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17. THAT AFTER THE EVANGELICAL TEACHING THE ANCIENT HUMAN SACRIFICE WAS ABOLISHED 18. THAT TO EVIL DEMONS WAS DEDICATED

ALL THE THEOLOGY OF THE GENTILES All these, and those who take pleasure in foul language and the lawless corruptions of women and in the other madness that has been previously mentioned, the true and good one, whether god or demon, would have proclaimed that they should in no way be considered gods. But no one ever has done this except only the one honored among the Hebrews, who as the 4.17.2 only and true God, is recorded to have done so. For he alone, through the prophet and theologian Moses, proclaimed to all not to worship the wicked as good demons, but on the contrary to turn away from and drive them out as being evil spirits; yes, and he legislated to destroy their temples and their unholy and uninitiated rites, and to completely obliterate from among men the memory of them as of gods, and the honor assigned to them. For it was not pious for those cared for by the good 4.17.3 to propitiate the wicked. And whether Phylarchus or anyone else records that all the Greeks, before going out to wars, committed human sacrifice, do not hesitate to take him as a witness of the Greeks' demonic possession. Do not overlook declaring that those in Africa, and the Thracians, and the Scythians, doing similar things, were led by the same demonic madnesses; just as also the Athenians and those in Megalopolis, if indeed these too sacrificed men during the feasts of Great Zeus. 4.17.4 But indeed, if you were to bring together the list of all the aforementioned, you would find, one might almost say, that all the deification of the gentiles was dedicated to these very man-slaying spirits and to the evil demons. For if in Rhodes and in Salamis and in Heliopolis in Egypt, and in Chios and Tenedos and Lacedaemon and Arcadia, Phoenicia and Libya, and in addition to all these in Syria and Arabia, and among the Panhellenes, and still more among the chief of these, the Athenians, and in Carthage and Africa, and among Thracians and Scythians, the deeds of demonic man-slaying have been shown to have been performed in ancient times and to have extended down to our Savior; how could you not reasonably say that all were then enslaved to evil demons, and that a stop to such great evils in life did not occur before the teaching of our Savior shone forth? For the historical account has