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perhaps doing this to someone, but it is impossible even to escape the notice of God. If, therefore, one must sacrifice for one of these reasons, but it must not be done for any of these reasons, it is clear that one must not sacrifice animals to the gods at all.” 4.14.7 And again he adds: “For with these things both nature and every sensation of the human soul were well pleased, but the altar was not stained with the unmixed slaughter of bulls; rather, this was the greatest abomination among men, to tear out the life and eat the noble limbs.” 4.14.8 And after other things: “But when a young man learns that the gods rejoice in expensive rites and, as they say, in feasts of oxen and other animals, when would he willingly become temperate? And how, thinking that he sacrifices things pleasing to the gods, will he not think that it is permitted for him to do wrong, when he is about to buy off his sin through sacrifices? But being persuaded that the gods have no need of these things, but look to the character of those who approach them, receiving as the greatest sacrifice a right understanding concerning themselves and affairs, 4.14.9 how will he not be temperate and holy and just? And to the gods the best first-fruit is a pure mind and a soul free from passion; and it is fitting to offer first-fruits of other things in moderation, not as a side-task, but with all zeal. For honors ought to resemble the acts of standing up and sitting down for the foremost seats of the good, not the giving of payments.” 4.14.10 Clearly then, through these things, it has been acknowledged according to the Greeks and their philosophers that nothing with a soul could reasonably be sacrificed to the gods; for the deed is unholy and unjust and harmful, and not foreign to abomination. Therefore it was not a god, nor any truthful and good daimon, the oracle-giver who a little before was exacting libations of blood and the savor of burnt offerings; nor were all those to whom the oracle commanded to sacrifice animals. Therefore one must say that he is a deceiver and an imposter and a wicked daimon outright, who lied and proclaimed gods that do not exist, and commanded to sacrifice animals not only to the chthonic and subterranean deities, but also to the celestial, ethereal, and starry ones. Whom then, if not all the aforementioned gods, would it be fitting to suppose, the author himself will again relate to you through these things: 4.15.1 15. THAT THE THINGS SACRIFICED AMONG THEM ARE SACRIFICED TO DAIMONS, BUT NOT TO GODS “But he who cares for piety knows that nothing with a soul is sacrificed to the gods, but to daimons, either good or even wicked; and for what reasons one sacrifices to them, and how long they require it.” And again he