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but they worshipped him as a god. Following this example, the rest of the people there also honor with temples those who die by lightning, burying them as beloved of the gods, and they set up statues of the forms of their own dead. From this, likewise, the rulers in various places became imitators, most of whom honored the tombs of their beloved ones (even those not dying by lightning) with temples and wooden images, and setting up altars, commanded them to be worshipped as gods. But much later, because of the long time, they were considered by later generations to be truly gods. However, although the origin was one, the many divisions of the kingdom came about in this way. The Persians first, taking coals of the lightning that fell from heaven, preserved them with their own fuel, and honoring the fire above all as a heavenly god, as the first to worship it, they were first honored with a kingdom by the fire itself. After them, the Babylonians, stealing coals from the fire there and preserving them in their own land and worshipping them, also reigned in succession, and the Egyptians, doing likewise, and calling the fire Phtha in their own dialect, which is translated Hephaestus, by whose name the first who reigned among them is also called. Therefore, using this method, the local kings also, having made a shrine and lit altars in honor of the fire, most of them were extinguished from their kingdom, but they did not cease from worshipping the wooden images, on account of the evil device of the magi, who found for them pretexts able to hold them to their vain worship; for having established them with magical rites, they appointed for them festivals of both sacrifices, libations, and of flutes and rattles, by which pretext the foolish are deceived, and although their kingdom has been taken away, they themselves do not depart from their past religions; to such an extent have they preferred error to the truth on account of sensual pleasure. who also after drunkenness shout beside the altar, while the soul from its depths, as if through dreams, announces beforehand to them the future punishment for such actions of theirs. Therefore, since many religions in life have passed away, we are here bringing to you (we, the good merchants) the religion handed down to us from our forefathers and preserved, like seeds of plants, showing and setting it before your judgment and authority. Choose what seems best to you. If, therefore, you choose our ways, not only will you be able to flee demons and the sufferings from demons, but you yourselves will put them to flight and be supplicated by them, and you will enjoy the good things that are for ever. But if, on the contrary, in the present life you are outraged by demons with strange sufferings, at your departure from the body you will also have your souls punished for ever, in truth not with God condemning you, but with evil deeds having such a judgment. For the demons, having authority through the food given to them by your hands, enter into your bodies. For having lurked within for a long time, they are also mixed with the soul. and through the neglect of helping themselves

