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from evil and your lips from speaking deceit; turn from evil and do good; seek peace and pursue it.” And it makes clear to those who obey the rewards of their labors, that "the eyes of the Lord are on the righteous, and his ears 5.6 are attentive to their prayer." And since fear is also appropriate for those being instructed, it necessarily also frightens with threats those who live in idleness and says: "But the face of the Lord is against those who do evil, to cut off the memory of them from the earth." But He who offered this exhortation through the prophet, in the holy gospels, using no other minister, but Himself speaking through the flesh which He had assumed, said: "If anyone thirsts, let him come to Me and drink." And again: "Come to Me, all you who labor and are heavy laden, and I 5.7 will give you rest;" And one could find countless other things both in the divine gospels and in the writings of the apostles, clearly showing the free will of human nature. For which reason I also offer you, O men, this fifth exhortation; not only asking, but even earnestly begging and beseeching you not to let slip the time for healing nor to postpone salvation until tomorrow, which we do not know if we shall see at all, but to remember the advice of the poet from Ascra; not to put things off till tomorrow nor the day after, and to pay close attention also to this poet's other maxim, which speaks in harmony: for a man who puts things off is always wrestling with ruin. 5.8 Since, therefore, we have learned what it is proper to think concerning the world and matter, and how great is the difference between the divine and the philosophical doctrines, come, let us next examine, what the divine scripture has taught us to think about human nature, and what those who embellish their arguments with eloquence and 5.9 with the charm of words and the pomp of phrases have offered as falsehood. Therefore, as for all the things that poets mythologize about this, they must be left aside for the present, not anointing them with myrrh, according to Plato, but walling off our senses from the foul smell that comes from them. For they say that men were not only earth-born, but also sown, and that they sprang up from dragons' teeth. But what philosophers and prose writers chatter about, these things alone must be set beside the teaching of truth 5.10. But before all other things, it must be said how much strife and conflict they have had concerning the constitution of this race. For some have said that the nature of men is eternal and that the earth has always been full of this race, while others say men first appeared in