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of nature was the power concerning him; in accordance with which we will also treat the matters of the theology concerning him, as far as it is possible for us to survey them. Since, therefore, most of the unbelievers, calling him a sorcerer and an impostor and blaspheming him with countless other accusations, have not yet even now ceased, come, let us also answer them, putting forward nothing from ourselves, but making our citations from his own words and the teaching which he delivered. 3.3.1 We must indeed ask them, if any other such impostor is recorded in history who has become a teacher and cause of gentleness and forbearance and self-control and the other virtues to those who were deceived; and if it is right for them to call by these names one who did not even permit looking at women with licentious desire; and if he is an impostor who delivered the highest philosophy, in teaching his students to share their possessions with the needy and to hold diligence and fellowship in high regard; and if he is an impostor who restrained them from vulgar and herd-like and tumultuous association, but taught them to embrace only the study of the divine oracles. 3.3.2 But he who turned them away from all falsehood, and exhorted them to honor the truth above all things, so as not even to need to swear well, much less to swear falsely: 'for let your yea be yea, and your nay, nay,' how could he justly be called an impostor? And why must I now say more, when it is possible from what has been said before to know what sort of way of life was that sown by him in the world, from which every lover of truth would confess him to be not an impostor, but in truth some divine being and an introducer of a divine and pious philosophy, not of the common and vulgar kind? 3.3.3 For indeed, having alone renewed the life of the ancient God-loving Hebrews, which had somehow already perished from among men, he has been shown, through the first book of the present subject, to have spread it not to a few and moderate number, but over the whole world; through which it is possible for men by succession throughout the whole world to show the ... of those God-loving men around Abraham, and countless zealous followers of their godly way of life, not only from Greeks but also from barbarians. 3.3.4 But such are the more ethical parts of his teaching. Come now, let us consider whether perhaps the imposture in him concerned the most fundamental of doctrines. 