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that the one speaking in the camp of Midian had seen in a dream a barley cake, which, rolling through all the people, reached the tent of the king, and the cake struck the tent, and it fell. And those who heard said, "This is nothing other than the sword of Gideon; for the Lord will deliver this camp into his hand." And Gideon heard and was strengthened. And he went up that night to the camp, and strengthened the three hundred men with him, and he gave them pitchers and lamps and trumpets. And going down he did as it is written. And Midian was three hundred and twelve myriads, like locusts spread out in a plain, and there was no number of their people or of their camels. And when God had driven them out, Gideon pursued after them. And the rest, knowing this, seized 1.101 the fords of the waters as far as the Jordan, and they captured the fleeing rulers of Midian, Oreb and Zeeb, and cutting off their heads, they brought them to Gideon. And having crossed the Jordan, Gideon struck the camp of Midian, and the kings of Midian, Zebah and Zalmunna, escaped from the camp. And Gideon pursued after them, and killed them. And he took the golden earrings from the spoils, and made an ephod, and set it up in his city in Ophrah, in the inheritance of Manasseh. And all Israel went whoring after it, and it became a stumbling block to the people. And the land had rest under Gideon, who was also called Jerubbaal, for 40 years. In these times of Gideon lived Orpheus the Thracian, the lyric poet of Bryos, the most wise and renowned poet, who set forth theogonies and the creation of the world and the fashioning of men, having said in the beginning of his work that from his own thought he set forth nothing about God or the cosmic creation, but that he had asked to learn from Phoebus Titan, the sun, about the theogony and the creation of the world, and who made it. For it is reported in his exposition through poetic verses thus. O lord, son of Leto, far-darter, Phoebus, mighty one. O master, son of day, who from afar shoots all things with your rays, undefiled and powerful one. All-seeing, ruling over mortals and immortals, you who look upon all things, reigning over mortals and immortals. 