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day having been related, we demonstrat[ed] the verse, "Let them be for signs and for seasons and months and ye[ars]," we proved, citing that human life is not co[mpel]led by 75 the stars. For [not] those who are released from life in war and in general calamitiess are under one constellatio[n]. And even more is [the] argument for fate o[vert]urned by the la[w]s; all J[ews] being on the eighth day [fr]om birth are c[ircumci]sed and re[ceive] the experience of iron while still in swaddling clothes, and surely no one could say that they are all born at the same time [under o]ne hour, since Jews are born almost everywhere o[n earth] ạnd every day; but [also they say that some] of the Ethiopians have the sockets of their knees re[moved] at birth, and neither do these have their birth at the same time; and in general the different customs and laws a[mong the natio]ns abolish fate. But if this does not proceed according to fa[te], much more so do things of free will not. For if fate brings about events by necessity, but free will deals with contingent things, there will n[ot] be fate concerning these things. For virtue and vice, the one benefited, the other harmed, the one possess[ing it], and each of the doer[s] is either p[u]nished for their wicked practic- es, or is [pr]aised for acting rightly; but things that happen by necessity ...; no one either ap[prov]es or blames one who does something by necessity. Besides, if the laws are from fa[te] and those who do not obey them are from fate, it abolishes and overturns its[elf], as it seems. Therefore, th[e s]tars are indicative, not causative, indicat- 76 ing either dai[ly] matters or pestilential conditions or something else that seems good to the one exercising providence, and so much for this; but let us return to the subject proposed from the beginning: "And God finished on the sixth day His works, which He had made," which indicates that the completio[n] is only about those things which he ha[d] made. Fo]r there are also works which have not yet co[m]e to p[as]s, but have been foretol[d] as things that will be, such as the resur[rection] of the dead and in general th[e things] that are going to be according to providence, [which.] take place from God i[n th]eir own. sequence. Well then the [addit]ion "of the works which he had made" is added. But one m[ust also] ọbserve this, that God "rested" on the seventh day not by doing something, -for al[rea]dy all things had been completed,- but He "blessed" on[ly "th]e seventh day and hallowed it", and t[o these] the scripture adds, say[ing]: "Because on it He rested from [al]l his works, wh[ich] God began to make." "Which He began"; f[or no]t all works had a begin[ning] in one of the six day[s]; an]gels and archangels [and] all the intellectual substance received no beginning. And that this is s[o], God Himself says in Job: "When the stars were made, all my an[g]els prai[se]d me with a loud voice. 