3.3.5 Is it not then recorded that he himself was dedicated to, and brought his students to, the one universal King, God, the creator of both heaven and earth and of the whole universe, and that still to this day the words of his teaching lead every Greek and barbarian upward in thought to the most high God, who transcends all visible nature? 3.3.6 Was this man then the impostor? Or because he does not permit the worship of more gods, having been exposed from the highest and only true theology as the one who is truly the impostor? But this is not a new or personal doctrine of his, but dear to the ancient God-loving Hebrews of old, as has been shown through the Preparation, from whom even the children of the new philosophers, having been greatly benefited, have agreed with the doctrine. Indeed, even the most learned of the Greeks themselves take pride in the oracles of their own gods which mention the Hebrews in this way: 'Only the Chaldeans have obtained wisdom, and the Hebrews too, purely worshipping the self-begotten King God.' 3.3.7 He called them Chaldeans as well on account of Abraham, since he was a Chaldean by race, as is recorded. If, then, even long ago the children of the Hebrews, who are especially testified to for their wisdom even by the oracles, directed their worship to the one creator God of all things, why must we not confess this man to be a wonderful teacher of piety rather than an impostor, who, by an invisible and divine power, brought forth and spread to all men the things known long ago only to the God-loving Hebrews, so that no longer, as in the old days, would some few and countable people hold right opinions about God, but countless multitudes of the most savage barbarians of old and of learned Greek men, who to the ancient prophets and

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φύσεως ἡ περὶ αὐτὸν δύναμις· οἷς ἀκολούθως καὶ τὰ τῆς κατ' αὐτὸν θεολογίας, ὡς οἷόν τέ ἐστιν ἡμῖν ἐποπτεῦσαι, ποιησόμεθα. ἐπεὶ τοίνυν τῶν ἀπίστων οἱ πλείους γόητα καὶ πλάνον ἀποκαλοῦντες καὶ μυρίαις ἄλλαις κατηγορίαις βλασφημοῦντες αὐτὸν οὔπω καὶ νῦν παύονται, φέρε καὶ πρὸς τούτους ἀποκρινώμεθα, οἴκοθεν μὲν οὐδέν, ἐξ αὐτῶν δὲ τῶν αὐτοῦ φωνῶν καὶ ἧς παρέδωκε διδασκαλίας τὰς παραθέσεις ποιούμενοι. 3.3.1 Πευστέον δὴ αὐτῶν, εἴ ποτέ τις ἄλλος τοιοῦτος πλάνος ἱστόρηται πραότητος καὶ ἐπιεικείας σωφροσύνης τε καὶ τῆς ἄλλης ἀρετῆς διδάσκαλος τοῖς ἀπατωμένοις γεγονὼς αἴτιος, καὶ εἰ θεμιτὸν τούτοις ἀποκαλεῖν τοῖς ὀνόμασι τὸν μηδὲ ἐμβλέπειν μετὰ ἐπιθυμίας ἀκολάστου γυναιξὶν ἐπιτρέψαντα, καὶ εἰ πλάνος ὁ τὴν εἰς ἄκρον παραδοὺς φιλοσοφίαν, ἐν τῷ τοὺς φοιτητὰς παιδεύειν τῶν ὑπαρ χόντων ἐνδεέσι κοινωνεῖν καὶ τὸ φιλόπονον καὶ κοινωνικὸν περὶ πολλοῦ τίθεσθαι, καὶ εἰ πλάνος ὁ τῆς πανδήμου καὶ ἀγελαίου καὶ θορυβώδους συνουσίας ἀνείργων, διδάσκων δὲ μόνην ἀσπάζεσθαι τὴν περὶ τὰ θεῖα λόγια σχολήν. 