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For this very reason the one who delights in thunderbolts, being angry, struck him with fiery bolts and took him from life. Therefore he was a man, and not even brought up like other men, but also having received his first nourishment from a dog and having been saved by the pity of hunters, and not having the art of healing from divine wisdom and knowledge, but having been taught this 8.21 art by Chiron. And this Chiron also became the teacher of Achilles. From which it is clear that they were born around the same time, or this one was a little older than Achilles, since he also sailed with the Argonauts, and his son Machaon fought alongside Achilles. And the thunderbolt, indeed, and the 8.22 burning which took place show the mortality of his nature. But even one born thus, as has been said, and saved and reared and burned, they numbered among the other gods and consecrated precincts and dedicated altars, and with libation and the smoke of sacrifice, formerly, indeed, openly, but now perhaps in secret, you honor him, and you deem his statues worthy of divine honor and you admire the serpent entwined about him and say that it is a symbol of medicine, because just as that one sloughs off its old age, so medicine frees 8.23 from diseases. But that this one had not yet obtained deification in the time of Homer, the poet is witness, showing not Asclepius, but Paeon as having healed the wounds of Ares; for it is necessary for these gods both to have wounds and doctors; And he says Machaon is not the son of a god nor even of a demigod, but of a physician; for he said: the man, son of Asclepius, the blameless physician. 8.24 And both Homer and Euripides and very many others said that Dionysus was the son of Semele; and Semele was the daughter of Cadmus. But nevertheless this one also was deemed worthy of divine honor, and this despite being womanish and effeminate and androgynous; for indeed he promised to give as a reward to those helping him not gold or silver, but the shameful use of his body; and so truthful did he become concerning that abominable promise, that since those who had helped had died before receiving that much-cursed reward, he devised another way for the fulfillment of the promise. And I am silent about the fig-wood phallus and the rites performed over this; for I am ashamed to say the things over which the Greeks held festivals. 