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ministering to his divine will; and yet we do not call these beings gods, nor do we assign divine worship to them, nor do we divide the divine adoration between the true God and them, but we say that these 3.89 are more honorable than men, yet are our fellow-servants. And we do not divide the incorporeal nature into male and female; for this division is a need of the nature of those who are under the dominion of death, for since death enslaves this nature, marriage through childbearing introduces in replacement what is spent; for the Creator contrived childbearing as a kind of repairer of immortality for the mortal creature. For this reason, the need for the female is necessary for those who have a mortal nature, but for those who have become immortal, the female sex is entirely superfluous; for they neither need increase, since they 3.90 do not admit of decrease, nor do they need intercourse, being free from bodies. The creation of both testifies to this account. For God did not immediately create very many human beings, but formed one man and one woman, and through their union filled all the land and sea with this race; but the incorporeal nature He did not make in pairs, but created it all at once; for however many myriads He determined them to be, these He brought forth 3.91 from the beginning. For this reason the use of the female is superfluous to them, since as immortals they do not need increase, and as incorporeals they do not admit of intercourse. Therefore we also call them holy, as having nothing earthly, but being free from terrestrial passions, and having as their work the dance in heaven and the singing of hymns to their maker, and again the ministries, which they are commanded to perform for the divine will, being sent by the God of all for the sake of men’s salvation. For indeed, concerning them the divine apostle also said: "Are they not all ministering spirits sent forth to serve for the sake of those 3.92 who are to inherit salvation?" Imitating their way of life, as many men as have embraced the service of God, have fled from even the lawful union of bodies as something that drags them away from divine things, and have left behind both fatherland and family, in order that they might transfer all their care to divine things, and that no bond may hold back the mind, yearning to fly up to heaven and behold the invisible and ineffable 3.93 beauty of God. Of these are full both cities and villages and the summits of mountains and ravines. And some, living in communities, fashion in their souls the images of philosophy, while others, living in twos and