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he contrived, he discouraged being a student of these things. For he neither considered them discoverable by men, nor did he think that one who seeks these things, which they did not wish to make clear, was pleasing to the gods; and that one who worries about these things would be in danger of going mad, no less than Anaxagoras went mad, who thought most highly of himself for explaining the contrivances of the gods." 4.27 And again, the same man wrote these things about the same man: "But no one ever saw Socrates doing anything impious or unholy, nor heard him saying anything of the kind. For he did not discourse about the nature of all things, as most others did, investigating how the so-called cosmos of the sophists is, and by what necessities each of the celestial phenomena comes to be, but rather 4.28 he would show that those who worry about such things are foolish. And first he would consider whether they turn to worrying about such things because they think they already know human affairs sufficiently, or if, neglecting human affairs and investigating divine ones, they think they are doing what is proper. And he wondered if it was not clear to them that it is impossible for men to discover these things; since even those who think most highly of themselves for speaking about these things do not hold the same opinions as one another, but are disposed toward one another like madmen. 4.29 For of madmen, some do not even fear what is terrible, while others fear what is not fearful; and to some it seems not at all shameful to say or do anything in a crowd, while to others it seems they must not even go out among men; and some honor neither temple nor altar nor anything else divine, while others worship even common stones and pieces of wood and beasts. And of those who worry about the nature of all things, to some it seems that being is one only, to others that it is infinite in multitude; and to some that all things are always in motion, to others that nothing could ever be moved; and to some that all things come to be and are destroyed, to others that nothing could ever come to be or be destroyed." 4.30 And he goes through many other such things, refuting their great idle talk. These things against the idle speculators on celestial matters none of our writers wrote, but Xenophon and Socrates, the best of the Greeks. And it is very easy for one who wishes to consult Xenophon's *Memorabilia* and to know clearly that he wrote these things about the much-talked-of philosophers. 4.31 And if anyone thinks that I too have slandered the men by refuting their very great disagreement, let him read Aetius' *Collection of Opinions*, and let him read Plutarch's *Epitome on the Doctrines of the Philosophers*; and Porphyry's *Philosophical History* also teaches many such things. 