐπίσταται λανθάνων. εἰ δὲ παραδεξόμεθα καὶ ἡμεῖς (ὡς οἱ πολλοί) ὅτι καὶ ὁ ἀληθὴς προ- φήτης οὐ πάντοτε, ἀλλ' ἐνίοτε (ὅτε ἔχει τὸ πνεῦμα καὶ διὰ τοῦτο) προγινώσκει, ὁπότε δὲ οὐκ ἔχει, ἀγνοεῖ, -ἐὰν οὕτως ὑπολάβωμεν, καὶ ἑαυτοὺς ἀπατῶμεν καὶ ἄλλους ἐνεδρεύσομεν. τὸ γὰρ τοιοῦτον μανικῶς ἐνθουσιώντων ἐστὶν ὑπὸ πνεύματος ἀταξίας, τῶν παρὰ βωμοῖς μεθυόντων καὶ κνίσης ἐνφορουμένων. τινὶ γὰρ προφητείαν ἐπαγγέλλεσθαι θέλοντι ἐὰν συγχωρηθῇ πιστεύεσθαι ἐν οἷς ψεύστης φωρᾶται ὅτι τότε τὸ τῆς προγνώσεως ἅγιον οὐκ εἶχεν πνεῦμα, οὐκ εὐέλεγκτος ἔσται ψεύστης ὑπάρχων προφήτης· ἐν οἷς γὰρ ὡς πολλὰ λέγων ὀλίγα ἐπιτυγ- χάνει, τότε τὸ πνεῦμα ἔχειν πιστεύεται, ἔτι τε τὰ πρῶτα ἔσχατα λέγει, τὰ ἔσχατα πρῶτα, τὰ γενόμενα ὡς ἐσόμενα, τὰ ἐσόμενα ὡς ἤδη γεγονότα,