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Reasonably among most of the nations the superstition of the ancient error. But indeed, one must also speak of the things of the Greeks. The august things of the Egyptian theology indeed have been comprised in the manner previously set forth, but that the Greek things happen to be fragments and mishearings of these very things has been said many times and through the judgment of the aforementioned writers; nevertheless it would also become clear from the Greek theology itself, as they introduce in their own records about the gods nothing from home, but mythologies that fall in from outside; for they are shown to make use of similar wooden images and the same mysteries, as it is possible to learn from the history also concerning these things, which the one who gathered the libraries together into one place, whom I also mentioned before, relates in the third and fourth book of his aforementioned treatise, having made the beginning of theology from the times of Cadmus. And the accurate successions of the chronographies show that Cadmus lived after Moses, as we shall demonstrate at the proper time; so that Moses is demonstrated to have come before the Greek gods, if indeed he was before Cadmus, and the gods appear to be younger in age than Cadmus. Hear then the words of the writer: 3. GREEK THEOLOGY “They say that Cadmus, the son of Agenor, was sent from Phoenicia by the king in search of Europa, who was seized by Zeus; and not finding her, he came to Boeotia and founded Thebes there, and having married Harmonia, the daughter of Aphrodite, he begot from her Semele and her sisters. And Zeus, having mingled with Semele, was asked to make his embraces for her similar to those with Hera. And when he came in a manner befitting a god with thunder and lightning, Semele, being pregnant and unable to endure it, miscarried the infant, and she herself died by the fire. And Zeus, taking the child, handed it over to Hermes and sent it out to the cave in Nysa, which is situated between Phoenicia and the Nile. And Dionysus, having been reared in this way by the nymphs, became the inventor of wine and taught men the cultivation of the vine. And he also discovered the drink made from barley, that which is called beer; and he led about an army not only of men, but also of women, and he punished the unjust and impious among men. And he campaigned into India for a period of three years. From this the Greeks established triennial sacrifices to Dionysus and believe the god at this time makes his appearances among