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to make these men lawgivers and teachers of the law for the inhabited world of men, what sort of thing does that seem to you? And to have promised, and said in word but done in deed, to make them fishers of men, and to have given them such great virtue and power, that they both composed writings and handed down books, and to have established these to such an extent, that, translated throughout the whole inhabited world into every tongue of barbarians and Greeks, they are studied among all the nations, and the oracles set down in them are believed to be divine. 17.10 And what of the fact that he himself prophesied the future and testified beforehand to his disciples, that they were to be brought before kings and governors, and punished, and endure the uttermost torments, not for any wicked deed, but only for their confession of him? And to have prepared them to endure these things willingly, and so fortified them with the arms of piety, that their souls appeared stronger than adamant in their struggles against their adversaries, what words could ever surpass this? 17.11 And that not only those who had followed him, but now also their successors and again those who came after, and those down to our own time, he so strengthened the powers of their souls, that, though having done nothing worthy of death, they endured all kinds of punishments and every sort of torture with pleasure, for the sake of piety towards the God of all, what wonder would this not surpass? But what king has ever continued to reign for so long an age? Who thus commands an army after death and sets up trophies over enemies, and subjugates every place and country and city, both Greek and barbarian, conquering his adversaries with an unseen and invisible right hand? 17.12 And indeed the chief point of what has been said, the peace established everywhere on earth through his power, about which we have spoken appropriately before, what slandering mouth would it not shut, since it concurred in fact with the teaching of our Savior and with the proclamation of concord and harmony for all the nations laid down by him for the whole world, and since the universal peace of the nations was so long ago proclaimed by the prophets of God and the word laid down by him for the nations? The whole length of the day will fail me, O Emperor, were I to try to bring together and combine into one the clear proofs of the divine power of our Savior, drawn from the things that are still seen even now, for never has anyone from of old, either among Greeks or among barbarians, displayed so great a power of divine virtue as our Savior has. 17.13 But why do I speak of men, when not even among those who are regarded as gods among all the nations has such a nature appeared on earth? Or let him who wishes point it out; let every philosopher come forward and tell us, what god or hero from all time has ever been heard of, who has handed down to men teachings that lead to eternal life and a heavenly kingdom, such as our Savior has, causing countless multitudes throughout the whole inhabited world to be trained in philosophic doctrines, and persuading them to pursue heaven and to hope for the abodes in heaven reserved for God-loving souls? What god or even hero, being a man, has ever traveled from the rising of the sun to its setting, all but traversing a course equal to the sun's, and has illumined and enlightened with the most brilliant rays of his teaching, so that everywhere on earth every nation might render one and the same worship to one God? What god or hero ever, having thrust aside all Greek and barbarian gods and heroes, decreed that none of them should be considered a god, and having so decreed, persuaded men? Then, though warred against by all, being himself but one, he overthrew the entire army of his opponents, conquering all the gods and heroes of all time, from the ends of the earth so that throughout the whole inhabited world of men, he alone by all the nations the Son of God