says next: 4.15.2 “That those who had understood the powers in the universe offered sacrifices of blood not to gods, but to daimons, this too has been confirmed by the theologians themselves; and indeed that of these some are malevolent, while the good ones <who> will not trouble us.” 4.15.3 These things the aforementioned says. But since he said that some of the daimons are good and others are wicked, come, let us see how not even the daimons are good, but all their reputed gods are convicted of being wicked. And you might take 4.15.4 the proof of this as follows: the good benefits, but its opposite harms. But if those proclaimed in every place, whether gods or daimons, were to appear—those very ones celebrated among them all and worshipped by all the nations, both Cronos and Zeus, Hera and Athena and their likes, and the unseen powers and the daimons that work through the wooden images—rejoicing not only in the slaughter and sacrifices of irrational animals, but also in manslaughters and human sacrifices, and in this way destroying the souls of wretched men, 4.15.5 what worse harm than this could you devise? For if the sacrifice of irrational animals has been called accursed and malevolent by the philosophers, abominable and unjust and unholy and not harmless to those who sacrifice, and on account of all these things unworthy of the gods, what must one think of that through the slaughter of men? Or would this not be the most impious and most unholy of all? How then could it reasonably be said to be dear to good daimons, and not rather to the all-polluted and all-destructive spirits? 4.15.6 Come then, let us convict and demonstrate how great was the ruin of human life by the error of polytheism before the evangelical teaching of our Savior

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ἴσως τινὰ τοῦτο πράττων, τὸν δὲ θεὸν ἀμήχανον καὶ λαθεῖν. εἰ τοίνυν θυτέον μὲν τούτων τινὸς ἕνεκα, οὐδενὸς δὲ τούτων χάριν αὐτὸ πρακτέον, δῆλον ὡς οὐ θυτέον ἐστὶ τὰ ζῷα τὸ παράπαν τοῖς θεοῖς.» 4.14.7 Καὶ πάλιν ἐπιλέγει· «Τοῖς μὲν γὰρ ἥ τε φύσις καὶ πᾶσα τῶν ἀνθρώπων ἡ τῆς ψυχῆς αἴσθησις δρωμένοις συνηρέσκετο, ταύρων δ' ἀκράτοισι φόνοις οὐ δεύετο βωμός, ἀλλὰ μύσος τοῦτ' ἔσκεν ἐν ἀνθρώποισι μέγιστον, θυμὸν ἀπορραίσαντας ἐέδμεναι ἤϊα γυῖα.» 4.14.8 Καὶ μεθ' ἕτερα· «Ὅταν δὲ νέος θεοὺς χαίρειν πολυτελείαις γνῷ καί, ὥς φασι, ταῖς τῶν βοῶν καὶ τῶν ἄλλων ζῴων θοίναις, πότ' ἂν ἑκὼν σωφρονήσειε; πῶς δὲ κεχαρισμένα θύειν ἡγούμενος τοῖς θεοῖς ταῦτα οὐκ ἐξεῖναι ἀδικεῖν οἰήσεται αὐτῷ μέλλοντι διὰ τῶν θυσιῶν ἐξωνεῖσθαι τὴν ἁμαρτίαν; πεισθεὶς δὲ ὅτι τούτων χρείαν οὐκ ἔχουσιν οἱ θεοί, εἰς δὲ τὸ ἦθος ἀποβλέπουσι τῶν προσιόντων, μεγίστην θυσίαν λαμβάνοντες τὴν ὀρθὴν περὶ αὐτῶν τε καὶ τῶν πραγμάτων 4.14.9 διάληψιν, πῶς οὐ σώφρων καὶ ὅσιος καὶ δίκαιος ἔσται; θεοῖς δὲ ἀρίστη μὲν ἀπαρχὴ νοῦς καθαρὸς καὶ ψυχὴ ἀπαθής· οἰκεῖον δὲ καὶ τὸ μετρίων μὲν ἀπάρχεσθαι τῶν ἄλλων, μὴ παρέργως δέ, ἀλλὰ σὺν πάσῃ προθυμίᾳ. ἐοικέναι γὰρ δεῖ τὰς τιμὰς ταῖς ἐπὶ τῶν ἀγαθῶν προεδρίαις ὑπαναστάσεσί τε καὶ κατακλίσεσιν, οὐ συντάξεων δόσεσι.» 