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they devised in addition, since no one dared to disturb their ancestral customs, and they honored antiquity and the usual and familiar training from childhood very highly. And indeed, their elders arranged the deification of irrational animals on an equal footing with the deification of men, because of the usefulness derived from them, according to the reasons previously given, and they dedicated equal worship to the irrational beasts, with libations and sacrifices and mystic rites, with hymns and odes, just as to the deified men, and exalted their honors; and they advanced to such a degree of evil that, through an excess of unrestrained sensual pleasure, they deified with god-like honors the parts of the body that lead to shameful acts, and the licentious passions in men, with their theologians declaring that there was no need at all to speak solemnly about these things. 2.6.21 It should be observed, therefore, that the most ancient men, knowing nothing more than the story, were attested as adhering only to the myths. But since we have once set out to investigate the solemn and secret doctrines of the noble philosophers, come let us examine these things also, so that we may not seem to be ignorant of their wonderful physical theories as well. 2.6.22 But before making an exposition of these things, it seems to me that I should first point out the contradiction among these wonderful philosophers themselves even in these matters. For some give their accounts at random and each declares his own opinion as it occurs to him, for they do not even offer physical explanations that are consistent with one another; but others more sensibly reject the whole thing, and banish from their own state not only the unseemly tales about the gods, but also their interpretations, and sometimes, for fear of the punishment from the laws, they speak euphemistically of the myths. 2.6.23 Hear, then, the Greeks themselves through one who is the best of all, sometimes rejecting, and then again at other times adopting the myths. So their wonderful Plato, whenever he lays bare his own preference, more boldly forbids altogether thinking or saying such things about the gods as have been said by the ancients, whether they contain some hidden meaning expressed in allegories or are spoken without any allegory; but when he speaks euphemistically of the laws, he says that one must believe the myths about the gods 2.6.24 as having nothing signified by them in allegories. And once, having separated his own theology from the ancient myths, and having given a physical account separately concerning heaven and sun and moon and stars, and moreover concerning the whole universe and its parts, again he discusses separately and distinctly the gods of ancient genealogy in the Timaeus in these very words: 2.7.1

10. HOW PLATO THOUGHT ABOUT THE THEOLOGY OF THE ANCIENTS

"Now, to speak of the other deities and to know their generation is a task beyond our powers; but we must believe those who have spoken before, who were, as they said, offspring of the gods, and who must surely have known their own ancestors. It is impossible, therefore, to disbelieve the children of gods, even though they speak without probable and necessary proofs, but as they claim to be reporting on their own family affairs, we must believe them, following the law. 2.7.2 So then, according to them, let the generation of these gods be held and told by us in this way. The children of Earth and Heaven were Oceanus and Tethys; and of these, Phorcys and Cronus and Rhea and all who were with them; and from Cronus and Rhea, Zeus and Hera and all whom we know as being called their brothers, and in addition other offspring of these." 2.7.3 Plato says that these things are to be believed by following the law, although he has acknowledged that they have been spoken without probable and necessary proofs; and it must be observed that he shows that the very names and genealogies of the gods 2.7.4 have nothing secret signified by them in physical theories. Again in other works the same man his own

