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he turns, so that each season may provide its own things to man—and springs gush forth, so that drink may be given to men. But still, as far as is possible, who rules over creation? Is it not man, who has received wisdom to cultivate the earth, to sail the sea, to hunt swimming, flying, and wild beasts, to calculate the course of the stars, to mine the earth, to sift the sea, to raise up cities, to appoint kings, to establish laws, to judge, to conceive of the invisible God, to know the names of angels, to drive out demons, to try to stop diseases with medicines, to find incantations against venomous serpents, to devise antidotes? But if you are grateful, O man, having understood God who in all things has been your benefactor, you would be immortal, since the things created for your sake have their permanence through your gratitude. And even now you can become incorruptible, if you acknowledge him whom you have forgotten, if you love him whom you have abandoned, if you pray to him alone who is able to punish and to save your body and soul. Therefore, before all things, understand that no one rules with him, no one shares his name, that which is indeed called God. For he alone is both called and is so, and it is not permitted either to think of or to name another; but if anyone should dare to, his soul is to be punished eternally. When Peter had said these things, Simon, outside the crowd, said with a loud cry: Why do you, by lying, wish to deceive the unlearned crowd standing by you, persuading them that it is not permitted either to believe in or to speak of gods, when the public books among the Jews say that there are many gods? And now I wish to discuss with you, with all present, from these very books, about the necessity of believing in gods, after first showing concerning the God of whom you spoke that he is not the highest and all-powerful <power> inasmuch as he is without foreknowledge, imperfect, in need, not good, and subject to many and countless grievous passions; whence, when this has been shown from the scriptures, as I say, another is left, unwritten, who is possessed of foreknowledge, perfect, without need, good, and free from all grievous passions. But the one you call the creator happens to be subject to the opposite qualities. For example, Adam, who was made in his likeness, is both created blind and is handed over without knowledge of good or evil, and is found to be a transgressor and is cast out of paradise and is punished with death. And likewise also the one who formed him, since he does not see from every side, says at the destruction of Sodom: "Come, let us go down and see whether they are acting altogether according to the cry of it, which has come to me; and if not, that I may know," and he shows himself to be ignorant. And his saying concerning Adam: "Let us cast him out, lest he stretch forth his hand and touch the tree of life and eat and live forever"—his saying "lest" shows ignorance, and his adding, "Lest eating he live forever" shows envy. And its being written that "God repented that he had made man" shows both repentance and ignorance; for "he considered" is a reflection, by which one through ignorance wishes to ascertain the end of what he plans, or it is of one repenting over something that has not turned out according to his mind. And its being written, "And the Lord smelled a sweet savor" belongs to one in need, and to be pleased by the savor of flesh belongs to one who is not good. And to test (as it is written, "And he tested

