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of mind they may be turned away. First, then, if you worship them as being ensouled, <why> do you also adore the tombs of ancient men, who admittedly possessed no divine spirit? Thus, not even in this do you speak the truth. Moreover, if your objects of worship were truly ensouled, they would move of their own accord, they would have a voice, they would shake off the spider on them, they would push away those wishing to plot against them and steal, they would easily apprehend those who plunder the votive offerings. But now they do none of these things, but are guarded like condemned criminals (and especially the more valuable of them), as we also said at the beginning. And what of it? Do not the rulers demand from you taxes and duties on their behalf, as from those who profit much from things there? And what of it? Have they not often been plundered by enemies and, having been shattered, distributed? And do not the priests themselves, more than outsiders who worship, having condemned their own useless religion, steal many of the votive offerings? “Yes,” he says, “but they were detected by their providence.” It is a lie. For how many of them were not detected? But if they say that they have power because some have been caught, they are deceived. For indeed some of the tomb-robbers are found, but some escape notice, and surely those who were apprehended were not detected by the power of the dead. It is for us to think something of this sort also concerning the gods who are stolen from and plundered. “But,” (he says) “the gods who are in them have not cared for their own wooden images.” Why then do you care for them, wiping and washing and cleaning them, crowning them, offering incense? Therefore understand from this that you do not act with right reason either. For just as you weep over the dead, so also you offer incense and pour libations to your gods. Moreover, this does not even agree with the example of Caesar and the authorities under him, to call them administrators, since you yourselves exercise all providence for them, as I said before, caring in every way for your established images. For being able to do nothing, they do nothing. Since, tell us: What do they administer? What do they do of such a kind as the local rulers do? And what do they effect of such a kind as the stars of God? Or do they perhaps shine like the sun, for whom you light lamps? Do they, just as the clouds bring rain, also have the power to bring showers, they who are not even able to move themselves, unless men take hold of them? Or do they provide fruits in the same way as the earth, to whom you supply sacrifices? Thus they can do nothing. And even if they were able to do something, you would not rightly call them gods, since it is not permitted to name even the elements gods, through which good things are supplied. But the only one who appointed them for our use to accomplish all things and commanded them to serve man, him alone we name God with right reason. Not perceiving his benefaction, you have proclaimed the elements, which were assigned to you as slaves, to be masters over yourselves. And what need is there to speak about elements? Since, having also made lifeless statues, you not only worship them, but you also deem it right to be subjected to them in all things as slaves. For this reason, because of the things in which you have been foolish, you have become subject to demons. Yet through the knowledge of God himself, from good deeds, you are able to become masters again and to command demons as slaves and as sons of God of the eternal kingdom

