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only, but also they have consecrated not a few of the others in the rites, as the cause of the generation of animals; and that the priests who have received the ancestral priesthoods in Egypt are initiated to this god. And they say that the Pans and the Satyrs are honored among men for the same reason; for which reason most people also set up their images in the temples, erect and similar to the nature of the goat; for this animal is said to be most vigorous for sexual intercourse. and the sacred bulls, the Apis and the Mnevis, are honored similarly to the gods, partly on account of agriculture, and partly because the discovery of grains is attributed to them. And wolves are honored because of the similarity of their nature to dogs, and because long ago, they say, when Isis with her child Horus was about to contend against Typhon, Osiris came from Hades as a helper to his child and wife, having been made like a wolf in appearance. But others say that Ethiopians who had marched against Egypt were pursued by a multitude of wolves; for which reason the land was also called Lycopolite. And they say the crocodile is worshipped because the robbers from Arabia and Libya do not dare to swim across the Nile on account of the crocodiles. And they say that one of their kings, being pursued by his own dogs, fled into the lake, and then was miraculously taken up by a crocodile and carried to the other side. And some give other reasons for the honor of the irrational animals. For when the multitude in ancient times was defecting from the kings and agreeing to be ruled no longer, someone devised to provide for them different objects of worship among the animals, so that each group, while worshipping the one honored among them, and despising those consecrated among the others, would never be able to agree, all those in Egypt. And whenever one of the said animals dies, having covered it with a linen cloth and with wailing, beating their breasts, they bury it in sacred chests. And whoever intentionally destroys one of these animals, suffers death, except if he kills a cat or an ibis; but these, if anyone kills, whether intentionally or unintentionally, he suffers death in any case. But indeed also, in whatever house a dog is found dead, all shave their whole body and go into mourning; and if wine or grain or any of the necessities of life should happen to be lying in the house, they would not endure to use them any more. And they keep the Apis in Memphis and the Mnevis in Heliopolis and the goat in Mendes and the crocodile in Lake