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supplies for their own wicked way. There is a presidency for those who live piously, and for the wicked, desire as is fitting; for not one thing happens without providence. As many things as both others and almost the majority have said about God and providence, it is possible to see how they have spoken inconsistently with one another; for some have utterly denied that God and providence exist, while others on the other hand have established God and confessed that all things are governed by providence. Therefore, the intelligent hearer and reader must pay close attention to what is said, as Simylus also said: It is a common custom to call men poets, both those who are excellent by nature and those who are bad; but one ought to discriminate. just as Philemon also says somewhere: A foolish listener sitting by is a difficult thing; for out of foolishness he does not blame himself. One must therefore pay attention and understand what is said, critically examining what has been said by the philosophers and the other poets. For while denying that there are gods, they themselves confess them again, and they have said that these gods commit unlawful acts. And indeed, the poets sing most sweetly of the grievous deeds of Zeus first of all. But Chrysippus, who talked much nonsense, how is he not found indicating that Hera has intercourse with Zeus with an impure mouth? For why should I recount the licentious acts of the so-called mother of the gods, or of Zeus Latiarius thirsting for human blood, or of the castrated Attis, or that Zeus, who is called Tragoedus, having burnt his own hand, as they say, is now honored as a god among the Romans? I pass over in silence the precincts of Antinous and of the other so-called gods. For these things, when related, bring ridicule to the intelligent. Therefore, those who have philosophized such things are convicted by their own doctrines either of atheism, or of promiscuity and unlawful intercourse; moreover, cannibalism is also found among them through the writings they composed, and they record that the very gods they have honored first did these things. But we confess a God, but one, the founder and maker and creator of this whole universe, and we know that all things are governed by providence, but by Him alone, and we have learned a holy law, but we have as lawgiver the true God, who also teaches us to act justly and to be pious and to do good. And concerning piety he says: "You shall have no other gods before me. You shall not make for yourself an idol, or any likeness of anything that is in heaven above, or that is in the earth beneath, or that is in the water under the earth. You shall not bow down to them or serve them; for I am the Lord your God." And concerning doing good he said: "Honor your father and your mother, that it may be well with you and that you may be long-lived upon the