81 "finally having come to be. For this reason the scripture takes precaution, saying: "If the spirit of the ruler rise up against you, do not leave your place." For this pretext becomes the cause of many evils, with the devil suggest[ing] even greater things, which even no[w] he works, introduci[ng] God as envious, as if [God] commanded not to partake only of the tree o[f the] knowledge of good and evi[l], not so that they would not be h[arm]ed, but also so that they would not become gods, as if they were about to become discerning. Indeed, from this misinter[preta]tion a whole heresy was formed, that which is called Ophite, which glorifi[es t]he serpent, saying great things about it, as it thinks; in which it sa[ys, wh]en God Himself wished for man to be in misfortune—calling misfor[tune] the not knowing good and evil— and th[us] they say this cunningly: He Himself, it says, made [m]an in good circumstances; and they tell other myths about the serpent, slanderi[ng] the one they fashioned for themselves as a god. Nevertheless, the serpent skillfully constructs t[he] deceit, persuading them only to have cleverness not for good, nor as the apostle

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ἡμέρα̣ γεγενημένων διηγ̣ο̣υ´̣[μ]ε̣νοι τὸ "6Ἔστωσαν εἰς σημεῖα <καὶ εἰς> καιροὺς καὶ μῆνας καὶ ἐνι[αυ]τοὺς"6 ἀπεδείξαμεν, παρατιθέμενοι ὡς οὐ κατηνα´̣γ̣[κα]σται ἐκ 75 τῶν ἀστέρων ὁ βίος ὁ ἀνθρώπινος. [Οὐ] γὰρ οἱ ἐν πολέμῳ καὶ τοῖς καθολικοῖς συμπτώμασι̣ν̣ ἀπαλλαττόμενοι τοῦ βίου ὑπὸ ἕνα σχηματισμό[ν ε]ἰσιν. Ἔτι δὲ μᾶλλον [ὁ] τῆς εἱμαρμένης ἀ[νατ]ρ̣έπεται λόγος ἐκ τῶν νό[μ]ων· πάντες Ἰο[υδαῖοι] ὀγδόῃ ἡμέρᾳ ἔχοντες [ἀ]πὸ γενέσεως π[εριτέμ]νονται καὶ πεῖραν σιδήρου ἐξ ἔτι σπαργάνων δ[έχοντ]αι, καὶ οὐ δήπου τις εἰπεῖν ἔχοι ὡς ἅμα πάντες [ὑπὸ μ]ίαν ὥραν ἀποτίκτονται, πανταχόσε σχεδὸν ἐπ̣[ὶ γῆς] κ̣αὶ καθ' ἡμέραν Ἰουδαίων γεννωμένων· ἀλλὰ [καί τινα]ς̣ Αἰθιόπων τὰς κόγχας τῶν γονάτων ἅμα γενέσ̣θ[αι περιαιρεῖ]σθαί φασιν, καὶ οὐδ' οὗτοι ἅμα τὴν γένεσιν ἔχ[ουσιν]· καὶ ἁπαξαπλῶς τὰ διάφορα ἔθη καὶ νόμιμα κα[τὰ τὰ ἔθ]νη ἀναιρεῖ τὴν εἱμαρμένην. Εἰ δὲ τοῦτο καθ' εἱμ[αρμέ]ν̣ην οὐ χωρεῖ, πολλῷ πλέον οὐδὲ τὰ προαιρετικά. Εἰ γα`̣ρ̣ ἡ μὲν εἱμαρμένη ἐξ ἀνάγκης ἐπάγει τὰ συμβαίνον̣τ̣α, ἡ δὲ προαίρεσις περὶ τὰ ἐνδεχόμενα ἔχει, οὐκ ἔ[σ]ται περὶ ταῦτα εἱμαρμένη. Ἀρετὴ γὰρ καὶ κακία τὸν ἔχον[τα] η῾̣ μ̣ε`̣ν̣ ὠφέλησεν, ἡ δὲ ἔβλαψεν, ἕκαστος δὲ τῶν δρώντ[ω]ν ᾒ κ̣ο̣λάζεται ἐκ τῶν ἐπιτηδευ- μάτων τῶν φαύλων, ἢ [ἐπ]αιν̣εῖται κατορθῶν· τὰ δὲ ἐξ ἀνάγκης συμβαίνοντα [···]····αι· τὸν ἐξ ἀνάγκης τι ἐνεργοῦντα οὐδεὶς οὔτ' ἀπ[οδέ]χ̣ε̣τ̣αι, οὔτε μέμφεται. Ἄλλως τε, εἰ οἱ νόμοι ἐξ εἱμαρμ̣[έ]ν̣η̣ς̣ καὶ οἱ τούτοις μὴ πειθόμενοι ἐξ εἱμαρμένης, ἑαυ[τήν], ω῾̣ς̣ ἔοικεν, ἀναιρεῖ καὶ ἀνατρέπει. Σημαντικοὶ οὖν εἰσ̣ι̣[ν ο]ι῾̣ α᾿̣σ̣τ̣έρες, οὐ ποιητικοί, σημαί- 76 νοντες ἢ ἐφ[η]μερίας ἢ λοιμικὰ καταστήματα ἢ ἕτερόν τι ὃ τῷ προνοουμένῳ δοκεῖ, καὶ ταῦτα μὲν περὶ τούτου· ἐπανέλθωμεν δὲ ἐπὶ τὸ ἐξ ἀρχῆς προκείμενον· "6Κα̣ι`̣ συνετέλεσεν ὁ Θεὸς ἐν τῇ ἡμέρᾳ τῇ ἕκτῃ τὰ ἔργα αὐτοῦ, ἃ ἐποίησεν"6, ὅπερ ἐμφαίνει ὡς περὶ μόνων ὧν πεποίηκ[εν] εἶναι τὴν συμπλήρωσ[ιν. Εἰ]σὶν γὰρ ἔργα καὶ ἃ μηδέπω γ[έγο]ν[ε]ν, προαναπεφώνη[το δ]ὲ ὡς ἐσόμενα, οἷον ἡ ἀνά[στασις] τῶν <νεκρῶν> καὶ ὅλως τ[ὰ κατὰ] πρόνοιαν ἔσεσθαι μέλλοντ[α, ἅπερ. τ]ῇ οἰκείᾳ. ἀκολουθίᾳ [πα]ρὰ Θεοῦ γίνεται. Καλῶς οὖν ἡ [προσθή]κη "6ὧν ἐποίησεν ἔργων"6 πρόσκειται. ∆εῖ δὲ κα[ὶ τοῦτο] θ̣εωρεῖν, ὅτι οὐκ ἐνεργήσας τι τῇ ἑβδόμῃ "6κατέπαυσεν"6 ὁ [Θεός, -ἤ]δη γὰρ ἅπαντα συντετέλεστο, -"6εὐλόγησεν"6 δὲ μ[όνην "6τ]ὴν ἡμέραν τὴν ἑβδόμη[ν] καὶ ἡγίασεν αὐτήν"6, καὶ τ[ούτοις δὲ] ε᾿̣πάγει τὸ λόγιον φάσκ[ον]· "6Ὅτι ἐν αὐτῇ κατέπαυσεν ἀπὸ [πάντ]ων τῶν ἔργων αὐτοῦ, ὧ[ν ἤρ]ξατο ὁ Θεὸς ποιῆσαι."6 "6Ὧν ἤρξατο"6· [οὐ γὰ]ρ πάντων τῶν ἔργων ἀρχ[ὴ] γέγονεν ἔν τινι τῶν ἓξ ἡμερῶ[ν· ἄ]γγελοι καὶ ἀρχάγγελοι [καὶ] πᾶσα ἡ νοερὰ οὐσία οὔτε ἀρχὴν ἐδέξατο. Καὶ ὅτι τοῦτο οὕτ[ως] ἔχει, ὁ Θεὸς αὐτὸς ἐν τῷ Ἰὼβ λέγει· "6Ὅτε ἐγενήθησαν ἄστρα, ᾔ[νε]σάν με φωνῇ μεγάλῃ πάντες οἱ ἄγ[γ]ελοί μου. 81 "6λοιπὸν γεγενημένης. ∆ιὰ τοῦτο τὸ λόγιον προασφαλί- ζεται λέγον· "6Ἐὰν πνεῦμα τοῦ ἐξουσιάζοντος ἀναβῇ ἐπὶ σέ, τόπον σου μὴ ἀφῇς."6 Αὕτη γὰρ ἡ πρόφασις αἰτία πολλῶν γίνεται κακῶν, ἔτι μείζονα ὑποβαλ[ό]ντος τοῦ διαβόλου, ὅπερ καὶ νῦ[ν] ἐνεργεῖ φθονερὸν εἰσάγω[ν] τὸν Θεόν, ὡς οὐχ ἕνεκα τοῦ μὴ βλ[αφθ]ῆναι ἐντειλαμένου τοῦ [Θεοῦ] μὴ μεταλαμβάνειν μόνου το[ῦ] γνωστοῦ καλοῦ καὶ πονηρ[οῦ], ἀλλὰ καὶ πρὸς τὸ μὴ γενέσθαι αὐτ[οὺ]ς θεούς, ὡς δὴ διορατικῶν α[ὐτ]ῶν μελλόντων γενέσθαι. Ἀμέλει γοῦν ἐκ ταύτης τῆς παρεκ[δο]χῆς ὅλη αἵρεσις συνέστη ἡ καλουμέν̣η ὀφιανή, ἥτις σεμνύνε[ι τὸ]ν ὄφιν μεγάλα περὶ αὐτοῦ, ὡς οἴεται, λέγουσα· ἐν̣ οἷς φησ[ιν, αὐ]τοῦ Θεοῦ θέλοντος ὡς ἐν κακοπραγίᾳ εἶναι τὸν ἄνθρωπον, κακοπ[ραγία]ν λέγοντες εἶναι τὸ μὴ γιγνώσκει[ν] καλὸν καὶ πονηρόν, οὕτω[ς δὲ το]ῦτο λέγουσι πανούργως· αὐτός, φησίν, ἐποίησεν ἐν καλοῖς [τὸν ἄ]νθρωπον· καὶ ἄλλα δὲ μυθολογοῦσι περὶ τοῦ ὄφεως κακολογοῦντ[ε]ς ὃν ἀνέπλασαν ἑαυτοῖς θεόν. Ὁμῶς ὄφις δὲ καλῶς π̣οιεῖται τὴ[ν] ἀπάτην, τὴν ἐντρέχειαν μόνον ἀναπείθων αὐτοὺς ἔχειν οὐκ ἐπ' ἀγαθῷ, οὐδ' ὥσπερ ὁ ἀπόστολος