distributed to all upon the earth, Moses was a helper and was shown to be an introducer of the most beautiful teachings to all, first by having cried out explicitly that the creator of all things is one by nature, and turning them away from the others, which were also brought by him into being and to exist at all. Most usefully, therefore, and very clearly, having passed over much overly subtle speech, he has proceeded to the discussion of more necessary things. 2.21 For what need was there to say what the nature of the waters is, or how it came to be in the beginning, and to measure the abysses and the nature of heaven, and to investigate the manner of the existence of the angels? For I think it is to be confessed that these things would be difficult for anyone to explain. But even if it were possible at all to speak of them, with God making one wise, who would have been the one to listen, or rather, who would have been able to understand things so subtle, and even beyond understanding? And yet we will find those of that time, in which the writing of the all-wise Moses was composed, to be behind even the ignorance of the Greeks; for they, from those things from which it was possible to see clearly the glory of God, through these very things would be caught, having fallen into the pit of the utmost folly of all. For as the divinely-inspired Scripture says, it was surely necessary for those of old to perceive the creator and craftsman of all things from the beauty of created things; but they were possessed by such foolishness that even from those things from which it was fitting to be carried to the knowledge of the truth, through these very things they were caught, suffering the state of being attached to falsehood. And the all-wise Paul would be a faithful witness of this, having written thus. For his invisible attributes are clearly seen from the creation of the world, being understood through the things he has made, both his eternal power and divinity, so that they are without excuse. Because, although they knew God, they did not glorify him as God or give thanks, but they became futile in their thinking, and their foolish hearts were darkened. 2.22 And this would be fitting for those who have devised a gregarious and vulgar and utterly irrational false worship, such as were, as I said, those to whom the discourse of the all-wise Moses was made; but that they would be detected as being full of a stupidity that has reached its limit, we shall see without trouble, having investigated the opinion of those after them. For somewhere Plutarch, being overly subtle, said concerning them in the first book of the Collection of Physical Doctrines: From this they received the concept of God. For always the sun and moon and the rest of the stars, having been carried beneath the earth, rise similar in colors, and equal in their sizes and in the same places; and again in the same book: They define the concept of God thus: an intelligent and fiery spirit, having no form, but changing into what it wishes and conforming itself to all things. And they got a concept of this first from approaching the beauty of the things that appear, seeing that none of the beautiful things comes to be randomly and by chance, but with some creative art. And to these things I will add what Hermes Trismegistus also once wrote in To his own Mind (for so the book is named): So then, you say, God is invisible? Speak reverently. And who is more manifest than he? For this reason he has made things, so that through all things one may see him. This is the good of God, this is his virtue, that he appears through all things. 2.23 And agreeing with these things we shall also see Julian, the accuser of our holy religion. For he maintains that to know God is something untaught and self-learned for humans, and he speaks thus: {JULIAN} That this is not taught but exists by nature in humans, let our first proof be the common eagerness of all humans, privately and publicly, both individually and by nations, concerning the divine. For we all without being taught have believed in something divine, concerning which the exact nature is not for all

