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having mixed the polytheistic error with the knowledge of the God over all, 10.4.33 nor indeed having confused the false with the true? But not yet these things, but first go through for me those things by which the Greeks are convicted of having plundered everything from the barbarians, not only philosophical studies, but also the common and useful discoveries.

10.5.1 5. HOW THE GREEKS HAVE BEEN HELPED IN ALL THINGS BY BARBARIANS

First, therefore, Cadmus, who introduced the common letters, the very first elements of grammar, to the Greeks, was a Phoenician by race, whence 10.5.2 some of the ancients have also called the letters Phoenician. And there are some who say that Syrians first invented letters. And Syrians would also be the Hebrews who inhabited the land neighboring Phoenicia, which itself was called Phoenicia in ancient times, but later Judaea, and in our time Palestine, from whom especially the sound of the Greek letters does not seem foreign. 10.5.3 For among them, each of the elements 10.5.3 bears its name according to some significant meaning, which it is not possible to find among the Greeks; for which reason 10.5.4 it is most especially confessed that they are not peculiar to the Greeks. There are in all twenty-two elements among the Hebrews, of which the first is Alph, which, being transferred to the Greek language, would be called “learning”; the second is Beth, which is translated “of a house”; the third is Gimel, which is “fullness”; the fourth is Delth, which signifies “of tablets”; the fifth is He, which is “this”; and all together they make up some such meaning as this: “learning of a house, fullness of tablets is this.” 10.5.5 Then after this is a sixth element, called among them Vau, which is “in it”; then Zai, which is “lives”; after which is Heth, which is “the living one”; so that the whole is 10.5.6 “in it lives the living one”; after these, the ninth element is Teth, which is “good”; then Ioth, which is interpreted “beginning”; the two together, “a good beginning”; after these, Chaph, which is “nevertheless”; then Labd, which is “learn”; the whole, “nevertheless learn.” 10.5.7 After these, the thirteenth element is Mem, which is “from them”; then Nun, which is “eternal”; then Samch, which is interpreted “help”; so that the 10.5.8 saying is “from them is eternal help.” After these, Ain, which when transferred signifies “a spring or an eye”; then Phe, which means “mouth”; then next Sade, which means “righteousness”; of which the meaning is “a spring, or an eye and mouth of righteous10.5.9 ness.” After these is the element Koph, which is interpreted “calling”; then Rhes, which is “head”; and after these Sen, which is “teeth”; last of all, the twenty-second element is called among them Thau, which denotes “signs.” 10.5.10 And the meaning would be: “a calling of the head and signs of the teeth.” And among the Hebrews, such is the translation and interpretation of the elements, forming a sense of speech appropriate to the learning and promise of the elements. But you would not find the like among the Greeks, whence, as I said, it is necessary to confess that they are not peculiar to the Greeks, but manifestly forged 10.5.11 from the barbarian language. And this is proved from the name of each element itself. For what is the difference between Alph and Alpha? or Beth and Beta? or Gamma and Gimel? or Delth and Delta? or He and E? or Zai and Zeta? or Teth and Theta? and all others that are similar to these. 10.5.12 So that it is indisputable that such sounds are not peculiar to the Greeks; but of the Hebrews, then, among whom each of them is shown to signify something. And having begun first among them, they came forth both to others and indeed to the Greeks. Let these things, therefore, have been said by me concerning the first elements. And touching on the same subject for us, Clement also—listen to what he says:

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πλάνην τὴν πολύθεον τῇ γνώσει τοῦ ἐπὶ πάντων θεοῦ φύραντες 10.4.33 οὐδέ γε τὸ ψεῦδος ἅμα τῷ ἀληθεῖ συγχέαντες; ἀλλὰ μήπω ταῦτα, ἐκεῖνα δέ μοι πρῶτα δίελθε, δι' ὧν Ἕλληνες τὰ πάντα σεσυληκέναι βαρβάρους, οὐ μόνα τὰ φιλόσοφα μαθήματα, ἀλλὰ καὶ τὰς κοινὰς καὶ βιωφελεῖς εὑρέσεις ἀπελέγχονται.