established that these things remained until the times of Hadrian, and were abolished from that time. And this was especially the time in which the saving 4.17.5 teaching flourished for all men. And surely it is not possible for them to say that they were sacrificing to the evil demons; for history has shown that the human sacrifices were performed to the greatest gods themselves. For it said that sacrifices were made to Hera and to Athena, to Cronus and Ares and Dionysus, and to Zeus himself who is over all, and to Phoebus, indeed the most august and wisest of all, Apollo; and these and no others they proclaim to be the greatest and good 4.17.6 saviors and gods. Then they themselves would be the evil demons. For if these rejoiced in such human sacrifices and manslaughters, how would you not rightly number them with the blood-guiltiness of wicked spirits, whether they were said to rejoice in such things themselves or to allow 4.17.7 and overlook them happening by others? For why was it necessary at all to permit men to propitiate evil spirits? And why to wander so much as to serve and flatter the wicked? And why be enslaved to the evil ones, when, being good and gods, they ought to drive away everything 4.17.8 base and wicked far from the haunts of men with a better and more divine power? Surely a good father would not overlook being corrupted by base men

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ιζʹ. ΟΤΙ ΜΕΤΑ ΤΗΝ ΕΥΑΓΓΕΛΙΚΗΝ ∆Ι∆ΑΣΚΑΛΙΑΝ Η ΠΑΛΑΙΑ ΑΝΘΡΩΠΟΘΥΣΙΑ ΚΑΤΕΛΥΘΗ ιηʹ. ΟΤΙ ΠΟΝΗΡΟΙΣ ∆ΑΙΜΟΣΙΝ ΑΝΕΚΕΙΤΟ

ΠΑΣΑ Η ΤΩΝ ΕΘΝΩΝ ΘΕΟΛΟΓΙΑ Τούτους ἅπαντας καὶ τούς γε αἰσχρορρημοσύναις καὶ γυναικῶν παρανόμοις διαφθοραῖς τῇ τε ἄλλῃ τῇ προκατειλεγμένῃ μανίᾳ χαίροντας προεφώνησεν ἂν ὁ ἀληθὴς καὶ ἀγαθὸς εἴτε θεὸς εἴτε καὶ δαίμων μηδαμῶς ἡγεῖσθαι θεούς. τοῦτο δὲ οὐδεὶς τῶν πώποτε ἢ μόνος ὁ παρ' Ἑβραίοις τιμώμενος, ὡς ἂν 4.17.2 μόνος καὶ ἀληθὴς θεός, πεποιηκὼς μνημονεύεται. μόνος γὰρ οὗτος διὰ τοῦ προφήτου καὶ θεολόγου Μωυσέως προεκήρυξεν τοῖς πᾶσιν μὴ σέβειν ὡς ἀγαθοὺς δαίμονας τοὺς φαύλους, ἔμπαλιν δὲ ἀποτρέπεσθαι καὶ ἀπελαύ νειν ὡς ἂν πονηρὰ τυγχάνοντας πνεύματα· ναὶ μὴν καὶ καθαιρεῖν αὐτῶν τούς τε νεὼς καὶ τὰς ἀνιέρους καὶ ἀτελέστους θρησκείας καὶ πάμπαν ἐξ ἀνθρώπων ἀφανίζειν τὴν ὡς περὶ θεῶν αὐτῶν μνήμην καὶ τὴν ἀπονεμομένην αὐτοῖς τιμὴν ἐνομοθέτησεν. οὐδὲ γὰρ τοὺς φαύλους ἀπομειλίσσεσθαι ὅσιον 4.17.3 ἦν τοὺς τοῖς ἀγαθοῖς μεμελημένους. εἴτε δὲ Φύλαρχος εἴτε καὶ ὁστισοῦν ἱστορεῖ πάντας τοὺς Ἕλληνας πρὶν ἐπὶ τοὺς πολέμους ἐξιέναι ἀνθρωποκτονεῖν, καὶ τοῦτον μάρτυρα τῆς Ἑλλήνων δαιμονικῆς ἐπιληψίας μὴ ὄκνει παραλαμβάνειν. μὴ παρίδῃς μηδὲ τοὺς κατὰ τὴν Ἀφρικὴν τούς τε Θρᾷκας καὶ τοὺς Σκύθας τὰ ὅμοια πράττοντας ταῖς αὐταῖς τῶν δαιμόνων ὑπῆχθαι μανίαις ἀποφαίνεσθαι· ὡς καὶ Ἀθηναίους καὶ τοὺς κατὰ τὴν Μεγάλην Πόλιν, εἴ γε καὶ οὗτοι κατὰ τὰς τοῦ Μεγάλου ∆ιὸς ἑορτὰς ἀνθρώπους ἔσφαζον. 