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reading an account against those who introduce the One Being, I find him using such refutations; for I have taken pains to record what was said in the very same words.”»« 10.3.26 And having said these things, he sets out the proofs at greater length. But as to what kind of method the Greek writers had, and that they did not even spare refutation of themselves, I think what has been said is sufficient out of countless examples. Furthermore, in preparation for the benefit that flowed to the Greeks from the Hebrew scriptures, it seems to me both good and necessary to demonstrate that the whole of the celebrated education and philosophy of the Greeks, both their primary studies and the revered elements of their logical science, were collected for them from barbarians, so that none of them may any longer blame us, because we have preferred the piety and philosophy of the barbarians to their own revered traditions.

10.4.1 4. THAT WE HAVE NOT UNREASONABLY PREFERRED THE THEOLOGY OF THE HEBREWS TO

GREEK PHILOSOPHY That it is not without sound reason that we have put the philosophy of the Greeks in the second place and preferred the theology of the Hebrews, you might know by learning how even among the Greeks themselves, those who took up philosophy most correctly and who conceived something more and greater than the popular report about the gods discovered no other true doctrines than those already established among the Hebrews themselves. 10.4.2 For some, being led astray in various ways by diverse false opinions, were plunged into a pit of idle talk, while others, who used sound reasoning to some extent, in those things wherein they attained a grasp of the truth, in these have appeared to be partners 10.4.3 of the Hebrew teaching. It is likely, at any rate, that having become very learned and having investigated more curiously the customs and studies of the nations, they were not ignorant of the philosophy of the people mentioned, being young in time, so to speak, compared to all of them, not only the Hebrews, nor indeed the Phoenicians and Egyptians, but even the 10.4.4 ancient Greeks themselves. For whom, Cadmus son of Agenor established things from Phoenicia, and from Egypt, things concerning the gods, or from some other place, mysteries and rites, the setting up of wooden images, and hymns, odes, and incantations, either Orpheus the Thracian or some other Greek or barbarian, having become leaders of the error, established; for the Greeks themselves would confess that they know none more ancient 10.4.5 than these. At any rate, they say that Orpheus was the first of all, then Linus and after that Musaeus, who flourished around the time of the Trojan War or a little before. But in their time, nothing more than the much-erring theology of the Phoenicians and Egyptians 10.4.6 was current among the Greeks. And indeed also among the other nations, in all lands and cities, in both temples and mysteries, these very same things and whatever was similar to them were observed. At any rate, the aforesaid doctrine concerning the gods prevailed widely among all men; and most beautiful temples, adorned with all sorts of statues and votive offerings, were maintained among all men; and indeed also wooden images of every material, fashioned into every form of mortal creatures, 10.4.7 were exquisitely wrought. Yes, and there was a very great and abundant supply of oracles among all men. And indeed a certain revered and great god was especially flourishing among the Greeks at that time, the Pythian and the Clarian and the Dodonaean, and then Amphiaraus and Amphilochus, and in addition to these, a countless other crowd of oracle-mongers flowing in, rather than of poets and rhapsodists. 10.4.8 Philosophy, having come among the Greeks a long time after these, finding nothing of what properly belonged to it among their forefathers, the revered and ancient things of the theology which had come down to them from their fathers, and the wonderful and universally acclaimed divine things and oracles, in deed

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ἀναγινώσκων λόγον πρὸς τοὺς ἓν τὸ ὂν εἰσάγοντας τοιαύταις αὐτὸν εὑρίσκω χρώμενον ἀπαντήσεσιν· ἐσπούδασα γὰρ αὐταῖς λέξεσι τὰ ῥηθέντα μνημονεύειν.»« 10.3.26 Καὶ ταῦτ' εἰπὼν διὰ πλειόνων τίθησι τὰς ἀποδείξεις. ἀλλ' ὁποῖος μὲν τῶν Ἑλληνικῶν συγγραφέων ὁ τρόπος ὅτι τε οὐδὲ τοῦ καθ' ἑαυτῶν ἐφείσαντο ἐλέγχου, ἀρκεῖν ἀπὸ μυρίων ἡγοῦμαι τὰ εἰρημένα. ἔτι δὲ εἰς προπαρασκευὴν τῆς ἀπὸ τῶν Ἑβραϊκῶν λόγων ἐπιρρυείσης εἰς Ἕλληνας ὠφελείας εὖ μοι δοκεῖ καὶ ἀναγκαίως καθόλου πᾶσαν ἀποδεῖξαι τὴν βοωμένην Ἑλλήνων παιδείαν τε καὶ φιλοσοφίαν τά τε πρῶτα αὐτῶν μαθήματα καὶ τὰ σεμνὰ τῆς λογικῆς ἐπιστήμης ἀπὸ βαρβάρων αὐτοῖς συμπεφορημένα, ὡς ἂν μηκέθ' ἡμῖν ἐπιμέμφοιτό τις αὐτῶν, ὅτι δὴ τὴν παρὰ βαρβάροις εὐσέβειάν τε καὶ φιλοσοφίαν τῶν παρ' αὐτοῖς σεμνῶν προτετιμήκαμεν.

