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the likeness of the similarity would have passed away like the tomb of a dead man. However, I should not offer much proof against the error of such a superstition. For it is easy for one who wishes to understand that it is nothing, unless one does not see ... does not see. However, even now, hear that it does not hear, and understand that it does not understand. For the hands of a mortal man made it. And if the one who made it has died, how will that which was made by him not be destroyed? Why then do you worship the work of a mortal, which is completely without sensation? When those who have reason do not even worship living creatures nor flatter the elements that have been made by God—I mean heaven, sun, moon, stars, earth, sea, and all things in them—judging rightly that not even the things made by him should be worshipped, but that God, their creator and provider, should be revered. For in this they themselves also rejoice, that no one has attached to them the honor of their maker. For the glorious honor belongs to him alone, the only unbegotten one, because all other things happen to be begotten. Therefore, as it is the property of the unbegotten to be God, so whatever is begotten is not in reality God. Before all things, therefore, you ought to consider the malevolent design of the deceiving serpent within you, who cunningly deceives you with the promise of a better reasoning, creeping from your brain into your spinal marrow and considering your deception a great gain. For, knowing the law from the beginning that if he should lead you into the supposition of any so-called gods, only that you might sin against the good of the monarchy, your destruction becomes his gain, for this reason: that having been condemned to eat dust, he has authority to eat the one who through sin is dissolved into dust [becomes dust], your souls passing into the belly of his fire. Therefore, that you might suffer these things, he suggests to you every conceit against yourselves. By him, for, are all the deceitful suppositions against the monarchy sown in your mind to your harm. First, so that by hearing the words of piety you might not drive away ignorance, the cause of evils, he lies in wait, giving the pretense of knowledge, at first using one preconception common to all, which is to think it a well-considered plan that, if one does not hear the word of piety, one is not “liable to judgment.” For this reason, being so deceived, some do not wish to hear, so that they may be ignorant, not knowing that ignorance itself in itself is a sufficient deadly poison. For it is not so, that if someone should take a deadly poison in ignorance, he does not die. So too by their nature sins destroy the sinner, even if he does what he ought not in ignorance. But if there is judgment for the disobedience of words, much more will God destroy those who have been unwilling to accept the worship due to him. For he who is unwilling to learn, so that he might not be liable, is already judged as one who knows. For he knew what he does not wish to hear; so that no contrivance can serve as a defense before the God who “knows the heart.” Therefore, flee the serpent's cunning thought suggested to your mind. But even if someone should end the present life truly in ignorance, he will have this charge against him: that having lived for a time he did not know who was the benefactor both of himself and of the nourishment supplied to him, and [that] as an unfeeling and ungrateful, very unworthy servant of God

