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For those of today perhaps learned from the first, and those from their predecessors, and these in turn from those before them; but those from the beginning, the very first who established laws among them, from whom did they learn? Is it not evident that it was from conscience? For they could not say that they had associated with Moses, or that they had heard prophets; for how could they, being Greeks? But it is evident that from the law which God established for man when He formed him from the beginning, from this they also established laws, and invented arts, and all other things. For the arts also were thus established by those from the beginning coming to them self-taught; thus also courts of justice came to be, thus also punishments were decreed, which is indeed what Paul says. For since many of the Greeks were going to object and say, How will God judge the men who lived before Moses? He sent no lawgiver, He introduced no law, He dispatched no prophet, no apostle, no evangelist; how then does He demand an account? Paul, wishing to show that they had a self-taught law, and clearly knew what ought to be done, hear how he says: For when Gentiles, who do not have the law, do by nature the things of the law, these, not having the law, are a law to themselves, who show the work of the law written in their hearts. How, without letters? Their conscience bearing witness with them and their thoughts among themselves accusing or even defending them in the day when God will judge the secrets of men according to my gospel through Jesus Christ; and again: For as many as have sinned without law shall also perish without law: and as many as have sinned in the law shall be judged by the law. What is, Shall perish without law? Not with the law accusing them, but their thoughts and their conscience. But if they did not have the law of conscience, they ought not to perish for sinning; for how could they, if they sinned without law? But when he says 'without law', he does not mean that they had no law, but that they had no written law, but they did have the law of nature. And again: But glory, and honour, and peace, to every man that worketh good, to the Jew first, and also to the Greek. And he said these things speaking of the times of old, before the coming of Christ. And here he calls a Greek not the idolater, but the one who worships God alone, not bound by the necessity of the Jewish observances, I mean sabbaths 49.134 and circumcision and various cleansings, but who displays all philosophy and piety. And again, speaking on the same subject, he says: Tribulation and anguish, upon every soul of man that doeth evil, of the Jew first, and also of the Greek. Again here he calls a Greek one who is free from the Jewish observance. If, then, he neither heard the law, nor associated with Jews, how shall there be tribulation and anguish and wrath for him when he does evil? Because he had a conscience within, sounding in him, and teaching and instructing him in all things. How is this clear? From the fact that he punished others for sinning, from the fact that he established laws, from the fact that he set up courts of justice. For Paul, indicating this very thing, said about those living in evil: Who, having come to know the righteous judgment of God, that those who practice such things are worthy of death, not only do them but also approve of those who practice them. And from where did they know, he says, that it is the will of God that those living in wickedness be punished with death? From where? From the fact that they judged others for sinning. For if you do not think that murder is evil, when you catch a murderer, do not punish him by your vote; if you do not think that adultery is evil, when an adulterer is caught, release him from punishment. But if for the sins of others you both write laws, and decree punishments, and are a strict judge, what defense could you have for the things in which you yourself sin, saying you are ignorant of what must be done? You committed adultery; and did not he also? For what reason then do you punish that one, but deem yourself worthy of pardon? For if you did not know adultery to be evil, you ought not to punish another; but if you punish another, yet you think to escape punishment, how could it be reasonable for the same sins not

