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Endure in your heart the unchangeable counsels of the Fates; for to them the head of heavenly Zeus has nodded assent, that whatever they spin on their spindles remains unshaken, unmovable. For it was fated that after long ages the most beautiful shrine would be subdued by the heaven-sent blasts of torches. 10.41 And one can find countless other ridiculous things in his oracles. Porphyry collected these not only in his *On the Philosophy from Oracles*, but also Oenomaus the Cynic, refuting the falsehood of the oracle-mongers. 10.42 I have mentioned Oenomaus and Porphyry and Plutarch and Diogenianus and the others for your sake, since they are worthy of credit for you when they speak your own things; but for us the testimony of the facts is sufficient, using a most resonant voice and refuting the falsehood of the 10.43 oracles. For before the epiphany of our Savior, when a kind of gloom held the world, just like some bandits and clothes-stealers, the avengers of men, the all-wicked demons, they used ambushes and snares and nets of all kinds, hunting the nature of men; but when the light of truth arose, they all fled and left their 10.44 own lairs. Therefore they cried out as soon as he appeared: "Ah! What have we to do with you, Son of God? Have you come here to torment us before the time?" And others in turn adjured him, that he might not send them into the abyss. And in Philippi the spirit of the Python cried out concerning the apostles: "These men are servants of the Most High God, who proclaim to you 10.45 the way of salvation." Therefore, seeing the proclamation of the truth running everywhere, just like fugitive soldiers who have committed many terrible and lawless acts, then perceiving the presence of the king, they ran away and left their ambushes empty. 10.46 And the universal king of all destroyed their bases of operation; and neither does the water of Castalia prophesy, nor does the spring of Colophon give oracles, nor does the Thesprotian cauldron divine, nor does the Cirrhaean tripod deliver oracles, nor does the Dodonaean bronze vessel chatter, nor does the much-fabled oak speak, but the one at Dodona is silent, and silent are the ones at Colophon and Delos and Pytho and Claros and Didyma and Lebadeia and Trophonius and Amphilochus and Amphiaraus and Ammon and the necromancy of the Chaldeans 10.47 and Tyrrhenians. For he who rebukes the abyss, according to the prophet, and dries it up, commanded them to be silent, he who says to the abyss: "You will be laid waste, and I will dry up your rivers." And Apollo of Daphne, having arranged for our dead one to be moved, 10.48 received the thunderbolt from