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inherent within. 1.10.3 But the account of the Greeks concerning the ancients was something like this; but that of the Hebrew scripture is not so. For it relates that the very first men, at the first constitution of life, honored the deity with sacrifices of animals. 1.10.4 For it says: "And it came to pass after some days that Cain brought of the fruits of the ground a sacrifice unto the Lord; and Abel, he also brought of the firstlings of his flock. And God had respect unto Abel and to his offerings; but unto Cain and to his sacrifices He had not respect." 1.10.5 Here you will observe that he who sacrificed an animal is said to have been more acceptable than he who brought to God the sacrifice from the earth. And Noah also immediately "of all clean cattle, and of all clean fowls, offered burnt offerings on the altar; and the Lord smelled a sweet savor." But Abraham also is recorded to have sacrificed, so that according to the testimony of the divine scripture, the sacrifice of animals was the first of all devised by the ancient lovers of God. 1.10.6 And the reasoning for this, I think, was not ordinary nor humanly conceived, but was suggested by divine inspiration. For since they saw, being pious in their manner and devoted to God and enlightened in their souls by the divine Spirit, that they needed a great propitiation for the cleansing of their mortal transgressions, they considered that a ransom for their salvation was owed to the giver of both life and soul. 1.10.7 Then, having nothing better or more precious than their own soul to consecrate, for the time being they offered in its stead the sacrifice of irrational animals, presenting a substitute life for their own soul; thinking that in this they were not sinning nor doing wrong, because they were taught that the soul of irrational creatures was not like the rational and intellectual faculty of men, and having learned that it was nothing else than their blood, and the vital force in the blood, which they offered up to God as a life for a life. 1.10.8 And Moses himself clarifies this most plainly somewhere, saying: "The soul of all flesh is its blood, and I have given you the blood upon the altar to make atonement for your sins; for their blood shall make atonement for the soul. Therefore I have said to the children of Israel, No soul of you shall eat blood." 1.10.9 Pay careful attention then in these words to how it is said: "I have given you [the blood] upon the altar to make atonement for your souls, for the blood shall make atonement for the soul." For he clearly says that the blood of the sacrificed animals makes atonement instead of the human soul. And the law concerning sacrifices also suggests this to one who examines it with contemplation. 