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προσεπενόησαν, κινεῖν τὰ πάτρια τολμῶντος οὐδενός, περὶ πολλοῦ δὲ τὴν ἀρχαιότητα καὶ τὴν συνήθη καὶ σύντροφον ἐκ παίδων 2.6.20 ἀγωγὴν τιμώμενοι. οἵ γε μὴν τούτων πρεσβύτεροι ἐν ἴσῳ τῇ τῶν ἀνδρῶν θεοποιίᾳ καὶ τὰς τῶν ἀλόγων ζῴων ἐκθεώσεις διετάξαντο διὰ τὸ καὶ ἐξ αὐτῶν χρήσιμον κατὰ τὰς πρόσθεν ἀποδοθείσας αἰτίας καὶ τοῖς ἀλόγοις θηρίοις τὰς ἴσας ἀφιέρωσαν θρησκείας, σπονδαῖς καὶ θυσίαις καὶ μυστικαῖς τελεταῖς ὕμνοις τε καὶ ᾠδαῖς ὁμοίως τοῖς τεθεοποιημένοις ἀνδράσι καὶ τὰς τούτων τιμὰς ἐπάραντες· εἰς τοσοῦτον δὲ ἄρα κακῶν ἤλαυνον ὡς δι' ὑπερβολὴν ἀκρατοῦς ἡδυπαθείας τὰ ὁλκὰ πρὸς αἰσχρουργίαν μέρη τοῦ σώματος τά τε ἀκόλαστα ἐν ἀνθρώποις πάθη ταῖς ἰσοθέοις ἐκθειάσαι τιμαῖς, μηδὲν τὸ παράπαν ἐν τούτοις χρῆναι σεμνολογεῖν τῶν δὴ θεολόγων αὐτῶν ἀποφηναμένων. 2.6.21 Τηρητέον γοῦν, ὡς ὅτι μάλιστα οἱ παλαίτατοι οὐδέν τι πλέον τῆς ἱστορίας εἰδότες, μόνοις δὲ τοῖς μύθοις προσανέχοντες ἐμαρτυρήθησαν. πλὴν ἀλλ' ἐπείπερ ἅπαξ ὡρμήθημεν καὶ τὰ σεμνὰ καὶ ἀπόρρητα τῶν γενναίων φιλοσόφων κατασκοπῆσαι, φέρε καὶ ταῦτα ἐπιθεωρήσωμεν, ὡς ἂν μὴ δοκοίημεν 2.6.22 ἀγνοεῖν καὶ τὰς θαυμαστὰς αὐτῶν φυσιολογίας. πρὶν δὲ τὴν τούτων ποιήσασθαι ἔκθεσιν ἐμοὶ δοκεῖ προεπισημήνασθαι τὴν αὐτῶν τῶν θαυμαστῶν φιλοσόφων κἀν τούτοις πρὸς ἑαυτοὺς ἐναντιολογίαν. οἱ μὲν γὰρ τηνάλλως διηγοῦνται καὶ κατὰ τὸ παραστὰν ἑκάστοις ἰδίως ἀποφαίνονται οὐδὲ γὰρ ἀλλήλοις σύμφωνα φυσιολογοῦσιν· οἱ δ' εὐγνωμονέστερον τὸ σύμπαν ἀναιροῦσιν καὶ τῆς οἰκείας πολιτείας οὐ μόνον τὰς ἀπρεπεῖς περὶ θεῶν διηγήσεις, ἀλλὰ καὶ τὰς τούτων ἑρμηνείας ἀπελαύνουσιν, ἔστι δ' ὅτε φόβῳ τῆς ἀπὸ 2.6.23 τῶν νόμων τιμωρίας τοὺς μύθους ὑποκορίζονται. ἄκουε δ' οὖν αὐτῶν τῶν Ἑλλήνων δι' ἑνὸς τοῦ πάντων ἀρίστου τοτὲ μὲν ἐξωθοῦντος, τοτὲ δ' αὖ πάλιν εἰσποιουμένου τοὺς μύθους. ὁ δ' οὖν θαυμάσιος αὐτῶν Πλάτων, ὅτε μὲν τὴν οἰκείαν ἀπογυμνοῖ προαίρεσιν, τολμηρότερον ἀπαγορεύει καθόλου περὶ θεῶν τοιαῦτα φρονεῖν τε καὶ λέγειν οἷα τοῖς παλαιοῖς εἴρητο, εἴτε περιέχοιέν τι λεληθὸς ἐν ὑπονοίαις δηλούμενον εἴτ' ἐκτὸς πάσης ὑπονοίας λέγοιτο· ὅτε δὲ τοὺς νόμους ὑποκορίζεται, καὶ δεῖν φησιν τοῖς περὶ θεῶν μύθοις 2.6.24 πιστεύειν ὡς μηδὲν ἔχουσιν ἐν ὑπονοίαις ἐξ αὐτῶν δηλούμενον. ἤδη δέ ποτε τῶν παλαιῶν μύθων τὴν οἰκείαν θεολογίαν ἀφορίσας, περί τε οὐρανοῦ καὶ ἡλίου καὶ σελήνης καὶ ἄστρων καὶ ἔτι περὶ τοῦ σύμπαντος κόσμου καὶ τῶν τούτου μερῶν κεχωρισμένως φυσιολογήσας, ἰδίως πάλιν καὶ ἀφωρισμένως περὶ τῶν πάλαι γενεαλογηθέντων θεῶν ὧδέ πως αὐτοῖς ῥήμασιν ἐν τῷ Τιμαίῳ διέξεισιν· 2.7.1

ιʹ. ΟΠΩΣ Ο ΠΛΑΤΩΝ ΠΕΡΙ ΤΗΣ ΤΩΝ ΠΑΛΑΙΩΝ ΘΕΟΛΟΓΙΑΣ Ε∆ΟΞΑΖΕΝ

«Περὶ δὲ τῶν ἄλλων δαιμόνων εἰπεῖν καὶ γνῶναι τὴν γένεσιν μεῖζον ἢ καθ' ἡμᾶς· πιστευτέον δὲ τοῖς εἰρηκόσιν ἔμπροσθεν, ἐκγόνοις μὲν θεῶν οὖσιν, ὡς ἔφασαν, σαφῶς δέ που τοὺς ἑαυτῶν προγόνους εἰδότων. ἀδύνατον οὖν θεῶν παισὶν ἀπιστεῖν καίπερ ἄνευ εἰκότων καὶ ἀναγκαίων ἀποδείξεων λέγου σιν, ἀλλ' ὡς οἰκεῖα φασκόντων ἀπαγγέλλειν ἑπομένους τῷ νόμῳ πιστευτέον. 2.7.2 οὕτως οὖν κατ' ἐκείνους ἡμῖν ἡ γένεσις περὶ τούτων τῶν θεῶν ἐχέτω καὶ λεγέσθω. Γῆς τε καὶ Οὐρανοῦ παῖδες Ὠκεανὸς καὶ Τηθὺς ἐγενέσθην· τούτων δὲ Φόρκυς Κρόνος τε καὶ Ῥέα καὶ ὅσοι μετὰ τούτων· ἐκ δὲ Κρόνου τε καὶ Ῥέας Ζεὺς Ἥρα τε καὶ πάντες, ὅσους ἴσμεν [πάντας] ἀδελφοὺς λεγομένους αὐτῶν ἔτι τε τούτων ἐκγόνους ἄλλους.» 2.7.3 Ταῦτά φησιν ὁ Πλάτων ἑπομένους τῷ νόμῳ πιστευτέα εἶναι, καίπερ ἄνευ εἰκότων καὶ ἀναγκαίων ἀποδείξεων εἰρῆσθαι αὐτὰ ὁμολογήσας· προσεκτέον δέ, ὡς οὐδὲν ἔχειν ἀπόρρητον τὰς τῶν θεῶν δὴ προσηγορίας τε 2.7.4 καὶ γενεαλογίας ἐν φυσιολογίαις δηλούμενον ἐμφαίνει. αὖθις δὲ ἐν ἑτέροις ὁ αὐτὸς τὴν οἰκείαν