threes, and others even confined alone and preventing their eyes from delighting in the beauty of things seen, provide leisure for the mind 3.94 to revel in the contemplation of intelligible things. But if those who are yoked with bodies and are troubled by many and various passions embrace an incorporeal and lofty way of life, suitable for heavenly beings, what word could express the passionless and care-free life of the incorporeal natures? 3.95 The divine oracles have taught us to hold this opinion concerning the invisible, yet created, natures; but you accuse them of such great licentiousness and incontinence and every kind of shameful deed, and indeed also of strife and wars and tyranny, that the things mythologized about them 3.96 would not be fitting even for the most wicked of men. For not even the exceedingly wicked have all the qualities which you ascribe to the father of the gods and the highest and greatest of all. For some who were enslaved to licentiousness with the young did not break into others’ marriages, and others who fell into this passion spared their own kin; and if anyone fell in love with a sister, at least he did not rage against his mother nor go mad for his daughter, but he respected nature and did not emulate the folly 3.97 of irrational beasts. Only the Persians do such things, obeying some ancient and most abominable law and not considering it to be transgressing. But this one, whom Homer called father of gods and men, made Hera, his sister, his consort, and with Rhea, whom also

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ὑπουρ γούσας αὐτοῦ τῷ θείῳ βουλήματι· οὐ μὴν θεοὺς τούτους ὀνομάζο μεν οὐδὲ θεῖον αὐτοῖς ἀπονέμομεν σέβας οὐδὲ μερίζομεν εἰς τὸν ὄντα Θεὸν καὶ τούτους τὴν θείαν προσκύνησιν, ἀλλὰ τούτους 3.89 τιμιωτέρους μὲν ἀνθρώπων, ὁμοδούλους δὲ εἶναί φαμεν. Καὶ οὐ διαιροῦμεν εἰς ἄρρεν καὶ θῆλυ τὴν ἀσώματον φύσιν· ταύτης γὰρ δὴ τῆς διαιρέσεως ἐνδεὴς τῶν ὑπὸ τῷ θανάτῳ τελούντων ἡ φύσις, ἐπειδὴ γὰρ ἐξανδραποδίζει ταύτην ὁ θάνατος, ὁ γάμος διὰ τῆς παιδοποιΐας ἀντεισάγει τὸ δαπανώμενον· οἷον γάρ τινα ἐπισκευα στὴν ἀθανασίαν ὁ ποιητὴς τῷ θνητῷ ζῴῳ τὴν παιδοποιΐαν ἐμηχα νήσατο. Ταύτῃ τοι ἀναγκαία τοῖς θνητὴν ἔχουσι φύσιν ἡ τοῦ θήλεος χρεία, τοῖς δέ γε ἀθανάτοις γεγενημένοις τὸ θῆλυ γένος παντάπασι περιττόν· οὔτε γὰρ αὔξης προσδέονται, μείωσιν οὐ 3.90 δεχόμενοι, οὔτε μίξεως, σωμάτων γε ὄντες ἐλεύθεροι. Μαρτυρεῖ δὲ τῷ λόγῳ καὶ τούτων κἀκείνων ἡ ποίησις. Τοὺς μὲν γὰρ δὴ ἀνθρώπους οὐ παμπόλλους εὐθὺς ἐδημιούργησεν ὁ Θεός, ἀλλ' ἕνα ἄνδρα καὶ μίαν γυναῖκα διέπλασε καὶ διὰ τῆς τούτων κοινωνίας πᾶσαν γῆν καὶ θάλατταν τοῦδε τοῦ γένους ἐνέπλησε· τῶν ἀσωμά των δὲ τὴν φύσιν οὐ κατὰ δύο πεποίηκεν, ἀλλ' ἀθρόαν