10.4.1 δʹ. ΟΤΙ ΜΗ ΑΛΟΓΩΣ ΤΗΝ ΠΑΡ' ΕΒΡΑΙΟΙΣ ΘΕΟΛΟΓΙΑΝ ΤΗΣ

ΕΛΛΗΝΙΚΗΣ ΦΙΛΟΣΟΦΙΑΣ ΠΡΟΤΕΤΙΜΗΚΑΜΕΝ Ὅτι μὴ ἄνευ λόγου σώφρονος δεύτερα θέμενοι τὰ τῆς Ἑλλήνων φιλοσοφίας τὴν παρ' Ἑβραίοις θεολογίαν προτετιμήκαμεν, γνοίης ἂν μαθὼν ὡς καὶ αὐτῶν Ἑλλήνων οἱ δὴ μάλιστα ὀρθότερον φιλοσοφίας ἁψάμενοι καί τι πλέον καὶ μεῖζον τῆς πανδήμου περὶ θεῶν ἀκοῆς διανοηθέντες οὐδ' ἕτερα τῶν παρ' αὐτοῖς Ἑβραίοις προκεκυρωμένων ἐφεῦρον ἀληθῆ δόγματα. 10.4.2 οἱ μὲν γὰρ ἀλληνάλλως ποικίλαις ψευδοδοξίαις ἀπαχθέντες εἰς βυθὸν ἀδολεσχίας περιετράπησαν, οἱ δέ γε ποσῶς εὐγνώμονι λογισμῷ κεχρημένοι, ἐν οἷς τῆς τἀληθοῦς ἐφήψαντο καταλήψεως, ἐν τούτοις τῆς Ἑβραίων κοινωνοὶ 10.4.3 πεφήνασι διδασκαλίας. εἰκὸς γοῦν πολυμαθεῖς γεγονότας τά τε τῶν ἐθνῶν νόμιμά τε καὶ μαθήματα περιεργότερον ἐξητακότας, καὶ τὴν τῶν δηλουμένων μὴ ἀγνοῆσαι φιλοσοφίαν, νέους μὲν τῷ χρόνῳ, ὡς ἔπος εἰπεῖν, ἁπάντων οὐχ Ἑβραίων μόνον οὐδέ γε Φοινίκων καὶ Αἰγυπτίων, ἀλλὰ καὶ αὐτῶν τῶν 10.4.4 παλαιῶν Ἑλλήνων φύντας. οἷς τὰ μὲν ἐκ Φοινίκης Κάδμος ὁ Ἀγήνορος, τὰ δ' ἐξ Αἰγύπτου περὶ θεῶν ἢ καί ποθεν ἄλλοθεν, μυστήρια καὶ τελετὰς ξοάνων τε ἱδρύσεις καὶ ὕμνους ᾠδάς τε καὶ ἐπῳδάς, ἤτοι ὁ Θρᾴκιος Ὀρφεὺς ἢ καί τις ἕτερος Ἕλλην ἢ βάρβαρος, τῆς πλάνης ἀρχηγοὶ γενόμενοι, συνεστήσαντο· τούτων γὰρ οὐδένας καὶ αὐτοὶ ἂν ὁμολογήσαιεν Ἕλληνες παλαιοτέ10.4.5 ρους εἰδέναι. πρῶτον γοῦν ἁπάντων Ὀρφέα, εἶτα δὲ Λίνον κἄπειτα Μουσαῖον ἀμφὶ τὰ Τρωϊκὰ γενομένους ἢ μικρῷ πρόσθεν ἠκμακέναι φασίν. ἀλλὰ κατά γε τούτους πλέον οὐδὲν τῆς Φοινίκων καὶ Αἰγυπτίων πολυπλανοῦς 10.4.6 θεολογίας παρὰ τοῖς Ἕλλησιν ἐπολιτεύετο. καὶ δὴ καὶ ἐν τοῖς λοιποῖς ἔθνεσι, κατὰ πάσας χώρας τε καὶ πόλεις, ἔν τε ἱεροῖς καὶ μυστηρίοις, αὐτὰ δὴ ταῦτα καὶ ὅσα τούτοις ὅμοια παρεφυλάττετο. πολὺς γοῦν παρὰ τοῖς πᾶσιν ὁ προδηλωθεὶς περὶ θεῶν ἐκράτει λόγος· νεώς τε περικαλλεῖς, παντοίοις ἀγάλμασι καὶ ἀναθήμασι κεκοσμημένοι, παρὰ τοῖς πᾶσιν ἐξήσκηντο· ἀτὰρ δὴ καὶ ξόανα παντοίας ὕλης εἰς πᾶσαν θνητῶν ζῴων ἰδέαν τετυπωμένα 10.4.7 φιλοκάλως ἐξείργαστο. ναὶ μὴν καὶ μαντείων πλείστη τις ἦν καὶ ἄφθονος παρὰ τοῖς πᾶσι περιουσία. σεμνός γε μήν τις καὶ μέγας θεὸς παρὰ τοῖς Ἕλλησι διαφερόντως τὸ τηνικάδε μάλιστα ἦν ἀκμάζων, ὁ Πύθιος καὶ ὁ Κλάριος καὶ ὁ ∆ωδωναῖος, εἶτα δὲ Ἀμφιάρεως καὶ Ἀμφίλοχος καὶ ἐπὶ τούτοις μυρίος ἄλλος ἐπιρρέων χρησμῳδῶν μᾶλλον ἢ ποιητῶν τε καὶ ῥαψῳδῶν ὄχλος. 10.4.8 ὧν μακροῖς ποθ' ὕστερον χρόνοις εἰς Ἕλληνας παρελθοῦσα φιλοσοφία, μηδὲν τῶν αὐτῇ προσηκόντων παρὰ τοῖς προπάτορσιν εὑροῦσα, τὰ μὲν σεμνὰ καὶ παλαιὰ τῆς πατρόθεν εἰς αὐτοὺς ἡκούσης θεολογίας αὐτά τε τὰ θαυμαστὰ καὶ παρὰ πᾶσι βοώμενα θεῖά τε καὶ χρηστήρια ἔργῳ