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they attended to those on earth, knowing no idol, nor being occupied with the error of the demons, the testimony of those outside our own doctrine would be a sufficient demonstration, which I set forth in the first book of the Preparation before the present work, clearly demonstrating that the most ancient of men did not serve handmade images created from lifeless matter, nor even invisible demons, but only these, which have been witnessed by the divine scripture to have been assigned to the nations. 4.9.11 It is time, then, for the Greeks themselves, whose words I have cited in those books, to agree, that a newer and stranger worship was introduced to them than the ancient one, namely the superstition of idols and the meddling of unseen spirits. The aforementioned adversary of God, plotting all this against all on earth, was at work. 4.9.12 And the whole tribe of unclean demons cooperated with him. Indeed, the very author of evil did these things, with the madness of an absurd pride fulfilling in deed his threats against all men, and intensifying the godless cry, "I will be like the Most High," offering the services of the unclean and wicked demons, oracles and healings and such things, for the bewitchments of men. 4.10.1 In so great an onset of evil, then, with none of the angels formerly set over the subject nations being able to render aid, but while they were taking care of the rest of creation, both presiding over the parts of the world and customarily ministering to the will of the God who is creator of all, they did not grasp the fall of mortals because of men's voluntary choice of evils, a long and hard-to-cure disease prevailed over all on earth, as the nations were in different ways maddened by the wicked spirits and fell into an irremediable abyss of evil. 4.10.2 Indeed, some thought it good to feast on the flesh of their dearest ones in the manner of raw-flesh-eating and man-eating beasts, and to have intercourse freely with mothers and sisters and daughters, and to put the aged to death by hanging, and to give the dead to dogs and birds of prey. 4.10.3 Why should I mention to you the savage and outrageous human sacrifices to the so-called gods, these very same wicked demons, to which they drove the human race to madness? 