8.25 And indeed also the Greeks called the sons of Tyndareus gods and named them Dioscuri and Ephestioi and Anakes; and they deemed them worthy of precincts not only in Sparta, but also in Athens. And Demosthenes the orator mentions them, 8.26 saying thus: "In the inn in front of of the Dioscureion." And the Leokorion is a shrine of the daughters of Leos. And they deified very many other wretched and thrice-wretched paltry men and honored them with public feasts. For indeed the Pythian prophet ordered Cleomedes the Astypalaean, the boxer, to enjoy divine honor, and the Pythia delivered this oracle: Last of the heroes is Cleomedes of Astypalaea, whom you are to honor with sacrifices as being no longer mortal. 8.27 But so that you too may know for what reasons indeed this one also was ranked with Zeus and the others, I will tell the stories about him. This man, having struck his opponent with a single blow, opened his side, and thrusting his hand inside he took hold of his entrails; then, when the judges were angry on account of the excess of his cruelty and imposed a penalty, he withdrew, being heavy-hearted, and passing through the marketplace, having pulled down one of the columns supporting the roof, he buried a company of youths, who happened to be attending their teacher there 8.28. On account of these achievements the Pythian ranked him with the gods. And they say also that Hadrian, the emperor of the Romans, proclaimed as a god Antinous, who had been his beloved, and built a temple and commanded that he be deemed worthy of divine honor by his subjects. And the Spartans also considered the Hyacinthia a very great festival and public feast. 8.29 Why then, you who have named so many dead men gods, are you indignant with us, who do not deify, but honor the martyrs, as witnesses of God and his devoted servants? And for what reason do you think you partake of some pollution, the one at the tombs

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διὸ δὴ τὸν τερπικέραυνον χαλε πήναντα πρηστῆρσι βαλεῖν καὶ ἐξαγαγεῖν τῆς ζωῆς. Τοιγαροῦν καὶ ἄνθρωπος ἦν, οὐδὲ τοῖς ἄλλοις ἀνθρώποις παραπλησίως τραφείς, ἀλλὰ καὶ παρὰ κυνὸς τῆς πρώτης ἀπολαύσας τροφῆς καὶ τῷ τῶν θηρευόντων οἴκτῳ διασωθείς, καὶ οὐκ ἐκ θείας σοφίας καὶ ἐπιστήμης τὸ ἰατρεύειν ἔχων, ἀλλὰ παρὰ Χείρωνος τήνδε 8.21 τὴν τέχνην ἐκπαιδευθείς. Οὗτος δὲ ὁ Χείρων καὶ Ἀχιλλέως ἐγένετο παιδευτής. Ὅθεν δῆλον ὅτι κατὰ τὸν χρόνον τὸν αὐτὸν ἐγενέσθην, ἢ μικρῷ τινι οὗτος Ἀχιλλέως πρεσβύτερος, ἐπειδήπερ καὶ τοῖς Ἀργοναύταις ξυνέπλευσε, καὶ ὁ τούτου γε παῖς ὁ Μαχάων ξυνεπολέμησεν Ἀχιλλεῖ. Καὶ ὁ κεραυνὸς δέ γε καὶ ὁ 8.22 γενόμενος ἐμπρησμὸς δηλοῖ τῆς φύσεως τὸ ἐπίκηρον. Ἀλλὰ καὶ οὕτω γε φύντα, ὡς εἴρηται, καὶ σωθέντα γε καὶ τραφέντα καὶ ἐμπρησθέντα, τοῖς ἄλλοις θεοῖς κατέλεξαν καὶ τεμένη γε καθω σίωσαν καὶ καθιέρωσαν βωμούς, καὶ λοιβῇ καὶ κνίσῃ, πάλαι μὲν προφανῶς, νῦν δὲ ἴσως ἐν παραβύστῳ, γεραίρετε καὶ τὰ τούτου ἀγάλματα θείας ἀξιοῦτε τιμῆς καὶ τὸν ἐνειλημένον αὐτῷ θαυμάζετε δράκοντα καὶ ξύμβολον εἶναι τῆς ἰατρικῆς φατε, ὅτι