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ἐφόδια πρὸς τὸν ἴδιον οἱ φαῦλοι τρόπον. ἔστιν δὲ καὶ τοῖς ζῶσιν ὁσίως προεδρία, καὶ τοῖς πονηροῖς ὡς προσῆκ' ἐπιθυμία· χωρὶς προνοίας γίνεται γὰρ οὐδὲ ἕν. ὁπόσα τε καὶ ἄλλοι καὶ σχεδόν γε οἱ πλείους εἶπον περὶ θεοῦ καὶ προνοίας, ὁρᾶν ἔστιν πῶς ἀνακόλουθα ἀλλήλοις ἔφασαν· οἱ μὲν γὰρ τὸ ἐξόλου θεὸν καὶ πρόνοιαν εἶναι ἀνεῖλον, οἱ δ' αὖ συνέστησαν θεὸν καὶ πάντα προνοίᾳ διοικεῖσθαι ὡμολόγησαν. τὸν οὖν συνετὸν ἀκροατὴν καὶ ἀναγινώσκοντα προσέχειν ἀκριβῶς τοῖς λεγομένοις δεῖ, καθὼς καὶ ὁ Σιμύλος ἔφη· Κοινῶς ποιητὰς ἔθος ἐστὶν καλεῖν, καὶ τοὺς περιττοὺς τῇ φύσει καὶ τοὺς κακούς· ἔδει δὲ κρίνειν. καθάπερ ἐν τόπῳ τινι καὶ ὁ Φιλήμων· Χαλεπὸν ἀκροατὴς ἀσύνετος καθήμενος· ὑπὸ γὰρ ἀνοίας οὐχ ἑαυτὸν μέμφεται. χρὴ οὖν προσέχειν καὶ νοεῖν τὰ λεγόμενα κριτικῶς ἐξετάζοντα τὰ ὑπὸ τῶν φιλοσόφων καὶ τῶν λοιπῶν ποιητῶν εἰρημένα. Ἀρνούμενοι γὰρ θεοὺς εἶναι πάλιν ὁμολογοῦσιν αὐτοί, καὶ τούτους πράξεις ἀθέσμους ἐπιτελεῖν ἔφασαν. καὶ πρώτου γε ∆ιὸς οἱ ποιηταὶ εὐφωνότερον ᾄδουσι τὰς χαλεπὰς πράξεις. Χρύσιππος δέ, ὁ πολλὰ φλυαρήσας, πῶς οὐχὶ εὑρίσκεται σημαίνων τὴν Ἥραν στόματι μιαρῷ συγγίνεσθαι τῷ ∆ιΐ; τί γάρ μοι καταλέγειν τὰς ἀσελγείας τῆς μητρὸς θεῶν λεγομένης ἢ ∆ιὸς τοῦ Λατεαρίου διψῶντος αἵματος ἀνθρωπείου, ἢ Ἄττου τοῦ ἀποκοπτομένου, ἢ ὅτι ὁ Ζεὺς ὁ καλούμενος Τραγῳδός, κατακαύσας τὴν ἑαυτοῦ χεῖρα, ὥς φασιν, νῦν παρὰ Ῥωμαίοις θεὸς τιμᾶται; σιγῶ τὰ Ἀντινόου τεμένη καὶ τὰ τῶν λοιπῶν καλουμένων θεῶν. καὶ γὰρ ἱστορούμενα τοῖς συνετοῖς καταγέλωτα φέρει. Ἤτοι οὖν περὶ ἀθεότητος αὐτοὶ ὑπὸ τῶν ἰδίων δογμάτων ἐλέγχον- ται οἱ τὰ τοιαῦτα φιλοσοφήσαντες, ἢ καὶ περὶ πολυμιξίας καὶ ἀθέσμου κοινωνίας· ἔτι μὴν καὶ ἀνθρωποβορία παρ' αὐτοῖς εὑρίσκεται δι' ὧν συνέγραψαν γραφῶν, καὶ πρώτους γε οὓς τετιμήκασιν θεοὺς ταῦτα πεπραχότας ἀναγράφουσιν. Ἡμεῖς δὲ καὶ θεὸν ὁμολογοῦμεν, ἀλλ' ἕνα, τὸν κτίστην καὶ ποιητὴν καὶ δημιουργὸν τοῦδε τοῦ παντὸς κόσμου, καὶ προνοίᾳ τὰ πάντα διοικεῖσθαι ἐπιστάμεθα, ἀλλ' ὑπ' αὐτοῦ μόνου, καὶ νόμον ἅγιον μεμαθήκαμεν, ἀλλὰ νομοθέτην ἔχομεν τὸν ὄντως θεόν, ὃς καὶ διδάσκει ἡμᾶς δικαιοπραγεῖν καὶ εὐσεβεῖν καὶ καλοποιεῖν. Καὶ περὶ μὲν εὐσεβείας λέγει· Ὅὐκ ἔσονταί σοι θεοὶ ἕτεροι πλὴν ἐμοῦ. οὐ ποιήσεις σεαυτῷ εἴδωλον οὐδὲ παντὸς ὁμοίωμα ὅσα ἐν τῷ οὐρανῷ ἄνω ἢ ὅσα ἐν τῇ γῇ κάτω ἢ ὅσα ἐν τοῖς ὕδασιν ὑποκάτω τῆς γῆς. οὐ προσκυνήσεις αὐτοῖς, οὐδὲ μὴ λατρεύσεις αὐτοῖς· ἐγὼ γάρ εἰμι κύριος ὁ θεός σου." Περὶ δὲ τοῦ καλοποιεῖν ἔφη· "Τίμα τὸν πατέρα σου καὶ τὴν μητέρα σου, ἵνα εὖ σοι γένηται καὶ ἵαν μακροχρόνιος ἔσῃ ἐπὶ τῆς