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it is able, a lamp is able; why then do you not worship the lamp? Yes, he says, I worship the fire. O the laughter! So great is the arrogance, and are you not ashamed? See now another point again: Why do you extinguish what is worshipped? why do you destroy it? why do you do away with your god? why do you not allow the house to be filled with it? For if fire is a god, let it consume your body; do not subject your god to the bottom of the pot and the cauldron; bring it into the store-rooms, bring it into the silk garments. But you not only do not bring it in, but if by some accident it should enter, you drive it out from all sides, you call everyone together, and as if some wild beast had entered, you lament and groan, and call it an overwhelming calamity for your god to be present. I have a God, and I do all things to embrace him in my heart, and I consider it a blessedness for myself, not when he visits my house, but if I draw him into my heart. You too, draw the fire into your heart. This is laughter, and vanity. Fire is good for use, not for worship; for service, for ministry, for serving me, not for ruling over me; it was made for me, not I for it. If you worship the fire, why do you lie upon your couch, but command a cook to stand by your god? Take up cooking yourself, and become a baker, if you wish, and a blacksmith. For none of these crafts is more honorable, since your god attends to these things. Why do you consider the craft an insult, where your god is abundant? why do you command your slaves, but do not deign to do it yourself? Fire is good, because it is from a good creator, but it is not a god; for it is a work of God, it was not called God. Do you not see its disorderly nature? how when it takes hold of a house, it stops nowhere? but if it has anything continuous, it destroys everything, and unless the hands of carpenters or some others extinguish its madness, it knows not friends, nor enemies, but treats all alike. Is this therefore a god, and are you not ashamed? Truly he spoke well: “in the futility of their mind.” But the sun, he says, is a god. For this, tell me, from where, and why? because it sends forth much light? But do you not see it being overcome by the clouds, and serving the necessity of nature, and being eclipsed and hidden by the moon and clouds? And yet a cloud is weaker than the sun, but nevertheless in many places it prevails, and this too is a work of the wisdom of God. God ought to be all-sufficient, but this is in need of many things; but this is not of God. For it needs air to shine, and thin air; since that which is very dense does not allow its ray to pass through; it also needs water, and another thing restraining it, so that it does not burn everything up. For if springs and lakes and rivers