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τρέπει, ἵνα ἕκαστος καιρὸς τὰ ἴδια ἀνθρώπῳ παράσχῃ-καὶ πηγαὶ βρύουσιν, ἵνα πόμα ἀνθρώποις δοθῇ. ἀλλ' ἔτι μὴν κατὰ τὸ δυνατὸν τίς ἐπὶ τῆς κτίσεως κυριεύει; οὐχὶ ἄνθρωπος, ὃς σοφίαν εἴληφεν γῆν γεωργεῖν, θάλασσαν πλεῖν, νηκτὰ πτηνὰ θηρία ἀγρεύειν, ἄστρων δρόμον λογιστεύειν, γῆν μεταλλεύειν, θάλασσαν σήθειν, πόλεις ἐγείρειν, βασιλεῖς ὁρίζειν, νόμους τάσσειν, δικάζειν, θεὸν ἀόρατον νοεῖν, ἀγγέλων ὀνόματα γνωρίζειν, δαίμονας ἀπελαύνειν, νόσους φαρμακείαις πειρᾶσθαι παύειν, κατὰ δ' ἰοβόλων ἑρπετῶν ἐπαοιδὰς εὑρίσκειν, ἀντιπαθείας ἐπινοεῖν; εἰ δὲ εὐγνωμονεῖς, ἄνθρωπε, νενοηκὼς τὸν ἐν πᾶσιν εὐεργετήσαντά σε θεόν, καὶ ἀθάνατος ἂν ᾖς, τῶν διὰ σὲ κτισθέντων δι' εὐγνωμοσύνην τὸ διαμένειν ἐχόντων. καὶ νῦν δὲ γενέσθαι δύνασαι ἄφθαρτος, ἐὰν ἐπιγνῷς ὃν ἔλαθες, ἐὰν ἀγαπήσῃς ὃν κατέλιπες, ἐὰν αὐτῷ μόνῳ προσεύχῃ τῷ σῶμά σου καὶ ψυχὴν κολάσαι καὶ σῶσαι δυναμένῳ. διὸ πρὸ πάντων ἐννοοῦ ὅτι οὐδεὶς αὐτῷ συνάρχει, οὐδεὶς τῆς αὐτοῦ κοινωνεῖ ὀνομασίας, τοῦτο ὃ δὴ λέγεται θεός. μόνος γὰρ αὐτὸς καὶ λέγεται καὶ ἔστιν, ἄλλον δὲ οὔτε νομίσαι οὔτε εἰπεῖν ἔξεστιν· εἰ δέ τις τολμήσειεν, ἀιδίως τὴν ψυχὴν κολασθῆναι ἔχει. Τοῦ Πέτρου ταῦτα εἰπόντος ὁ Σίμων ἔξω τοῦ ὄχλου βοῇ μεγάλῃ ἔφη· Τί ψευδόμενος ἀπατᾶν θέλεις τὸν παρεστῶτά σοι ἰδιώτην ὄχλον, πείθων αὐτὸν θεοὺς μήτε νομίζειν μήτε λέγειν ἐξὸν εἶναι, τῶν παρὰ Ἰουδαίοις δημοσίων βίβλων πολλοὺς θεοὺς εἶναι λεγουσῶν; καὶ νῦν δὲ μετὰ πάντων ἀπ' αὐτῶν σοι τῶν βίβλων περὶ τοῦ δεῖν θεοὺς νο- μίζειν συζητῆσαι θέλω, πρότερον περὶ οὗ ἔφης θεοῦ δείξας μὴ αὐτὸν εἶναι τὴν ἀνωτάτω καὶ πάντα δυναμένην <δύναμιν> καθὸ ἀπρόγνωστός ἐστιν, ἀτελής, ἐνδεής, οὐκ ἀγαθὸς καὶ πολλοῖς καὶ μυρίοις χαλεποῖς ὑπο- κείμενος πάθεσιν· ὅθεν τούτου δειχθέντος ἀπὸ τῶν γραφῶν, ὡς ἐγὼ λέγω, ἕτερος ἀγράφως περιλείπεται εἶναι προγνωστικός, τέλειος, ἀνενδεής, ἀγα θός, πάντων χαλεπῶν ἀπηλλαγμένος παθῶν. ὃν δὲ σὺ φὴς δημιουργόν, τοῖς ἐναντίοις ὑποκείμενος τυγχάνει. αὐτίκα γοῦν ὁ καθ' ὁμοίωσιν αὐτοῦ γεγονὼς Ἀδὰμ καὶ τυφλὸς κτίζεται καὶ γνῶσιν ἀγαθοῦ ἢ κακοῦ οὐκ ἔχων παραδέδοται καὶ παραβάτης εὑρίσκεται καὶ τοῦ παραδείσου ἐκβάλλεται καὶ θανάτῳ τιμωρεῖται. ὁμοίως τε καὶ ὁ πλάσας αὐτόν, ἐπεὶ μὴ πανταχόθεν βλέπει, ἐπὶ τῇ Σοδόμων καταστροφῇ λέγει· «∆εῦτε καὶ καταβάντες ἴδωμεν, εἰ κατὰ τὴν κραυγὴν αὐτῶν τὴν ἐρχομένην πρὸς μὲ συντελοῦνται· εἰ δὲ μή, ἵνα γνῶ» καὶ ἀγνοοῦντα ἑαυτὸν δείκνυσιν. τὸ δὲ εἰπεῖν περὶ τοῦ Ἀδάμ· «Ἐκβάλωμεν αὐτόν, μήπως ἐκτείνας τὴν χεῖρα αὐτοῦ ἅψηται τοῦ ξύλου τῆς ζωῆς καὶ φάγῃ καὶ ζήσεται εἰς τὸν αἰῶνα «-τὸ εἰπεῖν· «μήπως» ἀγνοεῖ, τὸ δὲ ἐπαγαγεῖν· «Μήπως φαγὼν ζήσεται εἰς τὸν αἰῶνα» καὶ φθονεῖ. καὶ τὸ γεγράφθαι ὅτι «ἐνεθυμήθη ὁ θεὸς ὅτι ἐποίησεν τὸν ἄνθρωπον» καὶ μετανοεῖ καὶ ἀγνοεῖ· τὸ γὰρ «ἐνεθυμήθη» σκέψις ἐστίν, ᾗ τις δι' ἄγνοιαν ὧν βούλεται τὸ τέλος ἀκριβῶσαι θέλει, ἢ ἐπὶ τῷ μὴ κατὰ γνώμην ἀποβάντι μεταμελομένου. καὶ τὸ γεγράφθαι· «Καὶ ὠσφράνθη κύριος ὀσμὴν εὐωδίας» ἐνδεοῦς ἐστιν, καὶ τὸ ἐπὶ κνίσῃ σαρκῶν ἡσθῆναι οὐκ ἀγαθοῦ. τὸ δὲ πειράζειν (ὡς γέγραπται· «Καὶ ἐπείρασεν