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αὐτὸν δὲ ὡς θεὸν ἐθρήσκευσαν. τούτῳ τῷ ὑποδείγματι καὶ οἱ λοιποὶ ἐκεῖσε τοὺς κεραυνῷ θνῄσκοντας ὡς θεοφιλεῖς θάπτοντες ναοῖς τιμῶσιν καὶ τῶν τεθνεώτων ἰδίων μορφῶν ἱστᾶσιν ἀγάλματα. ἐντεῦθεν ὁμοίως ἐζήλωσαν καὶ τῶν κατὰ τόπους οἱ δυναστεύσαντες, ὧν οἱ πλεῖστοι τῶν αὐτοῖς ἠγαπημένων καὶ μὴ κεραυνῷ θνῃσκόντων τοὺς τάφους ναοῖς καὶ ξοάνοις τιμῶντες καὶ βωμοὺς ἀνάπτοντες ὡς θεοὺς προσκυνεῖσθαι προσέταξαν. πολλῷ δὲ ὕστερον διὰ τὸν πολὺν χρόνον ὑπὸ τῶν μετα- γενεστέρων ὄντως θεοὶ εἶναι ἐνομίσθησαν. ὅμως τῆς ὑπαρχῆς μιᾶς οὔσης, βασιλείας πολλαὶ διαιρέσεις τοῦτον ἐγένοντο τὸν τρόπον. Πέρσαι πρῶτοι τῆς ἐξ οὐρανοῦ πεσούσης ἀστραπῆς λαβόντες ἄνθρακας τῇ οἰκείᾳ διεφύλαξαν τροφῇ, καὶ ὡς θεὸν οὐράνιον προτιμήσαντες τὸ πῦρ, ὡς πρῶτοι προσκυνήσαντες ὑπ' αὐτοῦ τοῦ πυρὸς πρῶτοι βασιλείας τετίμηνται. μεθ' οὓς Βαβυλώνιοι ἀπὸ τοῦ ἐκεῖ πυρὸς ἄνθρακας κλέ- ψαντες καὶ διασώσαντες εἰς τὰ ἑαυτῶν καὶ προσκυνήσαντες καὶ αὐτοὶ ἀκολούθως ἐβασίλευσαν, Aἰγύπτιοι δὲ ὁμοίως πράξαντες καὶ τὸ πῦρ ἰδίᾳ διαλέκτῳ Φθάε καλέσαντες, ὃ ἑρμηνεύεται Ἥφαιστος, οὗ τῷ ὀνόματι καὶ ὁ παρ' αὐτοῖς πρῶτος βασιλεύσας προσαγορεύεται. τοῦτον μὲν οὖν τὸν τρόπον χρησάμενοι καὶ οἱ κατὰ τόπον βασιλεύ- σαντες καὶ ἵδρυμα ποιήσαντες καὶ βωμοὺς εἰς τιμὴν τοῦ πυρὸς ἀν- άψαντες τῆς μὲν βασιλείας οἱ πλεῖστοι ἀπεσβέσθησαν, τοῦ δὲ τὰ ξόανα σέβειν οὐκ ἐπαύσαντο διὰ τὴν κακὴν τῶν μάγων ἐπίνοιαν εὑρόν- των αὐτοῖς προφάσεις κρατεῖν αὐτοὺς πρὸς τὴν ματαίαν λατρείαν δυνα- μένας· ἱδρύσαντες γὰρ αὐτὰ μαγικαῖς τελεταῖς ἑορτὰς αὐτοῖς ὥρισαν ἔκ τε θυμάτων, σπονδῶν, αὐλῶν τε καὶ κρότων, ὧν προφάσει οἱ ἀνόητοι ἀπατώμενοι, καίτοι τῆς βασιλείας αὐτῶν ἀφαιρεθείσης, αὐτοὶ τῶν παρ- ελθουσῶν θρησκειῶν οὐκ ἀπολείπονται· ἐπὶ τοσοῦτον τῆς ἀληθείας διὰ τὴν ἡδυπάθειαν προετίμησαν τὴν πλάνην. οἳ καὶ μετὰ μέθην παρα- βώμιον ἐπολολύζουσιν, τῆς ψυχῆς ἐκ βάθους ὥσπερ δι' ὀνείρων αὐτοῖς τὴν μέλλουσαν ἐπὶ ταῖς τοιαύταις αὐτῶν πράξεσιν προαγγελλούσης τιμω- ρίαν. Πολλῶν οὖν ἐν βίῳ παρελθουσῶν θρησκειῶν πάρεσμεν φέροντες ὑμῖν (οἱ ἀγαθοὶ ἔμποροι) ἐκ προγόνων ἡμῖν παραδοθείσης καὶ φυλαχθεί- σης θρησκείας ὡς σπέρματα φυτῶν, δεικνύντες καὶ ἐπὶ τῇ ὑμετέρᾳ κρίσει καὶ ἐξουσίᾳ τιθέντες. τὸ ὑμῖν δοκοῦν ἐπιλέξασθε. ἐὰν μὲν οὖν τὰ ἡμέτερα ἕλησθε, οὐ μόνον δαίμονας καὶ τὰ ἐκ δαιμόνων πάθη φυγεῖν δυνήσεσθε, ἀλλ' αὐτοὶ αὐτὰ φυγαδεύοντες καὶ ἱκετευόμενοι ὑπ' αὐτῶν καὶ τῶν εἰσαεὶ ἐσομένων ἀγαθῶν ἀπολαύσετε. ἐπείγε τοὐν- αντίον ἐν μὲν τῷ νῦν βίῳ ὑπὸ δαιμόνων ἀλλοκότοις πάθεσιν ἐνυβριζό- μενοι, ἐπὶ τῇ ἐκ τοῦ σώματος ἀπαλλαγῇ καὶ τὰς ψυχὰς εἰσαεὶ κολα σθησομένας ἕξετε, τὰ ἀληθῆ οὐ θεοῦ καταδικάζοντος, ἀλλὰ κακῶν πρά- ξεων τοιαύτην ἐχουσῶν κρίσιν. οἱ γὰρ δαίμονες διὰ τῆς αὐτοῖς ἀπο- δοθείσης τροφῆς ἐξουσίαν ἔχοντες ὑπὸ τῶν ὑμετέρων χειρῶν εἰς τὰ ὑμέτερα εἰσκρίνεται σώματα. ἐνδομυχήσαντες γὰρ πολλῷ τῷ χρόνῳ καὶ τῇ ψυχῇ ἀνακίρνανται. καὶ διὰ τὴν ἀμέλειαν τῶν ἑαυτοῖς βοηθεῖν