Attica, and others that this happened first in Arcadia, and still others in Egypt, and there has been much rivalry among many other cities concerning this. 5.11 And in addition to what has been said, some have called this creature blessed, while others have called it wretched and thrice-miserable. And Homer calls it weak and woeful; while Theognis the Sicilian from Megara exclaims: For mortals, it is best of all not to be born, nor to see the rays of the sharp sun; but once born, to pass through the gates of Hades as quickly as possible. 5.12 In harmony with these are also the iambics of Euripides' tragedy: 5.12 for we should gather together and mourn the one who is born, for all the evils he comes into, but the one who has died and ceased from labors, we should send from our homes rejoicing and with words of good omen. And Herodotus said that Solon the Athenian, the lawgiver, told Croesus: "O Croesus, every man is 5.13 a misfortune." But Pythagoras and Plato introduce a certain population of incorporeal souls and say that those which fall into some sin are sent down into bodies for the sake of punishment. Therefore Plato in the Cratylus called the body a tomb, as if in this 5.14 the soul were buried. And Philolaus the Pythagorean spoke in agreement with this; he says thus: "And the ancient theologians and seers also testify that for certain punishments the soul is yoked to the body and is buried in this as in a tomb." But Plato, having forgotten these words, indicates the contrary in the third book of the Republic; for he says that the soul must care for the body

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κακοῦ καὶ χείλη σου τοῦ μὴ λαλῆσαι δόλον· ἔκκλινον ἀπὸ κακοῦ καὶ ποίησον ἀγαθόν· ζήτησον εἰρήνην καὶ δίωξον αὐτήν." ∆ῆλα δὲ τοῖς πειθομένοις ποιεῖ καὶ τῶν πόνων τὰ ἆθλα, ὅτι "ὀφθαλμοὶ Κυρίου ἐπὶ δικαίους, καὶ ὦτα 5.6 αὐτοῦ εἰς δέησιν αὐτῶν". Ἐπειδὴ δὲ καὶ ὁ φόβος τοῖς παιδαγω γουμένοις ἁρμόδιος, ἀναγκαίως καὶ ταῖς ἀπειλαῖς τοὺς ῥᾳστώνῃ ξυζῶντας δεδίττεται καί φησιν· "Πρόσωπον δὲ Κυρίου ἐπὶ ποιοῦντας κακά, τοῦ ἐξολεθρεῦσαι ἐκ γῆς τὸ μνημόσυνον αὐ τῶν." Ὁ δὲ ταύτην προσενεγκὼν διὰ τοῦ προφήτου τὴν παραί νεσιν ἐν τοῖς ἱεροῖς εὐαγγελίοις οὐκ ἄλλῳ τῳ χρώμενος ὑπουργῷ, ἀλλ' αὐτὸς διὰ τῆς σαρκὸς φθεγγόμενος, ἣν ἀνέλαβεν, ἔλεγεν· "Εἴ τις διψᾷ, ἐρχέσθω πρός με καὶ πινέτω." Καὶ πάλιν· "∆εῦτε πρός με πάντες οἱ κοπιῶντες καὶ πεφορτισμένοι, κἀγὼ 5.7 ἀναπαύσω ὑμᾶς·" Καὶ ἄλλα δὲ μυρία εὕροι τις ἂν κἀν τοῖς θείοις εὐαγγελίοις κἀν τοῖς τῶν ἀποστόλων ξυγγράμμασι, δη λοῦντα σαφῶς τῆς τῶν ἀνθρώπων φύσεως τὸ αὐθαίρετον. Οὗ δὴ χάριν κἀγὼ πέμπτην ὑμῖν, ὦ ἄνδρες, τήνδε προσφέρω παραί νεσιν· οὐκ ἀξιῶν μόνον, ἀλλὰ καὶ ἄγαν γε λιπαρῶν καὶ ποτνιώ μενος τὸν τῆς ἰατρείας μὴ προέσθαι καιρὸν μηδὲ ἀναβάλλεσθαι τὴν σωτηρίαν εἰς αὔριον, ἣν οὐκ ἴσμεν εἴπερ δὴ πάντως ὀψόμεθα, ἀλλ' ἀναμνησθῆναι τῆς τοῦ Ἀσκραίου ποιητοῦ παραινέσεως· μηδ' ἀναβάλλεσθαι ἔς τ' αὔριον ἔς τε ἔνηφι, προσέχειν δὲ ἀκριβῶς καὶ τῇ ἄλλῃ τοῦδε τοῦ ποιητοῦ γνώμῃ, ξυνῳδὰ φθεγγομένῃ· αἰεὶ δ' ἀμβολιεργὸς ἀνὴρ ἄτῃσι παλαίει. 