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were righteous men taught to be pious in the same way, by his power alone? 3.3.8 But let us examine the third point, lest perhaps this was why they call him an impostor, that he did not ordain that the divine be honored with sacrifices of oxen, nor with the slaughter of irrational animals, nor with blood and fire, nor with incense from the earth, considering these things to be base and earthly and in no way fitting for the immortal nature, and judging that the most acceptable and pleasing sacrifice of all to God is the right keeping of his own commandments, through which he taught them, purified in body and soul, and adorned with a clear mind and pious doctrines, to imitate the likeness to God, saying explicitly: "You shall be perfect, as your Father is perfect." 3.3.9 If, then, any of the Greeks should find fault with these things, let him know that he does not hold opinions dear to his own teachers, who, likely having benefited from us, since they also came after us in time, I mean after the teaching put forth to us by our Savior, hear what they confessed in writing. 3.3.10 From Porphyry's work on Abstinence from Animal Food. "To God who is over all, as a certain wise man said, we should neither offer incense nor name any of the things of sense, for there is nothing material which is not at once impure to the immaterial; wherefore neither is uttered speech proper to him, nor the inner speech, when it is stained by a passion of the soul, but through pure silence and pure thoughts about him we shall worship him. It is necessary, therefore, being united and assimilated to him, to bring our own conduct as a sacred sacrifice to God, it being itself also a hymn and our salvation. In freedom from passion of the soul and in contemplation of God, therefore, is this sacrifice perfected." 3.3.11 From the theology of Apollonius of Tyana. "Thus, then, one might best pay due attention to the divine, and would find him propitious and gracious forthwith, alone among all men, if to God, this one whom we name, who is one and separate from all, after whom it is necessary to recognize the others, he should offer no sacrifice at all, nor kindle a fire, nor dedicate anything at all of the things of sense; for he needs nothing, not even from beings better than we are, nor is there any plant that the earth sends up, or animal that it or the air nourishes, to which there is not some defilement attached, but he should use towards him always only the better reason—I mean that which does not pass through the mouth—and from the most beautiful of beings through the most beautiful thing in us he should ask for good things; and this is the mind, which needs no instrument." 