men, and all men revere him because of the gift of wine, just as also Demeter because of the discovery of grain for food. And they say there is also another Dionysus, much older than this one in time, the one named Sabazius by some, born from Zeus and Persephone; whose birth and sacrifices and honors they introduce as nocturnal and secret on account of the shame that follows from the union. whom also as the first attempted to yoke oxen, from which indeed they also represent him as horned. And they say the younger one from Semele was delicate in body, and excelled in beauty, and was prone to the pleasures of Aphrodite, and on his campaigns he led about a multitude of women armed with thyrsus-tipped lances. And they also say that the Muses traveled abroad with him, being virgins and exceedingly well-educated, who also entertained the god through song and dance. and his tutor Silenus contributed greatly to him towards virtue. and against the headaches from excessive wine his head was bound with a miter. and they call him 'of two mothers' because the two Dionysuses were of one father, but of two mothers. and they attach a fennel-stalk to him because the ancients, drinking unmixed wine, became frenzied and struck one another with their staffs, so that some were even killed, whence instead of wooden staffs he instituted the use of fennel-stalks. and he himself was also called

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εἰκότως παρὰ τοῖς πλεί2.1.53 στοις τῶν ἐθνῶν ἡ τῆς παλαιᾶς πλάνης δεισιδαιμονία. ἀλλὰ γὰρ λεκτέον καὶ τὰ Ἑλλήνων. τὰ μὲν δὴ σεμνὰ τῆς Αἰγυπτίων θεολογίας τὸν προεκτεθέντα περιείληφε τρόπον, τὰ δὲ Ἑλληνικὰ ὅτι τούτων αὐτῶν ἀποσπάσματα καὶ παρακούσματα τυγχάνει προείρηται μὲν πολλάκις καὶ διὰ τῆς τῶν προτεθέντων 2.1.54 συγγραφέων διαγνώσεως· οὐ μὴν ἀλλὰ καὶ ἐξ αὐτῆς τῆς Ἑλληνικῆς θεολογίας γένοιτ' ἂν ἔκδηλον ἐπαγομένων ἐν ταῖς οἰκείαις περὶ θεῶν ἀναγραφαῖς οἴκοθεν μὲν οὐδέν, ταῖς δὲ τῶν ἔξωθεν περιπιπτόντων μυθολογίαις· 2.1.55 ξοάνοις τε γὰρ τοῖς παραπλησίοις καὶ μυστηρίοις τοῖς αὐτοῖς ἀποδείκνυνται συγχρώμενοι, ὡς ἔστι μαθεῖν ἐκ τῆς καὶ περὶ τούτων ἱστορίας, ἣν ὁ τὰς βιβλιοθήκας ἐπὶ ταὐτὸν ὁμοῦ συναγαγὼν οὗ καὶ πρόσθεν ἐμνημόνευσα, κατὰ τὸ τρίτον καὶ τέταρτον τῆς δηλωθείσης αὐτοῦ πραγματείας ἱστορεῖ, 2.1.56 τὴν τῆς θεολογίας ἀρχὴν ἀπὸ τῶν Κάδμου χρόνων πεποιημένος. τὸν δὲ Κάδμον μετὰ Μωσέα γενέσθαι αἱ ἀκριβεῖς τῶν χρονογραφιῶν παριστῶσι διαδοχαί, ὡς κατὰ καιρὸν ἐπιδείξομεν· ὥστε καὶ τῶν Ἑλληνικῶν θεῶν ἀποδείκνυσθαι τὸν Μωσέα προτερεῖν, εἰ δὴ πρὸ Κάδμου μὲν οὗτος, οἱ δὲ θεοὶ νεώτεροι τῆς Κάδμου γεγονότες ἡλικίας ἀναφαίνονται. ἄκουε