4.17.4 ἀλλὰ γὰρ συναγαγὼν ὁμοῦ τὸν πάντων τῶν προειρημένων κατάλογον εὕροις ἂν σχεδὸν εἰπεῖν πᾶσαν τὴν τῶν ἐθνῶν θεοποιίαν τούτοις αὐτοῖς τοῖς ἀνθρωποκτόνοις πνεύμασι καὶ τοῖς πονηροῖς δαίμοσιν ἀνακειμένην. εἰ γὰρ ἐν Ῥόδῳ καὶ ἐν Σαλαμῖνι καὶ ἐν Ἡλίου πόλει τῇ κατ' Αἴγυπτον ἔν τε Χίῳ καὶ Τενέδῳ καὶ Λακεδαίμονι καὶ Ἀρκαδίᾳ Φοινίκῃ τε καὶ Λιβύῃ καὶ πρὸς τούτοις ἅπασιν ἐν Συρίᾳ καὶ Ἀραβίᾳ καὶ παρά γε τοῖς Πανέλλησιν καὶ ἔτι τούτων τοῖς κορυφαιοτάτοις Ἀθηναίοις κατά τε Καρχηδόνα καὶ τὴν Ἀφρικὴν καὶ παρὰ Θρᾳξὶ καὶ Σκύθαις ἀποδέδεικται τὰ τῆς δαιμονικῆς ἀνθρωποκτονίας κατὰ τοὺς παλαιοὺς χρόνους ἐπιτελούμενα καὶ μέχρι τοῦ σωτῆρος ἡμῶν παρατείναντα· πῶς οὐκ εὐλόγως τοὺς πάντας εἴποις ἂν τότε τοῖς πονηροῖς δαίμοσιν δεδουλῶσθαι οὐ πρότερόν τε παῦλαν τῶν τοσούτων τῷ βίῳ γενέσθαι κακῶν ἢ τὴν τοῦ σωτῆρος ἡμῶν καταλάμψαι διδασκαλίαν; ὅτι δὴ μέχρι τῶν Ἁδριανοῦ χρόνων διαμεῖναι ταῦτα, λελύσθαι δ' ἐξ ἐκείνου παρέ στησεν ὁ τῆς ἱστορίας λόγος. οὗτος δὲ ἦν μάλιστα ὁ χρόνος, καθ' ὃν ἡ σωτή4.17.5 ριος εἰς πάντας ἀνθρώπους ἤκμαζεν διδασκαλία. καὶ μὴν οὐδὲ δυνατὸν αὐτοῖς εἰπεῖν ὡς τοῖς πονηροῖς δαίμοσιν ἔθυον· αὐτοῖς γὰρ μάλιστα τοῖς μεγίστοις θεοῖς ἡ ἱστορία τὰς ἀνθρωποθυσίας ἐδήλωσεν ἐπιτελεῖσθαι. θύεσθαι γὰρ ἔφησεν τῇ Ἥρᾳ καὶ τῇ Ἀθηνᾷ Κρόνῳ τε καὶ Ἄρει καὶ ∆ιονύσῳ καὶ αὐτῷγε τῷ ἐπὶ πάντων ∆ιὶ καὶ τῷ Φοίβῳ, τῷ δὴ σεμνοτάτῳ πάντων καὶ σοφωτάτῳ Ἀπόλλωνι· τούτους δὲ καὶ οὐκ ἄλλους τοὺς μεγίστους καὶ ἀγαθοὺς 4.17.6 σωτῆράς τε καὶ θεοὺς ἀναγορεύουσιν. αὐτοὶ δὲ ἄρα εἶεν ἂν οἱ πονηροὶ δαίμονες. εἰ γὰρ οἵδε τοιαύταις ἀνθρωποθυσίαις καὶ ἀνθρωποκτονίαις ἔχαιρον, πῶς οὐκ ἂν αὐτοὺς εἰκότως τῇ τῶν μοχθηρῶν πνευμάτων μιαιφονίᾳ καταριθμήσειας, εἴτε αὐτοὶ χαίρειν λέγοιντο τοῖς τοιούτοις εἴτε συγχωρεῖν 4.17.7 καὶ περιορᾶν ἑτέροις γιγνόμενα; τί γὰρ χρῆν ὅλως ἐπιτρέπειν ἀνθρώποις ἱλάσκεσθαι τὰ πονηρὰ πνεύματα; τί δὲ τοσοῦτον πλανᾶσθαι ὡς θεραπεύειν καὶ κολακεύειν τοὺς φαύλους; τί δὲ τοῖς πονηροῖς καταδουλοῦσθαι, δέον ἀγαθοὺς ὄντας καὶ θεοὺς πορρωτάτω τῆς ἀνθρώπων διατριβῆς πᾶν ὅ τι 4.17.8 φαῦλον καὶ πονηρὸν δυνάμει κρείττονι καὶ θειοτέρᾳ ἀπελαύνειν; ἦ πατὴρ μὲν ἀγαθὸς οὐκ ἂν ὑπὸ φαύλοις ἀνδράσι φθειρόμενον περιίδοι