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is rejected from the kingdom. And again the dreadful serpent suggests to you the supposition to think this and to say this very thing, which almost the most of you say: We too know that there is one lord of all, but these are also gods. For just as Caesar is one, but has under him the administrators (consuls, prefects, chiliarchs, centurions, decarchs), in the same way, while the great God is one like Caesar, these also, according to the principle of subordinate authorities, are gods, subordinate indeed to him, but administering us. Hear, therefore, you who have been smeared with this supposition by him as with a dreadful poison (I mean the evil supposition of the example), so that you may know what is good and what is evil; for you have not yet looked up, because you do not perceive even what is proposed by you. For if you say that God has the subordinate authorities (the so-called gods) on the model of Caesar, not even so do you follow your own example. For if you did follow it, you ought to know this, that just as it is not permitted to give the name of Caesar to another (I mean, to a consul or a prefect or a chiliarch or any other), because he who gives it will not live and he who receives it will be put to death, so from your example it is not permitted for the name of God to be given to another; since he who has attempted either to receive or to give it is destroyed. But if an outrage from a man brings on punishment, much more will those who speak of other gods, as having outraged God, be subject to eternal punishment. And reasonably so, because the name delivered to you to honor His monarchy, you have subjected to every outrage if you were able; for "God" is not His real name, but you, having meanwhile received it, have outraged that which was given to you, so that as you might use it, it might be reckoned as His real name; but you have subjected it to every outrage. For instance, the leaders of the Egyptians [among you], who boast about meteorology and profess to discern the natures of the stars, under an evil supposition dwelling within them, have subjected it to every dishonor, as much as was in their power. For some of them have handed down for worship the bull called Apis, others a goat, others a cat, others a serpent, but also a fish and onions and winds from the belly and sewers and limbs of irrational animals <σὺν> and with countless other very shameful absurdities. When Peter said these things, the crowd standing by laughed. And Peter said in response to the laughter: You laugh at their practices, not knowing that you are much more laughed at by them. However, you laugh at each other's practices; for you do not see your own, being led into delusion by evil habit. But that you truly and rightly laugh at the Egyptians, I agree, since being rational, they worship irrational animals, which are altogether mortal. But hear how they also laugh at you, saying: We (they say), even if we worship mortal things, yet at least they once lived, but you worship things that never lived. In addition to this they say: Wishing to honor the form of the one God and not finding what it is, we chose to honor every form. And yet, saying such things, they think they are wiser than you. Therefore, you too answer them: You lie. For you do not worship them with honor toward the true God; for you would all worship every form, which is not what you do. For some of you suppose an onion-