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τούτους νομοθέτας καὶ νομοδιδασκάλους ἀποφῆναι τῆς ἀνθρώπων οἰκουμένης, οἷόν σοι εἶναι δοκεῖ; τὸ δὲ ἐπαγγείλασθαι καὶ λόγῳ μὲν εἰπεῖν ἔργῳ δὲ ποιῆσαι αὐτοὺς ἁλιέας ἀνθρώπων, καὶ τοσαύτην αὐτοῖς ἀρετήν τε καὶ δύναμιν παρασχεῖν, ὡς καὶ γραφὰς συντάξαι καὶ βίβλους παραδοῦναι, καὶ ταύτας εἰς τοσοῦτον κρατῦναι, ὡς καθ' ὅλης τῆς οἰκουμένης παντοίᾳ γλώσσῃ βαρβάρων τε καὶ Ἑλλήνων μεταβαλλομένας παρὰ πᾶσι τοῖς ἔθνεσι μελετᾶσθαι, καὶ πιστεύεσθαι θεῖα εἶναι λόγια τὰ ἐν αὐταῖς καταβεβλημένα. 17.10 οἷον δὲ καὶ τὸ αὐτὸν προφητεῦσαι τὸ μέλλον καὶ τοῖς μαθηταῖς προμαρ τύρασθαι, ὡς ἄρα ἐπὶ βασιλέων καὶ ἡγεμόνων μέλλοιεν ἄγεσθαι τιμωρεῖσθαί τε καὶ τὰς ἐσχάτας ὑπομένειν κολάσεις, οὐ διά τινα πρᾶξιν ἄτοπον διὰ μόνην δὲ τὴν εἰς τοῦτον ὁμολογίαν; τὸ δὲ καὶ προθύμως αὐτοὺς ταῦθ' ὑπομεῖναι παρασκευάσαι εὐσεβείας τε ὅπλοις οὕτω φράξαι, ὡς ἀδάμαντος τὰς ψυχὰς κραταιοτέρους ἐν τοῖς πρὸς τοὺς ἀντιπάλους ἀγῶσι διαφαίνεσθαι, ποῖον οὐκ ἂν ὑπερβάλοιτο λόγον; 17.11 τὸ δὲ μὴ μόνον ἐκείνους τοὺς αὐτῷ παρηκολουθηκότας, ἀλλ' ἤδη καὶ τοὺς ἐκείνων διαδόχους καὶ αὖθις τοὺς μετέπειτα γενομένους καὶ τοὺς εἰσέτι δεῦρο καθ' ἡμᾶς αὐτοὺς οὕτω τῆς ψυχῆς νευρῶσαι τὰς δυνάμεις, ὡς μηδὲν ἄξιον θανάτου πράξαντας παντοίας κολάσεις καὶ πᾶν εἶδος στρεβλωτηρίων μεθ' ἡδονῆς ὑπομένειν εὐσεβείας χάριν τῆς εἰς τὸν τῶν ὅλων θεόν, ποῖον οὐκ ἂν ὑπερβάλοιτο θαῦμα; ἀλλὰ βασιλέων εἰς τοσοῦτον αἰῶνα τίς πώποτε κρατῶν διετέλεσεν; τίς δ' οὕτω στρατηγεῖ μετὰ θάνατον καὶ τρόπαια κατ' ἐχθρῶν ἵστησι, καὶ πάντα τόπον καὶ χώραν καὶ πόλιν, Ἑλλάδα τε καὶ βάρβαρον, ὑποτάττει, ἀοράτῳ καὶ ἀφανεῖ δεξιᾷ τοὺς ἀντιπάλους χειρούμενος; 17.12 τό γε μὴν κεφάλαιον τῶν εἰρημένων, ἡ πανταχοῦ γῆς διὰ τῆς αὐτοῦ δυνάμεως πρυτανευθεῖσα εἰρήνη, περὶ ἧς τὰ εἰκότα προλαβόντες εἰρήκαμεν, ποῖον οὐκ ἂν συκοφαντῶν ἀποφράξειε στόμα, οὕτω μὲν ἔργῳ συνδραμούσης τῇ τοῦ σωτῆρος ἡμῶν διδασκαλίᾳ καὶ τῷ καταβληθέντι ὑπ' αὐτοῦ τῷ παντὶ κόσμῳ κηρύγματι τῆς τῶν ἐθνῶν πάντων ὁμονοίας τε καὶ συμφωνίας, οὕτω δὲ πρόπαλαι ὑπὸ τῶν τοῦ θεοῦ προφητῶν προαναπεφωνημένης τῆς κοσμικῆς τῶν ἐθνῶν εἰρήνης τοῦ τε πρὸς αὐτοῦ καταβληθέντος τοῖς ἔθνεσι λόγου; ἐπιλείψει με, βασιλεῦ, τὸ πᾶν τῆς ἡμέρας μῆκος τὰς ἐναργεῖς ἀποδείξεις τῆς ἐνθέου δυνάμεως τοῦ σωτῆρος ἡμῶν τὰς ἐκ τῶν εἰσέτι νῦν ὁρωμένων ὑφ' ἓν πειρώμενον συνάγειν καὶ συνιστᾶν, ὅτι μηδεὶς πώποτε τῶν ἐξ αἰῶνος μήτε παρ' Ἕλλησι μήτε παρὰ βαρβάροις τοσαύτην ἀρετῆς ἐνθέου δύναμιν ἐπιδέδεικται, ὅσην ὁ σωτὴρ ὁ ἡμέτερος. 17.13 τί δὲ λέγω ἀνδρῶν, ὁπότε μηδ' αὐτῶν τῶν παρὰ πᾶσιν τοῖς ἔθνεσι θεολογουμένων τοιαύτη τις πέφηνεν ἐπὶ γῆς φύσις· ἢ δεικνύτω ὁ βουλόμενος, παρίτω δὲ πᾶς φιλόσοφος καὶ ἡμῖν λεγέτω, τίς ἐκ τοῦ παντὸς αἰῶνος ἤκουσέν ποτε θεὸς καὶ ἥρως αἰωνίου ζωῆς οὐρανίου τε βασιλείας μαθήματα πρόξενα παραδεδωκὼς ἀνθρώποις, οἷα ὁ ἡμέτερος σωτήρ, φιλοσόφοις δόγμασιν μυρία πλήθη καθ' ὅλης τῆς οἰκουμένης συνασκεῖσθαι ποιήσας, οὐρανόν τε πείσας μεταδιώκειν καὶ τὰς ἐν οὐρανῷ διατριβὰς θεοφιλέσι ψυχαῖς ἀποκειμένας ἐλπίζειν; τίς πώποτε θεὸς ἢ καὶ ἥρως ἄνθρωπος τὴν ἀφ' ἡλίου ἀνίσχοντος μέχρι δυομένου, μόνον οὐχὶ τὸν ἴσον ἡλίῳ διϊππεύσας δρόμον, ταῖς λαμπροτάταις τῆς αὐτοῦ διδασκαλίας αὐγαῖς κατηύγασέν τε καὶ ἐφώτισεν, ὡς πανταχοῦ γῆς ἑνὶ θεῷ πᾶν ἔθνος μίαν καὶ τὴν αὐτὴν ἐπιτελεῖν λατρείαν; τίς πώποτε θεὸς ἢ καὶ ἥρως πάντας θεούς τε καὶ ἥρωας Ἑλληνικοὺς καὶ βαρβάρους παραγκωνισάμενος, μηδένα μὲν ἐκείνων θεὸν εἶναι νομίζειν ἐνομοθέτησεν καὶ νομοθετήσας ἔπεισεν· ἔπειτα πολεμηθεὶς ὑπὸ πάντων, εἷς ὢν αὐτὸς τὸ πᾶν τῶν ἐναντίων στρατόπεδον καθεῖλεν, τῶν ἐξ αἰῶνος ἁπάντων θεῶν τε καὶ ἡρώων κρατῶν, ἀπὸ περάτων ὡς καθ' ὅλης τῆς ἀνθρώπων οἰκουμένης θεοῦ παῖδα μόνον αὐτὸν πρὸς τῶν ἐθνῶν ἁπάντων