1.102 O Sun, lifted up with golden wings. O Sun, raised into the air with precious wings. This twelfth oracle I have heard concerning you, from you who speak. I would make you yourself, far-darter, my witness. And the same Orpheus spoke many other verses concerning these things. And from the aforementioned verses he showed that as from prayer he had heard concerning theogony and the creation of the world and so composed his work. But they have been omitted on account of their number. And in addition to the others he says these things also, that from the beginning the aether was revealed to the world, having been created by God, and on this side and on that side of the aether was chaos and gloomy night, and it covered everything under the aether, indicating that night precedes, having said in his exposition that there is a certain incomprehensible and supreme being, both pre-existent and creator of all things, both of the aether itself and of all things under the aether. And he said that the earth was invisible under the darkness. And he said that the light, having broken through the aether, illuminated all of creation, saying that that light which broke through the aether was the aforementioned supreme of all things. Whose name the same Orpheus, having heard from the oracle, pronounced as Metis, which is interpreted as Counsel, Light, Life-giver. He said in his exposition that these three divine powers of the names are one power, and the ruler of these is God whom no one sees; of which power no one is able to know the form or nature. And from this power all things have come to be, incorporeal principles and 1.103 sun and moon and authority and all the stars, earth and sea, and all things seen in them and things unseen. And he said that the race of men was formed by the divine being himself from earth and received from him a rational soul, just as Moses set forth. And the same Orpheus in the

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μαγίδα κριθινὴν ἐν ὕπνῳ τεθεᾶσθαι τὸν λέ γοντα ἐν τῇ παρεμβολῇ Μαδιάμ, ἥτις ἀνακυλιομένη ἐν παντὶ τῷ λαῷ ἔφθασεν ἕως τῆς σκηνῆς τοῦ βασιλέως, καὶ ἐπάταξεν ἡ μαγὶς τὴν σκηνήν, καὶ ἔπεσε. καὶ εἶπον οἱ ἀκούοντες "οὐκ ἔστι τοῦτο, ἀλλ' ἢ ἡ ῥομφαία τοῦ Γεδεών· παραδώσει γὰρ ὁ κύριος τὴν παρ εμβολὴν ταύτην ἐν χειρὶ αὐτοῦ." καὶ ἤκουσε Γεδεὼν καὶ ἐνίσχυσε. καὶ ἀνῆλθεν ἐν τῇ ἐκείνῃ νυκτὶ πρὸς τὴν παρεμβολήν, καὶ ἐνίσχυσε τοὺς τριακοσίους ἄνδρας τοὺς μετ' αὐτοῦ, δέδωκε δὲ αὐτοῖς ἀμ φορεῖς καὶ λαμπάδας καὶ σάλπιγγας. καὶ κατελθὼν πεποίηκεν ὡς γέγραπται. ἦν δὲ Μαδιὰμ μυριάδες τριακόσιαι δώδεκα, ὡσεὶ ἀκρὶς ἐν πεδίῳ κεχυμένη, καὶ οὐκ ἦν ἀριθμὸς τοῦ λαοῦ αὐτῶν ἢ τῶν καμήλων αὐτῶν. καὶ ἐπεὶ ἐξέστησεν αὐτοὺς ὁ θεός, κατε δίωξε Γεδεὼν ὀπίσω αὐτῶν. γνόντες δὲ οἱ ἐπίλοιποι προκατέλα 1.101 βον τὰς διαβάσεις τῶν ὑδάτων ἕως τοῦ Ἰορδάνου, καὶ συνέλαβον φεύγοντας τοὺς δυνάστας Μαδιὰμ Ὠρὴβ καὶ Ζήβ, καὶ τεμόντες τὰς κεφαλὰς αὐτῶν προσήνεγκαν τῷ Γεδεών. διαβὰς δὲ τὸν Ἰορδάνην ὁ Γεδεὼν ἐπάταξε τὴν παρεμβολὴν Μαδιάμ, καὶ ἐξέφυ γον οἱ βασιλεῖς Μαδιὰμ Ζεβεὲ καὶ Σαλμανᾶ ἐκ τῆς παρεμβολῆς. καὶ κατεδίωξε Γεδεὼν ὄπισθεν αὐτῶν, καὶ ἀπέκτεινεν αὐτούς. ἔλαβε δὲ τὰ ἐνώτια τὰ χρυσᾶ ἐκ τῶν σκύλων, καὶ ἐποίησεν ἐφούδ, καὶ ἔστησεν αὐτὸ ἐν τῇ πόλει αὐτοῦ ἐν Ἐφραθᾷ, εἰς τὴν κληρονο μίαν Μανασσῆ. καὶ ἐξεπόρνευσε πᾶς Ἰσραὴλ ἐπ' αὐτῷ, καὶ γέ γονε σκάνδαλον τῷ λαῷ. καὶ ἡσύχασεν ἡ γῆ ἐπὶ Γεδεών, ὃς καὶ Ἱεροβάαλ ἐλέγετο, ἐπὶ ἔτη μʹ. ἐν τούτοις τοῖς χρόνοις τοῦ Γεδεὼν ἦν Ὀρφεὺς ὁ Θρᾲξ ὁ λυρικὸς ὁ Βρυώσιος, ὁ σοφώτατος καὶ περι βόητος ποιητής, ὅστις ἐξέθετο θεογονίας καὶ κόσμου κτίσιν καὶ ἀνθρώπων πλαστουργίαν, εἰρηκὼς ἐν τῇ ἀρχῇ τοῦ συντάγματος αὐτοῦ ὅτι ἐκ ἰδίας ἐνθυμήσεως οὐκ ἐξέθετό τι περὶ θεοῦ ἢ τῆς κοσμικῆς κτίσεως, ἀλλ' αἰτησαμένου αὐτοῦ μαθεῖν παρὰ τοῦ Φοίβου Τιτᾶνος ἡλίου τὴν θεογονίαν καὶ τὴν τοῦ κόσμου κτίσιν, καὶ τίς ἐποίησεν αὐτήν. ἐκφέρεται γὰρ ἐν τῇ αὐτοῦ ἐκθέσει διὰ ποιητικῶν στίχων οὕτως. ὦ ἄνα Λητοῦς υἱέ, ἑκατηβόλε, Φοῖβε, κραταιέ. ὦ δέσποτα ἡμέρας υἱέ, ὁ τὰ πάντα πόρρωθεν ἐν ταῖς ἀκτῖσί σου τοξεύων, ἀμίαντε καὶ δυνατέ. πάνδερκες, θνητοῖσι καὶ ἀθανάτοισιν ἀνάσσων, ὁ τὰ πάντα ἐπιβλέπων, θνητῶν καὶ ἀθανάτων βασιλεύων. 1.102 ἠέλιε χρυσέοισιν ἀειρόμενε πτερύγεσσιν. ἥλιε τιμίαις εἰς τὸν ἀέρα ὑψούμενε πτέρυξι. δωδεκάτην δὴ τήνδε περί σου ἔκλυον ὀμφήν, σεῖο φαμένου. σὲ δ' αὐτὸν ἑκηβόλε μάρτυρα θείην. καὶ ἄλλους δὲ πολλοὺς περὶ τούτων εἶπε στίχους ὁ αὐτὸς Ὀρφεύς. ἔφρασε δὲ ἐκ τῶν προειρημένων στίχων ὅτι ὡς ἐκ τῆς εὐχῆς ἀκού σας περὶ θεογονίας καὶ κτίσεως κόσμου συνεγράψατο. παρείθησαν δὲ διὰ τὸ πλῆθος. λέγει δὲ πρὸς τοῖς ἄλλοις καὶ ταῦτα, ὅτι ἐξ ἀρχῆς ἀνεδείχθη τῷ κόσμῳ ὁ αἰθὴρ ὑπὸ τοῦ θεοῦ δημιουργηθείς, ἐντεῦθεν δὲ καὶ ἐντεῦθεν τοῦ αἰθέρος ἦν χάος καὶ νὺξ ζοφερά, πάντα δ' ἐκάλυπτε τὰ ὑπὸ τὸν αἰθέρα, σημαίνων τὴν νύκτα προ τερεύειν, εἰρηκὼς ἐν τῇ αὐτοῦ ἐκθέσει ἀκατάληπτόν τινα καὶ πάν των ὑπέρτατον εἶναι, προγενέστερόν τε καὶ δημιουργὸν ἁπάντων, καὶ αὐτοῦ τοῦ αἰθέρος καὶ πάντων τῶν ὑπ' αὐτὸν τὸν αἰθέρα. τὴν δὲ γῆν εἶπεν ὑπὸ τοῦ σκότους ἀόρατον οὖσαν. ἔφρασε δὲ ὅτι τὸ φῶς ῥῆξαν τὸν αἰθέρα ἐφώτισε πᾶσαν τὴν κτίσιν, εἰπὼν ἐκεῖνο εἶναι τὸ φῶς τὸ ῥῆξαν τὸν αἰθέρα τὸ προειρημένον τὸ ὑπέρτατον πάντων. οὗ ὄνομα ὁ αὐτὸς Ὀρφεὺς ἀκούσας ἐκ τῆς μαντείας ἐξ εῖπε μῆτις, ὅπερ ἑρμηνεύεται βουλή, φῶς, ζωοδοτήρ. εἶπεν ἐν τῇ αὐτοῦ ἐκθέσει ταύτας τὰς τρεῖς θείας τῶν ὀνομάτων δυνάμεις μίαν εἶναι δύναμιν, καὶ κράτος τούτων θεὸν ὃν οὐδεὶς ὁρᾷ· ἧς τινὸς δυνάμεως οὐδεὶς δύναται γνῶναι ἰδέαν ἢ φύσιν. ἐξ αὐτῆς δὲ τῆς δυνάμεως τὰ πάντα γεγενῆσθαι, ἀρχὰς ἀσωμάτους καὶ 1.103 ἥλιον καὶ σελήνην καὶ ἐξουσίαν καὶ ἄστρα πάντα, γῆν καὶ θάλασ σαν, καὶ τὰ ὁρώμενα ἐν αὐτοῖς πάντα καὶ τὰ ἀόρατα. τὸ δὲ τῶν ἀνθρώπων γένος εἶπεν ὑπ' αὐτοῦ τοῦ θείου πλασθὲν ἐκ γῆς καὶ ψυχὴν ὑπ' αὐτοῦ λαβεῖν λογικήν, καθὼς Μωϋσῆς ἐξέθετο. ὁ δὲ αὐτὸς Ὀρφεὺς ἐν τῇ