5.8 Ἐπειδὴ τοίνυν τοῦ κόσμου πέρι καὶ τῆς ὕλης τίνα προσήκει φρονεῖν, μεμαθήκαμεν, καὶ ὅσον τὸ μέσον τῶν τε θείων καὶ τῶν φιλοσόφων δογμάτων, φέρε λοιπὸν ἐξετάσωμεν, τίνα περὶ τῆς τοῦ ἀνθρώπου φύσεως ἡ θεία γραφὴ φρονεῖν ἡμᾶς ἐξεπαίδευσεν, καὶ τίνα οἱ τῇ εὐεπείᾳ τοὺς λόγους καλλύνοντες καὶ ὀνομάτων 5.9 ὥρᾳ καὶ ῥημάτων ἡβρυσμένων προσενεγκόντες τὸ ψεῦδος. Ὅσα μὲν οὖν ποιηταὶ περὶ τούτου μυθολογοῦσιν, ἐατέον ἐπὶ τοῦ πα ρόντος, οὐ μύρῳ τούτους, κατὰ τὸν Πλάτωνα, χρίσαντας, ἀλλὰ τῇ φερομένῃ παρ' αὐτῶν δυσοσμίᾳ τὰς αἰσθήσεις ἀποτειχίσαντας. Ἐκεῖνοι γὰρ οὐ μόνον γηγενεῖς, ἀλλὰ καὶ σπαρτοὺς ἀνθρώπους γεγενῆσθαί φασι καὶ ἐκ δρακοντείων ἀναφῦναι ὀδόντων. Ἃ δέ γε φιλόσοφοι θρυλοῦσι καὶ ξυγγραφεῖς, ταῦτα μόνα τῇ τῆς ἀληθείας 5.10 παραθετέον διδασκαλίᾳ. Ῥητέον δέ γε πρὸ τῶν ἄλλων ἁπάντων, ὅσην περὶ τῆς τοῦδε τοῦ γένους ξυστάσεως ἔριν καὶ διαμάχην ἐσχήκασιν. Οἱ μὲν γὰρ ἀΐδιον εἶναι τῶν ἀνθρώπων τὴν φύσιν εἰρήκασι καὶ τοῦδε τοῦ γένους ἀεὶ ἔμπλεων γεγενῆσθαι τὴν γῆν, οἱ δὲ ἐν τῇ Ἀττικῇ πρῶτον φῦναι ἀνθρώπους, ἄλλοι δὲ ἐν Ἀρκαδίᾳ τοῦτο γενέσθαι πρῶτον, ἕτεροι δ' αὖ πάλιν ἐν Αἰγύπτῳ καὶ ἄλλαις δὲ πόλεσι πολλὴ περὶ τούτου φιλοτιμία γεγένηται. 5.11 Πρὸς δὲ τοῖς εἰρημένοις οἱ μὲν ὄλβιον τόδε τὸ ζῷον κεκλήκασιν, οἱ δὲ δείλαιον καὶ τρισάθλιον. Καὶ Ὅμηρος μὲν ἀκιδνὸν αὐτὸ καὶ ὀϊζυρὸν ὀνομάζει· Θέογνις δὲ ὁ Σικελιώτης ὁ Μεγαρόθεν βοᾷ· πάντων μὲν μὴ φῦναι ἐπιχθονίοισιν ἄριστον μηδ' ἐσορᾶν αὐγὰς ὀξέος ἠελίου· φύντα δ' ὅπως ὤκιστα πύλας Ἀΐδαο περῆσαι. 5.12 Ξυνῳδὰ δὲ τούτοις καὶ τῆς Εὐριπίδου τραγῳδίας τὰ ἰαμβεῖα· 5.12 ἐχρῆν γὰρ ἡμᾶς ξύλλογον ποιουμένους τὸν φύντα θρηνεῖν, εἰς ὅσ' ἔρχεται κακά, τὸν δ' αὖ θανόντα καὶ πόνων πεπαυμένον χαίροντας εὐφημοῦντας ἐκπέμπειν δόμων. Καὶ Σόλωνα δὲ τὸν Ἀθηναῖον, τὸν νομοθέτην, Ἡρόδοτος εἰρηκέναι τῷ Κροίσῳ ἔφη· "Ὦ Κροῖσε, πᾶς ἄνθρωπός ἐστι 5.13 ξυμφορή." Πυθαγόρας δὲ καὶ Πλάτων δῆμόν τινα ψυχῶν ἀσω μάτων εἰσάγουσι καὶ τὰς ἁμαρτάδι τινὶ περιπεσούσας τιμωρίας χάριν εἰς σώματα καταπέμπεσθαι λέγουσιν. Τῷ τοι ὁ Πλάτων ἐν τῷ Κρατύλῳ τὸ σῶμα σῆμα κέκληκεν, ὡς ἐν τούτῳ τῆς 5.14 ψυχῆς οἱονεὶ τεθαμμένης. Ξύμφωνα δὲ τούτῳ καὶ Φιλόλαος ὁ Πυθαγόρειος ἔφη· λέγει δὲ ὧδε· "Μαρτυρέονται δὲ καὶ οἱ παλαιοὶ θεολόγοι τε καὶ μάντεις, ὡς διά τινας τιμωρίας ἁ ψυχὰ τῷ σώματι ξυνέζευκται καὶ καθάπερ ἐν σάματι τούτῳ τέθαπται." Ἀλλὰ τῶνδε τῶν λόγων ὁ Πλάτων ἐπιλησθείς, τοὐναντίον ἐν τῷ τρίτῳ τῆς Πολιτείας παραδηλοῖ· ἐπιμελεῖσθαι γὰρ σώματος δεῖν φησι ψυχῆς