heaven. For the martyr of the crucified one did not allow him to prophesy and to deceive men as was his custom, but just as the great Paul rebuked the spirit of the Python, so the dust of the martyr bridled the falsehood of the seer. 10.49 What kind of oracles, then, your gods gave, you have learned from your own philosophers; but what things the God of all foretells, and how they are beneficial to life and profitable and emit the splendor of truth, it is possible for anyone who wishes to learn accurately, having encountered the divine oracles. But I shall call to mind a few prophecies, in order that I might also show the difference by comparison. First, however, I shall speak of those which foretold the destruction of the idols. 10.50 Hear, then, the prophet Isaiah saying: "It shall be in the last days that the mountain of the Lord shall be manifest, and the house of God on the top of the mountains, and it shall be exalted above the hills, and all the nations shall come to it, and many peoples shall go and say: Come, let us go up to the mountain of the Lord and to the house of the God of Jacob, and he will announce to us his way; and we will walk in it. For out of Sion shall go forth the law, and the word of the Lord from Jerusalem, and he shall judge between the nations and shall rebuke many a people, and they shall beat their swords into plowshares, and their spears into pruning hooks; and nation shall not lift up sword against nation, neither shall they learn 10.51 to war any more." What things, therefore, the prophet delivered by oracle, you have heard, but as for the

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τέτλαθι Μοιράων ἀμετάτροπα δήνεα θυμῷ· ταῖσι γὰρ οὐρανίδαο ∆ιὸς κατένευσε κάρηνον, ὅττι κε δινήσωσι, μένειν ἀσάλευτον, ἀτράκτοις. Αἶσα γὰρ ἦν δολιχοῖσι χρόνοις περικαλλέα σηκὸν πυρσῶν αἰώρῃσι διιπετέεσσι δαμῆναι. 10.41 Καὶ ἕτερα δὲ μυρία ἔστιν εὑρεῖν ἐν τοῖς τούτου χρησμοῖς καταγέλαστα. Ξυνήγαγε δὲ τούτους οὐ μόνον ὁ Πορφύριος ἐν τοῖς Περὶ τῆς ἐκ λογίων φιλοσοφίας, ἀλλὰ καὶ ὁ κυνικὸς Οἰνό μαος, διελέγχων τῶν χρησμολόγων τὸ ψεῦδος. 10.42 Οἰνομάου δὲ καὶ Πορφυρίου καὶ Πλουτάρχου καὶ ∆ιογενιανοῦ καὶ τῶν ἄλλων ὑμῶν ἕνεκα ἐπεμνήσθην, ἐπειδήπερ ὑμῖν τὰ ὑμέτερα λέγοντές εἰσιν ἀξιόχρεοι· ἡμῖν δὲ ἀρκεῖ τῶν πραγμάτων ἡ μαρτυρία, γεγωνοτάτῃ κεχρημένη φωνῇ καὶ τὸ τῶν χρηστη 10.43 ρίων διελέγχουσα ψεῦδος. Πρὸ μὲν γὰρ δὴ τῆς τοῦ Σωτῆρος ἡμῶν ἐπιφανείας, οἷόν πού τινος ζόφου τὴν οἰκουμένην κατέχον τος, καθάπερ τινὲς λῃσταὶ καὶ λωποδύται, οἱ τῶν ἀνθρώπων ἀλάσ τορες, οἱ παμπόνηροι δαίμονες, καὶ λόχοις ἐχρῶντο καὶ πάγαις καὶ ἄρκυσι παντοδαπαῖς, ἀγρεύοντες τῶν ἀνθρώπων τὴν φύσιν· ἐπειδὴ δὲ ἀνέσχε τῆς ἀληθείας τὸ φῶς, ἐδραπέτευσαν ἅπαντες καὶ τοὺς 10.44 οἰκείους κατέλιπον χηραμούς. Τῷ τοι ἐβόων αὐτίκα φανέντος· "Ἔα· τί ἡμῖν καὶ σοί, υἱὲ τοῦ Θεοῦ; ἦλθες ὧδε πρὸ καιροῦ βασανίσαι ἡμᾶς." Καὶ ἕτεροι δὲ πάλιν ὥρκουν αὐτόν, ἵνα μὴ αὐτοὺς εἰς τὴν ἄβυσσον πέμψῃ. Ἐν δὲ Φιλίπποις τὸ πνεῦμα τοῦ Πύθωνος περὶ τῶν ἀποστόλων ἐβόα· "Οὗτοι οἱ ἄνθρωποι δοῦλοι τοῦ Θεοῦ τοῦ ὑψίστου εἰσίν, οἵ τινες καταγγέλλουσιν 10.45 ὑμῖν ὁδὸν σωτηρίας." Θεασάμενοι τοίνυν πανταχοῦ διατρέχον τῆς ἀληθείας τὸ κήρυγμα, καθάπερ στρατιῶται φυγάδες πολλὰ δεινὰ καὶ παράνομα δεδρακότες, εἶτα τῆς τοῦ βασιλέως αἰσθόμε νοι παρουσίας, ἀπέδρασαν καὶ γυμνὰς τὰς ἐνέδρας κατέλιπον. 10.46 Ὁ δὲ τῶν ὅλων παμβασιλεὺς τὰ τούτων κατέλυσεν ὁρμητήρια· καὶ οὔτε τῆς Κασταλίας προαγορεύει τὸ ὕδωρ, οὔτε Κολοφῶνος ἡ πηγὴ προθεσπίζει, οὐχ ὁ Θεσπρώτιος λέβης μαντεύεται, οὐχ ὁ τρίπους ὁ Κιρραῖος χρησμολογεῖ, οὐ τὸ ∆ωδωναῖον χαλκεῖον ἀδολεσχεῖ, οὐχ ἡ πολυθρύλητος φθέγγεται δρῦς, ἀλλὰ σιγᾷ μὲν ὁ ∆ωδωναῖος, σιγᾷ δὲ ὁ Κολοφώνιος καὶ ∆ήλιος καὶ Πύθιος καὶ Κλάριος καὶ ∆ιδυμαῖος καὶ ἡ Λεβαδία καὶ ὁ Τροφώνιος καὶ ὁ Ἀμφίλοχος καὶ ὁ Ἀμφιάραος καὶ ὁ Ἄμμων καὶ ἡ τῶν Χαλδαίων10.47 καὶ Τυρρηνῶν νεκυία. Σιγᾶν γὰρ αὐτοῖς ἐκέλευσεν ὁ ἐπιτιμῶν ἀβύσσῳ, κατὰ τὸν προφήτην, καὶ ξηραίνων αὐτήν, ὁ λέγων τῇ ἀβύσσῳ· "Ἐρημωθήσῃ, καὶ τοὺς ποταμούς σου ξηρανῶ." Καὶ ὁ ∆αφναῖος Ἀπόλλων, τὸν ἡμέτερον παρασκευάσας μετατεθῆναι 10.48 νεκρόν, οὐρανόθεν ἐδέξατο τὸν σκηπτόν. Οὐ γὰρ εἴα προλέγειν αὐτὸν καὶ ξυνήθως ἀποβουκολεῖν τοὺς ἀνθρώπους τοῦ σταυρωθέν τος ὁ μάρτυς, ἀλλὰ καθάπερ ὁ μέγας Παῦλος τῷ τοῦ Πύθωνος ἐπετίμησε πνεύματι, οὕτως ἡ τοῦ μάρτυρος κόνις τὸ τοῦ μάν τεως ἐχαλίνωσε ψεῦδος. 10.49 Ὁποῖοι μὲν οὖν τῶν ὑμετέρων θεῶν οἱ χρησμοί, παρὰ τῶν ὑμετέρων μεμαθήκατε φιλοσόφων· ὁποῖα δὲ ὁ τῶν ὅλων προλέγει Θεός, καὶ ὅπως βιωφελῆ καὶ ὀνησιφόρα καὶ τῆς ἀληθείας ἀφιέντα τὴν αἴγλην, ἔξεστι τῷ βουλομένῳ καταμαθεῖν ἀκριβῶς, τοῖς θείοις ἐντετυχηκότι λόγοις. Ἐγὼ δέ γε ὀλίγων τινῶν ἀπομνη μονεύσω προρρήσεων, ἵνα καὶ ἐκ παραλλήλου τὸ διάφορον δείξω. Πρώτας μέντοι ἐκείνας ἐρῶ, αἳ τὴν τῶν εἰδώλων κατάλυσιν 10.50 προηγόρευσαν. Ἀκούσατε τοίνυν Ἡσαΐου τοῦ προφήτου λέγοντος· "Ἔσται ἐν ταῖς ἐσχάταις ἡμέραις ἐμφανὲς τὸ ὄρος Κυρίου, καὶ ὁ οἶκος τοῦ Θεοῦ ἐπ' ἄκρων τῶν ὀρέων, καὶ ὑψωθήσεται ὑπεράνω τῶν βουνῶν, καὶ ἥξουσιν ἐπ' αὐτὸν πάντα τὰ ἔθνη, καὶ πορεύσονται λαοὶ πολλοὶ καὶ ἐροῦσι· δεῦτε καὶ ἀναβῶμεν εἰς τὸ ὄρος Κυρίου καὶ εἰς τὸν οἶκον τοῦ Θεοῦ Ἰακώβ, καὶ ἀναγγελεῖ ἡμῖν τὴν ὁδὸν αὐτοῦ· καὶ πορευσόμεθα ἐν αὐτῇ. Ἐκ γὰρ Σιὼν ἐξελεύσεται νόμος καὶ λόγος Κυρίου ἐξ Ἱερουσαλήμ, καὶ κρινεῖ ἀνὰ μέσον τῶν ἐθνῶν καὶ ἐλέγξει λαὸν πολύν, καὶ συγκόψουσι τὰς μαχαίρας αὐτῶν εἰς ἄροτρα, καὶ τὰς ζιβύνας αὐτῶν εἰς δρέ πανα· καὶ οὐ λήψεται ἔθνος ἐπ' ἔθνος μάχαιραν, καὶ οὐ μὴ μάθωσιν 10.51 ἔτι πολεμεῖν." Ὁποῖα μὲν οὖν ἐχρησμῴδησεν ὁ προφήτης, ἠκού σατε, πρὸς δὲ τῆς