4.32 But the writings of Xenophon, which we just mentioned, are sufficient to bear witness to the truth of what has been said by us; for he greatly ridiculed both their vast ignorance and the conflict they had with one another. But I will pass over all the others, and of Plato's works, some I will praise, and others, as not being correct, I will refute; for those things he wrote in the *Timaeus* are exceedingly praiseworthy: 4.33 "Let us say, then, for what cause the one who constructed it constructed generation and this universe." Then he added that most excellent and admirable answer: "He was good, and in a good being no envy about anything ever arises; and being free of this, he wished all things to become as much as possible like himself." And he said "like" not in respect to nature, but only in respect to being itself. For just as he is, so he wished that non-beings should come to be and exist; but he himself is, having received being from no one, while to created things he himself has given being. 4.34 And the following is akin to what has been said: "For God did not make the cosmos for the sake of need, so that he might reap honors from men and from other gods and daemons, as if earning some revenue from creation—from us smoke, and from 4.35 gods and daemons their proper services." And here again he said that God is without need, and that he made all things through goodness alone; and he called them gods and daemons, whom we call angels

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μηχανᾶται, φροντιστὴν εἶναι τούτων ἀπέτρεπεν. Οὔτε γὰρ εὑρετὰ ἀνθρώποις αὐτὰ ἐνόμιζεν εἶναι, οὔτε χαρίζεσθαι θεοῖς ἡγεῖτο τὸν ζητοῦντα ταῦτα, ἃ ἐκεῖνοι σα φηνίσαι οὐκ ἠβουλήθησαν· κινδυνεῦσαι δ' ἂν καὶ παραφρονῆσαι τὸν ταῦτα μεριμνῶντα, οὐδὲν ἧττον ἢ Ἀναξαγόρας παρεφρόνησεν, ὁ μέγιστον φρονήσας ἐπὶ τῷ τὰς τῶν θεῶν μηχανὰς ἐξηγεῖσθαι." 4.27 Καὶ ταῦτα δ' αὖ πάλιν ὁ αὐτὸς τοῦ αὐτοῦ πέρι γέγραφεν· "Οὐ δεὶς δὲ πώποτε Σωκράτους οὐδὲν ἀσεβὲς οὔτε ἀνόσιον οὔτε πράττοντος εἶδεν οὔτε λέγοντος ἤκουσεν. Οὐδὲ γὰρ περὶ τῆς τῶν ἁπάντων φύσεως ἢ περὶ τῶν ἄλλων, ὡς οἱ πλεῖστοι, δι ελέγετο, σκοπῶν ὅπως ὁ καλούμενος ὑπὸ τῶν σοφιστῶν κόσμος ἔχει, καὶ τίσιν ἀνάγκαις ἕκαστα γίνεται τῶν οὐρανίων, ἀλλὰ καὶ 4.28 τοὺς φροντίζοντας τὰ τοιαῦτα μωραίνοντας ἀπεδείκνυεν. Καὶ πρῶ τον μὲν αὐτῶν ἐσκόπει, πότερόν ποτε νομίσαντες ἱκανῶς ἤδη τὰ ἀνθρώπινα εἰδέναι, ἔρχονται ἐπὶ τὸ περὶ τῶν τοιούτων φροντίζειν, ἢ τὰ μὲν ἀνθρώπινα παρέντες, τὰ δαιμόνια δὲ σκοποῦντες, ἡγοῦνται τὰ προσήκοντα πράττειν. Ἐθαύμαζε δέ, εἰ μὴ φανερὸν αὐτοῖς ἐστιν, ὅτι ταῦτα οὐ δύνατόν ἐστιν ἀνθρώποις