3.3.12 If, then, these things are also confessed by the eminent philosophers and theologians among the Greeks, how could he be an impostor who delivered to his disciples not only words but, long before the words, the deeds to perform, by which they were to worship the divine according to the right reason? But as to how and with what words the ancient Hebrews are recorded to have sacrificed, having discussed this in the first book of the present subject, we shall be content with what was said there. 3.3.13 And since, in addition to the points examined, we have recognized, having learned from Christ, that the world is created and that heaven itself and sun and moon and stars happen to be works of God, and that we must worship not these but their creator, we must consider whether we have been deceived in being taught by him to think in this way. 3.3.14 And yet this was also the doctrine of the Hebrews, and the most distinguished of the philosophers agreed with the same things, declaring that heaven itself and sun and moon and stars and the entire cosmos were created by the maker of all things. But he also taught us to expect a consummation and a change for the better of this universe, this too in accordance with the Hebrew scriptures. 3.3.15 What then? Does not Plato also know that heaven itself and sun and moon and the other stars are of a dissoluble and perishable nature, even if he says that these things will not be dissolved, because he who constructed them does not so will it? 3.3.16 But if he should will it to be of such a nature, and that we have an immortal soul in no way similar to the irrational animals but bearing the powers of God

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δικαίοις ἀνδράσιν εὐσεβεῖν ὁμοίως διὰ μόνης τῆς αὐτοῦ δυνάμεως ἐπαιδεύθησαν; 3.3.8 Ἀλλὰ δὴ τὸ τρίτον σκεψώμεθα, μή ποτ' ἄρα τοῦτ' ἦν δι' ὃ πλάνον αὐτόν φασιν, ὅτι μὴ βουθυσίαις μηδὲ ζῴων ἀλόγων σφαγαῖς μηδ' αἵμασι καὶ πυρὶ μηδὲ τοῖς ἀπὸ γῆς ἀναθυμιωμένοις τὸ θεῖον τιμᾶν διετάξατο, ταπεινὰ μὲν καὶ γεώδη ταῦτα καὶ τῆς ἀθανάτου φύσεως οὐδαμῶς οἰκεῖα λογισάμενος, κρίνας δὲ πάσης θυσίας προσηνεστάτην καὶ ἡδεῖαν εἶναι τῷ θεῷ τὴν τῶν οἰκείων ἐντολῶν κατόρθωσιν, δι' ὧν αὐτῷ σώματι καὶ ψυχῇ κεκαθαρμένους, νῷ τε διαυγεῖ καὶ δόγμασιν εὐσεβέσιν κεκοσμημένους, τὴν πρὸς τὸν θεὸν ἐξομοίωσιν ἀπομιμεῖσθαι ἐδίδασκεν, διαρρήδην φάσκων· «ἔσεσθε τέλειοι, ὡς ὁ πατὴρ ὑμῶν τέλειός ἐστιν». 3.3.9 εἰ δὴ ταῦτά τις Ἑλλήνων αἰτιῷτο, ἴστω μὴ φίλα τοῖς οἰκείοις διδασκάλοις φρονῶν, οἵ γε, ὡς εἰκὸς ἐξ ἡμῶν ὠφελημένοι, ἐπεὶ καὶ μεθ' ἡμᾶς γεγόνασι τοῖς χρόνοις, λέγω δὲ μετὰ τὴν προβεβλημένην ἡμῖν ὑπὸ τοῦ σωτῆρος ἡμῶν διδασκαλίαν, οἷα δὴ ἐγγράφως ὡμολόγουν, ἄκουε. 