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his wonders and his miracles and his philosophical teachings, even so the word was not easy for them to make the hearers readily give their assent, hearing a strange doctrine and just now for the first time hearing new words from men who adduced nothing trustworthy in testimony of their statements; still, what was said would have seemed to have been spoken more plausibly. 3.7.19 But now, when at one time they say that the god they preached had been in a human body and was in nature nothing other than the Word of God, on which account he had also performed such wondrous deeds as a god, and at another time, contrary to this, that he endured insults and dishonors, and finally the most shameful punishment by the cross, which was reserved for the worst criminals of all mankind, who would not have reasonably scorned them as saying contradictory things? 3.7.20 And who was so foolish as to readily believe them when they said they had seen risen from the dead after his death one who had not even been able to defend himself when he was among the living? And who would ever have been persuaded by those unlearned and humble men when they said that one must scorn the ancestral gods, and condemn as folly all those of past ages, and be persuaded only by them and by what was commanded by the crucified one? For this one was the only beloved and only-begotten son of the one and only God over all. 3.7.21 So I for my part, examining the word truthfully with myself, no persuasive power in it, nor anything august or trustworthy, nor even plausible enough to be able to persuade even one of the foolish ... 3.7.22 But again, looking at the power of the word, how it has persuaded countless multitudes, and how churches of many thousands were established by those most humble and rustic disciples of Jesus, not in some obscure and unknown places, but founded in the most distinguished cities—I mean in imperial Rome itself, and in Alexandria and Antioch, and throughout all of Egypt and Libya, Europe and Asia, and in villages and countries and all kinds of nations—again I am compelled of necessity to go back to the inquiry of the cause, and to confess that they could not have succeeded in their bold undertaking otherwise than by a divine and superhuman power and by the cooperation of him who said to them: "Make disciples of all nations in my name." 3.7.23 Having said this, therefore, he added a promise, through which 3.7.1 he adds: "When they asked, then, about Christ, whether he is a god, he says: 'You