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but not even to the elements, sun, moon, or the other stars, nor to the heaven, nor earth, nor sea, or springs, or rivers, to worship; but rather it is necessary to serve only the true God and creator of all things in holiness of heart and sincere mind. Therefore the holy law says: "You shall not commit adultery, you shall not murder, you shall not steal, you shall not bear false witness, you shall not covet your neighbor's wife." Likewise also the prophets. Solomon, therefore, teaches us not to sin even by a nod, saying: "Let your eyes look straight ahead, and let your eyelids direct what is just." And Hosea, he too a prophet, says concerning the monarchy of God: "This is your God, who makes firm the heaven and creates the earth, whose hands have shown all the host of heaven, and he has not shown them to you that you should walk after them." And Isaiah also says: "Thus says the Lord God, who made firm the heaven and established the earth and the things in it, and gives breath to the people on it and spirit to those who walk on it. This is the Lord your God." and again through him: "I," he says, "made the earth and man upon it, I with my hand made firm the heaven." and in another chapter: "This is your God who has prepared the ends of the earth; he will not hunger nor grow weary, nor is there any searching of his understanding." Likewise also Jeremiah <who> also says: "Who made the earth by his power, who established the inhabited world by his wisdom, and by his understanding stretched out the heaven and the abundance of water in heaven, and brought up clouds from the end of the earth, he made lightnings for the rain and brought forth winds from his treasuries." It is possible to see how all the prophets spoke things friendly and harmonious, having spoken out by one and the same spirit concerning both the monarchy of God and the creation of the world and the making of man. But indeed they also travailed, mourning the godless race of men, and they put to shame those seeming to be wise because of the error in them and the hardening of their heart. Jeremiah for his part said: "Every man has become foolish from his knowledge, every goldsmith has been put to shame by his carved images, in vain the silversmith forges silver, there is no spirit in them, in the day of their visitation they will perish." David also says the same: "They are corrupt and have become abominable in their practices, there is none who does good, not even one; they have all turned aside, together they have become worthless." Likewise also Habakkuk: "What does a carved image profit a man, that he has carved it as a false image? Woe to him who says to the stone, 'Awake,' and to the wood, 'Arise.'" Likewise said also the other prophets of the truth. And why should I enumerate the multitude of prophets, being many and having said countless things friendly and harmonious? For those who wish can, by encountering what was said through them, know the truth accurately and not be led astray by thought and vain labor. These prophets, therefore, whom we have mentioned before, were among the Hebrews, unlettered men and shepherds and common people.