3.3.2 ὁ δὲ παντὸς μὲν ψεύδους ἀποτρέπων, τὴν δ' ἀλήθειαν πρὸ παντὸς τιμᾶν παραινῶν, ὡς μηδ' εὐορκίας δεῖσθαι, πολλοῦ δεῖ ἐπιορκεῖν· «ἔστω γὰρ ὑμῶν τὸ ναὶ ναί, τὸ οὒ οὔ», πῶς ἂν πλάνος ἐνδίκως ὀνομασθείη; καὶ τί με χρὴ πλείονα νῦν λέγειν, παρὸν ἐκ τῶν πρόσθεν εἰρημένων τίς ποτε ἦν ὁ τρόπος γνῶναι τῆς ὑπ' αὐτοῦ κατασπαρείσης τῷ βίῳ πολιτείας, ἀφ' ἧς οὐχ ὅπως πλάνον ἀλλά τινα θεῖον ὡς ἀληθῶς καὶ θείας καὶ εὐσεβοῦς ἀλλ' οὐ τῆς κοινῆς καὶ πανδήμου φιλοσοφίας εἰσηγητὴν πᾶς ὁ φιλαλήθης αὐτὸν ὁμολογήσαι ἄν; 3.3.3 τὸν γοῦν βίον τῶν πάλαι θεοφιλῶν Ἑβραίων ἤδη πως ἐξ ἀνθρώπων ἀπολωλότα μόνος ἀνανεωσάμενος οὐκ εἰς βραχεῖς καὶ μετρίους, ἀλλ' εἰς ὅλον ἐφαπλῶσαι τὸν κόσμον ἀποδέδεικται διὰ τοῦ πρώτου συγγράμματος τῆς παρούσης ὑποθέσεως· δι' οὗ πάρεστιν ἀνθρώποις ἐπὶ σπείρας τοῖς καθ' ὅλης τῆς οἰκουμένης τὸν ... τῶν θεοφιλῶν ἐκείνων ἀμφὶ τὸν Ἀβραὰμ μυρίους τε ὅσους ζηλωτὰς οὐκ ἐξ Ἑλλήνων μόνον ἀλλὰ καὶ βαρβάρων τῆς ἐκείνων θεοσεβοῦς πολιτείας ἀποδεῖξαι. 3.3.4 ἀλλὰ τὰ μὲν ἠθικώτερα τῆς διδασκαλίας αὐτοῦ τοιαῦτα. φέρε δὲ σκεψώμεθα, μὴ ἄρα ποτὲ ὁ πλάνος αὐτῷ περὶ τὰ κυριώτατα τῶν δογμάτων κατεγίνετο. 3.3.5 Ἆρ' οὖν οὐχὶ μόνῳ τῷ παμβασιλεῖ θεῷ, τῷ καὶ οὐρανοῦ καὶ γῆς καὶ τοῦ σύμπαντος κόσμου δημιουργῷ, αὐτός τε ἀνακείμενος καὶ τοὺς φοιτητὰς προσάγων ἀναγέγραπται, εἰσέτι τε καὶ δεῦρο οἱ τῆς διδασκαλίας αὐτοῦ λόγοι πάντα Ἕλληνα καὶ βάρβαρον ἄνω τὴν διάνοιαν πρὸς τὸν ἀνωτάτω θεὸν ἀνάγουσιν, πᾶσαν ὁρατὴν φύσιν ὑπερκύψαντα; 3.3.6 ἆρα οὖν μὴ οὗτος ἦν ὁ πλάνος; ἢ ὅτι μὴ καὶ πλείους σέβειν θεούς, ἐκ τῆς ἀνωτάτω καὶ μόνης ἀληθοῦς θεολογίας ὡς τὸν ὡς ἀληθῶς πλάνον τραχηλισθέντα, συγχωρεῖ; ἀλλ' οὗτος οὐ νεώτερος οὐδ' οἰκεῖος αὐτῷ λόγος, τοῖς δ' ἐκ μακροῦ πάλαι θεοφιλέσιν Ἑβραίοις προσφιλής, ὥσπερ οὖν δέδεικται διὰ τῆς Προπαρασκευῆς, παρ' ὧν ἤδη καὶ τῶν νέων φιλοσόφων παῖδες τὰ μεγάλα ὠφελημένοι τῷ δόγματι συνηρέσθησαν. σεμνύνονταί γέ τοι καὶ αὐτῶν Ἑλλήνων οἱ λογιώτατοι ἐπὶ χρησμοῖς τῶν οἰκείων θεῶν ὧδέ πως Ἑβραίων μνημονεύουσιν· Μοῦνοι Χαλδαῖοι σοφίην λάχον, ἠδ' ἄρ' Ἑβραῖοι, αὐτογένεθλον ἄνακτα σεβαζόμενοι θεὸν ἁγνῶς. 3.3.7 Χαλδαίους δὲ τοὺς αὐτοὺς διὰ τὸν Ἀβραὰμ ὠνόμασεν, ἐπεὶ Χαλδαῖος ἦν τὸ γένος, ὡς ἱστορεῖται. εἰ δὴ οὖν καὶ πρόπαλαι παῖδες Ἑβραίων, τῶν δὴ μάλιστα καὶ πρὸς τῶν χρησμῶν ἐπὶ σοφίᾳ μεμαρτυρημένων, ἐπὶ μόνον τὸν πάντων δημιουργὸν θεὸν ἀνῆγον τὸ σέβας, τί δεῖ πλάνον οὐχὶ δὲ θαυμαστὸν εὐσεβείας διδάσκαλον ὁμολογεῖν τοῦτον, ὃς τὰ πρόπαλαι μόνοις τοῖς θεοφιλέσιν Ἑβραίοις ἐγνωσμένα εἰς πάντας ἀνθρώπους ἀοράτῳ καὶ ἐνθέῳ δυνάμει προαγαγὼν ἐξήπλωσεν, ὥστε μηκέτι κατὰ τὸ παλαιὸν βραχεῖς τινας καὶ ἀριθμῷ ληπτοὺς ὀρθὰς περὶ θεοῦ φέρειν δόξας, ἀλλὰ μυρία πλήθη βαρβάρων τῶν πάλαι θηριωδεστάτων λογίων τε καὶ Ἑλλήνων ἀνδρῶν, οἳ τοῖς πάλαι προφήταις καὶ