1.10.10 For it commands everyone who sacrifices to lay his hands upon the head of the victim, and to bring the animal to the priest, holding it by the head, as if offering the victim on behalf of his own head. And so it says in each case: "He shall bring it before the Lord, and he shall lay his hands upon the head of the offering." 1.10.11 And so it has been observed for every victim, no sacrifice being offered otherwise. By which the word shows that the animals sacrificed were brought as a substitute for their own soul; and he who taught that the blood of irrational animals is the soul, in no way represents that they partake of rational and intellectual substance like men, for their constitution is of matter and bodies, similar to the plants and shoots from the earth. 1.10.7βις In a word, then, Moses again says that God said: "Let the earth bring forth grass, the herb yielding seed, and the fruit tree." And again similarly: "Let the earth bring forth the four-footed beast, and creeping thing, and beast of the earth after its kind." 1.10.13 So that irrational animals are to be considered of the same genus, and of the same nature, and of the same substance as the plants and shoots from the earth, for which reason those who sacrificed animals did not sin at all. For it was also said to Noah to eat meat as the green herb of the field. 1.10.14 As long, therefore, as the better and the great and precious and God-befitting victim was not yet present

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ἐνυπαρχούσης. 1.10.3 Ἀλλ' ὁ μὲν τῶν Ἑλλήνων περὶ τῶν παλαιῶν λόγος τοιόσδε τις ἦν· ὁ δέ γε τῆς Ἑβραίων γραφῆς οὐ τοιοῦτος. τοὺς γάρ τοι πρώτους εὐθὺς γενομένους ἀνθρώπους ἅμα τῇ πρώτῃ συστάσει τοῦ βίου θυσίαις ταῖς ἀπὸ ζῴων τιμῆσαι τὸ θεῖον ἱστορεῖ. 1.10.4 λέγει δ' οὖν· «καὶ ἐγένετο μεθ' ἡμέρας ἤνεγκε Κάϊν ἀπὸ τῶν καρπῶν τῆς γῆς θυσίαν τῷ κυρίῳ· καὶ Ἄβελ ἤνεγκε καὶ αὐτὸς ἀπὸ τῶν πρωτοτόκων τῶν προβάτων αὐτοῦ. καὶ ἐπεῖδεν ὁ θεὸς ἐπὶ Ἄβελ καὶ ἐπὶ τοῖς δώροις αὐτοῦ· ἐπὶ δὲ Κάϊν καὶ ταῖς θυσίαις αὐτοῦ οὐ προσέσχεν». 1.10.5 ἔνθα δὴ ἐπιστήσεις ὡς μᾶλλον ὁ ζῳοθυτήσας ἀπόδεκτος εἴρηται παρὰ τὸν ἀπὸ γῆς προσαγαγόντα τῷ θεῷ τὴν θυσίαν. καὶ Νῶε δὲ εὐθὺς «ἀπὸ πάντων τῶν κτηνῶν τῶν καθαρῶν καὶ ἀπὸ πάντων τῶν πετεινῶν τῶν καθαρῶν ἀνήνεγκεν ὁλοκαρπώσεις ἐπὶ τὸ θυσιαστήριον, καὶ ὠσφράνθη κύριος ὀσμὴν εὐωδίας». ἀλλὰ καὶ Ἀβραὰμ θύσας ἀναγέγραπται, ὥστε κατὰ τὴν τῆς θείας γραφῆς μαρτυρίαν πρώτην ἁπάντων τὴν διὰ ζῴων θυσίαν ἐπινενοῆσθαι τοῖς πάλαι θεοφιλέσι. 