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ἀλλὰ καὶ τοῖς στοιχείοις, ἡλίῳ σελήνῃ ἢ τοῖς λοιποῖς ἄστροις, ἀλλ' οὔτε τῷ οὐρανῷ οὔτε γῇ οὔτε θαλάσσῃ ἢ πηγαῖς ἢ ποταμοῖς θρησκεύειν· ἀλλ' ἢ μόνῳ τῷ ὄντως θεῷ καὶ ποιητῇ τῶν ὅλων χρὴ λατρεύειν ἐν ὁσιότητι καρδίας καὶ εἰλικρινεῖ γνώμῃ. διό φησιν ὁ ἅγιος νόμος· Ὅὐ μοιχεύσεις, οὐ φονεύσεις, οὐ κλέψεις, οὐ ψευδο- μαρτυρήσεις, οὐκ ἐπιθυμήσεις τὴν γυναῖκα τοῦ πλησίον σου." ὁμοίως καὶ οἱ προφῆται. Σολομὼν μὲν οὖν καὶ τὸ δι' ἐννεύματος μὴ ἁμαρτάνειν διδάσκει ἡμᾶς, λέγων· Ὅἱ ὀφθαλμοί σου ὀρθὰ βλεπέτω- σαν, τὰ δὲ βλέφαρά σου νευέτω δίκαια." Καὶ Ὠσηὲ δὲ καὶ αὐτὸς προφήτης περὶ μοναρχίας θεοῦ λέγει· Ὅὗτος ὁ θεὸς ὑμῶν ὁ στερεῶν τὸν οὐρανὸν καὶ κτίζων τὴν γῆν, οὗ αἱ χεῖρες κατέδειξαν πᾶσαν τὴν στρατιὰν τοῦ οὐρανοῦ, καὶ οὐ παρέδειξεν ὑμῖν αὐτὰ τοῦ ὀπίσω αὐτῶν πορεύεσθαι." Ἠσαΐας δὲ καὶ αὐτός φησιν· Ὅὕτως λέγει κύριος ὁ θεός, ὁ στερεώσας τὸν οὐρανὸν καὶ θεμελιώσας τὴν γῆν καὶ τὰ ἐν αὐτῇ, καὶ δίδους πνοὴν τῷ λαῷ τῷ ἐπ' αὐτῆς καὶ πνεῦμα τοῖς πατοῦσιν αὐτήν. οὗτος κύριος ὁ θεὸς ὑμῶν." καὶ πάλιν δι' αὐτοῦ· "Ἐγώ, φησίν, ἐποίησα γῆν καὶ ἄνθρωπον ἐπ' αὐτῇ, ἐγὼ τῇ χειρί μου ἐστερέωσα τὸν οὐρανόν." καὶ ἐν ἑτέρῳ κεφαλαίῳ· Ὅὗτος ὁ θεὸς ὑμῶν ὁ κατασκευάσας τὰ ἄκρα τῆς γῆς· οὐ πεινάσει οὐδὲ κοπιάσει, οὐδέ ἐστιν ἐξεύρησις τῆς φρονήσεως αὐτοῦ." ὁμοίως καὶ Ἰερεμίας <ὃς> καί φησιν· "Ὁ ποιήσας τὴν γῆν ἐπὶ τῇ ἰσχύϊ αὐτοῦ, ἀνορθώσας τὴν οἰκουμένην ἐν τῇ σοφίᾳ αὐτοῦ, καὶ ἐν τῇ φρονήσει αὐτοῦ ἐξέτεινεν τὸν οὐρανὸν καὶ πλῆθος ὕδατος ἐν οὐρανῷ καὶ ἀνήγαγεν νεφέλας ἐξ ἐσχάτου τῆς γῆς, ἀστραπὰς εἰς ὑετὸν ἐποίησεν καὶ ἐξήγαγεν ἀνέμους ἐκ θησαυρῶν αὐτοῦ." Ὁρᾶν ἔστιν πῶς φίλα καὶ σύμφωνα ἐλάλησαν πάντες οἱ προφῆται, ἑνὶ καὶ τῷ αὐτῷ πνεύματι ἐκφωνήσαντες περί τε μοναρχίας θεοῦ καὶ τῆς τοῦ κόσμου γενέσεως καὶ τῆς ἀνθρώπου ποιήσεως. οὐ μὴν ἀλλὰ καὶ ὤδιναν, πενθοῦντες τὸ ἄθεον γένος τῶν ἀνθρώπων, καὶ τοὺς δοκοῦντας εἶναι σοφοὺς διὰ τὴν ἐν αὐτοῖς πλάνην καὶ πώρωσιν τῆς καρδίας κατῄσχυναν. ὁ μὲν Ἰερεμίας ἔφη· "Ἐμωράνθη πᾶς ἄνθρωπος ἀπὸ γνώσεως αὐτοῦ, κατῃσχύνθη πᾶς χρυσοχόος ἀπὸ τῶν γλυπτῶν αὐτοῦ, εἰς μάτην ἀργυροκόπος ἀργυροκοπεῖ, οὐκ ἔστιν πνεῦμα ἐν αὐτοῖς, ἐν ἡμέρᾳ ἐπισκοπῆς αὐτῶν ἀπολοῦνται." τὸ αὐτὸ καὶ ὁ ∆αυὶδ λέγει· "Ἐφθάρησαν καὶ ἐβδελύχθησαν ἐν ἐπιτηδεύμασιν αὐτῶν, οὐκ ἔστιν ποιῶν χρηστότητα, οὐκ ἔστιν ἕως ἑνός· πάντες ἐξέκλιναν, ἅμα ἠχρειώθησαν." ὁμοίως καὶ Ἀββακούμ· "Τί ὠφελεῖ γλυπτὸν ἄνθρωπον, ὅτι ἔγλυψεν αὐτὸ φαντασίαν ψευδῆ; οὐαὶ τῷ λέγοντι τῷ λίθῳ ἐξεγέρθητι, καὶ τῷ ξύλῳ ὑψώθητι." ὁμοίως εἶπον καὶ οἱ λοιποὶ τῆς ἀληθείας προφῆται. Καὶ τί μοι τὸ πλῆθος καταλέγειν τῶν προφητῶν, πολλῶν ὄντων καὶ μυρία φίλα καὶ σύμφωνα εἰρηκότων; οἱ γὰρ βουλόμενοι δύνανται ἐντυχόντες τοῖς δι' αὐτῶν εἰρημένοις ἀκριβῶς γνῶναι τὸ ἀληθὲς καὶ μὴ παράγεσθαι ὑπὸ διανοίας καὶ ματαιοπονίας. οὗτοι οὖν οὓς προειρήκαμεν προφῆται ἐγένοντο ἐν Ἑβραίοις, ἀγράμματοι καὶ ποιμένες καὶ ἰδιῶται.