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to fear and dread and flee champions, but to hold subject only the deserters 3.106 and those who willingly embrace his slavery. For the divine apostle has said that he works only in the sons of disobedience. Concerning this, Plato again has said these things in the Phaedrus: "There are indeed other evils, but some daimon has mixed pleasure in with most of them for the moment." For using this, as it were, as a bait and hiding the deadly hook, he beguiles and utterly destroys the easily deceived among men, but those who are strong in mind foresee the snares and leap over them. 3.107 But then, having set forth the opinions concerning these things side by side, consider which of these are more fitting for God: to say that the Good One is the creator of an evil nature and to have handed over to this one not only the earth but also the heaven and permitted it to govern as it wishes; or to say the opposite, that God is completely without cause of evils, but that the daemons have become evil 3.108 by choice of will, just as indeed have most men. But I think you too will agree that these doctrines are better than those. And if you should happen upon the divine oracles themselves and learn their purpose accurately, you will know more clearly by how much the God-inspired oracles differ from human reasonings, and of what sort are the doctrines of the divine Spirit, and of what sort are the teachings of the evil daemons.

4.t CONCERNING MATTER AND THE WORLD.

4.1 They say that Democritus, the son of Damasippus, the Abderite, said that the best teaching is similar to nature; for this indeed transforms and reshapes the soul for the better and renews the old characters which nature implanted from the beginning. 4.2 And I for one have supposed this saying to be very well put. For Porphyry says that Socrates, the son of Sophroniscus, having inclined toward licentiousness when he was young, by effort and teaching made these impressions disappear, and took on the stamp of philosophy. And the divine oracles have taught us many such things. For our Savior, by his instructions and exhortations, drew up from the pit of wickedness tax collectors who had embraced a greedy and unjust life, and a most lewd prostitute, and a most lawless robber, and many others who lived in wickedness, and showed them to be lovers of the most perfect virtue. 4.3 And why do I say three or four or ten or fifteen? For through those few whom he himself had reshaped, he suddenly changed the whole inhabited world, which was in such a state, and made it sober, which formerly resembled those who are out of their minds and delirious. Knowing this clearly, we offer you the saving teaching; and seeing you fighting and contradicting and pushing away the cure, we do not give up, but with the sponge of reason we soothe the passion of unbelief. 4.4 Three times already we have done this, and we have shown how necessary and useful is the medicine of faith; we have shown what one ought to believe concerning the divine substance, and what it is proper to think about natures that are invisible but created, and we have stripped bare the shame of the poetic mythology and refuted the monstrous allegory of the philosophers. But since concerning the visible creation they have held opinions that are neither true nor indeed consistent with each other, but were divided into many factions, as in a night-battle, treating each other openly as enemies, I think it is worthwhile to set forth in the midst their opinions and to place beside them the doctrines of the divine scripture and to show plainly, that "the reasonings of men are timid, and their thoughts are insecure," as a certain wise man of ours has said. 4.5 Xenophanes, then, son of Orthomenes, of Colophon, of the Eleatic school

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ἀθλητὰς ὀρρωδεῖν καὶ δεδιέναι καὶ φεύγειν, μόνους δὲ ἔχειν ὑποχειρίους τοὺς αὐτο 3.106 μόλους καὶ αὐθαιρέτως τὴν ἐκείνου δουλείαν ἀσπαζομένους. Ἐν μόνοις γὰρ τοῖς υἱοῖς τῆς ἀπειθείας ἐνεργεῖν αὐτὸν ὁ θεῖος ἀπό στολος εἴρηκεν. Περὶ τούτου πάλιν ὁ Πλάτων καὶ ταῦτα εἴρηκεν ἐν τῷ Φαίδρῳ· "Ἔστι μὲν οὖν καὶ ἄλλα κακά, ἀλλά τις δαίμων ἀνέμιξε τοῖς πλείστοις ἐν τῷ παραυτίκα ἡδονήν." Ταύτῃ γάρ τοι οἷον δελέατι κεχρημένος καὶ τὸ ἄγκιστρον τὸ ὀλέθριον κατα κρύπτων, τοὺς μὲν εὐεξαπατήτους ἀποβουκολεῖ καὶ διόλλυσι τῶν ἀνθρώπων, οἱ δέ γε τὸν νοῦν ἐρρωμένοι προορῶσι τὰς πάγας καὶ ταύτας ὑπερπηδῶσιν. 3.107 Ἀτὰρ οὖν καὶ τὰς περὶ τούτων δόξας ἐκ παραλλήλου θέντες, ἀθρήσατε, πότερα τούτων ἁρμοδιώτερα Θεῷ· τὸ τὸν ἀγαθὸν πονηρᾶς φύσεως φάναι δημιουργὸν καὶ τούτῳ μὴ μόνον τὴν γῆν, ἀλλὰ καὶ τὸν οὐρανὸν ἐγχειρίσαι καὶ ἐπιτρέψαι οἱ κυβερνᾶν, ᾗ βούλεται· ἢ τοὐναντίον εἰπεῖν, ὡς ἀναίτιος μὲν κακῶν παντά πασιν ὁ Θεός, αἱρέσει δὲ γνώμης οἱ δαίμονες γεγένηνται πο 3.108 νηροί, ὥσπερ δὴ καὶ τῶν ἀνθρώπων οἱ πλεῖστοι. Ἀλλὰ γὰρ οἶμαι καὶ ὑμᾶς ξυνομολογήσειν, ὡς ταῦτα ἐκείνων ἀμείνω τὰ δόγματα. Εἰ δὲ καὶ αὐτοῖς γε τοῖς θείοις λογίοις ἐντύχοιτε καὶ τὸν ἐκείνων σκοπὸν ἀκριβῶς καταμάθοιτε, σαφέστερον εἴσεσθε, πόσῳ τὰ θεό πνευστα λόγια τῶν ἀνθρωπίνων διενήνοχε λογισμῶν, καὶ ὁποῖα μὲν τὰ τοῦ θείου Πνεύματος δόγματα, ὁποῖα δὲ τὰ τῶν πονηρῶν δαιμόνων παιδεύματα.

