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Diodorus in the third of his histories. And the same man also in the sixth, from the writing of Euhemerus of Messene, confirms the same theology, speaking thus word for word: 2.2.53 «Concerning the gods, then, the ancients have handed down to later generations two conceptions. For they say that some are eternal and imperishable, such as the sun and the moon and the other stars in the sky, and in addition to these the winds and others who have obtained a similar nature to these; for each of these has an eternal generation and duration; but others, they say, became terrestrial gods, who because of their benefactions to mankind obtained immortal honor and glory, such as Heracles, Dionysus, Aristaeus, 2.2.54 and the others similar to these. And concerning the terrestrial gods, many and various accounts have been handed down by the historians and mythographers. And of the historians, Euhemerus, who composed the Sacred History, has written his own account, but of the mythologists, Homer and Hesiod and Orpheus and others like them have fabricated more monstrous myths about the gods; but we shall try to run through briefly what has been recorded by both, aiming at due proportion. 2.2.55 Euhemerus, then, having become a friend of King Cassander and being compelled on this account to perform certain royal duties and long journeys, says that he was dispatched southward into the ocean; for sailing from Arabia Felix he made a voyage through the ocean for several days and was brought to some islands in the sea; one of which was that called Panchaea, where he saw the inhabitants, the Panchaeans, excelling in piety and honoring the gods with the most magnificent sacrifices and noteworthy votive offerings, both of silver and of gold. 2.2.56 And the island is sacred to the gods and has many other wonders both in respect of its antiquity and the artistry of its construction, about which we have written in detail in 2.2.57 the books before this one. And on it, on a certain exceedingly high hill, is a temple of Triphylian Zeus, established by him at the time when he ruled the entire inhabited world, while still being among men. In this temple there is a golden stele, on which in Panchaean letters are inscribed the deeds of Uranus and Cronus and Zeus in summary 2.2.58 form. After this, he says that Uranus was the first king, a certain just and beneficent man, and knowledgeable of the movement of the stars; who was also the first to honor the celestial gods with sacrifices, for which reason he was called Uranus. 