and seas did not supply some moisture through the giving up of vapors, nothing would have prevented all things from being consumed by fire. Do you see then, he says, that it is a god? O the madness! O the laughter! because, he says, it is able to harm, it is a god, And yet for this reason it is not a god, because in those things in which it harms, it needs nothing, but in those in which it benefits, it requires many other things; But for God, to harm is far from him, while to benefit is proper to him. When therefore the opposite is the case, how is it a god? 62.91 Do you not see that poisonous drugs harm, and need nothing, but when they help, they need many things? For your sake, therefore, it is such, both beautiful and weak; beautiful, so that you may recognize the Lord; but weak, so that you may not say that it is the Lord. But, he says, it nourishes the plants and the seeds. Why then is not manure also a god for this reason? For that too nourishes. Why not for this reason also the sickle, and the hands of the farmer? Show me the sun nourishing alone, and needing nothing, neither earth, nor water, nor cultivation; but let the seeds be cast, and letting loose its ray, let it show the ears of corn. But if it is not of it alone, but also of the rains, why is not water also a god? But not yet about this. Why is not the earth also a god? why not also the manure, and the mattock? Shall we therefore worship all things, tell me? O the foolishness! And yet an ear of corn might rather come to be without the sun, than without earth and water, and plants and all other things. For if there were no earth, none of these things would ever appear; but if someone in an earthen pot, as children and women do,

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δύνηται, λύχνος δύναται· τί τοίνυν οὐ προσκυνεῖς τὸν λύχνον; Ναὶ, φησὶ, προσκυνῶ τὸ πῦρ. Ὢ τοῦ γέλωτος! τοσαύτη ἡ ὕβρις, καὶ οὐκ αἰσχύνῃ; Ὅρα δὲ καὶ ἑτέραν πάλιν· Τὸ προσκυνούμενον τί σβεννύεις; τί ἀπολλύεις; τί ἀναιρεῖς σου τὸν θεόν; διὰ τί μὴ συγχωρεῖς τὴν οἰκίαν ἐμπεπλῆσθαι αὐτοῦ; Εἰ γὰρ θεός ἐστι τὸ πῦρ, ἐπινεμέσθω σου τὸ σῶμα, μὴ τῷ πυθμένι τῆς χύτρας καὶ τοῦ λέβητος τὸν θεὸν ὑποβάλῃς· εἴσαγε εἰς τὰ ταμεῖα, εἴσαγε εἰς τὰ σηρικὰ ἱμάτια. Σὺ δὲ οὐ μόνον οὐκ εἰσάγεις, ἀλλὰ κἂν διὰ περιπέτειάν τινος ἐπεισέλθῃ, πάντοθεν ἐλαύνεις, πάντας συγκαλεῖς, καὶ ὥσπερ θηρίου τινὸς ἐπεισελθόντος, ὀδύρῃ καὶ στένεις, καὶ συμφορὰν τὸ πρᾶγμα καλεῖς ὑπερβάλλουσαν τὸ τὸν θεόν σου παρεῖναι. Ἔχω ἐγὼ Θεὸν, καὶ πάντα ποιῶ, ὥστε αὐτὸν ἐνστερνίσασθαι, καὶ μακαριότητα ἐμαυτοῦ ἡγοῦμαι, οὐχ ὅταν τὴν οἰκίαν ἐπισκέπτηται τὴν ἐμὴν, ἀλλ' ἂν εἰς τὴν καρδίαν αὐτὸν ἑλκύσω τὴν ἐμήν. Ἕλκυσον καὶ σὺ τὸ πῦρ εἰς τὴν καρδίαν τὴν σήν. Γέλως ταῦτα, καὶ ματαιότης. Καλὸν τὸ πῦρ εἰς χρῆσιν, οὐκ εἰς προσκύνησιν· εἰς διακονίαν, εἰς ὑπηρεσίαν, εἰς τὸ δουλεύειν ἐμοὶ, οὐκ εἰς τὸ κρατεῖν