4.10.4 And these things, at least, I prepared beforehand in the preceding parts of the subject now in hand. But since so many evils were brought upon the whole world by the vile and wicked spirits, this tyrant being among them, and none of the presiding angels being able to defend against the evils, it was fitting that that Divine Word, the Savior of all, by the good will of the Father's love for mankind, so that His beloved race might not be rolled in the abyss of impiety, for a time shone forth some brief and dim rays of His own light through the prophet Moses and the God-beloved men both before and after him, proposing the cure for the evils among men in the sacred laws. 4.10.5 Thus the Word Himself openly legislates for the Hebrew nation through Moses, saying: "According to the practices of the land of Egypt, in which you dwelt, you shall not do; and according to the practices of the land of Canaan, into which I am bringing you, you shall not do, and you shall not walk in their statutes. You shall do my judgments and keep my ordinances. I am the Lord your God." 4.10.6 Then, having forbidden every unlawful marriage and every unseemly act, the unions of women with women and of men with men, He adds: "Do not defile yourselves in all these things; for in all these things the nations were defiled which I am sending away from before your face. And the land was defiled; and I have requited its iniquity to it, and the land was distressed with those who dwelt upon it." 4.10.7 And again He says: "And if you enter into the land which the Lord your God gives you, you shall not learn to do according to the abominations of the nations

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ἐπὶ γῆς προσανεῖχον, οὐδὲν εἴδωλον ἐπιστάμενοι, οὔτε περὶ τὴν τῶν δαιμόνων πλάνην καταγινόμενοι, ἱκανὴ γένοιτ' ἂν ἀπόδειξις ἡ τῶν ἀλλοτρίων τοῦ καθ' ἡμᾶς λόγου μαρτυρία, ἣν κατὰ τὸ πρῶτον τῆς Προπαρασκευῆς πρὸ τῆς παρούσης πραγματείας ἐξεθέμην, σαφῶς ἀποδείξας ὅτι μὴ χειροκμήτοις ξοάνοις ἐξ ὕλης ἀψύχου δεδημιουργημένοις, ἀλλ' οὐδ' ἀοράτοις δαίμοσιν οἱ παλαίτατοι τῶν ἀνθρώπων ἐδούλευον, μόνοις δὲ τούτοις, οἳ καὶ πρὸς τῆς θείας γραφῆς τοῖς ἔθνεσιν ἀπονενεμῆσθαι μεμαρτύρηνται. 4.9.11 ὥρα δὴ οὖν καὶ αὐτοῖς Ἕλλησιν, ὧν τὰς φωνὰς ἐν ἐκείνοις παρατέθειμαι, συνομολογεῖν, νεωτέραν καὶ ξένην παρὰ τὴν τῶν παλαιῶν λατρείαν εἰσῆχθαι αὐτοῖς τὴν τῶν εἰδώλων δεισιδαιμονίαν καὶ τὴν τῶν ἀφανῶν πνευμάτων περιεργίαν. τοῦτο δὲ πᾶν ἐπιβουλεύων τοῖς ἐπὶ γῆς πᾶσιν ὁ δηλωθεὶς θεομάχος εἰργάζετο. 4.9.12 συνήργει δὲ αὐτῷ καὶ πᾶν τὸ τῶν ἀκαθάρτων δαιμόνων φῦλον. αὐτός γε μὴν ὁ τῆς κακίας ἐξάρχων ταῦτ' ἔπραττεν, μανίᾳ φρονήματος ἐκτόπου τὰς κατὰ πάντων ἀνθρώπων ἔργῳ πληρῶν ἀπειλάς, καὶ τὴν «ἔσομαι ὅμοιος τῷ ὑψίστῳ» ἄθεον ἐπιτείνων φωνήν, τάς τε τῶν ἀκαθάρτων καὶ πονηρῶν δαιμόνων ὑπηρεσίας χρησμοὺς καὶ θεραπείας καὶ τὰ τοιαῦτα ταῖς τῶν ἀνθρώπων γοητείαις προϊσχόμενος. 