εὑρεῖν· ἐπεὶ καὶ τοὺς τὰ μέγιστα φρονοῦντας ἐπὶ τῷ περὶ τούτων λέγειν οὐ ταὐτὰ δοξάζειν ἀλλήλοις, ἀλλὰ τοῖς μαινομένοις ὁμοίως διακεῖ 4.29 σθαι πρὸς ἀλλήλους· τῶν τε γὰρ μαινομένων τοὺς μὲν οὐδὲ τὰ δεινὰ δεδιέναι, τοὺς δὲ καὶ τὰ μὴ φοβερὰ φοβεῖσθαι· καὶ τοῖς μὲν οὐδ' ἐν ὄχλῳ δοκεῖν αἰσχρὸν εἶναι λέγειν ἢ ποιεῖν ὁτιοῦν, τοῖς δ' οὐδ' ἐξιτητέον εἰς ἀνθρώπους εἶναι δοκεῖν· καὶ τοὺς μὲν οὔθ' ἱερὸν οὔτε βωμὸν οὐδὲ ἄλλο τῶν θείων οὐδὲν τιμᾶν, τοὺς δὲ καὶ λίθους καὶ ξύλα τυγχάνοντα καὶ θηρία σέβεσθαι. Τῶν δὲ περὶ τῆς τῶν πάντων φύσεως μεριμνώντων τοῖς μὲν δοκεῖν ἓν μόνον τὸ ὂν εἶναι, τοῖς δὲ ἄπειρα τὸ πλῆθος, καὶ τοῖς μὲν ἀεὶ τὰ πάντα κινεῖσθαι, τοῖς δὲ οὐδὲν ἄν ποτε κινηθῆναι, καὶ τοῖς μὲν ἅπαντα γίνεσθαί τε καὶ ἀπόλλυσθαι, τοῖς δὲ οὔτ' ἂν γενέσθαι 4.30 ποτὲ οὐδὲν οὔτ' ἀπολέσθαι." Καὶ ἄλλα δὲ πολλὰ τοιαῦτα διέξ εισι, τὴν πολλὴν ἐκείνων ἀδολεσχίαν ἐλέγχων. Ταῦτα τοὺς μετεωρολέσχας οὐδεὶς τῶν ἡμετέρων ἐγράψατο, ἀλλὰ Ξενοφῶν καὶ Σωκράτης, τῶν Ἑλλήνων οἱ ἄριστοι. Καὶ ῥᾷστον τῷ βουλο μένῳ τοῖς Ξενοφῶντος Ἀπομνημονεύμασιν ἐντυχεῖν καὶ γνῶναι σαφῶς, ὡς ταῦτά γε ἐκεῖνος περὶ τῶν πολυθρυλήτων φιλοσόφων γέγραφεν. 4.31 Εἰ δέ τις οἴεται κἀμὲ συκοφαντῆσαι τοὺς ἄνδρας, τὴν παμπόλ λην αὐτῶν διαφωνίαν ἐλέγξαντα, ἀναγνώτω μὲν Ἀετίου τὴν Περὶ ἀρεσκόντων ξυναγωγήν, ἀναγνώτω δὲ Πλουτάρχου τὴν Περὶ τῶν τοῖς φιλοσόφοις δοξάντων ἐπιτομήν· καὶ Πορφυρίου δὲ 4.32 ἡ Φιλόσοφος ἱστορία πολλὰ τοιαῦτα διδάσκει. Ἀπόχρη δὲ καὶ τὰ Ξενοφῶντος, ὧν ἀρτίως ἐμνήσθημεν, μαρτυρῆσαι τοῖς παρ' ἡμῶν εἰρημένοις ἀλήθειαν· μάλα γὰρ ἐκεῖνος καὶ τὴν πολλὴν αὐτῶν ἄγνοιαν καὶ ἣν πρὸς ἀλλήλους ἐσχήκασιν ἐκωμῴδησε διαμάχην. Ἐγὼ δὲ τοὺς μὲν ἄλλους ἅπαντας παραλείψω, Πλάτωνος δὲ τὰ μὲν ἐπαινέσομαι, τὰ δέ, ὡς οὐκ εὖ ἔχοντα, διελέγξω· ἐκεῖνα μὲν γὰρ αὐτοῦ λίαν ἐστὶν ἀξιέπαινα, ἅπερ ἐν 4.33 τῷ Τιμαίῳ γέγραφε· "Λέγωμεν δὴ δι' ἥντινα αἰτίαν γένεσιν καὶ τὸ πᾶν τόδε ὁ ξυνιστὰς ξυνεστήσατο." Εἶτα ἐπήγαγε τὴν ἀρίστην ἐκείνην καὶ θαύματος ἀξίαν ἀπόκρισιν· "Ἀγαθὸς ἦν, ἀγαθῷ δὲ οὐδεὶς περὶ οὐδενὸς ἐγγίνεται φθόνος· τούτου δὲ ἐκτὸς ὤν, πάντα ὅτι μάλιστα ἐβουλήθη γενέσθαι παραπλήσια ἑαυτῷ." Παραπλήσια δὲ οὐ κατὰ τὴν φύσιν εἴρηκεν, ἀλλὰ κατ' αὐτό γε μόνον τὸ εἶναι. Ὥσπερ γὰρ αὐτός ἐστιν, οὕτως ἠβουλήθη καὶ τὰ μὴ ὄντα γενέσθαι τε καὶ εἶναι· ἀλλ' αὐτὸς μὲν ἔστι, παρ' οὐδενὸς τὸ εἶναι λαβών, τοῖς δὲ γενητοῖς αὐτὸς τὸ εἶναι δεδώ 4.34 ρηται. Ξυγγενῆ δὲ τοῖς εἰρημένοις καὶ τάδε· "Οὐ γὰρ χρείας ἕνεκεν ὁ θεὸς πεποίηκε τὸν κόσμον, ἵνα τιμάς τε πρὸς ἀνθρώπων καὶ πρὸς θεῶν ἄλλων καὶ δαιμόνων καρποῖτο, οἷον πρόσοδόν τινα ἀπὸ τῆς γενέσεως ἀρνύμενος, παρὰ μὲν ἡμῶν καπνούς, παρὰ δὲ 4.35 θεῶν καὶ δαιμόνων τὰς οἰκείας λειτουργίας." Κἀνταῦθα πάλιν ἀνενδεῆ τὸν Θεὸν ἔφησεν εἶναι, καὶ δι' ἀγαθότητά γε μόνην τὰ πάντα πεποιηκέναι· θεοὺς δὲ καὶ δαίμονας κέκληκεν, οὓς ἡμεῖς ἀγγέλους