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and of the others in other places. But the tombs of these aforementioned gods are shown; for they were men, and wicked men and sorcerers at that. For they would not have become sole rulers in any other way (I mean the mythical Zeus and Dionysus), unless by transformation into whatever they themselves wished they prevailed over whom they wished. But if we must emulate the lives of these gods, let us imitate not only their adulteries, but also their banquets. For Cronus swallowed his own children, and Zeus likewise his own daughter. And what need is there to say more? Pelops became a dinner for all the gods. Therefore let us too, before our lawless marriages, prepare a similar dinner for the gods. For so the dinner would be worthy of the wedding. But this you would never endure, just as I would not endure to commit adultery. And in addition to this, you threaten me with the wrath of Eros, as of a powerful god. Eros is not a god as he seems, but a desire arising from the constitution of the living being for the succession of life, according to the providence of the one who made all things, so that the whole race may never fail, but that on the pretext of pleasure, from the substance of the one who is about to die, another may be born again, having come forth from a lawful marriage, so that he may know his own father to care for him in old age; which those born of adultery would not be able to do, having no natural affection for their parents. Since, therefore, as I said, erotic desire arises for the sake of succession and legitimate increase, parents, taking thought for chastity, ought to pre-educate their own children before desire arises through books that teach moderation, and to accustom them beforehand to better reasonings (because habit is a second nature), and in addition to this, to frequently remind them of the punishments from the laws, so that using fear as a bridle, they might not run after improper pleasures. And it is also fitting, before desire becomes strong, to satisfy the natural passion of their age with marriage, having first persuaded them not to gaze upon the form of another woman. For our mind, whenever it has at first with delight taken an impression of the form of the beloved, is tormented by memory, always seeing the image as if in a mirror; and when not attaining its desire, it devises ways of success, but when it does succeed, it grows even more, just as fire finding plenty of fuel, and especially when a fear has not already been pre-imprinted in the soul of the lover before the passion. For just as water extinguishes fire, so also fear is an extinguisher of irrational desire. Wherefore I, having thoroughly learned from a certain Jew what is fitting to God both to think and to do, am not easily captured for adultery by false myths. And to you, who wish and are eager to be chaste, with your soul inflamed towards love, may God help and provide the cure. And when Appion heard the reply of the actress, he said: Is it without reason that I hate the Jews? At any rate now, some Jew, having met this woman and converted her to his religion, has persuaded her to be chaste, and it is impossible for the future for her to enter into union with any other, because such people, setting God before them as the all-seeing one of their actions, strongly persevere in being chaste, as being unable to escape notice. Hearing these things, I said to Appion:

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καὶ τῶν ἄλλων ἐν ἄλλοις τόποις. πλὴν φαίνονται αὐτῶν τῶν λεχθέν- των θεῶν οἱ τάφοι· ἄνθρωποι γὰρ ἦσαν καὶ ταῦτα μοχθηροὶ καὶ μάγοι. οὐδὲ γὰρ ἄλλως μονοκράτορες ἐγεγόνεισαν (Ζεὺς λέγω ὁ μυθικὸς καὶ ∆ιόνυσος), εἰ μὴ τῇ μεταμορφώσει ὧν ἤθελον ἐπεκράτουν εἰς ὅπερ αὐ- τοὶ ἤθελον. εἰ δὲ τούτων δεῖ ζηλοῦν τοὺς βίους, μὴ μόνον τὰς μοιχείας, ἀλλὰ καὶ τὰς τραπέζας αὐτῶν μιμώμεθα. ὁ γὰρ Κρόνος τὰ αὑτοῦ τέκνα κατέπιεν καὶ Ζεὺς ὁμοίως τὴν αὑτοῦ θυγατέρα. καὶ τί δεῖ λέγειν; Πέλοψ πάντων θεῶν δεῖπνον ἐγένετο. ὅθεν καὶ ἡμεῖς πρὸ τῶν ἀθεμίτων γάμων ὅμοιον δεῖπνον τοῖς θεοῖς ἐπιτελέσωμεν. οὕτω γὰρ ἂν εἴη τὸ δεῖπνον τῶν γάμων ἄξιον. ἀλλὰ τοῦτο οὐκ ἂν ὑποσταίης ποτέ, ὡς οὐδὲ ἐγὼ τὸ μοιχήσασθαι. πρὸς τούτοις δέ μοι ἔρωτος ὡς δυνατοῦ θεοῦ ἀπειλεῖς χόλον. ἔρως θεὸς οὐκ ἔστιν οἷος δοκεῖ, ἀλλ' ἐκ τῆς τοῦ ζσου κράσεως πρὸς διαδοχὴν τοῦ βίου κατὰ πρόνοιαν τοῦ τὰ πάντα ἐνεργήσαντος συμβαίνουσα ἐπιθυμία, ἵνα τὸ πᾶν γένος μηδεπώ- ποτε ἐπιλείπῃ, ἀλλὰ προφάσει ἡδονῆς ἐκ τῆς τοῦ μέλλοντος τελευτᾶν οὐσίας πάλιν ἄλλος γένηται, νομίμῳ προεκπεφυκὼς γάμῳ, ὅπως πρὸς τὸ γηροτροφεῖν τὸν αὑτοῦ πατέρα γνώσῃ· ὅπερ ποιεῖν οἱ ἐκ μοιχείας γεγονότες οὐκ ἂν ἐδύναντο, φύσιν στοργῆς πρὸς τοὺς γεννήσαντας οὐκ ἔχοντες. ἐπεὶ οὖν διαδοχῆς ἕνεκεν καὶ γνησίας ἐπαυξήσεως, ὡς ἔφην, ἡ ἐπιθυμία συμβαίνει ἡ ἐρωτική, χρὴ τοὺς γονεῖς, σωφροσύνης προνοουμένους, τοὺς αὑτῶν παῖδας πρὸ τῆς ἐπιθυμίας διὰ τῶν σωφρονι- ζόντων βιβλίων προπαιδεύειν καὶ τοῖς κρείττοσιν αὐτοὺς προεθίζειν λό- γοις (ὅτι δευτέρα φύσις ἡ συνήθεια), πρὸς τούτοις δὲ πυκνῶς αὐτοὺς τὰς κολάσεις ὑπομιμνήσκειν τὰς ἐκ τῶν νόμων, ἵνα ὥσπερ χαλινῷ τῷ φόβῳ χρώμενοι ταῖς ἀτόποις μὴ συντρέχωσιν ἡδοναῖς. προσήκει δὲ καὶ πρὸ τοῦ τὴν ἐπιθυμίαν ἐπακμάσαι γάμῳ τὸ φυσικὸν τῆς ἡλικίας πληρο φορεῖν πάθος, πρότερον πείσαντας εἰς εἶδος ἑτέρας γυναικὸς μὴ ἀτενί- ζειν. ὁ γὰρ νοῦς ἡμῶν, ὁπόταν τὰ πρῶτα τῇ τέρψει τὸ εἶδος τῆς ἐρωμέ- νης ἀπομάξηται, ὥσπερ ἐν κατόπτρῳ ἐνορῶν ἀεὶ τὴν μορφὴν διὰ τῆς μνήμης βασανίζεται· καὶ μὴ τυγχάνων μὲν τῆς ἐπιθυμίας, τῆς ἐπιτυχίας μελετᾷ τὰς ὁδούς, ἐπιτυχὼν δὲ μᾶλλον αὔξεται, ὥσπερ τὸ πῦρ τῆς ὕλης εὐπο- ροῦν, καὶ μάλισθ' ὅταν τῇ ψυχῇ τοῦ ἐρῶντος πρὸ τοῦ πάθους προεν- τετυπωμένος μὴ προϋπάρξῃ φόβος. ὡς γὰρ ὕδωρ πῦρ κατασβέννυσιν, οὕτως καὶ φόβος τῆς ἀλόγου ἐπιθυμίας ἐστὶ σβεστήριος. ὅθεν ἐγὼ ἔκ τινος Ἰουδαίου τὰ θεῷ πρέποντα καὶ νοεῖν καὶ ποιεῖν ἐκμαθοῦσα, εὐ- άλωτος πρὸς μοιχείαν ὑπὸ ψευδῶν μύθων οὐ γίνομαι. θέλοντι δέ σοι καὶ σπουδάζοντι σωφρονεῖν, φλεγμαινούσῃ ψυχῇ πρὸς ἔρωτα βοηθοίη θεὸς καὶ τὴν ἴασιν παράσχοι. Ἐπακούσας δὲ ὁ Ἀππίων τῆς ὑποκρίτου ἀντιγραφῆς ἔφη· Μήτι ἀλόγως Ἰουδαίους μισῶ; νῦν γοῦν ταύτην τίς ποτε συντυχὼν Ἰουδαῖος καὶ εἰς τὴν θρησκείαν μεταγαγὼν ἀνέπεισε σωφρονεῖν, καὶ ἀδύνατόν ἐστιν τοῦ λοιποῦ αὐτὴν εἰς κοινωνίαν ἑτέρου τινὸς συνελθεῖν, ὅτι οἱ τοιοῦτοι τὸν θεὸν ὡς παντεπόπτην τῶν πράξεων προθέμενοι σφόδρα σωφρονεῖν ἐνκαρτεροῦσιν ὡς λαθεῖν μὴ δυνάμενοι. ταῦτα ἀκούσας ἔφην τῷ Ἀππίωνι·