53

they did not want what was hard and difficult to work and lifeless, but they considered gold and silver to be the unhealthy colors and stains breaking out from barren and corrupted earth, like bruises from it having been struck by fire; and ivory they sometimes used playfully as a decoration of luxury.” 3.8.2 Thus Plutarch. And long before him Plato, knowing very well that there is nothing venerable nor resembling the divine nature in gold and ivory and in artifacts made from lifeless matter, listen to what he decrees in the *Laws*: “Earth then, and the hearth of a dwelling, is sacred to all the gods for all men; let no one therefore dedicate sacred things to the gods a second time. Gold and silver in other cities, both in private and in temples, is an enviable possession, and ivory, from a body that has lost its soul, is not a pure offering; and iron and bronze are instruments of war.” These things, I think, contain a clear refutation of the proposed natural philosophy, of which, come, let us examine the rest as well. Listen then to what he says: 3.9.1

9. FURTHER CONCERNING THE ALLEGORIZED THEOLOGY OF THE GREEKS AND EGYPTIANS

“Consider then the wisdom of the Greeks, examining it in this way; for they, supposing Zeus to be the mind of the cosmos, who created the things in it while having the cosmos, in their theologies have handed down this concerning him, those who speak the words of Orpheus: 3.9.2 Zeus was first, Zeus last, of the bright thunderbolt, Zeus is the head, Zeus is the middle, from Zeus all things are made. Zeus became male, Zeus was an immortal nymph. Zeus is the foundation of the earth and of the starry heaven. Zeus is king, Zeus himself is the first parent of all. One power, one divinity he became, the great ruler of all, and one royal body, in which all these things revolve, fire and water and earth and aether, night and day and Metis, the first parent, and Eros of many delights; for all these things lie in the great body of Zeus. And of him indeed to see the head and fair face is the shining heaven, about which golden tresses of flashing stars hang all beautiful, and on both sides two golden horns like a bull's, the rising and the setting, the paths of the heavenly gods, and his eyes are the sun and the opposing moon. And his mind is the unfailing, royal, immortal aether, by which indeed he hears and considers all things, nor is there any voice nor cry nor noise nor even rumor, which escapes the ear of Zeus, the exceedingly mighty son of Cronus; so he has an immortal head and thought. And his body is all-shining, boundless, unshaken, mighty, with mighty limbs, exceedingly great, made thus: the shoulders and chest and broad back of the god are the wide-ruling air, and wings grew out for him, with which he flies over all things, and his sacred belly was both earth the all-mother and the steep heads of mountains; and his middle girdle the swell of the deep-sounding sea and of the ocean; and the lowest base, the roots within the earth, are moldy Tartarus and the farthest ends of the earth. And having hidden all things, again to the joyful light he was about to bring them forth again from his heart, working wondrous things. 3.9.3 Zeus then is the whole cosmos, an animal from animals and a god from gods; but Zeus, inasmuch as he is mind, 3.9.4 from which he brings forth all things and creates by his thoughts. Since the theologians, then, have explained the things concerning god in this manner, to create such an image as the account has revealed, was neither possible, nor, if anyone had conceived it, would it have shown the vital and intellectual 3.9.5 and providential nature through the form of a sphere. But they have made the image of Zeus in human form, because he was mind, according to which he created and perfected all things by seminal principles; and he is seated, signifying the steadfastness of his power; and he has his upper parts bare, because he is manifest in the intellectual and celestial parts of the cosmos; but his lower parts are covered, because he is unseen to those hidden below; and in his left hand he holds the scepter, according to which part of the body especially the most ruling and most intellectual organ resides, the