2.2.59 And that to him from his wife Hestia were born sons Pan and Cronus, and daughters Rhea and Demeter. And Cronus ruled after Uranus and, 2.2.60 having married Rhea, he begat Zeus and Hera and Poseidon. And Zeus, having succeeded to the kingship, married Hera and Demeter and Themis; from whom he had children: the Curetes from the first, Persephone from the second, 2.2.61 and Athena from the third. And having gone to Babylon he was entertained by Belus, and after this, having arrived at the island of Panchaea lying near the ocean, he established an altar to Uranus his own forefather and from there he went through Syria to Cassius, the ruler at that time, from whom Mount Casius is named; and having gone into Cilicia he conquered Cilix the toparch in war. And having visited very many other nations, he was honored by all and proclaimed a god.» 2.2.62 Having related these and similar things about the gods as if about mortal men, he adds, saying: «And concerning Euhemerus, who composed the Sacred History, we shall be content with what has been said, but we shall try to run through briefly the things mythologized among the Greeks about the gods according to Hesiod and Homer and Orpheus.» Then he next appends the mythologies of the poets. 2.2.63 But let these many things from the theology of the Greeks be sufficiently excerpted for us, to which it is reasonable to append the rites of these same gods in the inner sanctuaries and the secret mysteries and to examine whether indeed divine

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ὁ ∆ιόδωρος ἐν τῇ τρίτῃ τῶν ἱστοριῶν. ὁ δ' αὐτὸς καὶ ἐν τῇ ἕκτῃ ἀπὸ τῆς Εὐημέρου τοῦ Μεσσηνίου γραφῆς ἐπικυροῖ τὴν αὐτὴν θεολογίαν, ὧδε κατὰ λέξιν φάσκων· 2.2.53 «Περὶ θεῶν τοίνυν διττὰς οἱ παλαιοὶ τῶν ἀνθρώπων τοῖς μεταγενεστέροις παραδεδώκασιν ἐννοίας. τοὺς μὲν γὰρ ἀϊδίους καὶ ἀφθάρτους εἶναί φασιν, οἷον ἥλιόν τε καὶ σελήνην καὶ τὰ ἄλλα ἄστρα τὰ κατ' οὐρανόν, πρὸς δὲ τούτοις ἀνέμους καὶ τοὺς ἄλλους τοὺς τῆς ὁμοίας φύσεως τούτοις τετευχότας· τούτων γὰρ ἕκαστον ἀΐδιον ἔχειν τὴν γένεσιν καὶ τὴν διαμονήν· ἑτέρους δὲ λέγουσιν ἐπιγείους γενέσθαι θεούς, διὰ δὲ τὰς εἰς ἀνθρώπους εὐεργεσίας ἀθανάτου τετευχότας τιμῆς τε καὶ δόξης, οἷον Ἡρακλέα, ∆ιόνυσον, Ἀρισταῖον, 2.2.54 τοὺς ἄλλους τοὺς τούτοις ὁμοίους. περὶ δὲ τῶν ἐπιγείων θεῶν πολλοὶ καὶ ποικίλοι παραδέδονται λόγοι παρὰ τοῖς ἱστορικοῖς τε καὶ μυθογράφοις. καὶ τῶν μὲν ἱστορικῶν Εὐήμερος, ὁ τὴν Ἱερὰν Ἀναγραφὴν ποιησάμενος, ἰδίως ἀναγέγραφεν, τῶν δὲ μυθολόγων Ὅμηρος καὶ Ἡσίοδος καὶ Ὀρφεὺςκαὶ ἕτεροι τοιοῦτοι τερατωδεστέρους μύθους περὶ θεῶν πεπλάκασιν· ἡμεῖς δὲ τὰ παρ' ἀμφοτέροις ἀναγεγραμμένα πειρασόμεθα συντόμως ἐπιδρα2.2.55 μεῖν, στοχαζόμενοι