know that an immortal soul goes forth after the body, but being cut off from wisdom it wanders forever; that soul is of a man most excellent in piety.' Therefore he said that he was most pious, and that his soul, just like those of other pious men, was made immortal after death, which Christians, in their ignorance, worship. And when they asked further why he was punished, the oracle answered: 'The body is always exposed to feeble torments; but the soul of the pious sits on the heavenly plain,'" 3.7.2 and after the oracle he adds in order: "He himself, then, being pious, has gone to heaven, just as the pious do. So you will not blaspheme this man, but you will pity the folly of men." 3.7.3 These things Porphyry says even now. Is he then a deceiver? Let the dear words of your own people at least put you to shame. You have, therefore, our savior Jesus the Christ of God confessed even by your own people not as a magician or a sorcerer, but as pious and most just and wise and an inhabitant of the vaults of heaven. 3.7.4 How then could such a one have become a doer of wondrous works otherwise than by a divine power, to which the sacred oracles also bear witness for him, testifying that the Word of God and the highest power of God dwelt in the form and fashion of a man, or rather in flesh and body itself, and accomplished the whole economy among men? 3.7.5 And you yourself might perceive the divine quality of the power concerning him, if you would consider what sort of being he was in nature and

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θαυματουργίας καὶ τὰς παραδοξοποιίας αὐτοῦ τάς τε φιλοσόφους διδασκαλίας αὐτοῦ, οὐδ' οὕτως ἦν αὐτοῖς εὐχερὴς ὁ λόγος πρὸς τὸ ποιῆσαι ῥᾳδίως συγκαταθέσθαι τοὺς ἀκούοντας ξενοφωνουμένους καὶ ἄρτι πρῶτον ἐπακούοντας καινῶν ῥημάτων ὑπ' ἀνδρῶν οὐδὲν ἐπαγομένων ἀξιόπιστον εἰς τὴν τῶν λεγομένων μαρτυρίαν· πλὴν ἀλλ' ἔδοξεν ἂν πιθανώτερον λέγεσθαι τὰ εἰρημένα. 3.7.19 νῦν δὲ τοτὲ μὲν τὸν πρεσβευόμενον θεὸν ἐν ἀνθρώπου γεγονέναι σώματι καὶ οὐδὲν ἄλλο τὴν φύσιν εἶναι ἢ θεοῦ λόγον διὸ καὶ τοιαύτας τεραστίας δυνάμεις πεποιηκέναι οἷα θεόν, τοτὲ δὲ τούτοις ἐναντίως ὕβρεις αὐτὸν καὶ ἀτιμίας ὑπομεῖναι καὶ τέλος τὴν αἰσχίστην καὶ τοῖς πάντων ἀνθρώπων κακουργοτάτοις ἐπηρτημένην διὰ σταυροῦ τιμωρίαν, τίς οὐκ ἂν ὡς ἐναντία λεγόντων κατέπτυσεν εἰκότως; 3.7.20 τίς δ' οὕτως ἠλίθιος ὑπῆρχεν, ὡς εὐχερῶς πιστεῦσαι λέγουσιν ἑωρακέναι μετὰ τὸν θάνατον ἐκ νεκρῶν ἀναβεβιωκότα τὸν μηδὲ ὅτε ἐν ζῶσιν ἦν ἐπαμῦναι ἑαυτῷ δεδυνημένον; τίς δὲ τοῖς ἰδιώταις καὶ εὐτελέσιν ἐκείνοις ἐπείσθη ποτ' ἂν λέγουσιν χρῆναι δεῖν τῶν μὲν πατρῴων θεῶν καταφρονῆσαι, καὶ μωρίαν μὲν τῶν ἐξ αἰῶνος καταγνῶναι πάντων, μόνοις δὲ αὐτοῖς πείθεσθαι καὶ τοῖς ὑπὸ τοῦ σταυ ρωθέντος παρηγγελμένοις; τοῦτον γὰρ εἶναι τοῦ μόνου καὶ ἐπὶ πάντων θεοῦ μόνον ἀγαπητὸν καὶ μονογενῆ παῖδα. 