53

σκληρὰν καὶ δύσεργον καὶ ἄψυχον οὐκ ἐβούλοντο, χρυσὸν δὲ καὶ ἄργυρον ἡγοῦντο γῆς ἀκάρπου καὶ διεφθαρμένης χρώματα νοσώδη καὶ κηλῖδας ἐξανθεῖν ὥσπερ μώλωπας ὑπὸ πυρὸς ῥαπισθείσης· ἐλέφαντι δὲ παίζοντες μὲν ἔσθ' ὅπου προσεχρῶντο ποικίλματι τρυφῆς.» 3.8.2 Ταῦτα ὁ Πλούταρχος. καὶ τούτου δὲ πολὺ πρότερον ὁ Πλάτων οὐδὲν εἶναι σεμνὸν οὐδὲ προσεοικὸς θείᾳ φύσει ἐν χρυσῷ καὶ ἐλέφαντι τοῖς τε ἐξ ὕλης ἀψύχου κατασκευάσμασιν εὖ μάλα εἰδὼς ἐπάκουσον ἐν τοῖς Νόμοις ὁποῖα διατάττεται· «Γῆ μὲν οὖν ἑστία τε οἰκήσεως ἱερὰ πᾶσιν πάντων θεῶν· μηδεὶς οὖν δευτέρως ἱερὰ καθιερούτω θεοῖς. χρυσὸς δὲ καὶ ἄργυρος ἐν ἄλλαις πόλεσιν ἰδίᾳ τε καὶ ἐν ἱεροῖς ἐστιν ἐπίφθονον κτῆμα, ἐλέφας δὲ ἀπολελοιπότος ψυχὴν σώματος οὐκ εὐαγὲς ἀνάθημα· σίδηρος δὲ καὶ χαλκὸς πολέμων ὄργανα.» Ταῦτα δὲ σαφῆ περιέχειν ἡγοῦμαι τῆς προτεθείσης ἀνατροπὴν φυσιολογίας, ἧς φέρε καὶ τὰ λοιπὰ ἐπιθεωρήσωμεν. ἐπάκουσον οὖν οἷά φησιν· 3.9.1