10.5.1 εʹ. ΩΣ ΤΑ ΠΑΝΤΑ ΠΑΡΑ ΒΑΡΒΑΡΩΝ ΕΛΛΗΝΕΣ ΩΦΕΛΗΝΤΑΙ

Πρῶτος τοιγαροῦν ὁ τὰ κοινὰ γράμματα, αὐτὰ δὴ τὰ πρῶτα τῆς γραμματικῆς στοιχεῖα, Ἕλλησιν εἰσηγησάμενος Κάδμος, τὸ γένος Φοῖνιξ ἦν, ὅθεν 10.5.2 καὶ Φοινικήια τὰ γράμματά τινες τῶν παλαιῶν ἐπικεκλήκασιν. εἰσὶ δὲ οἳ Σύρους γράμματα ἐπινοῆσαι πρώτους λέγουσι. Σύροι δ' ἂν εἶεν καὶ Ἑβραῖοι τὴν γείτονα Φοινίκης καὶ αὐτὴν τὸ μὲν παλαιὸν Φοινίκην, μετέπειτα δὲ Ἰουδαίαν, καθ' ἡμᾶς δὲ Παλαιστίνην ὀνομαζομένην οἰκήσαντες, ὧν καὶ μάλιστα οὐκ ἀλλοτρία φαίνεται ἡ τῶν Ἑλληνικῶν γραμμάτων φωνή. 10.5.3 ἕκαστον γοῦν τῶν στοιχείων παρ' αὐτοῖς κατά τινος σημαντικῆς διανοίας 10.5.3 τὴν προσηγορίαν φέρει, ὅπερ οὐκ ἔνεστιν εὑρεῖν παρὰ τοῖς Ἕλλησι· διὸ 10.5.4 καὶ μάλιστα μὴ ὄντα ἴδια Ἑλλήνων ὁμολογεῖται. ἔστι δὲ τὰ πάντα παρ' Ἑβραίοις στοιχεῖα δύο καὶ εἴκοσιν, ὧν τὸ μὲν πρῶτόν ἐστιν Ἄλφ, ὃ μεταληφθὲν εἰς τὴν Ἑλλάδα φωνὴν λέγοιτ' ἂν «μάθησις»· τὸ δὲ δεύτερον Βήθ, ὃ μεθερμηνεύεται «οἴκου»· τὸ τρίτον Γίμελ, ὅ ἐστι «πλήρωσις»· τὸ τέταρτον ∆έλθ, ὃ σημαίνει «δέλτων»· τὸ πέμπτον Η, ὅ ἐστιν «αὕτη»· ὁμοῦ δὲ τὰ πάντα ἀπαρτίζει τοιαύτην τινὰ διάνοιαν· «μάθησις οἴκου, πλήρωσις δέλτων αὕτη». 10.5.5 εἶτα μετὰ ταῦτά ἐστι στοιχεῖον ἕκτον, λεγόμενον παρ' αὐτοῖς Οὐαῦ, ὅ ἐστιν «ἐν αὐτῇ»· ἔπειτα Ζαΐ, ὅ ἐστι «ζῇ»· μεθ' ὃ Ἥθ, ὅ ἐστιν «ὁ ζῶν»· ἵν' ᾖ τὸ ὅλον 10.5.6 «ἐν αὐτῇ ζῇ ὁ ζῶν»· μετὰ ταῦτα στοιχεῖον ἔνατον τὸ Τήθ, ὅ ἐστι «καλή»· ἔπειτα Ἰώθ, ὃ ἑρμηνεύεται «ἀρχή»· ὁμοῦ τὰ δύο «καλὴ ἀρχή»· ἐπὶ τούτοις Χάφ, ὅ ἐστιν «ὅμως»· ἔπειτα Λάβδ, ὅ ἐστι «μάθε»· τὸ ὅλον «ὅμως μάθε». 