Moeris and the other beasts in sacred enclosures, offering fine flour or boiling groats in milk and kneading all sorts of cakes with honey and geese meat, some boiled, some roasted. and for the carnivorous ones they set out many birds, and they rear with each of the animals the most beautiful females, whom they call concubines. And when the Apis dies and is buried magnificently, they seek another one like it; and when it is found, the multitudes are released from their mourning, and the calf is led first to Nilopolis. And only then do the women see it, standing face to face, and lifting up their garments they show their own genital parts, but for all the rest of the time it is forbidden for them to come into the sight of this god. And they say that the soul of Osiris passed into this one after his death.” Such also is the shameful atheism rather than theology of the Egyptians, against which it is even shameful to object. from which we have rightly departed, spitting on it, having found redemption and freedom from so many evils in no other way than through the saving and evangelical teaching alone, which brought the good news of sight to those blind in their minds. But of these very things, the more solemn theories and physical explanations, we will examine a little later, when we have also discussed the Greek matters. Thus then of Egyptian and Phoenician theology running together intermingled has prevailed

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μόνον, ἀλλὰ καὶ τῶν ἄλλων οὐκ ὀλίγους καθιερω2.1.40 κέναι κατὰ τὰς τελετάς, ὡς αἴτιον τῆς τῶν ζῴων γενέσεως· τούς τε ἱερεῖς τοὺς παραλαβόντας τὰς πατρικὰς ἱερωσύνας κατ' Αἴγυπτον τούτῳ τῷ θεῷ μυεῖσθαι. καὶ τοὺς Πᾶνας δὲ καὶ τοὺς Σατύρους φασὶν ἕνεκα τῆς αὐτῆς αἰτίας τιμᾶσθαι παρὰ ἀνθρώποις· διὸ καὶ τὰς εἰκόνας αὐτῶν ἀνατιθέναι τοὺς πλείστους ἐν τοῖς ἱεροῖς ἐντεταμένας καὶ τῇ τοῦ τράγου φύσει παραπλησίας· τὸ γάρ τοι ζῷον τοῦτο παραδίδοσθαι πρὸς τὰς συνουσίας ὑπάρχειν ἐνερ2.1.41 γότατον. τοὺς δὲ ταύρους τοὺς ἱεροὺς τὸν Ἆπιν καὶ τὸν Μνεῦιν τιμᾶσθαι παραπλησίως τοῖς θεοῖς, ἅμα μὲν διὰ τὴν γεωργίαν, ἅμα δὲ καὶ διὰ τὸ τὴν 2.1.42 εὕρεσιν τῶν καρπῶν αὐτοῖς ἀνατιθέναι. τοὺς δὲ λύκους τιμᾶσθαι διὰ τὴν πρὸς τοὺς κύνας τῆς φύσεως ὁμοιότητα καὶ ἐπεὶ τὸ παλαιόν, φασίν, τῆς Ἴσιδος μετὰ τοῦ παιδὸς Ὥρου μελλούσης διαγωνίζεσθαι πρὸς Τυφῶνα παραγενέσθαι βοηθὸν ἐξ Ἅιδου τὸν Ὄσιριν τῷ τέκνῳ καὶ τῇ γυναικί, λύκῳ τὴν ὄψιν 2.1.43 ὁμοιωθέντα. ἕτεροι δὲ λέγουσιν Αἰθίοπας στρατεύσαντας ἐπὶ τὴν Αἴγυπτον ὑπὸ πλήθους λύκων διωχθῆναι· διὸ καὶ Λυκοπολῖτιν κληθῆναι τὴν χώραν. τὸν δὲ κροκόδειλον σέβεσθαί φασι διὰ τὸ μὴ τολμᾶν διανήχεσθαι τὸν Νεῖλον τοὺς ἀπὸ τῆς Ἀραβίας καὶ Λιβύης λῃστὰς τῶν κροκοδείλων χάριν. 