4.10.1 Ἐν τοσαύτῃ δῆτα κακίας φορᾷ μηδὲν ἐπαμύνειν τῶν πρὶν ἐφεστώτων ἀγγέλων τοῖς ὑποχειρίοις ἔθνεσι δεδυνημένων, ἀλλὰ τῆς μὲν λοιπῆς κτίσεως ἐπιμελομένων τοῖς τε τοῦ κόσμου μέρεσιν ἐπιστατούντων καὶ τῷ τοῦ πάντων δημιουργοῦ θεοῦ νεύματι συνήθως διακονουμένων, τῆς δὲ τῶν θνητῶν πτώσεως οὐ περιδρασσομένων διὰ τὴν τῶν κακῶν αὐθεκούσιον τῶν ἀνθρώπων αἵρεσιν, μακρά τις καὶ δυσθεράπευτος τῶν ἐπὶ γῆς ἁπάντων κατεκράτει νόσος, ἄλλων ἄλλως τῶν ἐθνῶν ὑπὸ τῶν πονηρῶν πνευμάτων ἐξοιστρουμένων καὶ εἰς ἀνήκεστον βυθὸν κακίας ἀποπιπτόντων. 4.10.2 ἤδη γοῦν ὠμοφάγων καὶ ἀνθρωποβόρων θηρίων τρόπον σάρκας τινὲς τῶν φιλτάτων θοινᾶσθαι καλὸν ἡγοῦντο, καὶ μητράσιν ἀνέδην καὶ ἀδελφαῖς καὶ θυγατράσιν μίγνυσθαι, ἀγχόνῃ δὲ περιβάλλειν τοὺς γεγηρακότας καὶ κυσὶν καὶ οἰωνοῖς τοὺς νεκρούς. 4.10.3 τί δή σοι μνημονευσαίμην ἂν τῶν δῆθεν θεῶν, αὐτῶν δὴ τῶν φαύλων δαιμόνων, τὰς ὠμὰς καὶ ἐκτόπους ἀνθρωποθυσίας, εἰς ἃς τὸ ἀνθρώπειον γένος ἐξέμηναν; 4.10.4 καὶ ταῦτα γοῦν ἐν τοῖς προηγουμένοις τῆς μετὰ χεῖρας ὑποθέσεως προπαρεσκευασάμην. ἀλλὰ γὰρ τοσούτων κακῶν ὑπὸ τῶν φαύλων καὶ τῶν μοχθηρῶν πνευμάτων τοῦτ' ἐν τούτοις τυράννου καθ' ὅλης τῆς οἰκουμένης προβεβλημένων, καὶ μηδενὸς τῶν ἐφεστώτων ἀγγέλων οἵου τε ὄντος τοῖς κακοῖς ἐπαμύνειν, εἰκότως ἐκεῖνος ὁ θεὸς λόγος, ὁ τῶν ὅλων σωτήρ, ἀγαθῷ νεύματι τῆς τοῦ πατρὸς φιλανθρωπίας, ὡς ἂν μὴ τὸ φίλον αὐτῷ γένος ἐν ἀσεβείας βυθῷ καλινδοῖτο, τέως μὲν βραχείας τινὰς καὶ ἀμυδρὰς τοῦ ἰδίου φωτὸς ἀκτῖνας διὰ προφήτου Μωσέως τῶν τε πρὸ αὐτοῦ καὶ τῶν μετ' αὐτὸν θεοφιλῶν ἀνδρῶν ἐξέλαμπεν, τῶν ἐν ἀνθρώποις κακῶν τὴν ἴασιν ἐν ταῖς ἱεραῖς νομοθεσίαις προβαλλόμενος. 4.10.5 λέγει δ' οὖν ἄντικρυς αὐτὸς ὁ λόγος τῷ Ἑβραίων ἔθνει νομοθετῶν διὰ Μωσέως· «κατὰ τὰ ἐπιτηδεύματα γῆς Αἰγύπτου, ἐν ᾗ κατῳκήσατε ἐπ' αὐτῆς, οὐ ποιήσετε· καὶ κατὰ τὰ ἐπιτηδεύματα γῆς Χαναάν, ἐν ᾗ ἐγὼ εἰσάγω ὑμᾶς ἐκεῖ, οὐ ποιήσετε, καὶ ἐν τοῖς νομίμοις αὐτῶν οὐ πορεύσεσθε. τὰ κρίματά μου ποιήσετε καὶ τὰ προστάγματά μου φυλάξεσθε. ἐγὼ εἰμὶ κύριος ὁ θεὸς ὑμῶν.» 4.10.6 εἶτα πάντα ἀπαγορεύσας ἀθέμιτον γάμον καὶ πᾶσαν ἀσχήμονα πρᾶξιν, γυναικῶν τε πρὸς γυναῖκας καὶ ἀρρένων πρὸς ἄρρενας μίξεις, ἐπιλέγει· «μὴ μιαίνεσθε ἐν πᾶσι τούτοις· ἐν πᾶσι γὰρ τούτοις ἐμιάνθη τὰ ἔθνη ἃ ἐγὼ ἐξαποστέλλω πρὸ προσώπου ὑμῶν. καὶ ἐξεμιάνθη ἡ γῆ· καὶ ἀνταπέδωκα ἀδικίαν αὐτῇ, καὶ προσώχθισεν ἡ γῆ τοῖς ἐγκαθημένοις ἐπ' αὐτῆς.» 4.10.7 καὶ πάλιν φησίν· «ἐὰν δὲ σὺ εἰσέλθῃς εἰς τὴν γῆν ἣν κύριος ὁ θεός σου δίδωσί σοι, οὐ μὴ μαθήσῃ ποιεῖν κατὰ τὰ βδελύγματα τῶν ἐθνῶν