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that the law was most excellently established. For experience proves that things which do not have this character need correction; but for us, who were persuaded from the beginning that the law was established according to God's 8.8.19 will, it was not even pious to no longer keep it. For what could one change in it, or what could one invent that is more excellent, or what could one import from others as better? Could it be the entire constitution of the state? And what could be more excellent or more just than that which has made us regard God as the ruler of all things, entrusting the greatest matters to the priests in common to administer, and again 8.8.20 entrusting to the high priest of all the leadership of the other priests? These men the lawgiver did not at the very first appoint to the office on account of wealth or any other accidental advantages in which they excelled, but to those who, of those with him, were distinguished from the others by persuasion and self-control, to these he entrusted especially the service concerning 8.8.21 God. And this was a careful supervision both of the law and of other practices; for the priests were appointed as overseers of all things, judges of disputes, and punishers of those condemned. 8.8.22 What government, then, could be more holy than this? And what honor more fitting for God? with the whole multitude being disposed toward piety, and the special care being entrusted to the priests, and with the entire polity being managed as if it were a kind of religious ceremony. 8.8.23 For what others, practicing them for a small number of days, are not able to keep, calling them mysteries and rites, these things we keep with great pleasure and an unchangeable mind throughout all 8.8.24 time. What then are the declarations and pronouncements? They are simple and well-known. The first, which concerns God, takes the lead: God possesses all things, perfect and blessed, self-sufficient for himself and for all; he is the beginning, middle, and end of all things, manifest in his works and graces and more evident than anything 8.8.25 else, but in form and magnitude most invisible to us. All material, even if it be very costly, is worthless for an image of him; every art is artless for the conception of imitating him; we have neither seen nor do we conceive anything like him, nor is it holy to make a likeness. 