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not being content, they longed only for the taste of blood. Wherefore also they were the first to taste of flesh. And the men with them were eager to do the like then for the first time. Thus we are not born either good or evil, but we become so, and being habituated, we are with difficulty drawn away. And when the irrational animals failed then, the bastard men tasted also of human flesh. For it was no longer a great step for them to destroy their own flesh, having previously tasted of it in other forms. But from the great effusion of blood the pure air, being polluted by an impure exhalation and having become diseased, rendered sickly those who breathed it, so that men henceforth died untimely. And the earth, being greatly polluted from these things, then for the first time cast forth venomous and destructive animals. Therefore, when all things were going to the worse on account of the bestial demons, God resolved to root them out like evil leaven, lest from an evil seed each generation in succession, becoming like the one before it and being similarly impious, might empty the future age of men to be saved. For this reason, then, having announced to a certain righteous man that with his three sons along with their wives and with the rest they would be saved in an ark, He sent a flood of water, so that when all were destroyed, the world, being completely cleansed, might be restored pure to him who was saved in the ark for a second beginning of life. And so it came to pass. Since, therefore, the souls of the dead giants were greater than human souls, inasmuch as they also surpassed them in their bodies, as a new race they were addressed by a new name as well. To them, as new arrivals to the world, a law was ordained by God through an angel, how they ought to live. For being bastards by race, from the fire of angels and the blood of women, and for this reason being about to desire a certain race of their own, they were anticipated by a certain just law. For there was sent to them by God a certain angel, making known His will and saying: These things seem good to the all-seeing God: that you should have dominion over no man, nor trouble anyone, unless someone willingly enslaves himself to you by worshipping you and sacrificing and pouring libations and partaking of your table, or performing some other thing of those which one ought not, or shedding blood, or tasting dead flesh, or the remains of a beast, or of that which is torn, or of that which is strangled, or filling himself with any other unclean thing. But of those who take refuge in my law, not only shall you not touch them, but you shall also give them honor and flee from their presence. For whatever seems good to them, being righteous, against you, this you must suffer. But if any of those attached to me should sin, either by committing adultery or practicing magic or living impurely or doing some other thing of those which do not seem good to me, then by my command it will be necessary for them to suffer something from you or from others; for whom also, having repented, I, having judged their repentance whether it is worthy of pardon or not, will make the decision. These things, therefore, you ought to remember and do, knowing well that not even your thoughts will be able to escape his notice. Having given them such commands, the angel departed. But you are still ignorant of this law, that anyone worshipping demons or sacrificing or sharing a table with them, having become subject to them as by evil ones