3.7.21 ἐγὼ μὲν οὖν ἐξετάζων παρ' ἐμαυτῷ φιλαλήθως τὸν λόγον, οὐδεμίαν πειστικὴν δύναμιν ἐν αὐτῷ, οὐδέ τι σεμνὸν οὐδ' ἀξιόπιστον, ἀλλ' οὐδὲ πιθανὸν εἰς τὸ κἂν ἕνα τινὰ τῶν ἠλιθίων πεῖσαι δύνασθαι ... 3.7.22 Ἀλλὰ πάλιν ἀφορῶν εἰς τὴν τοῦ λόγου δύναμιν ὡς μυρία πλήθη πέπεικεν, καὶ ὡς συνέστησαν μυρίανδροι ἐκκλησίαι πρὸς αὐτῶν ἐκείνων τῶν εὐτελεστάτων καὶ ἀγροίκων τοῦ Ἰησοῦ μαθητῶν, οὐκ ἐν ἀδήλοις που καὶ ἀφανέσι τόποις, ἀλλ' ἐν ταῖς μάλιστα διαπρεπεστάταις πόλεσιν ἱδρυθεῖσαι, ἐπ' αὐτῆς λέγω τῆς Ῥωμαίων βασιλευούσης, ἐπί τε τῆς Ἀλεξανδρέων καὶ Ἀντιοχέων, καθ' ὅλης τε τῆς Αἰγύπτου καὶ Λιβύης, Εὐρώπης τε καὶ Ἀσίας, ἔν τε κώμαις τε καὶ χώραις καὶ παντοίοις ἔθνεσιν, πάλιν ἐξ ἀνάγκης ἀνατρέχειν ἐκβιάζομαι ἐπὶ τὴν τοῦ αἰτίου ζήτησιν, καὶ συνομολογεῖν μὴ ἄλλως αὐτοὺς κεκρατηκέναι τοῦ τολμήματος ἢ θειοτέρᾳ καὶ ὑπὲρ ἄνθρωπον δυνάμει καὶ συνεργίᾳ τοῦ φήσαντος αὐτοῖς· «μαθητεύσατε πάντα τὰ ἔθνη ἐν τῷ ὀνόματί μου». 3.7.23 τοῦτο δ' οὖν εἰπὼν ἐπισυνῆψεν ἐπαγγελίαν, δι' 3.7.1 ἐπιλέγει· «περὶ γοῦν τοῦ Χριστοῦ ἐρωτησάντων εἰ ἔστιν θεός, φησίν· Ὅττι μὲν ἀθανάτη ψυχὴ μετὰ σῶμα προβαίνει γιγνώσκεις, σοφίης δὲ τετμημένη αἰὲν ἀλᾶται· ἀνέρος εὐσεβίῃ προφερεστάτου ἐστὶν ἐκείνη ψυχή· εὐσεβέστατον ἄρα ἔφη αὐτόν, καὶ τὴν ψυχὴν αὐτοῦ, καθάπερ καὶ τῶν ἄλλων εὐσεβῶν, μετὰ θάνατον ἀπαθανατισθῆναι, ἣν σέβειν ἀγνοοῦντας τοὺς Χριστιανούς. ἐπερωτησάντων δὲ διὰ τί ἐκολάσθη, ἔχρησεν· Σῶμα μὲν ἀδρανέσιν βασάνοις αἰεὶ προβέβληται· ψυχὴ δ' εὐσεβέων εἰς οὐράνιον πέδον ἵζει», 3.7.2 καὶ ἐπιλέγει μετὰ τὸν χρησμὸν ἑξῆς· «αὐτὸς οὖν εὐσεβὴς καὶ εἰς οὐρανούς, ὥσπερ οἱ εὐσεβεῖς, χωρήσας. ὥστε τοῦτον μὲν οὐ βλασφημήσεις, ἐλεήσεις δὲ τῶν ἀνθρώπων τὴν ἄνοιαν.» 3.7.3 Ταῦτα καὶ νῦν ὁ Πορφύριος. ἆρ' οὖν ἀπατεὼν οὗτος; κἂν τὰ φίλα σε δυσωπείτω τῶν οἰκείων ῥήματα. ἔχεις τοιγαροῦν τὸν ἡμέτερον σωτῆρα Ἰησοῦν τὸν Χριστὸν τοῦ θεοῦ καὶ παρὰ τοῖς σαὐτοῦ ὡμολογημένον οὐ γόητα οὐδὲ φαρμακέα, ἀλλ' εὐσεβῆ καὶ δικαιότατον καὶ σοφὸν καὶ οὐρανίων ἁψίδων οἰκήτορα. 3.7.4 ὁ δὴ οὖν τοιοῦτος πῶς ἂν ἄλλως τῶν παραδόξων ἔργων γεγόνει ποιητὴς ἢ δυνάμει θείᾳ, ἣν καὶ τὰ ἱερὰ λόγια μαρτυροῦσιν αὐτῷ, θεοῦ λόγον καὶ θεοῦ δύναμιν τὴν ἀνωτάτω ἐν ἀνθρώπου μορφῇ καὶ σχήματι μᾶλλον δ' ἐν αὐτῇ σαρκὶ καὶ σώματι κατοικῆσαι, καὶ πᾶσαν τὴν ἐν ἀνθρώποις οἰκονομίαν ἐπιτελέσαι μαρτυροῦντα; 3.7.5 Καὶ σὺ δ' ἂν αὐτὸς καταμάθοις τὸ ἔνθεον τῆς περὶ αὐτοῦ δυνάμεως, εἰ λογίσαιο, τίς ποτε ὢν ἄρα τὴν φύσιν καὶ