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νοίας ἀποτράπωνται. τὸ μὲν δὴ πρῶτον, εἰ ὡς ἔνπνοα ὄντα σέβεσθε αὐτά, <τί> καὶ ἀνθρώπων ἀρχαίων τάφους προσκυνεῖτε, τῶν ὁμολογου- μένως οὐδὲν πνεῦμα θεῖον ἐσχηκότων; οὕτως οὐδὲ κατὰ τοῦτο ἀληθεύετε. πλὴν εἰ ὄντως ἔνπνοα ἦν τὰ σεβάσματα ὑμῶν, ἀφ' ἑαυτῶν ἂν ἐκινεῖτο, φωνὴν ἂν εἶχεν, τὴν ἐπ' αὐτοῖς ἀράχνην ἀπεσείετο, τοὺς αὐτοῖς ἐπιβου- λεῦσαι θέλοντας καὶ κλέπτοντας ἀπεωθεῖτο ἄν, τοὺς τὰ ἀναθήματα ἀπο- συλῶντας συνελάμβανεν ἂν ·ᾳδίως. νῦν δὲ τούτων οὐδὲν ποιοῦσιν, ἀλλ' ὡς κατάδικοι (καὶ μάλιστα οἱ τιμιώτεροι αὐτῶν) φρουροῦνται, ὡς καὶ τὴν ἀρχὴν εἰρήκαμεν. τί δέ; οὐ φόρους καὶ τέλη ὑπὲρ αὐτῶν ἀπαιτοῦσιν ὑμᾶς οἱ δυνάσται ὡς πολλὰ καρπιζομένους τῶν ἐκεῖ; τί δέ; οὐ πολλάκις ὑπὸ πολεμίων διηρπάγησαν καὶ συντριβέντες διενεμήθησαν; οὐχὶ καὶ τῶν ἔξω θρησκευόντων αὐτοὶ πλέον οἱ ἱερεῖς, ἐπὶ τῇ ἀχρήστῳ θρη- σκείᾳ ἑαυτῶν κατεγνωκότες, τῶν ἀναθημάτων πολλὰ ὑφαιροῦνται; ναί φησιν, ἀλλὰ προνοίᾳ αὐτῶν ἐφωράθησαν. ψεῦδός ἐστιν. πόσοι γὰρ οὐκ ἐφωράθησαν αὐτῶν; εἰ δὲ διὰ τὸ ἐνίους συνειλῆφθαι δύναμιν αὐτοὺς ἔχειν λέγουσιν, πεπλάνηνται. καὶ γὰρ τῶν τυμβωρύχων τινὲς μὲν εὑρίσκονται, τινὲς δὲ λανθάνουσιν, καὶ οὐ δήπου γε τῇ τῶν νεκρῶν δυνάμει οἱ συλληφθέν- τες ἐφωράθησαν. τοιοῦτόν τι καὶ περὶ τοὺς κλεπτομένους καὶ συλωμέ- νους θεοὺς ἔστιν ἡμῖν νοεῖν. ἀλλά (φησίν) οὐ πεφροντίκασιν τῶν ξοάνων αὐτῶν οἱ ἐν αὐτοῖς ὄντες θεοί. τί οὖν αὐτὰ ὑμεῖς τημελεῖτε σμήχοντες καὶ πλύνοντες καὶ καθαίροντες, στεφανοῦντες, ἐπιθύοντες; διόπερ ἐντεῦ- θεν συννοήσατε μηδὲ ὀρθῷ λογισμῷ ποιοῦντες. ὡς γὰρ τοῖς νεκροῖς ἐπι- κλαίετε, οὕτω καὶ τοῖς θεοῖς ὑμῶν ἐπιθύετε καὶ σπένδετε. οὐκέτι μέν- τοι τοῦτο οὐδὲ τῷ τοῦ Καίσαρος καὶ τῶν ὑπ' αὐτὸν ἐξουσιῶν συμφωνεῖ παραδείγματι, διοικητὰς αὐτοὺς λέγειν, ὁπότε ὑμεῖς αὐτῶν τὴν πᾶσαν ποιεῖσθε πρόνοιαν, ὡς προεῖπον, κατὰ πάντα τημελοῦντες ὑμῶν τὰ ἱδρύ- ματα. αὐτὰ γὰρ οὐδὲν δυνάμενα οὐδὲν ποιεῖ. ἐπεὶ εἴπατε ἡμῖν· Τί διοικοῦσιν; τί ποιοῦσιν τοιοῦτον ὁποῖόν τι οἱ κατὰ τόπον ἡγούμενοι; τί δὲ ἐνεργοῦσιν τοιοῦτον ὁποῖον οἱ τοῦ θεοῦ ἀστέρες; ἢ μήτι φαίνουσιν ὡς ὁ ἥλιος, οἷς λύχνους ὑμεῖς ἅπτετε; μὴ ὥσπερ τὰ νέφη ὑετοὺς φέρει, καὶ αὐτοὶ φέρειν ὄμβρους δύνανται, οἱ μηδὲ ἑαυτοὺς κινεῖν δυνάμενοι, ἐὰν μὴ ἄνθρωποι ἐπιλάβωνται; ἢ καρποὺς παρέχονται τὸν αὐτὸν τῇ γῇ τρό- πον, οἷς ὑμεῖς θυσίας χορηγεῖτε; οὕτως οὐδὲν δύνανται. εἰ δὲ καὶ ποιεῖν τι ἐδύναντο, οὐκ ἂν αὐτοὺς ὀρθῶς θεοὺς ἐλέγετε, ὁπότε οὐδὲ τὰ στοιχεῖα ὀνομάζειν ἔξεστιν θεούς, δι' ὧν τὰ ἀγαθὰ χορηγεῖται. ἀλλὰ τὸν μόνον τάξαντα αὐτὰ πρὸς τὴν ἡμετέραν χρῆσιν ἐκτελεῖν τὰ πάντα καὶ κελεύσαντα ἀνθρώπῳ ὑπηρετεῖν, μόνον ὀρθῷ λόγῳ θεὸν ὀνομάζομεν. οὗ τῆς εὐεργεσίας ὑμεῖς μὴ αἰσθανόμενοι τὰ ὑμῖν δοῦλα ἀπονεμηθέντα στοιχεῖα καθ' αὑτῶν δεσπόζειν ἀνηγορεύσατε. καὶ τί περὶ στοιχείων δεῖ λέγειν; ὁπότε καὶ ἄψυχα ἀγάλματα πεποιηκότες οὐ μόνον προσκυνεῖτε, ἀλλ' ὡς δοῦλοι κατὰ πάντα αὐτοῖς ὑποτετάχθαι ἀξιοῦτε. διὰ τοῦτο δι' ὧν παρεφρονήσατε, δαίμοσιν ὑποχείριοι γεγόνατε. πλὴν διὰ τῆς εἰς αὐτὸν τὸν θεὸν ἐπιγνώσεως ἐκ τῶν καλῶν πράξεων δύνασθε δεσπόται γενέσθαι πάλιν καὶ δαίμοσιν ὡς δούλοις ἐπιτάξαι καὶ ὡς υἱοὶ θεοῦ αἰωνίου βασιλείας