3.3.10 Ἀπὸ τῶν Πορφυρίου περὶ ἐμψύχων ἀποχῆς. «Θεῷ μὲν τῷ ἐπὶ πᾶσιν, ὥς τις ἀνὴρ σοφὸς ἔφη, μηδὲν τῶν αἰσθητῶν μήτε θυμιῶντες μήτ' ἐπονομάζοντες οὐδὲν γὰρ ἔνυλον, ὃ μὴ τῷ ἀΰλῳ εὐθύς ἐστιν ἀκάθαρτον· διὸ οὐδὲ λόγος αὐτῷ ὁ κατὰ φωνὴν οἰκεῖος, οὐδ' ὁ ἔνδον, ὅταν πάθει ψυχῆς ᾖ μεμολυσμένος, διὰ δὲ σιγῆς καθαρᾶς καὶ τῶν περὶ αὐτοῦ καθαρῶν ἐννοιῶν θρησκεύσομεν αὐτόν. δεῖ ἄρα συναφθέντας καὶ ὁμοιωθέντας αὐτῷ τὴν αὐτῶν ἀγωγὴν θυσίαν ἱερὰν προσαγαγεῖν θεῷ, τὴν αὐτὴν δὲ καὶ ὕμνον οὖσαν καὶ ἡμῶν σωτηρίαν. ἐν ἀπαθείᾳ ἄρα τῆς ψυχῆς τοῦ δὲ θεοῦ θεωρίᾳ ἡ θυσία αὕτη τελεῖται.» 3.3.11 Ἐκ τῆς Ἀπολλωνίου τοῦ Τυανέως θεολογίας. «Οὕτως τοίνυν μάλιστα ἄν τις τὴν προσήκουσαν ἐπιμέλειαν ποιοῖτο τοῦ θείου, τυγχάνοι τε αὐτόθεν ἵλεώ τε καὶ εὐμενοῦς αὐτοῦ παρ' ὁντιναοῦν μόνος ἀνθρώπων, εἰ θεῷ μέν, ὃν δὴ φαμὲν τοῦτον, ἑνί τε ὄντι καὶ κεχωρισμένῳ πάντων, μεθ' ὃν γνωρίζεσθαι τοὺς λοιποὺς ἀναγκαῖον, μὴ θύοι τι τὴν ἀρχὴν μήτε ἀνάπτοι πῦρ μήτε τι καθόλου τῶν αἰσθητῶν ἐπονομάζοι δεῖται γὰρ οὐδενὸς οὐδὲ παρὰ τῶν κρειττόνων ἤπερ ἡμεῖς ἐσμεν, οὐδ' ἔστιν ὃ τὴν ἀρχὴν γῆ ἀνίησιν φυτὸν ἢ τρέφει ζῷον ἢ ἀήρ, ᾧ οὐ πρόσεστίν γε μίασμα, μόνῳ δὲ χρῷτο πρὸς αὐτὸν ἀεὶ τῷ κρείττονι λόγῳ λέγω δὲ τῷ μὴ διὰ στόματος ἰόντι, παρὰ δὲ τοῦ καλλίστου τῶν ὄντων διὰ τοῦ καλλίστου τοῦ ἐν ἡμῖν αἰτοίη τὰ ἀγαθά· νοῦς δέ ἐστιν οὗτος ὀργάνου μὴ δεόμενος». 3.3.12 Εἰ δὴ οὖν ταῦτα καὶ πρὸς τῶν παρ' Ἕλλησι διαπρεπῶν φιλοσόφων τε καὶ θεολόγων ὁμολογεῖται, πῶς ἂν εἴη πλάνος ὁ μὴ μόνον λόγους ἀλλ' ἔργα τῶν λόγων πολὺ πρότερον τοῖς φοιτηταῖς ἐκτελεῖν παραδούς, δι' ὧν κατὰ τὸν ὀρθὸν λόγον ἤμελλον θεραπεύειν τὸ θεῖον; ὅπως δὲ καὶ τίσιν λόγοις οἱ παλαιοὶ Ἑβραῖοι θύειν μνημονεύονται, διειληφότες ἐν τῷ πρώτῳ συγγράμματι τῆς παρούσης ὑποθέσεως, ἐκείνοις ἀρκεσθησόμεθα. 3.3.13 Ἐπεὶ δὲ πρὸς τοῖς ἐξητασμένοις ἔγνωμεν, παρὰ τοῦ Χριστοῦ μαθόντες, ὅτι γεννητὸς ὁ κόσμος καὶ ὅτι οὐρανὸς αὐτὸς καὶ ἥλιος καὶ σελήνη καὶ ἄστρα ἔργα θεοῦ τυγχάνει, καὶ ὅτι χρὴ μὴ ταῦτα ἀλλὰ τὸν ποιητὴν αὐτῶν σέβειν, σκέψασθαι δεῖ, μὴ ἄρα ἠπατήμεθα, τοῦτον παρ' αὐτοῦ διδαχθέντες φρονεῖν τὸν τρόπον. 3.3.14 καὶ μὴν Ἑβραίων καὶ οὗτος ἦν ὁ λόγος, καὶ φιλοσόφων δὲ οἱ μάλιστα διαφανεῖς τοῖς αὐτοῖς συνηνέχθησαν, γεννητὸν καὶ αὐτὸν τὸν οὐρανὸν καὶ ἥλιον καὶ σελήνην καὶ ἄστρα καὶ τὸν σύμπαντα κόσμον πρὸς τοῦ τῶν ὅλων ποιητοῦ γεγονότα ἀποφηνάμενοι. ἀλλὰ καὶ συντέλειαν καὶ μεταβολὴν τὴν ἐπὶ τὰ κρείττω τοῦδε τοῦ παντὸς ἔσεσθαι προσδοκᾶν ἐδίδαξεν, ταῖς Ἑβραίων καὶ τοῦτο ἀκολούθως γραφαῖς. 3.3.15 τί οὖν; οὐχὶ καὶ ὁ Πλάτων φύσεως λυτῆς καὶ φθαρτῆς οἶδεν αὐτόν τε οὐρανὸν καὶ ἥλιον καὶ σελήνην καὶ τοὺς λοιποὺς ἀστέρας, εἰ καὶ μὴ λυθήσεσθαί φησιν ταῦτα, τῷ μὴ τὸν συμπήξαντα βούλεσθαι; 3.3.16 Εἰ δ' ἄρα βουληθείη εἶναι φύσεως τοιαύτης, ψυχὴν δὲ ἀθάνατον ἔχειν ἡμᾶς κατ' οὐδὲν μὲν ἐμφερῆ τοῖς ἀλόγοις ζῴοις τῶν δὲ τοῦ θεοῦ δυνάμεων φέρουσαν