ἐμοῦ· ἐκεῖνο δι' ἐμὲ γέγονεν, οὐκ ἐγὼ δι' αὐτό. Εἰ προσκυνεῖς τὸ πῦρ, τί αὐτὸς μὲν ἐπὶ τῆς κλίνης κατάκεισαι, μαγείρῳ δὲ κελεύεις παρεστάναι σου τῷ θεῷ; Αὐτὸς ἀνάδεξαι τὴν μαγειρικὴν, καὶ ἀρτοκόπος γενοῦ, εἰ βούλει, καὶ χαλκεύς. Οὐδὲν γὰρ τούτων τῶν τεχνῶν τιμιώτερον, ἐπειδὴ ταῦτα ὁ σὸς ἐπισκέπτεται θεός. Τί ὕβριν ἡγῇ τὴν τέχνην, ἔνθα σου πολὺς ὁ θεός; τί τοῖς δούλοις ἐπιτάττεις, αὐτὸς δὲ οὐ καταξιοῖς; Καλὸν τὸ πῦρ, ἐπειδὴ καὶ καλοῦ δημιουργοῦ, ἀλλ' οὐ θεός· ἔργον γὰρ Θεοῦ, οὐ θεὸς ἐκλήθη. Οὐχ ὁρᾷς αὐτοῦ τὸ ἄτακτον; πῶς ὅταν ἐπιλάβηται οἰκίας, οὐδαμοῦ ἵσταται; ἀλλ' ἐὰν σχῇ συνεχῆ τινα, πάντα καθαιρεῖ, κἂν μὴ τεκτόνων χεῖρες ἢ καὶ ἄλλων τινῶν σβέσωσιν αὐτοῦ τὴν μανίαν, οὐ φίλους οἶδεν, οὐ πολεμίους, ἀλλ' ὁμοίως πᾶσι κέχρηται. Τοῦτο οὖν θεὸς, καὶ οὐκ αἰσχύνεσθε; Ὄντως καλῶς εἶπεν· Ἐν ματαιότητι τοῦ νοὸς αὑτῶν. Ἀλλ' ὁ ἥλιος, φησὶ, θεός. Τοῦτο γὰρ, εἰπέ μοι, πόθεν, καὶ διὰ τί; ὅτι φῶς ἀφίησι πολύ; Ἀλλ' οὐχ ὁρᾷς αὐτὸν νικώμενον ὑπὸ τῶν νεφῶν, καὶ ἀνάγκῃ δουλεύοντα φύσεως, καὶ ἐκλείποντα καὶ ὑπὸ σελήνης καὶ νέφους κρυπτόμενον; Καίτοι γε νέφος ἀσθενέστερον ἡλίου, ἀλλ' ὅμως πολλαχοῦ κρατεῖ, καὶ τοῦτο δὲ τῆς τοῦ Θεοῦ σοφίας ἔργον ἐστίν. Ὁ Θεὸς παναρκὴς εἶναι ὀφείλει, οὗτος δὲ πολλῶν ἐστιν ἐνδεής· τοῦτο δὲ οὐκ ἔστι Θεοῦ. ∆εῖται γὰρ ἀέρος πρὸς τὸ φᾶναι, καὶ ἀέρος λεπτοῦ· ὡς ὅ γε σφόδρα πυκνωθεὶς οὐκ ἀφίησι τὴν ἀκτῖνα διαδῦναι· δεῖται καὶ ὕδατος, καὶ ἑτέρου τοῦ ἐπέχοντος, ὥστε μὴ καταφλέξαι. Εἰ γὰρ μὴ πηγαὶ καὶ λίμναι καὶ ποταμοὶ καὶ θάλασσαι τινὰ ὑγρότητα διὰ τῆς τῶν ἀτμῶν συνέστησαν ἀναδόσεως, οὐδὲν ἂν ἐκώλυσεν ἐκπυρωθῆναι τὰ πάντα. Ὁρᾷς οὖν, φησὶν, ὅτι θεός; Ὢ τῆς μανίας! ὢ τοῦ γέλωτος! ἐπειδὴ, φησὶ, βλάψαι δύναται, θεός, Καὶ μὴν διὰ τοῦτο οὐ θεὸς, ὅτι ἐν οἷς μὲν βλάπτει, οὐδενὸς δεῖται, ἐν οἷς δὲ ὠφελεῖ, πολλῶν ἑτέρων χρῄζει· Θεοῦ δὲ τὸ μὲν βλάπτειν, πόῤῥω, τὸ δὲ ὠφελεῖν, οἰκεῖον. Ὅταν οὖν τὸ ἐναντίον ᾖ, πῶς θεός; 62.91 Οὐχ ὁρᾷς, ὅτι τὰ δηλητήρια φάρμακα καταβλάπτει, καὶ οὐδενὸς δεῖται, ὅταν δὲ ὠφελῇ, πολλῶν; ∆ιὰ σὲ τοίνυν ἐστὶ τοιοῦτος, καὶ καλὸς καὶ ἀσθενής· καλὸς μὲν, ἵνα ἐπιγινώσκῃς τὸν ∆εσπότην· ἀσθενὴς δὲ, ἵνα μὴ ∆εσπότην αὐτὸν εἶναι λέγῃς. Ἀλλὰ τρέφει, φησὶ, τὰ φυτὰ καὶ τὰ σπέρματα. Τί οὖν μὴ παρὰ τοῦτο καὶ ἡ κόπρος θεός; καὶ γὰρ καὶ ἐκείνη τρέφει. Τί μὴ παρὰ τοῦτο καὶ τὸ δρέπανον, καὶ αἱ τοῦ γεωργοῦ χεῖρες; ∆εῖξόν μοι μόνον τρέφοντα τὸν ἥλιον, καὶ μηδενὸς δεόμενον, μήτε γῆς, μήτε ὕδατος, μήτε γεωργίας· ἀλλὰ βαλλέσθω τὰ σπέρματα, καὶ τὴν ἀκτῖνα ἀφεὶς δεικνύτω τοὺς ἀστάχυας. Εἰ δὲ οὐκ αὐτοῦ μόνου, ἀλλὰ καὶ τῶν ὑετῶν ἐστι, διὰ τί μὴ καὶ τὸ ὕδωρ θεός; Ἀλλὰ μήπω περὶ τούτου. ∆ιὰ τί μὴ καὶ ἡ γῆ θεός; διὰ τί μὴ καὶ ἡ κόπρος, καὶ ἡ δίκελλα; Πάντα οὖν, εἰπέ μοι, προσκυνήσομεν; Ὢ τῆς ληρωδίας! Καίτοι μᾶλλον ἄνευ ἡλίου γένοιτο ἄσταχυς, ἢ ἄνευ γῆς καὶ ὕδατος, καὶ φυτὰ καὶ τὰ ἄλλα ἅπαντα. Γῆς μὲν οὖν οὐκ οὔσης, οὐκ ἄν ποτε τούτων τι φανείη· εἰ δέ τις ἐν κεραμίῳ, οἷα τὰ παιδία ποιοῦσι καὶ αἱ γυναῖκες,