κατανεμηθείσης ἅπαντας τοὺς ἐπὶ τῆς γῆς, ἐπίκουρος ἦν ὁ Μωσῆς καὶ τῶν καλλίστων ἅπασι μαθημάτων εἰσηγητὴς ἀνεδείκνυτο, εἷς μὲν ὅτι κατὰ φύσιν ἐστὶν ὁ τῶν ὅλων δημιουργὸς διαρρήδην ἀνακεκραγώς, ἀφιστὰς δὲ τῶν ἄλλων, ἃ καὶ δι' αὐτοῦ παρήχθη πρὸς τὸ εἶναί τε καὶ ὑπάρχειν ὅλως. Χρειωδέστατα τοίνυν καὶ μάλα σαφῶς τὸ πολὺ λίαν ἰσχνομυθεῖν παρελάσας, ἐπὶ τὸν τῶν ἀναγκαιοτέρων κεχώρηκε λόγον. 2.21 Τί γὰρ ἔδει ποία μέν ἐστιν ἡ τῶν ὑδάτων φύσις εἰπεῖν, ἢ καὶ ὅπως γέγονε τὴν ἀρχήν, ἀναμετρῆσαί τε καὶ ἀβύσσους καὶ οὐρανοῦ φύσιν, καὶ τῆς τῶν ἀγγέλων ὑπάρξεως πολυπραγμονῆσαι τὸν τρόπον; Ταυτὶ μὲν γὰρ ὅτι δυσεξήγητα παντὶ γένοιτ' ἂν ὡμολογῆσθαι νομίζω. Ἀλλ' εἴπερ ἦν ὅλως καὶ διειπεῖν δύνασθαι σοφοῦντος Θεοῦ, τίς ἂν ἦν ὁ ἀκροασόμενος ἤγουν συνιέναι τὰ οὕτως ἰσχνά μᾶλλον δὲ καὶ ὑπὲρ νοῦν οἷός τε ὤν; Καίτοι καὶ αὐτῆς τῆς Ἑλλήνων ἀμαθίας κατόπιν ὄντας εὑρήσομεν τοὺς κατ' ἐκεῖνο καιροῦ, καθ' ὃν καὶ ἡ τοῦ πανσόφου Μωσέως ἐπράττετο συγγραφή· ἐκεῖνοι μὲν γὰρ ἀφ' ὧν ἦν δύνασθαι τὴν τοῦ Θεοῦ δόξαν διειδέναι σαφῶς, διὰ τούτων αὐτῶν ἁλοῖεν ἂν εἰς τὸ τῆς ἐσχάτης ἁπασῶν ἀβελτηρίας πεσόντες βάραθρον. Ὡς γὰρ δή φησιν ἡ θεόπνευστος Γραφή, ἐχρῆν δήπου τοὺς πάλαι τὸν τῶν ὅλων δημιουργὸν καὶ τεχνίτην ἀπὸ καλλονῆς κτισμάτων ἐννοεῖν· οἱ δὲ πρὸς τοῦτο κατῴχοντο δυσβουλίας ὥστε καὶ ἐξ ὧν ἦν εἰκὸς ἐπὶ τὴν τῆς ἀληθείας ἀποφέρεσθαι γνῶσιν, διὰ τούτων αὐτῶν ἁλῶναι παθόντας τὸ προσκεῖσθαι τῷ ψεύδει. Γένοιτο δ' ἂν καὶ τούτου μάρτυς πιστὸς ὁ πάνσοφος Παῦλος ὡδὶ γεγραφώς. Τὰ γὰρ ἀόρατα αὐτοῦ ἀπὸ κτίσεως κόσμου τοῖς ποιήμασι νοούμενα καθορᾶται, ἥ τε ἀΐδιος αὐτοῦ δύναμις καὶ θειότης, εἰ τὸ εἶναι αὐτοὺς ἀναπολογήτους διότι γνόντες τὸν Θεὸν οὐχ ὡς Θεὸν ἐδόξασαν ἢ εὐχαρίστησαν, ἀλλὰ ἐματαιώθησαν ἐν τοῖς διαλογισμοῖς αὐτῶν, καὶ ἐσκοτίσθη ἡ ἀσύνετος αὐτῶν καρδία. 2.22 Καὶ τοῦτο μὲν ἂν πρέποι τοῖς τὴν ἀγελαίαν καὶ συρφετώδη καὶ ἀλόγιστον πάντως ψευδολατρείαν ἐξευρηκόσιν, ὁποῖοί τινες ἦσαν, ὡς ἔφην, οἱ πρὸς οὓς ὁ τοῦ πανσόφου Μωσέως πεποίηται λόγος· ὅτι δὲ τῆς εἰς λῆξιν ἡκούσης ἐμβροντησίας ἀνάπλεῳ γεγονότες καταφωραθεῖεν ἄν, ἀμογητὶ κατοψόμεθα τὴν τῶν μετ' αὐτοὺς πολυπραγμονήσαντες δόξαν. Ἔφη γάρ που περὶ αὐτῶν ἰσχνὸς ὢν ἄγαν ὁ Πλούταρχος ἐν τῷ πρώτῳ βιβλίῳ Φυσικῶν δογμάτων συναγωγῆς· Ἔλαβον δὲ ἐκ τούτου ἔννοιαν Θεοῦ· ἀεί τε γὰρ ἥλιος καὶ σελήνη καὶ τὰ λοιπὰ τῶν ἄστρων τὴν ὑπόγειον ἐνεχθέντα ὅμοια μὲν ἀνατέλλει τοῖς χρώμασιν, ἴσα δὲ τοῖς μεγέθεσι καὶ κατὰ τόπους τοὺς αὐτούς· καὶ πάλιν ἐν τῷ αὐτῷ βιβλίῳ· Ὁρίζονται δὲ τὴν τοῦ Θεοῦ ἔννοιαν οὕτως· πνεῦμα νοερὸν καὶ πυρῶδες, οὐκ ἔχον μὲν μορφήν, μεταβάλλον δὲ εἰς ὃ βούλεται καὶ συνεξομοιούμενον πᾶσιν. Ἔσχον δὲ ἔννοιαν τούτου πρῶτον μὲν ἀπὸ τοῦ κάλλους τῶν ἐμφαινομένων προσβαλόντες ὡς οὐδὲν τῶν καλῶν εἰκῇ καὶ ὡς ἔτυχε γίνεται, ἀλλὰ μετά τινος τέχνης δημιουργούσης. Προσεποίσω δὲ τούτοις ἃ γέγραγε πότε καὶ ὁ Τρισμέγιστος Ἑρμῆς Πρὸς τὸν ἑαυτοῦ Νοῦν (ὀνομάζεται γὰρ ὡδὶ τὸ βιβλίον)· Εἶτα, φῄς, ἀόρατος ὁ Θεός; Εὐφήμησον. Καὶ τίς αὐτοῦ φανερώτερος; ∆ιὰ τοῦτο πεποίηκεν ἵνα διὰ πάντων τις αὐτὸν βλέπῃ. Τοῦτό ἐστι τὸ ἀγαθὸν τοῦ Θεοῦ, τοῦτο ἡ ἀρετή, τὸ αὐτὸν φαίνεσθαι διὰ πάντων. 2.23 Ὁμολογοῦντα δὲ τούτοις καὶ αὐτὸν ὀψόμεθα τὸν τῆς εὐαγοῦς ἡμῶν θρησκείας κατήγορον Ἰουλιανόν. ∆ιισχυρίζεται μὲν γὰρ ὡς ἀδίδακτόν τι χρῆμα καὶ αὐτομαθὲς ἀνθρώποις τὸ εἰδέναι Θεόν, φησὶ δὲ οὕτως· {ΙΟΥΛΙΑΝΟΣ} Ὅτι δὲ οὐ διδακτὸν ἀλλὰ φύσει τοῦτο τοῖς ἀνθρώποις ὑπάρχει, τεκμήριον ἡμῖν ἔστω πρῶτον ἡ κοινὴ πάντων ἀνθρώπων ἰδίᾳ καὶ δημοσίᾳ καὶ κατ' ἄνδρα καὶ ἔθνη περὶ τὸ θεῖον προθυμία. Ἅπαντες μὲν γὰρ ἀδιδάκτως θεῖόν τι πεπιστεύκαμεν, ὑπὲρ οὗ τὸ μὲν ἀκριβὲς οὔτε πᾶσι