10.5.7 μετὰ ταῦτα τρισκαιδέκατον στοιχεῖόν ἐστι τὸ Μήμ, ὅ ἐστιν «ἐξ αὐτῶν»· ἔπειτα Νοῦν, ὅ ἐστιν «αἰωνία»· εἶτα Σάμχ, ὃ ἑρμηνεύεται «βοήθεια»· ἵν' ᾖ τὸ 10.5.8 λεγόμενον «ἐξ αὐτῶν αἰωνία βοήθεια». ἐπὶ τούτοις τὸ Ἄϊν, ὃ μεταληφθὲν σημαίνει «πηγὴν ἢ ὀφθαλμόν»· ἔπειτα τὸ Φῆ, ὃ «στόμα»· εἶθ' ἑξῆς τὸ Σάδη, ὃ «δικαιοσύνην»· ὧν ἡ διάνοιά ἐστι «πηγὴ ἢ καὶ ὀφθαλμὸς καὶ στόμα δικαιοσύ10.5.9 νης». μετὰ ταῦτα στοιχεῖόν ἐστι Κώφ, ὃ ἑρμηνεύεται «κλῆσις»· ἔπειτα Ῥής, ὅ ἐστι «κεφαλή»· καὶ μετὰ ταῦτα Σέν, ὅπερ ἐστὶν «ὀδόντες»· ἐπὶ πᾶσι τὸ εἰκοστὸν δεύτερον στοιχεῖον καλεῖται παρ' αὐτοῖς Θαῦ, ὃ δηλοῖ «σημεῖα». 10.5.10 ἔχοι δ' ἂν ἡ διάνοια· «κλῆσιν κεφαλῆς καὶ ὀδόντων σημεῖα». καὶ παρὰ μὲν Ἑβραίοις τοιάδε τίς ἐστιν ἡ τῶν στοιχείων μετάφρασις καὶ ἑρμηνεία, λόγου διάνοιαν ἀπαρτίζουσα τῇ τῶν στοιχείων μαθήσει τε καὶ ἐπαγγελίᾳ προσήκουσαν. τὸ ὅμοιον δ' οὐκ ἂν εὕροις καὶ παρ' Ἕλλησιν, ὅθεν, ὡς ἔφην, ὁμολογεῖν ἀνάγκη μὴ ὄντα οἰκεῖα Ἑλλήνων, παραπεποιημένα δὲ ἄντικρυς 10.5.11 ἀπὸ τῆς βαρβάρου φωνῆς. καὶ ἐξ αὐτῆς δὲ ἐλέγχεται τῆς καθ' ἕκαστον στοιχεῖον ἐπωνυμίας. τί γὰρ τοῦ Ἄλφ τὸ Ἄλφα διενήνοχεν; ἢ τοῦ Βὴθ τὸ Βῆτα; ἢ τοῦ Γάμμα τὸ Γίμελ; ἢ τοῦ ∆ὲλθ τὸ ∆έλτα; ἢ τοῦ Η τὸ Ε; ἢ τοῦ Ζαῒ τὸ Ζῆτα; ἢ τοῦ Τὴθ τὸ Θῆτα; καὶ ὅσα τούτοις παραπλήσια. 10.5.12 ὥστε ἀναμφίλεκτον εἶναι τὸ μὴ Ἑλλήνων οἰκείας εἶναι τὰς τοιάσδε φωνάς· Ἑβραίων ἄρα, παρ' οἷς καὶ σημαῖνόν τι ἕκαστον αὐτῶν ἀποδείκνυται. παρὰ δὲ τούτοις πρώτοις ἀρξάμενα προῆλθεν εἴς τε ἄλλους καὶ δὴ καὶ εἰς Ἕλληνας. ταῦτα μὲν οὖν μοι περὶ τῶν πρώτων στοιχείων εἰρήσθω. τῆς δ' αὐτῆς ἡμῖν ὑποθέσεως ἐφαψάμενος καὶ ὁ Κλήμης ἐπάκουσον ἅ φησιν·