δ' οὖν τῶν τοῦ συγγραφέως φωνῶν· 2.2.1 γʹ. ΕΛΛΗΝΩΝ ΘΕΟΛΟΓΙΑ «Κάδμον τὸν Ἀγήνορός φασιν ἐκ Φοινίκης ὑπὸ τοῦ βασιλέως ἀποσταλῆναι πρὸς ἀναζήτησιν τῆς Εὐρώπης, ἣν ὑπὸ ∆ιὸς ἁρπαγῆναι· μὴ εὑρόντα δὲ εἰς Βοιωτίαν ἐλθεῖν κτίσαι τε τὰς αὐτόθι Θήβας, γήμαντα δὲ Ἁρμονίαν τὴν 2.2.2 Ἀφροδίτης γεννῆσαι ἐξ αὐτῆς Σεμέλην καὶ τὰς ταύτης ἀδελφάς. τῇ δὲ Σεμέλῃ τὸν ∆ία μιγέντα παρακληθῆναι τὰς ἐπιπλοκὰς ὁμοίας αὐτῇ ποιήσασθαι ταῖς πρὸς τὴν Ἥραν. ἐπελθόντος δὲ αὐτοῦ θεοπρεπῶς μετὰ βροντῶν καὶ ἀστραπῶν, οὐκ ἐνεγκοῦσαν τὴν Σεμέλην ἐγκύμονα οὖσαν ἐκ2.2.3 τρῶσαι τὸ βρέφος, ὑπὸ δὲ τοῦ πυρὸς αὐτὴν τελευτῆσαι. τὸν δὲ ∆ία λαβόντα τὸ παιδίον παραδοῦναι τῷ Ἑρμῇ ἐκπέμψαι τε εἰς τὸ ἐν τῇ Νύσῃ ἄντρον, κείμενον μεταξὺ Φοινίκης τε καὶ Νείλου. οὕτω δὲ τραφέντα τὸν ∆ιόνυσον ὑπὸ τῶν νυμφῶν εὑρετὴν τοῦ οἴνου γενέσθαι καὶ τὴν φυτείαν διδάξαι τῆς 2.2.4 ἀμπέλου τοὺς ἀνθρώπους. εὑρεῖν δὲ καὶ τὸ ἐκ τῆς κριθῆς κατασκευαζό μενον πόμα, τὸ καλούμενον ζῦθον· περιφέρειν δὲ στρατόπεδον οὐ μόνον ἀνδρῶν, ἀλλὰ καὶ γυναικῶν, τοὺς δ' ἀδίκους καὶ ἀσεβεῖς τῶν ἀνθρώπων κο2.2.5 λάζειν. στρατεῦσαι δὲ εἰς τὴν Ἰνδικὴν τριετεῖ χρόνῳ. ἐντεῦθεν τοὺς Ἕλληνας καταδεῖξαι τριετηρικὰς θυσίας ∆ιονύσῳ καὶ τὸν θεὸν νομίζειν κατὰ τὸν χρόνον τοῦτον ποιεῖσθαι τὰς παρὰ τοῖς ἀνθρώποις ἐπιφανείας σέβειν τε αὐτὸν πάντας ἀνθρώπους διὰ τὴν τοῦ οἴνου δόσιν, ὥσπερ καὶ τὴν ∆ήμητραν 2.2.6 διὰ τὴν τοῦ σίτου τῆς τροφῆς εὕρεσιν. Εἶναι δέ φασι καὶ ἄλλον ∆ιόνυσον πολὺ τοῖς χρόνοις προτεροῦντα τούτου, τὸν ὑπό τινων Σαβάζιον ὀνομαζόμενον, ἐκ ∆ιὸς καὶ Περσεφόνης γενόμενον· οὗ τὴν γένεσιν καὶ τὰς θυσίας καὶ τὰς τιμὰς νυκτερινὰς καὶ κρυφίους εἰσάγουσι διὰ τὴν αἰσχύνην τὴν ἐκ τῆς 2.2.7 συνουσίας ἐπακολουθοῦσαν. ὃν καὶ πρῶτον ἐπιχειρῆσαι βοῦς ζευγνύειν, ἀφ' οὗ δὴ καὶ κερατίαν αὐτὸν εἰσάγουσιν. τὸν δὲ ἐκ Σεμέλης νεώτερον, τρυφερὸν τῷ σώματι, καὶ εὐπρεπείᾳ διενεγκεῖν καὶ πρὸς τὰς ἀφροδισιακὰς ἡδονὰς εὐκατάφορον γεγονέναι φασίν, κατὰ δὲ τὰς στρατείας γυναικῶν πλῆθος περιάγειν 2.2.8 καθωπλισμένας λόγχαις τεθυρσωμέναις. φασὶ δὲ καὶ τὰς Μούσας αὐτῷ συναποδημεῖν παρθένους οὔσας καὶ πεπαιδευμένας διαφερόντως, ἃς καὶ διὰ μελῳδίας καὶ ὀρχήσεως ψυχαγωγεῖν τὸν θεόν. παιδαγωγόν τε αὐτοῦ Σειληνὸν μεγάλα συμβάλλεσθαι αὐτῷ πρὸς ἀρετήν. πρὸς δὲ τὰς ἐκ τοῦ πλεονάζοντος 2.2.9 οἴνου κεφαλαλγίας ἀναδεδέσθαι τὴν κεφαλὴν μίτρᾳ. διμήτορα δὲ αὐτὸν προσαγορεύουσιν διὰ τὸ πατρὸς μὲν ἑνὸς ὑπάρξαι τοὺς δύο ∆ιονύσους, μητέρων δὲ δυοῖν. νάρθηκα δὲ προσάπτουσιν αὐτῷ διὰ τὸ πίνοντας ἄκρατον τοὺς παλαιοὺς τὸν οἶνον μανιώδεις γίνεσθαι καὶ ταῖς βακτηρίαις ἀλλήλους τύπτειν, ὡς καὶ ἀναιρεῖσθαί τινας, ὅθεν καὶ ἀντὶ ξύλων νάρθηξι χρῆσθαι καταδεῖξαι. καὶ καλεῖσθαι καὶ αὐτὸν