8.8.26 We see his works: light, heaven, earth, sun and moon, rivers and sea, the generation of living creatures, the bringing forth of fruits. These God made, not with hands or with toils nor needing any to work with him, but by his 8.8.27 willing them to be beautiful they were immediately beautifully made. All must follow him and serve him by practicing virtue; for this is the most holy way of serving 8.8.28 God. One temple for one God—for like is always dear to every like—common to all, of the common God of all. The priests serve him continually; and their leader is always the first in lineage. He, with the other priests, will sacrifice to God, will guard the laws, will judge concerning disputed matters, will punish those who are convicted. He who does not obey this man will suffer punishment, as being impious toward God 8.8.29 himself. We offer sacrifices not for our own filling and drunkenness—for these things are unwelcome to God and would become an occasion for insolence and extravagance—but soberly, in an orderly and composed manner, so that in sacrificing we may be especially self-controlled. And at the sacrifices one must pray first for the common salvation, then for one's own; for we were made for fellowship, and he who prefers this to his own private interest 8.8.30 would be most pleasing to God. Let our exhortation and supplication to God be through prayer, not that he may give good things—for he himself has willingly given them and has set them in the midst for all—but that we may be able to receive them and, having received them, 8.8.31 to keep them. The law has specified purifications for the sacrifices: from mourning, from a funeral bed, from intercourse with a woman, and many others, which it would be lengthy 8.8.32 now to write. Such is our account concerning God and his service; and it is at the same time also a law. But what are the

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κάλλιστα τεθῆναι τὸν νόμον. τὰ γὰρ μὴ τοῦτον ἔχοντα τὸν τρόπον αἱ πεῖραι δεόμενα διορθώσεως ἐλέγχουσιν· ἡμῖν δὲ τοῖς πεισθεῖσιν ἐξ ἀρχῆς τεθῆναι τὸν νόμον κατὰ θεοῦ βού8.8.19 λησιν οὐδ' εὐσεβὲς ἦν ἔτι τοῦτον μὴ φυλάττειν. τί γὰρ αὐτοῦ τις ἂν μετακινήσειεν ἢ τί κάλλιον ἐξεῦρεν ἢ τί παρ' ἑτέρων ὡς ἄμεινον μετήνεγκεν; ἆρά γε τὴν ὅλην κατάστασιν τοῦ πολιτεύματος; καὶ τίς ἂν καλλίων ἢ δικαιοτέρα γένοιτο τῆς τὸν θεὸν μὲν ἡγεμόνα τῶν ὅλων ἡγεῖσθαι πεποιημένης, τοῖς ἱερεῦσι δὲ κοινῇ μὲν τὰ μέγιστα διοικεῖν ἐπιτρεπούσης, τῷ δὲ πάντων ἀρχιερεῖ πάλιν 8.8.20 πεπιστευκυίας τὴν τῶν ἄλλων ἱερέων ἡγεμονίαν; οὓς οὐ κατὰ πλοῦτον οὐδέ τισιν ἄλλαις προὔχοντας αὐτομάτοις πλεονεξίαις τὸ πρῶτον εὐθὺς ὁ νομοθέτης ἐπὶ τὴν τιμὴν ἔταξεν, ἀλλ' ὅσοι τῶν μετ' αὐτοῦ πειθοῖ τε καὶ σωφροσύνῃ τῶν ἄλλων διέφερον, τούτοις τὴν περὶ τὸν θεὸν μάλιστα θεραπείαν ἐνεχείρι8.8.21 σεν. τοῦτο δ' ἦν καὶ τοῦ νόμου καὶ τῶν ἄλλων ἐπιτηδευμάτων ἀκριβὴς ἐπιμέλεια· καὶ γὰρ ἐπόπται πάντων καὶ δικασταὶ τῶν ἀμφισβητουμένων καὶ κολασταὶ τῶν κατεγνωσμένων οἱ ἱερεῖς ἐτάχθησαν. 