τῆς συμμετρίας. Εὐήμερος μὲν οὖν φίλος γεγονὼς Κασσάνδρου τοῦ βασιλέως καὶ διὰ τοῦτον ἠναγκασμένος τελεῖν βασιλικάς τινας χρείας καὶ μεγάλας ἀποδημίας, φησὶν ἐκτοπισθῆναι κατὰ τὴν μεσημβρίαν εἰς τὸν ὠκεανόν· ἐκπλεύσαντα γὰρ αὐτὸν ἐκ τῆς εὐδαίμονος Ἀραβίας ποιή σασθαι τὸν πλοῦν δι' ὠκεανοῦ πλείους ἡμέρας καὶ προσενεχθῆναι νήσοις πελαγίαις· ὧν μίαν ὑπάρχειν τὴν ὀνομαζομένην Παγχαίαν, ἐν ᾗ τεθεᾶσθαι τοὺς ἐνοικοῦντας Παγχαίους εὐσεβείᾳ διαφέροντας καὶ τοὺς θεοὺς τιμῶντας μεγαλοπρεπεστάταις θυσίαις καὶ ἀναθήμασιν ἀξιολόγοις, ἀργυροῖς τε καὶ χρυσοῖς. 2.2.56 εἶναι δὲ καὶ τὴν νῆσον ἱερὰν θεῶν καὶ ἕτερα πλείω θαυμαζόμενα κατά τε τὴν ἀρχαιότητα καὶ τὴν τῆς κατασκευῆς πολυτεχνίαν, περὶ ὧν τὰ κατὰ μέρος ἐν 2.2.57 ταῖς πρὸ ταύτης βίβλοις ἀναγεγράφαμεν. εἶναι δ' ἐν αὐτῇ κατά τινα λόφον ὑψηλὸν καθ' ὑπερβολὴν ἱερὸν ∆ιὸς Τριφυλίου, καθιδρυμένον ὑπ' αὐτοῦ καθ' ὃν καιρὸν ἐβασίλευσε τῆς οἰκουμένης ἁπάσης ἔτι κατὰ ἀνθρώπους ὤν. ἐν τούτῳ τῷ ἱερῷ στήλην εἶναι χρυσῆν, ἐν ᾗ τοῖς Παγχαίοις γράμμασιν ὑπάρχειν γεγραμμένας τάς τε Οὐρανοῦ καὶ Κρόνου καὶ ∆ιὸς πράξεις κεφαλαιω2.2.58 δῶς. μετὰ ταῦτά φησι πρῶτον Οὐρανὸν γεγονέναι βασιλέα, ἐπιεικῆ τινα ἄνδρα καὶ εὐεργετικὸν καὶ τῆς τῶν ἄστρων κινήσεως ἐπιστήμονα· ὃν καὶ πρῶτον θυσίαις τιμῆσαι τοὺς οὐρανίους θεούς, διὸ καὶ Οὐρανὸν προσαγορευθῆ2.2.59 ναι. υἱοὺς δὲ αὐτῷ γενέσθαι ἀπὸ γυναικὸς Ἑστίας Πᾶνα καὶ Κρόνον, θυγατέρας δὲ Ῥέαν καὶ ∆ήμητραν. Κρόνον δὲ βασιλεῦσαι μετὰ Οὐρανὸν καὶ γή2.2.60 μαντα Ῥέαν γεννῆσαι ∆ία καὶ Ἥραν καὶ Ποσειδῶνα. τὸν δὲ ∆ία διαδεξάμενον τὴν βασιλείαν γῆμαι Ἥραν καὶ ∆ήμητραν καὶ Θέμιν· ἐξ ὧν παῖδας ποιήσασθαι Κουρῆτας μὲν ἀπὸ τῆς πρώτης, Περσεφόνην δὲ ἐκ τῆς δευτέρας, 2.2.61 Ἀθηνᾶν δὲ ἀπὸ τῆς τρίτης. ἐλθόντα δὲ εἰς Βαβυλῶνα ἐπιξενωθῆναι Βήλῳ καὶ μετὰ ταῦτα εἰς τὴν Παγχαίαν νῆσον πρὸς τῷ ὠκεανῷ κειμένην παραγενόμενον Οὐρανοῦ τοῦ ἰδίου προπάτορος βωμὸν ἱδρύσασθαι κἀκεῖθεν διὰ Συρίας ἐλθεῖν πρὸς τὸν τότε δυνάστην Κάσσιον, ἐξ οὗ τὸ Κάσσιον ὄρος· ἐλθόντα δὲ εἰς Κιλικίαν πολέμῳ νικῆσαι Κίλικα τοπάρχην. καὶ ἄλλα δὲ πλεῖστα ἔθνη ἐπελθόντα παρὰ πᾶσιν τιμηθῆναι καὶ θεὸν ἀναγορευθῆναι.» 2.2.62 Ταῦτα καὶ τὰ τούτοις παραπλήσια ὡς περὶ θνητῶν ἀνδρῶν περὶ τῶν θεῶν διελθὼν ἐπιφέρει λέγων· «Καὶ περὶ μὲν Εὐημέρου τοῦ συνταξαμένου τὴν Ἱερὰν Ἀναγραφὴν ἀρκεσθησόμεθα τοῖς ῥηθεῖσιν, τὰ δὲ παρὰ τοῖς Ἕλλησι μυθολογούμενα περὶ θεῶν ἀκολούθως Ἡσιόδῳ καὶ Ὁμήρῳ καὶ Ὀρφεῖ πειρασόμεθα συντόμωςἐπιδραμεῖν.» Εἶθ' ἑξῆς ἐπισυνάπτει τὰς τῶν ποιητῶν μυθολογίας. 2.2.63 Ἀλλὰ γὰρ τοσαῦτα καὶ ἀπὸ τῆς Ἑλλήνων θεολογίας ἀποχρώντως ἡμῖν ἐπιτετμήσθω, οἷς εὔλογον ἐπισυνάψαι τῶν αὐτῶν θεῶν τὰς ἐν τοῖς ἀδύτοις τελετὰς καὶ τὰ ἀπόρρητα μυστήρια σκέψασθαί τε πότερον θείας ὡς ἀληθῶς