4.t ΠΕΡΙ ΥΛΗΣ ΚΑΙ ΚΟΣΜΟΥ.

4.1 ∆ημόκριτον τὸν ∆αμασίππου τὸν Ἀβδηρίτην φασὶ παραπλη σίαν εἶναι τῇ

φύσει λέγειν τὴν ἀρίστην διδασκαλίαν· μεταμορφοῦν γὰρ δὴ ταύτην καὶ μεταρυθμίζειν πρὸς τὸ βέλτιον τὴν ψυχὴν καὶ τοὺς παλαιοὺς ἀνανεοῦσθαι χαρακτῆρας, οὓς ἐξ ἀρχῆς ἡ 4.2 φύσις ἐνέθηκεν. Καὶ ἔγωγε μάλα τόνδε τὸν λόγον εὖ ἔχειν ὑπεί ληφα. Καὶ γὰρ τὸν Σωκράτην τὸν Σωφρονίσκου φησὶν ὁ Πορφύ ριος εἰς ἀκολασίαν, ἡνίκα νέος ἦν, ἀποκλίναντα, σπουδῇ καὶ διδαχῇ τούτους μὲν ἀφανίσαι τοὺς τύπους, τοὺς δὲ τῆς φιλοσο φίας ἐκμάξασθαι. Πολλὰ δέ που τοιαῦτα καὶ τὰ θεῖα ἡμᾶς ἐξεπαίδευσε λόγια. Καὶ γὰρ καὶ τελώνας ὁ Σωτὴρ ὁ ἡμέτερος πλεονεκτικὸν βίον ἀσπασαμένους καὶ ἄδικον καὶ χαμαιτύπην λαγνιστάτην καὶ παρανομώτατον λῃστὴν καὶ ἄλλους πολλοὺς πονηρίᾳ ξυνεζηκότας εἰσηγήσεσι καὶ παραινέσεσιν ἐκ μὲν τοῦ βαράθρου τῆς κακίας ἀνέσπασεν, ἀρετῆς δὲ τελεωτάτης ἀπέφηνεν 4.3 ἐραστάς. Καὶ τί λέγω τρεῖς ἢ τέτταρας ἢ δέκα ἢ πεντεκαίδεκα; Πᾶσαν γάρ που τὴν οἰκουμένην οὕτω διακειμένην δι' ἐκείνων γε τῶν ὀλίγων, οὓς αὐτὸς μετερύθμισεν, ἀθρόως μετέβαλε καὶ τὴν πάλαι τοῖς ἐξεστηκόσι καὶ παραπαίουσιν ἐοικυῖαν σωφρονοῦσαν ἀπέφηνεν. Τοῦτο σαφῶς εἰδότες ἡμεῖς τὴν σωτήριον ὑμῖν διδα σκαλίαν προσφέρομεν· καὶ διαμαχομένους ὁρῶντες καὶ ἀντιλέ γοντας καὶ τὴν θεραπείαν ἀπωθουμένους οὐκ ἀπαυδῶμεν, ἀλλὰ τῇ σπογγιᾷ τοῦ λόγου καταιονῶμεν τῆς ἀπιστίας τὸ πάθος. 4.4 Τρὶς δὲ ἤδη τοῦτο δεδράκαμεν, καὶ ὅπως ἀναγκαῖον καὶ χρήσι μον τὸ τῆς πίστεως ἐπεδείξαμεν φάρμακον· τίνα τε χρὴ δοξάζειν τῆς οὐσίας πέρι τῆς θείας, καὶ ὁποῖα προσήκει φρονεῖν περὶ τῶν ἀοράτων μέν, γενητῶν δὲ φύσεων, ἐπεδείξαμεν, καὶ τὸ τῆς ποιητικῆς μυθολογίας ἀπογυμνώσαντες αἶσχος καὶ τὴν τερατώδη τῶν φιλοσόφων ἀλληγορίαν ἐλέγξαντες. Ἐπειδὴ δὲ καὶ τῆς ὁρατῆς πέρι κτίσεως οὔτε ἀληθῆ οὔτε μὴν ξυνῳδά γε ἀλλήλοις ἐδόξασαν, ἀλλ' εἰς πολλὰς καθάπερ ἐν νυκτομαχίᾳ διεκρίθησαν μοίρας, ἀλλήλοις ὡς πολεμίοις ἀνέδην κεχρημένοι, προύργου οἶμαι καὶ τὰς τούτων ἐν μέσῳ προθεῖναι δόξας καὶ τῆς θείας γραφῆς παραθεῖναι τὰ δόγματα καὶ δεῖξαί γε ἄντικρυς, ὡς "λογισμοὶ ἀνθρώπων δειλοί, καὶ ἐπισφαλεῖς αἱ ἐπίνοιαι αὐτῶν", ᾗ σοφός τις ἡμέτερος εἴρηκεν. 4.5 Ξενοφάνης μὲν οὖν ὁ Ὀρθομένους ὁ Κολοφώνιος, ὁ τῆς Ἐλεατικῆς αἱρέσεως