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τὸ ἴσον τῆς ὁμοιότητος ὡς νεκροῦ μνημεῖον ἂν παρεληλύθει. πλὴν οὐ χρή με πρὸς τὴν τῆς τοιαύτης δεισιδαιμονίας <πλάνην> πολλὴν παρέχειν ἀπόδειξιν. ῥᾴδιον γάρ ἐστιν τῷ θέλοντι νοῆσαι ὅτι οὐδέν ἐστιν, ἐκτὸς εἰ μή τις οὐ βλέπει <... οὐ βλέπει>. πλὴν κἂν νῦν ἄκουσον ὅτι οὐκ ἀκούει, καὶ νόησον ὅτι οὐ νοεῖ. χεῖρες γὰρ αὐτὸ θανόντος ἀνθρώπου ἐποίησαν. εἰ δὲ ὁ ποιήσας ἐτελεύτησεν, πῶς τὸ ὑπ' αὐτοῦ γεγονὸς οὐ λυθήσεται; τί οὖν θνητοῦ ἔργον προσκυνεῖς, παντελῶς ἀναίσθητον ὄν; ὁπότε οἱ λογισμοὺς ἔχοντες οὐδὲ τὰ ζῷα προσκυνοῦσιν οὐδὲ στοιχεῖα τὰ ὑπὸ θεοῦ γεγενημένα κολακεύ- ουσιν, λέγω δὲ οὐρανόν, ἥλιον, σελήνην, ἄστρα, γῆν, θάλασσαν καὶ πάντα τὰ ἐν αὐτοῖς, ὀρθῶς κρίνοντες μηδὲ τὰ ὑπ' αὐτοῦ γενόμενα προσκυνεῖν, ἀλλὰ τὸν τούτων δημιουργὸν καὶ πάροχον σέβειν θεόν. ἐπὶ τούτῳ γὰρ καὶ αὐτὰ χαίρει ὅτι τὴν τοῦ πεποιηκότος τιμὴν οὐδεὶς αὐτοῖς προσ- ῆψεν. αὐτοῦ γὰρ μόνου ἐστὶν ἡ ἔντιμος δόξα τοῦ μόνου ἀγενήτου, ὅτι τὰ λοιπὰ πάντα γενητὰ τυγχάνει. ὡς οὖν τοῦ ἀγενήτου ἴδιον τὸ θεὸς εἶναι, οὕτως πᾶν ὁτιοῦν γενόμενον θεὸς τῷ ὄντι οὐκ ἔστιν. πρὸ πάντων οὖν ἐννοηθῆναι ὀφείλετε τὴν τοῦ ἐν ὑμῖν ἀπατῶντος ὄφεως κακοῦργον ἐπίνοιαν, ὃς φρονίμως ὑμᾶς ἀπατᾷ ὑποσχέσει κρείττονος λογισμοῦ, ἕρπων ὑμῶν ἐκ τοῦ ἐγκεφάλου εἰς τὸν νωτιαῖον μυελὸν καὶ μέγα κέρδος ἡγού- μενος τὴν ὑμετέραν ἀπάτην. εἰδὼς γὰρ τὸν ἀπ' ἀρχῆς νόμον ὅτι, ἐὰν ὑμᾶς εἰς ὑπόνοιαν ὡνδήποτε λεγομένων θεῶν ἐνέγκῃ, μόνον ἵνα εἰς τὸ τῆς μοναρχίας ἀγαθὸν ἁμάρτητε, κέρδος αὐτῷ γίνεται ἡ ὑμῶν κατα- στροφή, λόγῳ δὲ τούτῳ· ὅτι γῆν ἤσθιεν καταδικασθείς, τὸν δι' ἁμαρτίαν εἰς γῆν λυθέντα [γῆν γενόμενον] ἐσθίειν ἔχει ἐξουσίαν, τῶν ψυχῶν ὑμῶν εἰς τὴν τοῦ πυρὸς αὐτοῦ γαστέρα χωρουσῶν. ἵνα οὖν ταῦτα πάθητε, πᾶσαν τὴν καθ' ὑμῶν ὑμῖν ὑποβάλλει οἴησιν. <ὑπ'> αὐτοῦ γὰρ πᾶσαι αἱ κατὰ τῆς μοναρχίας ἀπατηλοὶ τῷ νῷ ὑμῶν ἐπὶ βλάβῃ ἐνσπείρονται ὑπο- λήψεις. πρῶτον μὲν ἵνα μὴ τοὺς τῆς θεοσεβείας ἀκούσαντες λόγους τὴν τῶν κακῶν αἰτίαν ἀπελάσητε ἄγνοιαν, προφάσει γνώσεως ἐνεδρεύει δούς, τὰ μὲν πρῶτα μιᾷ τῇ κατὰ πάντων προλήψει χρώμενος, ἥτις ἐστὶν τὸ νομίζειν καλῶς βεβουλεῦσθαι ὅτι, ἐὰν μή τις ἀκούσῃ τοῦ τῆς θεοσεβείας λόγου, οὐκ ἔστιν «ἔνοχος τῇ κρίσει». διὸ καὶ οὕτως ἀπατώμενοί τινες ἀκούειν οὐ θέλουσιν, ἵνα ἀγνοῶσιν, οὐκ εἰδότες ὅτι ἡ ἄγνοια αὐτὴ καθ' αὑτὴν ἱκανὸν θανάσιμόν ἐστιν φάρμακον. οὐ γάρ, εἴ τις προσλάβοι θα- νασίμου φαρμάκου ἀγνοῶν, οὐκ ἀποθνῄσκει. οὕτως φυσικῶς αἱ ἁμαρτίαι ἀναιροῦσιν τὸν ἁμαρτάνοντα, κἂν ἀγνοῶν πράσσῃ ἃ μὴ δεῖ. εἰ δὲ ἐπὶ παρακοῇ λόγων κρίσις γίνεται, πολλῷ μᾶλλον ὁ θεὸς ὀλοθρεύσει τοὺς μὴ θελήσαντας τὴν εἰς αὐτὸν θρησκείαν ἀναδέξασθαι. ὁ γὰρ μὴ θέλων μαθεῖν, ἵνα μὴ ἔνοχος ᾖ, ἤδη ὡς εἰδὼς κρίνεται. ἔγνω γὰρ ὃ μὴ ἀκοῦσαι θέλει· ὥστε οὐδὲν δύναται πρὸς ἀπολογίαν ἐπίνοια πρὸς «καρ- διογνώστην» θεόν. διὸ φεύγετε τοῦ ὄφεως τὴν πανοῦργον ὑποβαλλο- μένην ὑμῶν τῷ νῷ ἐνθύμησιν. ἵνα δὲ καὶ ὄντως ἀγνοήσας τις τὸν παρόντα βίον τελευτήσῃ, ἔγκλημα ἕξει, ὅτι βιώσας χρόνον οὐκ ἔγνω, τίς αὐτῷ τε καὶ τῶν αὐτῷ ἐπιχορηγηθεισῶν τροφῶν ὑπῆρξεν εὐεργέτης, καὶ [ὅτι] ὡς ἀναίσθητος καὶ ἀχάριστος πολὺ ἀνάξιος δοῦλος τῆς τοῦ θεοῦ