1.10.6 τούτου δὲ τὸν λογισμὸν ἡγοῦμαι εἶναι οὐ τὸν τύχοντα οὐδ' ἀνθρωπίνως κεκινημένον, κατὰ θείαν δ' ἐπίνοιαν ὑποβεβλημένον. ἐπειδὴ γὰρ ἑώρων, ἅτε τὸν τρόπον εὐσεβεῖς καὶ θεῷ προσῳκειωμένοι θείῳ τε πνεύματι τὰς ψυχὰς πεφωτισμένοι, μεγάλης αὐτοῖς θεραπείας δεῖν εἰς ἀποκάθαρσιν τῶν θνητῶν πλημμελημάτων, λύτρον τῆς αὐτῶν σωτηρίας τῷ καὶ ζωῆς καὶ ψυχῆς χορηγῷ προσοφείλεσθαι ἡγοῦντο. 1.10.7 ἔπειτα μηδὲν κρεῖττον καὶ τιμιώτερον τῆς οἰκείας ψυχῆς καθιεροῦν ἔχοντες, ἀντὶ ταύτης τέως τὴν διὰ τῶν ἀλόγων ζῴων προσῆγον θυσίαν, τῆς σφῶν ψυχῆς ἀντίψυχα προσκομίζοντες· οὐδὲν κατὰ τοῦτο πλημμελεῖν οὐδ' ἀδικεῖν ἡγούμενοι, ὅτι μηδὲ τῇ τῶν ἀνθρώπων λογικῇ καὶ νοερᾷ δυνάμει παραπλησίαν εἶναι τὴν ψυχὴν τῶν ἀλόγων ἐπαιδεύοντο, οὐδ' ἄλλο τι εἶναι αὐτὴν ἢ τὸ αἷμα αὐτῶν εἶναι μεμαθηκότες, καὶ τὴν ἐν τῷ αἵματι ζωτικὴν δύναμιν, ὃ καὶ παρέχειν αὐτοὺς ὥσπερ ψυχὴν ἀντὶ ψυχῆς ἀναφέροντας τῷ θεῷ. 1.10.8 τοῦτο δὲ αὐτὸ Μωσῆς λευκότατά που διασαφεῖ, λέγων· «ψυχὴ πάσης σαρκὸς αἷμα αὐτοῦ ἐστιν, καὶ ἐγὼ δέδωκα ὑμῖν τὸ αἷμα ἐπὶ τοῦ θυσιαστηρίου, ἐξιλάσκεσθαι περὶ τῶν ἁμαρτιῶν ὑμῶν· τὸ γὰρ αἷμα αὐτῶν ἀντὶ ψυχῆς ἐξιλάσεται. διὰ τοῦτο εἴρηκα τοῖς υἱοῖς Ἰσραήλ, πᾶσα ψυχὴ ἐξ ὑμῶν οὐ φάγεται αἷμα». 1.10.9 πρόσσχες γοῦν ἐπιμελῶς ἐν τούτοις ὅπως εἴρηται τό «ἐγὼ δέδωκα ὑμῖν ἐπὶ τοῦ θυσιαστηρίου ἐξιλάσκεσθαι περὶ τῶν ψυχῶν ὑμῶν, τὸ γὰρ αἷμα ἀντὶ τῆς ψυχῆς ἐξιλάσεται». σαφῶς γὰρ ἀντὶ τῆς ἀνθρωπίνης ψυχῆς τὸ τῶν σφαγιαζομένων ζῴων αἷμά φησιν ἐξιλάσκεσθαι. τοῦτο δὲ αὐτὸ καὶ ὁ περὶ τῶν θυσιῶν νόμος ὑποβάλλει νοεῖν τῷ τεθεωρημένως σκοποῦντι. 1.10.10 πάντα γοῦν τὸν θύοντα τὰς χεῖρας ἐπιβάλλειν προστάττει τῇ κεφαλῇ τοῦ θυομένου, προσκομίζειν δὲ τὸ ζῷον τῷ ἱερεῖ τῆς κεφαλῆς ἐχόμενον, ὡσανεὶ ὑπὲρ τῆς ἑαυτοῦ κεφαλῆς τὸ ἱερεῖον προσφέροντα. λέγει δ' οὖν ἐφ' ἑκάστῳ· «προσάξει αὐτὸ ἔναντι κυρίου, καὶ ἐπιθήσει τὰς χεῖρας αὐτοῦ ἐπὶ τὴν κεφαλὴν τοῦ δώρου». 1.10.11 Καὶ οὕτως ἐφ' ἑκάστου τετήρηται θύματος, οὐδεμιᾶς θυσίας ἄλλως ἀναφερομένης. δι' ὧν ὁ λόγος παρίστησιν, ὅτι δὴ ἀντίψυχα τῆς αὐτῶν ψυχῆς προσήγετο τὰ ζῳοθυτούμενα· ὁ δὲ τῶν ἀλόγων ζῴων τὸ αἷμα τὴν ψυχὴν εἶναι διδάξας, οὐδαμῶς λογικῆς καὶ νοερᾶς οὐσίας ὁμοίως τοῖς ἀνθρώποις μετέχειν αὐτὰ παρίστησιν, εἶναι γὰρ αὐτῶν τὴν σύστασιν ἐξ ὕλης καὶ σωμάτων, τοῖς ἀπὸ γῆς βλαστήμασι καὶ φυτοῖς παραπλησίαν. 1.10.7βις ἑνὶ δ' οὖν λόγῳ πάλιν ὁ Μωσῆς φησιν τὸν θεὸν εἰπεῖν· «βλαστησάτω ἡ γῆ βοτάνην χόρτου, σπεῖρον σπέρμα καὶ ξύλον κάρπιμον». καὶ αὖθις παραπλησίως· «ἐξαγαγέτω ἡ γῆ τετράποδα καὶ ἑρπετὰ καὶ θηρία τῆς γῆς κατὰ γένος». 1.10.13 ὥστε ὁμογενῆ καὶ ὁμοφυῆ καὶ ὁμοούσια εἶναι ἡγεῖσθαι τοῖς ἀπὸ γῆς βλαστήμασι καὶ φυτοῖς τὰ ἄλογα, διὸ καὶ μηδαμῶς πλημμελεῖν τοὺς ζῳοθυτοῦντας. εἴρηται γοῦν καὶ τῷ Νῶε ἔδεσθαι κρέα ὡς λάχανα ἀγροῦ. 1.10.14 Ἕως μὲν οὖν οὐδέπω τὸ κρεῖττον οὐδὲ τὸ μέγα καὶ τίμιον καὶ θεοπρεπὲς σφάγιον παρῆν