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οὐκ ἀρεσκόμενοι, μόνης τῆς τῶν αἱμάτων γεύσεως ἐγλίχοντο. διὸ καὶ πρῶτοι σαρκῶν ἐγεύσαντο. οἱ δὲ σὺν αὐτοῖς ἄνθρωποι τὸ ὅμοιον τότε πρῶτον ποιεῖν ἐζήλωσαν. οὕτως εἴτε ἀγαθοὶ εἴτε κακοὶ οὐ γεννώ- μεθα, ἀλλὰ γινόμεθα καὶ ἐθισθέντες δυσαποσπάστως ἔχομεν. τῶν δὲ ἀλόγων ζσων τότε ἐπιλιπόντων, οἱ νόθοι ἄνθρωποι καὶ ἀνθρωπίνων σαρκῶν ἐγεύσαντο· οὐκέτι γὰρ αὐτοῖς ἦν μακρὰν τὴν ἰδίαν διαφθεῖραι σάρκα, πρότερον ἐν ἑτέραις μορφαῖς αὐτῆς γευσαμένοις. ἐπὶ δὲ τῇ πολλῇ τῶν αἱμάτων ·ύσει ὁ καθαρὸς ἀὴρ ἀκαθάρτῳ ἀναθυμιάσει μιαν- θεὶς καὶ νοσήσας τοὺς ἀναπνέοντας αὐτὸν νοσώδεις ἀπειργάζετο, ὡς τοὺς ἀνθρώπους λοιπὸν ἀώρους ἀποθνῄσκειν. ἡ δὲ γῆ ἐκ τούτων σφόδρα μιαν- θεῖσα πρῶτον τότε τὰ ἰοβόλα καὶ λυμαντικὰ ζῷα ἐξέβρασεν. τῶν οὖν πάντων πρὸς τὸ χεῖρον χωρησάντων διὰ τοὺς θηριώδεις δαίμονας, ὁ θεὸς αὐτοὺς ὥσπερ κακὴν ζύμην ἐξελεῖν ἐβουλεύετο, ἵνα μὴ ἀπὸ σπορᾶς κακῆς κατ' ἀκολουθίαν ἑκάστη γενεὰ τῇ πρὸ αὐτῆς ἐξομοιουμένη, ὁμοίως ἀσεβοῦσα τὸν ἐσόμενον αἰῶνα σῳζομένων ἀνδρῶν κενώσῃ. τούτου δὴ ἕνεκεν ἑνί τινι δικαίῳ μετὰ τῶν ἐξ αὐτοῦ τριῶν σὺν ταῖς αὐ- τῶν γυναιξὶν ἅμα τοῖς λοιποῖς ἐν λάρνακι διασσζεσθαι προαγγείλας ὕδωρ εἰς κατακλυσμὸν ἐπέκλυσεν, ἵνα πάντων ἀναλωθέντων ὁ κόσμος κατεκκαθαρισθεὶς αὐτῷ τῷ ἐν λάρνακι διασωθέντι εἰς δευτέραν βίου ἀρχὴν καθαρὸς ἀποδοθῇ. καὶ δὴ οὕτως ἐγένετο. ἐπεὶ οὖν αἱ τῶν τε- θνεώτων γιγάντων ψυχαὶ τῶν ἀνθρωπείων ψυχῶν μείζους ἦσαν, ἅτε δὴ καὶ τοῖς σώμασιν ὑπερέχουσαι, ὡς καινὸν γένος καινῷ καὶ τῷ ὀνό- ματι προσηγορεύθησαν. οἷς ἐπηλύτοις τῷ κόσμῳ ὡς δεῖ βιοῦν ὑπὸ θεοῦ δι' ἀγγέλου νόμος ὡρίσθη. ὄντες γὰρ νόθοι τῷ γένει ἐκ πυρὸς ἀγγέλων καὶ αἵματος γυναικῶν καὶ διὰ τοῦτο ἰδίου τινὸς γένους ἐπιθυμεῖν μέλλον- τες, δικαίῳ τινὶ προελήφθησαν νόμῳ. ἐξεπέμφθη γὰρ αὐτοῖς ὑπὸ τοῦ θεοῦ ἄγγελός τις, τὴν αὐτοῦ βουλὴν μηνύων καὶ λέγων· Τάδε δοκεῖ τῷ παντεπόπτῃ θεῷ μηδενὸς ἀνθρώπων ὑμᾶς κυριεύειν μηδὲ παρενοχλεῖν μηδενί, ἐὰν μή τις ἑκὼν ἑαυτὸν ὑμῖν καταδουλώσῃ προσκυνῶν ὑμᾶς καὶ θύων καὶ σπένδων καὶ τῆς ὑμετέρας μεταλαμβάνων τραπέζης ἢ ἕτερόν τι ὧν οὐ χρὴ ἐκτελῶν ἢ αἷμα χέων ἢ σαρκῶν νεκρῶν γευόμενος ἢ θηρίου λειψάνου ἢ τμητοῦ ἢ πνικτοῦ ἢ ἄλλου τινὸς ἀκαθάρτου ἐμπι- πλάμενος. τῶν δὲ νόμῳ ἐμῷ προσφευγόντων οὐ μόνον οὐ ψαύσετε, ἀλλὰ καὶ τιμὴν δώσετε καὶ ἐκ προσώπου φεύξεσθε. ὅτι γὰρ ἂν αὐτοῖς δικαίοις οὖσι καθ' ὑμῶν δοκῇ, τοῦθ' ὑμᾶς δεήσει παθεῖν. ἐὰν δέ τινες τῶν ἐμοὶ προσκειμένων ἐξαμάρτωσιν ἢ μοιχευσάμενοι ἢ μαγεύσαντες ἢ ἀκαθάρτως βιώσαντες ἢ ἄλλο τι τῶν ἐμοὶ μὴ δοκούντων πράξαντες, τότε ἐξ ἐμῆς κελεύσεως πάσχειν τι αὐτοὺς ὑφ' ὑμῶν ἢ ὑφ' ἑτέρων δεήσει· οἷς καὶ μετανοήσασιν, τὴν μετάνοιαν κρίνας εἴτε ἀξία ἐστὶν συγγνώμης εἴτε καὶ οὔ, τὴν ἀπόφασιν ποιήσομαι. ταῦτα οὖν μνημονεύειν καὶ ποιεῖν ὀφείλετε εὖ εἰδότες, ὅτι οὐδὲ αἱ ἐνθυμήσεις ὑμῶν λαθεῖν αὐτὸν δυνήσονται. τοιαῦτα παρακελευσάμενος αὐτοῖς ὁ ἄγγελος ἀπηλλάγη. ὑμεῖς δὲ ἔτι τοῦτον ἀγνοεῖτε τὸν νόμον, ὅτι προσκυνῶν τις δαίμονας ἢ θύων ἢ τραπέζης αὐτοῖς κοινωνῶν ὑπόδουλος αὐτοῖς γενόμενος ὡς ὑπὸ κακῶν