8.8.22 Τίς ἂν οὖν ἀρχὴ γένοιτο ταύτης ὁσιωτέρα; τίς δὲ τιμὴ θεῷ μᾶλλον ἁρμόζουσα; παντὸς μὲν τοῦ πλήθους κατεσκευασμένου πρὸς τὴν εὐσέβειαν, ἐξαίρετον δὲ τὴν ἐπιμέλειαν τῶν ἱερέων πεπιστευμένων, ὥσπερ δὲ τελετῆες τινος τῆς 8.8.23 ὅλης πολιτείας οἰκονομουμένης. ἃ γὰρ ὀλίγων ἡμερῶν ἀριθμὸν ἐπιτηδεύοντες ἄλλοι φυλάττειν οὐ δύνανται, μυστήρια καὶ τελετὰς ἐπονομάζοντες, ταῦτα μετὰ πολλῆς ἡδονῆς καὶ γνώμης ἀμεταθέτου φυλάττομεν ἡμεῖς διὰ τοῦ παντὸς 8.8.24 αἰῶνος. τίνες οὖν εἰσιν αἱ προρρήσεις καὶ προαγορεύσεις; ἁπλαῖ τε καὶ γνώριμοι. πρώτη δ' ἡγεῖται ἡ περὶ θεοῦ λέγουσα· Θεὸς ἔχει τὰ σύμπαντα, παντελὴς καὶ μακάριος, αὐτὸς ἑαυτῷ καὶ πᾶσιν αὐτάρκης, ἀρχὴ καὶ μέσα καὶ τέλος οὗτος τῶν ἁπάντων, ἔργοις μὲν καὶ χάρισιν ἐναργὴς καὶ παντὸς οὗτινος 8.8.25 φανερώτερος, μορφὴν δὲ καὶ μέγεθος ἡμῖν ἀφανέστατος. πᾶσα μὲν ὕλη πρὸς εἰκόνα τὴν τούτου, κἂν ᾖ πολυτελής, ἄτιμος· πᾶσα δὲ τέχνη πρὸς μιμήσεως ἐπίνοιαν ἄτεχνος· οὐδὲν ὅμοιον οὔτ' εἴδομεν οὔτ' ἐπινοοῦμεν οὔτ' εἰκάζειν 8.8.26 ἐστὶν ὅσιον. ἔργα βλέπομεν αὐτοῦ φῶς, οὐρανόν, γῆν, ἥλιον καὶ σελήνην, ποταμοὺς καὶ θάλατταν, ζῴων γενέσεις, καρπῶν ἀναδόσεις. ταῦτα θεὸς ἐποίησεν, οὐ χερσὶν οὐδὲ πόνοις οὐδέ τινων συνεργασαμένων ἐπιδεηθείς, ἀλλ' αὐτοῦ 8.8.27 καλὰ θελήσαντος καλῶς ἦν εὐθὺς γεγονότα. τούτῳ δεῖ πάντας ἀκολου θεῖν καὶ θεραπεύειν αὐτὸν ἀσκοῦντας ἀρετήν· τρόπος γὰρ θεοῦ θεραπείας οὗτος 8.8.28 ὁσιώτατος. εἷς ναὸς ἑνὸς θεοῦ φίλον γὰρ ἀεὶ παντὶ τὸ ὅμοιον, κοινὸς ἁπάντων, κοινοῦ θεοῦ ἁπάντων. τοῦτον θεραπεύουσι μὲν διὰ παντὸς οἱ ἱερεῖς· ἡγεῖται δὲ τούτων ὁ πρῶτος ἀεὶ κατὰ γένος. οὗτος μετὰ τῶν ἄλλων ἱερέων θύσει τῷ θεῷ, φυλάξει τοὺς νόμους, δικάσει περὶ τῶν ἀμφισβητουμένων, κολάσει τοὺς ἐλεγχθέντας. ὁ τούτῳ μὴ πειθόμενος ὑφέξει δίκην, ὡς εἰς τὸν θεὸν αὐτὸν 8.8.29 ἀσεβῶν. θύομεν τὰς θυσίας οὐκ εἰς πλήρωσιν ἑαυτοῖς καὶ μέθην ἀβούλητα γὰρ θεῷ τάδε καὶ πρόφασις ἂν ὕβρεως γένοιτο καὶ πολυτελείας, ἀλλὰ σώφρονας, εὐτάκτους, εὐσταλεῖς, ὅπως μάλιστα θύοντες σωφρονῶσι. καὶ ἐπὶ ταῖς θυσίαις ὑπὲρ τῆς κοινῆς εὔχεσθαι χρὴ πρῶτον σωτηρίας, εἶθ' ὑπὲρ ἑαυτῶν· ἐπὶ γὰρ κοινωνίᾳ γεγόναμεν καὶ ταύτην ὁ προτιμῶν τοῦ καθ' ἑαυτὸν 8.8.30 ἰδίου μάλιστα εἴη θεῷ κεχαρισμένος. παράκλησις δὲ πρὸς τὸν θεὸν ἔστω διὰ τῆς εὐχῆς καὶ δέησις, οὐχ ὅπως διδῷ τὰ ἀγαθά δέδωκε γὰρ αὐτὸς ἑκὼν καὶ πᾶσιν εἰς μέσον κατατέθεικεν, ἀλλ' ὅπως δέχεσθαι δυνώμεθα καὶ λαβόντες 8.8.31 φυλάττωμεν. ἁγνείας ἐπὶ ταῖς θυσίαις διείρηκεν ὁ νόμος ἀπὸ κήδους, ἀπὸ λέχους, ἀπὸ κοινωνίας τῆς πρὸς γυναῖκα καὶ πολλῶν ἄλλων, ἃ μακρὸν ἂν 8.8.32 εἴη νῦν γράφειν. τοιοῦτος μὲν ὁ περὶ θεοῦ καὶ τῆς ἐκείνου θεραπείας λόγος ἡμῖν ἐστιν· ὁ δ' αὐτὸς ἅμα καὶ νόμος. τίνες δὲ οἱ