ἐδημιούρ γησεν· ὅσας γάρ τοι εἶναι αὐτῶν ἐδοκίμασε μυριάδας, ἐξ ἀρχῆς 3.91 ταύτας παρήγαγεν. ∆ιά τοι τοῦτο περιττὴ τοῦ θήλεος ἐκείνοις ἡ χρῆσις, ὡς μὲν ἀθανάτοις αὔξης οὐ δεομένοις, ὡς ἀσωμάτοις δὲ μίξιν οὐ δεχομένοις. Τῷ τοι καὶ ἁγίους αὐτοὺς ὀνομάζομεν ὡς γήινον οὐδὲν ἔχοντας, ἀλλὰ τῶν περιγείων παθημάτων ἀπηλ λαγμένους, ἔργον δὲ ἔχοντας τὴν ἐν οὐρανῷ χορείαν καὶ τοῦ πεποιηκότος τὴν ὑμνῳδίαν, καὶ αὖ πάλιν τὰς ὑπουργίας, ἃς κελευ όμενοι διακονοῦσι τῷ θείῳ βουλήματι, τῆς τῶν ἀνθρώπων εἵνεκα σωτηρίας παρὰ τοῦ Θεοῦ τῶν ὅλων στελλόμενοι. Τοῦτο γὰρ δήπου αὐτῶν πέρι καὶ ὁ θεῖος εἶπεν ἀπόστολος· "Οὐχὶ πάντες εἰσὶ λειτουργικὰ πνεύματα, εἰς διακονίαν ἀποστελλόμενα διὰ τοὺς 3.92 μέλλοντας κληρονομεῖν σωτηρίαν;" Τὴν ἐκείνων μιμούμενοι πολιτείαν, ὅσοι τῶν ἀνθρώπων τὴν τοῦ Θεοῦ θεραπείαν ἠσπά σαντο, ἔφυγον μὲν τῶν σωμάτων καὶ τὴν ἔννομον κοινωνίαν ὡς τῶν θείων ἀφέλκουσαν, κατέλιπον δὲ καὶ πατρίδα καὶ γένος, ἵνα πᾶσαν εἰς τὰ θεῖα μεταθῶσι τὴν μέριμναν, καὶ μηδεὶς τὸν νοῦν ἐπέχῃ δεσμός, εἰς οὐρανὸν ἀναπτῆναι καὶ τὸ ἀόρατον καὶ ἄρρητον 3.93 τοῦ Θεοῦ κατοπτεῦσαι γλιχόμενον κάλλος. Τούτων πλήρεις καὶ πόλεις καὶ κῶμαι καὶ τῶν ὀρῶν αἱ ἀκρωνυχίαι καὶ φάραγγες. Καὶ οἱ μὲν κατὰ ξυμμορίας οἰκοῦντες δημιουργοῦσιν ἐν ταῖς ψυχαῖς τὰ τῆς φιλοσοφίας ἀγάλματα, οἱ δέ, κατὰ δύο καὶ τρεῖς διάγοντες, οἱ δὲ καὶ μόνοι καθειργμένοι καὶ τὼ ὀφθαλμὼ τῷ κάλλει τῶν ὁρω μένων ἐπιτέρπεσθαι διακωλύοντες, σχολὴν τῷ νῷ παρέχουσιν 3.94 ἐπεντρυφᾶν τῇ θεωρίᾳ τῶν νοητῶν. Εἰ δὲ οἱ σώμασι ξυνεζευγμένοι καὶ ὑπὸ πολλῶν καὶ παντοδαπῶν ἐνοχλούμενοι παθημάτων ἀσώ ματον καὶ ὑψηλὴν καὶ οὐρανίοις πρέπουσαν ἀσπάζονται βιοτήν, τίς ἂν ἐκφράσαι λόγος τῶν ἀσωμάτων φύσεων τὴν ἀπαθῆ πολιτείαν καὶ φροντίδων ἀπηλλαγμένην; 3.95 Ταύτην ἔχειν ἡμᾶς τὴν δόξαν περὶ τῶν ἀοράτων μέν, γενητῶν δὲ φύσεων τὰ θεῖα ἐξεπαίδευσε λόγια· ὑμεῖς δὲ τοσαύτην αὐ τῶν ἀκολασίαν τε καὶ ἀκρασίαν κατηγορεῖτε καὶ παντοδαπὴν αἰσχρουργίαν, καὶ μέντοι καὶ ἔριν καὶ πολέμους καὶ τυραννίδα, ὡς μηδὲ τοῖς πονηροτάτοις τῶν ἀνθρώπων ἁρμόττειν τὰ ἐκείνων 3.96 πέρι μυθολογούμενα. Οὐδὲ γὰρ οὐδ' οἱ ἄγαν παμπόνηροι πάντα ἔχουσιν, ὅσα τοῦ πατρὸς τῶν θεῶν καὶ πάντων ὑπάτου τε καὶ μεγίστου κατηγορεῖτε. Οἱ μὲν γὰρ τῇ περὶ τοὺς νέους ἀκολασίᾳ δουλεύσαντες ἀλλοτρίους οὐ διώρυξαν γάμους, οἱ δὲ τῇδε τῇ πάθῃ περιπεσόντες τῶν οἰκειοτάτων ἐφείσαντο· εἰ δέ τις καὶ ἀδελφῆς ἔρωτι περιέπεσεν, ἀλλ' οὐ κατὰ μητρός γε ἐλύττησεν οὐδ' ἐπεμάνη τῇ θυγατρί, ἀλλ' ᾐδέσθη τὴν φύσιν καὶ τὴν τῶν 3.97 ἀλόγων οὐκ ἐζήλωσεν ἄνοιαν. Πέρσαι δὲ μόνοι τὰ τοιαῦτα δρῶσι, νόμῳ τινὶ παλαιῷ μυσαρωτάτῳ πειθόμενοι καὶ παρανομεῖν οὐχ ἡγούμενοι. Οὑτοσὶ δέ, ὃν θεῶν τε καὶ ἀνδρῶν πατέρα ὠνόμασεν Ὅμηρος, τὴν μὲν Ἥραν, ἀδελφὴν οὖσαν, ὁμόζυγον ἐποιήσατο, τῇ δὲ Ῥέᾳ, ἣν καὶ