θʹ. ΕΤΙ ΠΕΡΙ ΤΗΣ ΑΛΛΗΓΟΡΟΥΜΕΝΗΣ ΕΛΛΗΝΩΝ ΚΑΙ ΑΙΓΥΠΤΙΩΝ ΘΕΟΛΟΓΙΑΣ

«Ὅρα δὲ τὴν τῶν Ἑλλήνων σοφίαν οὑτωσὶ διασκοπούμενος· τὸν γὰρ ∆ία τὸν νοῦν τοῦ κόσμου ὑπολαμβάνοντες, ὃς τὰ ἐν αὐτῷ ἐδημιούργησεν ἔχων τὸν κόσμον, ἐν μὲν ταῖς θεολογίαις ταύτη περὶ αὐτοῦ παραδεδώκασιν οἱ τὰ Ὀρφέως εἰπόντες· 3.9.2 Ζεὺς πρῶτος γένετο, Ζεὺς ὕστατος ἀργικέραυνος, Ζεὺς κεφαλή, Ζεὺς μέσσα, ∆ιὸς δ' ἐκ πάντα τέτυκται. Ζεὺς ἄρσην γένετο, Ζεὺς ἄφθιτος ἔπλετο νύμφη. Ζεὺς πυθμὴν γαίης τε καὶ οὐρανοῦ ἀστερόεντος. Ζεὺς βασιλεύς, Ζεὺς αὐτὸς ἁπάντων ἀρχιγένεθλος. ἓν κράτος, εἷς δαίμων γένετο, μέγας ἀρχὸς ἁπάντων, ἓν δὲ δέμας βασίλειον, ἐν ᾧ τάδε πάντα κυκλεῖται, πῦρ καὶ ὕδωρ καὶ γαῖα καὶ αἰθὴρ νύξ τε καὶ ἦμαρ καὶ Μῆτις, πρῶτος γενέτωρ καὶ Ἔρως πολυτερπής· πάντα γὰρ ἐν μεγάλῳ Ζηνὸς τάδε σώματι κεῖται. τοῦ δή τοι κεφαλὴ[ν] μὲν ἰδεῖν καὶ καλὰ πρόσωπα οὐρανὸς αἰγλήεις, ὃν χρύσεαι ἀμφὶς ἔθειραι ἄστρων μαρμαρέων περικαλλέες ἠερέθονται, ταύρεα δ' ἀμφοτέρωθε δύο χρύσεια κέρατα, ἀντολίη τε δύσις τε, θεῶν ὁδοὶ οὐρανιώνων, ὄμματα δ' ἠέλιός τε καὶ ἀντιόωσα σελήνη. νοῦς δέ οἱ ἀψευδὴς βασιλήϊος ἄφθιτος αἰθήρ, ᾧ δὴ πάντα κυκλεῖ καὶ φράζεται οὐδέ τίς <ἐστιν> αὐδὴ οὔτ' ἐνοπὴ οὔτε κτύπος οὐδὲ μὲν ὄσσα, ἣ λήθει ∆ιὸς οὖας ὑπερμενέος Κρονίωνος· ὧδε μὲν ἀθανάτην κεφαλὴν ἔχει ἠδὲ νόημα. σῶμα δέ οἱ περιφεγγές, ἀπείριτον, ἀστυφέλικτον, ὄβριμον, ὀβριμόγυιον, ὑπερμενὲς ὧδε τέτυκται· ὦμοι μὲν καὶ στέρνα καὶ εὐρέα νῶτα θεοῖο ἀὴρ εὐρυβίης, πτέρυγες δέ οἱ ἐξεφύοντο, τῇς ἐπὶ πάντα ποτᾶθ', ἱερὴ δέ οἱ ἔπλετο νηδὺς γαῖά τε παμμήτειρ' ὀρέων τ' αἰπεινὰ κάρηνα· μέσση δὲ ζώνη βαρυηχέος οἶδμα θαλάσσης καὶ πόντου· πυμάτη δὲ βάσις χθονὸς ἔνδοθι ῥίζαι Τάρταρά τ' εὐρώεντα καὶ ἔσχατα πείρατα γαίης. πάντα δ' ἀποκρύψας αὖθις φάος ἐς πολυγηθὲς μέλλεν ἀπὸ κραδίης προφέρειν πάλι, θέσκελα ῥέζων. 3.9.3 Ζεὺς οὖν ὁ πᾶς κόσμος, ζῷον ἐκ ζῴων καὶ θεὸς ἐκ θεῶν· Ζεὺς δὲ καθὸ νοῦς, 3.9.4 ἀφ' οὗ προφέρει πάντα καὶ δημιουργεῖ τοῖς νοήμασιν. τῶν δὴ θεολόγων τὰ περὶ θεοῦ τοῦτον τὸν τρόπον ἐξηγησαμένων, εἰκόνα μὲν τοιαύτην δημιουργεῖν, οἵαν ὁ λόγος ἐμήνυσεν, οὔθ' οἷόν τε ἦν οὔτ', εἴ τις ἐπενόησεν, τὸ ζωτικὸν καὶ νοε3.9.5 ρὸν καὶ προνοητικὸν διὰ τῆς σφαίρας ἐδείκνυεν. ἀνθρωπόμορφον δὲ τοῦ ∆ιὸς τὸ δείκηλον πεποιήκασιν, ὅτι νοῦς ἦν καθ' ὃν ἐδημιούργει καὶ λόγοις σπερματικοῖς ἀπετέλει τὰ πάντα· κάθηται δέ, τὸ ἑδραῖον τῆς δυνάμεως αἰνιττόμενος· γυμνὰ δὲ ἔχει τὰ ἄνω, ὅτι φαν<ερ>ὸς ἐν τοῖς νοεροῖς καὶ τοῖς οὐρανίοις τοῦ κόσμου μέρεσίν ἐστιν· σκέπεται δὲ αὐτῷ τὰ πρόσθια, ὅτι ἀφανὴς τοῖς κάτω κεκρυμμένοις· ἔχει δὲ τῇ μὲν λαιᾷ τὸ σκῆπτρον, καθ' ὃ μάλιστα τῶν τοῦ σώματος μερῶν τὸ ἡγεμονικώτατόν τε καὶ νοερώτατον ὑποικουρεῖ σπλάγχνον, ἡ