2.1.44 φασὶ δέ τινα τῶν παρ' αὐτοῖς βασιλέων διωκόμενον ὑπὸ τῶν ἰδίων κυνῶν καταφυγεῖν εἰς τὴν λίμνην, ἔπειτα ὑπὸ κροκοδείλου παραδόξως ἀναληφθέντα εἰς 2.1.45 τὸ πέραν ἀπενεχθῆναι. αἰτίας δὲ καὶ ἄλλας φασίν τινες τῆς τῶν ἀλόγων ζῴων τιμῆς. τοῦ γὰρ πλήθους τὸ παλαιὸν ἀφισταμένου τῶν βασιλέων καὶ συμφρονοῦντος εἰς τὸ μηκέτι βασιλεύεσθαι, ἐπινοῆσαί τινα διάφορα σεβάσματα αὐτοῖς τῶν ζῴων παρασχεῖν, ὅπως ἑκάστων τὸ μὲν παρ' αὐτοῖς τιμώμενον σεβομένων, τῶν δὲ παρὰ τοῖς ἄλλοις ἀφιερωμένων καταφρονούντων μηδέποτε 2.1.46 ὁμονοῆσαι δύνωνται πάντες οἱ κατ' Αἴγυπτον. ὅταν δὲ ἀποθάνῃ τι τῶν εἰρημένων ζῴων, σινδόνι καλύψαντες καὶ μετ' οἰμωγῆς τὰ στήθη καταπληξάμενοι ἐν ἱεραῖς θήκαις θάπτουσιν. ὃς δ' ἄν τι τούτων τῶν ζῴων ἑκὼν διαφθείρῃ, θανάτῳ περιπίπτει, πλὴν ἐὰν αἴλουρον ἢ τὴν ἶβιν ἀποκτείνῃ· ταῦτα 2.1.47 δὲ ἐάν τε ἑκὼν ἐάν τε ἄκων ἀποκτείνῃ τις, πάντως θανάτῳ περιπίπτει. ἀλλὰ μὴν καὶ καθ' ἣν ἂν οἰκίαν εὑρεθῇ κύων τετελευτηκώς, ξυρῶνται πάντες ὅλον τὸ σῶμα καὶ ποιοῦνται πένθος· κἂν οἶνος ἢ σῖτος ἤ τι τῶν πρὸς τὸν βίον ἀναγκαίων τύχῃ κείμενον ἐν τῷ οἴκῳ, οὐκ ἂν ἔτι χρήσασθαι αὐτοῖς ὑπομείνειαν. 2.1.48 τρέφουσι δὲ τὸν Ἆπιν ἐν Μέμφει καὶ τὸν Μνεῦιν ἐν Ἡλίου πόλει καὶ τὸν τράγον ἐν Μένδητι καὶ τὸν κροκόδειλον ἐν τῇ Μοίριδος λίμνῃ καὶ τὰ λοιπὰ θηρία ἐν ἱεροῖς περιβόλοις, σεμίδαλιν προσφέροντες ἢ χόνδρον ἕψοντες ἐν γάλακτι καὶ πέμματα παντοδαπὰ μέλιτι φύροντες καὶ κρέα χήνεια τὰ μὲν ἕψοντες, 2.1.49 τὰ δὲ ὀπτῶντες. τοῖς δὲ ὠμοφάγοις πολλὰ τῶν ὀρνέων παραβάλλουσιν, καὶ θηλείας ἑκάστῳ τῶν ζῴων τὰς εὐειδεστάτας συντρέφουσιν, ἃς παλλα2.1.50 κίδας προσαγορεύουσιν. ὅταν δὲ ὁ Ἆπις τελευτήσας ταφῇ μεγαλοπρεπῶς, ζητοῦσιν ἕτερον ὅμοιον· ὅταν δὲ εὑρεθῇ, τὰ μὲν πλήθη τοῦ πένθους ἀπολύεται, ἄγεται δὲ ὁ μόσχος πρῶτον εἰς Νείλου πόλιν. καὶ τότε μόνον αὐτὸν αἱ γυναῖκες ὁρῶσι κατὰ πρόσωπον ἱστάμεναι καὶ δεικνύουσιν ἀνασυράμεναι τὰ ἑαυτῶν γεννητικὰ μόρια, τὸν δὲ ἕτερον χρόνον ἅπαντα κεκωλυμένον ἐστὶν εἰς ὄψιν αὐτὰς ἔρχεσθαι τούτῳ τῷ θεῷ. φασὶ δὲ τὴν τοῦ Ὀσίριδος ψυχὴν εἰς τοῦτον μετὰ τὴν τελευτὴν μεταστῆναι.» 2.1.51 Τοιαύτη καὶ ἡ Αἰγυπτίων ἀσχήμων ἀθεότης μᾶλλον ἢ θεολογία, πρὸς ἣν καὶ τὸ ἐνίστασθαι αἰσχρόν. ἧς καὶ εἰκότως καταπτύσαντες ἀνεχωρήσαμεν, λύτρωσιν καὶ ἐλευθερίαν τῶν τοσούτων κακῶν οὐδ' ἑτέρως εὑράμενοι ἢ διὰ μόνης τῆς σωτηρίου καὶ εὐαγγελικῆς διδασκαλίας, τοῖς τὰς διανοίας 2.1.52 τυφλοῖς τὴν ἀνάβλεψιν εὐαγγελισαμένης. τούτων δὲ αὐτῶν τὰς σεμνοτέρας δὴ θεωρίας τε καὶ φυσιολογίας μικρὸν ὕστερον ἐπισκεψόμεθα, ἐπὰν καὶ τὰ Ἑλληνικὰ διαλάβωμεν. οὕτω δῆτα ἀναμὶξ Αἰγυπτιακῆς ὁμοῦ καὶ Φοινικικῆς συνδραμούσης θεολογίας κεκράτηκεν