καθάπερ ἐκεῖνος ἀποδύεται τὸ γῆρας, οὕτως ἡ ἰατρικὴ τῶν νόσων ἐλευθε 8.23 ροῖ. Ὅτι δὲ ἐπὶ τῶν Ὁμήρου χρόνων οὐδέπω οὗτος τῆς θεοποιΐας ἐτετυχήκει, μάρτυς ὁ ποιητής, οὐ τὸν Ἀσκληπιόν, ἀλλὰ τὸν Παιήονα δείξας τὰ τοῦ Ἄρεως θεραπεύσαντα τραύματα· δεῖ γὰρ τουτουσὶ τοὺς θεοὺς καὶ τραύματα ἔχειν καὶ ἰατρούς· Καὶ τὸν Μαχάονα δὲ οὐ θεοῦ λέγει υἱὸν οὐδέ γε ἡμιθέου, ἀλλ' ἰατροῦ· ἔφη γάρ· φῶτ' Ἀσκληπιοῦ υἱὸν ἀμύμονος ἰητῆρος. 8.24 Καὶ τὸν ∆ιόνυσον δὲ Σεμέλης υἱὸν γεγενῆσθαι καὶ Ὅμηρος ἔφη καὶ Εὐριπίδης καὶ ἄλλοι γε πλεῖστοι· Σεμέλη δὲ Κάδμου θυγάτηρ. Ἀλλ' ὅμως καὶ οὗτος θείας ἠξιώθη τιμῆς, καὶ ταῦτα γύννις ὢν καὶ θηλυδρίας καὶ ἀνδρόγυνος· καὶ γὰρ τοῖς ἐπικου ροῦσι μισθὸν ὑπέσχετο δώσειν οὐ χρυσὸν ἢ ἄργυρον, ἀλλὰ τὴν ὕβριν τοῦ σώματος· καὶ οὕτως περὶ τὴν βδελυρὰν ἐκείνην ὑπόσ χεσιν ἐγένετο φιλαλήθης, ὡς τῶν βεβοηθηκότων τετελευτηκότων πρὶν ἢ δέξασθαι τὸν πολυάρατον ἐκεῖνον μισθόν, ἑτέρως ἐπι νοῆσαι τὴν τῆς ἐπαγγελίας ἐκπλήρωσιν. Καὶ σιωπῶ τὸ σύκινον πέος καὶ τὰ ἐπὶ τούτῳ τελούμενα· αἰσχύνομαι γὰρ λέγειν, ἐφ' οἷς ἐπανηγύριζον Ἕλληνες. 8.25 Καὶ μέντοι καὶ τοὺς Τυνδαρίδας θεοὺς ἐκάλεσαν Ἕλληνες καὶ ∆ιοσκούρους ὠνόμασαν καὶ Ἐφεστίους καὶ Ἄνακας· καὶ τεμενῶν οὐκ ἐν Σπάρτῃ μόνον, ἀλλὰ καὶ Ἀθήνησι τούτους ἠξίωσαν. Καὶ τούτοιν μέμνηται ∆ημοσθένης ὁ ῥήτωρ, οὑτωσὶ 8.26 λέγων· "Ἐν τῷ πανδοκείῳ τῷ πρὸ τοῦ ∆ιοσκορείου." Καὶ τὸ Λεωκόριον δὲ τῶν Λεὼ θυγατέρων ἐστὶν ἱερόν. Καὶ ἄλλους δέ γε παμπόλλους ἀθλίους καὶ τρισαθλίους ἐθεοποίησαν ἀνθρωπίσ κους καὶ δημοθοινίαις ἐτίμησαν. Καὶ γὰρ ὁ Πύθιος μάντις Κλεομήδη τὸν Ἀστυπαλαιέα τὸν πύκτην θείου γέρως ἀπολαύειν ἐκέλευσε καὶ τόνδε ἀνεῖλε τὸν χρησμὸν ἡ Πυθία· ὕστατος ἡρώων Κλεομήδης Ἀστυπαλαιεύς, ὃν θυσίαις τιμᾶσθ' ὡς οὐκέτι θνητὸν ἐόντα. 8.27 Ἵνα δὲ γνῶτε καὶ ὑμεῖς, ὧν δὴ εἵνεκα τῷ ∆ιῒ καὶ τοῖς ἄλλοις ξυνετάχθη καὶ οὗτος, ἐγὼ τὰ περὶ τοῦδε ἐρῶ διηγήματα. Οὗτος τὸν ἀνταγωνιστὴν μιᾷ πατάξας πληγῇ, ἀνέῳξε μὲν αὐτοῦ τὴν πλευράν, ἐμβαλὼν δὲ εἴσω τὴν χεῖρα τῶν ἐγκάτων ἐλάβετο, εἶτα τῶν ἀθλοθετῶν διὰ τὴν τῆς ὠμότητος χαλεπηνάντων ὑπερβολὴν καὶ τίμημα ἐπιθέντων, ἀνεχώρησε μὲν βαρυθυμῶν, παριὼν δὲ διὰ τῆς ἀγορᾶς, ἕνα τῶν ἐρειδόντων τὸν ὄροφον ἐφελκυσάμενος κίονα, ξυμμορίαν μειρακίων κατέχωσεν, ἣν τῷ διδασκάλῳ προσεδρεύειν 8.28 αὐτόθι ξυνέβαινεν. Τούτων αὐτὸν εἵνεκα τῶν κατορθωμάτων ὁ Πύθιος ξυνέταξε τοῖς θεοῖς. Καὶ Ἀδριανὸν δὲ τὸν Ῥωμαίωνβασιλέα φασὶν Ἀντίνοον, παιδικὰ γενόμενον αὐτοῦ, θεὸν ἀναγο ρεῦσαι καὶ νεὼν οἰκοδομῆσαι καὶ θείας ἀξιοῦσθαι παρὰ τῶν ὑπηκόων προστάξαι τιμῆς. Καὶ τὰ Ὑακίνθια δὲ οἱ Σπαρτιάται ἑορτὴν μεγίστην καὶ δημοθοινίαν ἐνόμιζον. 8.29 Τί δήποτε τοίνυν οἱ τοσούτους νεκροὺς ὠνομακότες θεοὺς νε μεσᾶτε ἡμῖν, οὐ θεοποιοῦσιν, ἀλλὰ τιμῶσι τοὺς μάρτυρας, ὡς Θεοῦ γε μάρτυρας καὶ εὔνους θεράποντας; ἀνθ' ὅτου δὲ μολυσμοῦ τινος μεταλαμβάνειν νομίζετε τὸν ταῖς θήκαις