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ἀποδοκιμάζεται βασιλείας. πάλιν τε ὑποβάλλει ὑμῖν ὁ δεινὸς ὄφις ὑπό- ληψιν τοῦτο νοεῖν καὶ λέγειν τοῦτο αὐτό, ὃ σχεδὸν οἱ πλεῖστοι ὑμῶν λέγουσιν· Ἴσμεν καὶ ἡμεῖς ὅτι εἷς ἐστιν ὁ πάντων κύριος, ἀλλὰ καὶ οὗτοι θεοί εἰσιν. ὅνπερ γὰρ τρόπον εἷς ἐστιν ὁ Καῖσαρ, ἔχει δὲ ὑπ' αὐτὸν τοὺς διοικητάς (ὑπατικούς, ἐπάρχους, χιλιάρχους, ἑκατοντάρχους, δεκαδάρχους), τὸν αὐτὸν τρόπον ἑνὸς ὄντος τοῦ μεγάλου θεοῦ ὥσπερ Καίσαρος καὶ αὐτοὶ κατὰ τὸν τῶν ὑποκειμένων ἐξουσιῶν λόγον θεοί εἰσιν, ὑποκείμενοι μὲν ἐκείνῳ, διοικοῦντες δὲ ἡμᾶς. ἀκούσατε οὖν οἱ ταύτην τὴν ὑπόνοιαν ὡς δεινῷ ὑπαλειφθέντες ἰῷ ὑπ' αὐτοῦ (λέγω δὲ τοῦ παραδείγματος τὴν κακὴν ὑπόνοιαν), ὅπως εἰδῆτε τί καλὸν καὶ τί πονη- ρόν· οὔπω γὰρ ἀνεβλέψατε, ὅτι οὐδὲ τοῖς προβαλλομένοις ὑφ' ὑμῶν ἐνορᾶτε. εἰ γάρ φατε ὡς εἰς τὸν τοῦ Καίσαρος λόγον τὸν θεὸν ἔχειν τὰς ὑποκειμένας ἐξουσίας (τοὺς λεγομένους θεούς), οὐδὲ οὕτως τῷ ὑμῶν στοιχεῖτε παραδείγματι. εἰ γὰρ ἐστοιχεῖτε, ἐχρῆν τοῦτ' εἰδέναι ὅτι ὡς οὐκ ἔξεστιν τὸ Καίσαρος ὄνομα ἑτέρῳ δοῦναι (λέγω δὴ ἢ ὑπάτῳ ἢ ἐπάρχῳ ἢ χιλιάρχῳ ἢ ἑτέρῳ τινί), ὅτι ὁ διδοὺς οὐ ζήσεται καὶ ὁ λαμ- βάνων ἀναιρεθήσεται, οὕτως ἐκ τοῦ ὑμετέρου παραδείγματος τὸ θεοῦ ὄνομα ἑτέρῳ δοθῆναι οὐκ ἔξεστιν· ἐπεὶ ὁ πειραθεὶς εἴτε λαβεῖν εἴτε δοῦναι ἀπόλλυται. εἰ δὲ ἡ ἀπ' ἀνθρώπου ὕβρις δίκην παρέχει, πολλῷ μᾶλλον οἱ ἑτέρους θεοὺς λέγοντες ὡς θεὸν ὑβρίσαντες αἰωνίῳ ὑποκείσονται κολάσει. καὶ εὐλόγως, ὅτι τὸ εἰς τὴν αὐτοῦ μοναρχίαν παραδοθὲν ὑμῖν τιμᾶν ὄνομα πάσῃ εἰ ἠδυνήθητε ὑπεβάλετε ὕβρει· οὐ γὰρ τὸ ὄντως ἐστὶν αὐτοῦ ὄνομα θεός, ἀλλ' ὑμεῖς τέως παρειληφότες ὑβρίσατε ὃ ἐδόθη ὑμῖν, ἵνα ὡς ἂν αὐτῷ χρήσησθε, εἰς τὸ ὄντως αὐτοῦ ὄνομα λογισθῇ· ὑμεῖς δὲ αὐτὸ πάσῃ ὕβρει ὑπεβάλετε. αὐτίκα γοῦν τῶν Aἰγυπτίων [ὑμῶν] οἱ ἀρχη- γέται, οἱ περὶ μετεωρολογίας αὐχοῦντες καὶ τῶν ἄστρων τὰς φύσεις δια- κρίνειν ἐπαγγελλόμενοι, ὑπὸ κακῆς αὐτοῖς ἐνδομυχούσης ὑπονοίας πάσῃ αὐτὸ ἀτιμίᾳ ὅσον τὸ κατ' αὐτοὺς ὑπέβαλαν. οἱ μὲν γὰρ αὐτῶν παρέδοσαν βοῦν τὸν λεγόμενον Ἄπιν σέβειν, οἱ δὲ τράγον, οἱ δὲ αἴλουρον, οἱ δὲ ὄφιν, ἀλλὰ καὶ ἰχθὺν καὶ κρόμμυα καὶ γαστρῶν πνεύματα καὶ ὀχετοὺς καὶ ἀλόγων ζσων μέλη <σὺν> καὶ ἄλλοις μυρίοις πάνυ αἰσχροῖς ἀτοπήμασιν. Ταῦτα τοῦ Πέτρου εἰπόντος ἐγέλασεν ὁ παρεστηκὼς ὄχλος. καὶ ὁ Πέτρος ἔφη πρὸς τὸν γέλωτα· Γελᾶτε ὑμεῖς τὰ ἐκείνων, οὐκ εἰδότες πολλῷ μᾶλλον ὑπ' ἐκείνων γελώμενοι. πλὴν τὰ ἀλλήλων γελᾶτε· τὰ γὰρ ἴδια ὑπὸ συνηθείας κακῆς εἰς ἀπάτην ἀχθέντες οὐ βλέπετε. ὅτι δὲ ὄντως ὀρθῶς καταγελᾶτε τῶν Aἰγυπτίων, σύνφημι, ἐπεὶ ἄλογα ζῷα λογικοὶ ὄντες προσκυ- νοῦσιν, τὰ πάντως θνῄσκοντα. πῶς δὲ κἀκεῖνοι ὑμῶν καταγελῶντες λέγουσιν, ἀκούσατε· ἡμεῖς (φησίν) εἰ καὶ θνῄσκοντα προσκυνοῦμεν, ἀλλά γε κἂν ζήσαντά ποτε, ὑμεῖς δὲ τὰ μηδέποτε ζήσαντα σέβεσθε. πρὸς τούτοις φασίν· Τοῦ ἑνὸς θεοῦ τιμᾶν θέλοντες τὴν μορφὴν καὶ μὴ εὑρόντες ποία ἐστίν, πᾶσαν μορφὴν προτιμᾶν εἱλόμεθα. καὶ ὁμῶς τοιαῦτά τινα λέγοντες ὀρθότερον ὑμῶν οἴονται φρονεῖν. διὸ καὶ ὑμεῖς ἀποκρίνασθε πρὸς αὐτούς· Ψεύδεσθε· οὐ γὰρ τιμῇ τῇ πρὸς τὸν ὄντως θεὸν αὐτὰ σέβεσθε· πᾶσαν γὰρ ἂν μορφὴν προσεκυνεῖτε οἱ πάντες, οὐχ ὡς ἐποιεῖτε. οἱ μὲν γὰρ ὑμῶν κρόμμυον ὑπονοή-