4.14.10 Σαφῶς δὴ διὰ τούτων κατὰ τοὺς Ἕλληνας καὶ τοὺς τούτων φιλοσόφους ὡμολογήθη, ὅτι οὐδὲν ἔμψυχον τυθείη ἂν εὐλόγως τοῖς θεοῖς· ἀνόσιον γὰρ καὶ ἄδικον καὶ ἐπιβλαβὲς εἶναι τὸ πρᾶγμα οὐκ ἀλλότριόν τε μύσους. οὐκ ἦν ἄρα θεὸς οὐδέ τις ἀψευδὴς καὶ ἀγαθὸς δαίμων ὁ τὰς δι' αἱμάτων λοιβάς τε καὶ κνίσας μικρῷ πρόσθεν εἰσπραττόμενος χρησμῳδὸς οὐδ' ἐκεῖνοι πάντες οἷς ὁ χρησμὸς ζῷα θύειν παρεκελεύσατο. πλάνον ἄρα καὶ ἀπατεῶνα καὶ πονηρὸν ἄντικρυς δαίμονα χρὴ φάναι τὸν καταψευσάμενον καὶ θεοὺς τοὺς μὴ ὄντας ἀνειπόντα καὶ προστάξαντα μὴ μόνον τοῖς χθονίοις καὶ τοῖς καταχθονίοις, ἀλλὰ καὶ τοῖς οὐρανίοις καὶ αἰθερίοις καὶ ἀστραίοις ζῳοθυτεῖν. τίνας οὖν εἰ μὴ θεοὺς τοὺς εἰρημένους ἅπαντας προσήκοι ἂν ὑπολαμβάνειν, αὐτός σοι πάλιν ὁ συγγραφεὺς διηγήσεται διὰ τούτων· 4.15.1 ιʹ. ΟΤΙ ΤΑ ΘΥΟΜΕΝΑ ΠΑΡ' ΑΥΤΟΙΣ ∆ΑΙΜΟΣΙΝ, ΑΛΛ' ΟΥ ΘΕΟΙΣ ΘΥΕΤΑΙ «Οἶδεν δὲ ὁ τῆς εὐσεβείας φροντίζων, ὡς θεοῖς μὲν οὐ θύεται ἔμψυχον οὐδέν, δαίμοσιν δέ, ἀλλ' ἤτοι ἀγαθοῖς ἢ καὶ φαύλοις· καὶ τίνων ἐστὶ τὸ θύειν τούτοις καὶ τούτων ἄχρι τίνος αὐτῶν δεομένων». Καὶ αὖθις ἑξῆς φησιν· 4.15.2 «Ὅτι δὲ οὐ θεοῖς, ἀλλὰ δαίμοσι τὰς θυσίας τὰς διὰ τῶν αἱμάτων προσῆγον οἱ τὰς ἐν τῷ παντὶ δυνάμεις καταμαθόντες, καὶ τοῦτο πεπίστωται παρ' αὐτῶν τῶν θεολόγων· καὶ μὴν ὅτι τούτων οἱ μὲν κακοποιοί, οἱ δὲ ἀγαθοὶ <οἳ> οὐκ ἐνοχλήσουσιν ἡμῖν.» 4.15.3 Ταῦτα μὲν ὁ δεδηλωμένος. ἐπεὶ δὲ τῶν δαιμόνων ἔφησεν τοὺς μὲν ἀγαθούς, τοὺς δὲ φαύλους εἶναι, φέρε πῶς ἴδωμεν ὅτι οὐδὲ ἀγαθοὶ δαίμονες, φαῦλοι δὲ οἱ νενομισμένοι αὐτῶν θεοὶ πάντες ἁλίσκονται; λάβοις δ' ἂν καὶ 4.15.4 τούτου τὴν ἀπόδειξιν ὧδε· τὸ ἀγαθὸν ὠφελεῖ, βλάπτει δὲ τὸ ἐναντίον. εἰ δὲ φανεῖεν οἱ κατὰ πάντα τόπον ἀνηγορευμένοι εἴτε θεοὶ εἴτε δαίμονες, αὐτοὶ δὴ οἱ παρὰ πᾶσιν αὐτοῖς βεβοημένοι καὶ πρὸς τῶν ἐθνῶν ἁπάντων προσκυνούμενοι, ὅ τε Κρόνος καὶ Ζεὺς Ἥρα τε καὶ Ἀθηνᾶ καὶ οἱ παραπλήσιοι αἵ τε ἀφανεῖς δυνάμεις καὶ οἱ δαίμονες οἱ διὰ τῶν ξοάνων ἐνεργοῦντες, οὐ μόνον ζῴων ἀλόγων σφαγαῖς καὶ θυσίαις, ἀλλὰ καὶ ἀνδροκτασίαις καὶ ἀνθρωποθυσίαις χαίροντες καὶ ταύτη τὰς ψυχὰς τῶν ἀθλίων ἀνθρώπων λυμαινό4.15.5 μενοι, τίνα χείρονα ταύτης βλάβην ἐπινοήσειας; εἰ γὰρ ἡ διὰ ζῴων ἀλόγων θυσία ἐπάρατος καὶ κακόθυτος πρὸς τῶν φιλοσόφων ἐλέχθη μυσαρά τε καὶ ἄδικος καὶ ἀνόσιος καὶ οὐκ ἀβλαβὴς τοῖς θύουσιν καὶ διά γε ταῦτα πάντα θεῶν ἀναξία, τί χρὴ νομίζειν τὴν δι' ἀνθρώπων σφαγῆς; ἢ παντὸς αὕτη γένοιτ' ἂν ἀσεβεστάτη καὶ ἀνοσιωτάτη; πῶς οὖν ἀγαθοῖς δαίμοσιν, οὐχὶ δὲ τοῖς παμμιάροις καὶ πανωλέθροις πνεύμασιν εἰκότως 4.15.6 ἂν λεχθείη προσφιλής; φέρ' οὖν ἐλέγξωμεν καὶ ἀποδείξωμεν ὁπόσον ἡ τῆς πολυθέου πλάνης λύμη τοῦ βίου τῶν ἀνθρώπων πρὸ τῆς τοῦ σωτῆρος ἡμῶν εὐαγγελικῆς διδασκαλίας