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γὰρ οἱ νῦν ἴσως παρὰ τῶν πρώτων ἔμαθον, καὶ ἐκεῖνοι παρὰ τῶν προτέρων, καὶ παρὰ τῶν ἄνω πάλιν οὗτοι· οἱ δὲ ἐξ ἀρχῆς καὶ πρῶτοι παρ' αὐτοῖς νόμους θέντες, παρὰ τίνος ἔμαθον; οὐκ εὔδηλον ὅτι παρὰ τοῦ συνειδότος; οὐ γὰρ ἂν ἕχοιεν εἰπεῖν ὅτι Μωϋσεῖ συνεγένοντο, ὅτι προφητῶν ἤκουσαν· πῶς γὰρ Ἕλληνες ὅντες; Ἀλλ' εὔδηλον ὅτι ἀπὸ τοῦ νόμου ὃν ἔθηκεν ὁ Θεὸς τῷ ἀνθρώπῳ, ἐξ ἀρχῆς αὐτὸν πλάττων, ἀπὸ τούτου καὶ νόμους ἔθηκαν, καὶ τέχνας εὕροντο, καὶ τὰ ἄλλα πάντα Καὶ γὰρ καὶ αἱ τέχναι οὕτω συνέστησαν τῶν ἐξ ἀρχῆς αὐτοδιδάκτως ἐπ' αὐτὰς ἐλθόντων· οὕτω καὶ δικαστήρια γέγονε, οὕτω καὶ κολάσεις ὡρίσθησαν, ὅπερ οὖν καὶ ὁ Παῦλός φησιν. Ἐπειδὴ γὰρ πολλοὶ τῶν Ἑλλήνων ἀντιλέγειν ἔμελλον, καὶ λέγειν ὅτι, Πῶς κρινεῖ ὁ Θεὸς τοὺς ἀνθρώπους τοὺς πρὸ Μωϋσέως; οὐ νομοθέτην ἔπεμψεν, οὐ νόμον εἰσήνεγκεν, οὐ προφήτην ἀπέστειλεν, οὐκ ἀπόστολον, οὐκ εὐαγγελιστήν· πῶς οὖν εὐθύνας ἀπαιτεῖ; βουλόμενος ὁ Παῦλος δεῖξαι, ὅτι αὐτοδίδακτον εἶχον νόμον, καὶ τὰ πρακτέα σαφῶς ᾔδεσαν, ἅκουσον πῶς φησιν· Ὅταν γὰρ ἔθνη, τὰ μὴ νόμον ἔχοντα, φύσει τὰ τοῦ νόμου ποιῇ, οὗτοι νόμον μὴ ἔχοντες ἑαυτοῖς εἰσι νόμος, οἵτινες ἐνδείκνυνται τὸ ἔργον τοῦ νόμου γραπτὸν ἐν ταῖς καρδίαις αὐτῶν. Πῶς χωρὶς γραμμάτων; Συμμαρτυρούσης αὐτῶν τῆς συνειδήσεως καὶ μεταξὺ ἀλλήλων τῶν λογισμῶν κατηγορούντων, ἢ καὶ ἀπολογουμένων ἐν ἡμέρᾳ, ὅτε κρινεῖ ὁ Θεὸς τὰ κρυπτὰ τῶν ἀνθρώπων κατὰ τὸ εὐαγγέλιόν μου διὰ Ἰησοῦ Χριστοῦ· καὶ πάλιν· Ὅσοι γὰρ ἀνόμως ἥμαρτον, ἀνόμως καὶ ἀπολοῦνται· καὶ ὅσοι ἐν νόμῳ ἥμαρτον, διὰ νόμου κριθήσονται. Τί ἐστιν, Ἀνόμως ἀπολοῦνται; Οὐχὶ τοῦ νόμου κατηγοροῦντος, ἀλλὰ τῶν λογισμῶν καὶ τοῦ συνειδότος. Εἰ δὲ μὴ εἶχον νόμον τὸν τοῦ συνειδότος, οὐδὲ ἀπολέσθαι αὐτοὺς ἁμαρτάνοντας ἔδει· πῶς γὰρ, εἰ ἀνόμως ἥμαρτον; Ἀλλ' ἀνόμως ὅταν εἴπῃ, οὐ τοῦτο λέγει, ὅτι οὐκ εἶχον νόμον, ἀλλ' ὅτι οὐκ εἶχον νόμον γραπτὸν, τὸν δὲ τῆς φύσεως νόμον εἶχον. Καὶ πάλιν· ∆όξα δὲ, καὶ τιμὴ, καὶ εἰρήνη παντὶ τῷ ἐργαζομένῳ τὸ ἀγαθὸν, Ἰουδαίῳ τε πρῶτον καὶ Ἕλληνι. Ταῦτα δὲ ἔλεγε περὶ τῶν ἄνω χρόνων διαλεγόμενος τῶν πρὸ τῆς παρουσίας τοῦ Χριστοῦ. Καὶ Ἕλληνα ἐνταῦθα καλεῖ οὐ τὸν εἰδωλολάτρην, ἀλλὰ τὸν προσκυνοῦντα μὲν τὸν Θεὸν μόνον, οὐκ ἐνδεδεμένον δὲ τῇ τῶν Ἱουδαϊκῶν παρατηρήσεων ἀνάγκῃ, σαββατισμοῖς λέγω 49.134 καὶ περιτομῇ καὶ καθαρισμοῖς διαφόροις, ἀλλὰ φιλοσοφίαν καὶ εὐσέβειαν ἅπασαν ἐπιδεικνύμενον. Καὶ πάλιν περὶ τοῦ αὐτοῦ διαλεγόμενός φησι· Θυμὸς καὶ ὀργὴ, θλῖψις καὶ στενοχωρία ἐπὶ πᾶσαν ψυχὴν ἀνθρώπου κατεργαζομένου τὸ κακὸν, Ἰουδαίου τε πρῶτον, καὶ Ἕλληνος Πάλιν ἐνταῦθα Ἕλληνα καλεῖ τὸν ἀπηλλαγμένον τῆς παρατηρήσεως τῆς Ἰουδαϊκῆς. Εἰ τοίνυν μήτε νόμου ἤκουσε, μήτε μετὰ Ἰουδαίων ἀνεστράφη, πῶς ἔσται αὐτῷ θυμὸς καὶ ὀργὴ καὶ θλῖψις ἐργαζομένῳ τὸ κακόν; Ἐπειδὴ συνειδὸς εἶχεν ἔνδον ἐνηχοῦν αὐτῷ, καὶ διδάσκον καὶ παιδεῦον ἅπαντα. Πόθεν δῆλον τοῦτο; Ἀφ' ὧν ἑτέρους ἁμαρτάνοντας ἐκόλασεν, ἀφ' ὧν νόμους ἔθηκεν, ἀφ' ὧν τὰ δικαστήρια ἐκάθισε. Τοῦτο γὰρ αὐτὸ δηλῶν ὁ Παῦλος ἔλεγε περὶ τῶν ἐν κακίᾳ ζώντων· Οἵτινες τὸ δικαίωμα τοῦ Θεοῦ ἐπιγνόντες, ὅτι οἱ τὰ τοιαῦτα πράσσοντες ἄξιοι θανάτου εἰσὶν, οὐ μόνον αὐτὰ ποιοῦσιν, ἀλλὰ καὶ συνδοκοῦσι τοῖς πράσσουσι. Καὶ πόθεν ᾔδεισαν, φησὶν, ὅτι θέλημα Θεοῦ ἐστι τοὺς ἐν πονηρίᾳ ζῶντας θανάτῳ κολάζεσθαι; πόθεν; Ἐξ ὧν ἑτέρους ἐδίκαζον ἁμαρτάνοντας. Εἰ γὰρ μὴ νομίζεις κακὸν εἶναι τὸν φόνον, ἐπειδὰν λάβῃς ἀνδροφόνον, ὑπὸ τῇ σῇ ψήφῳ μὴ κολάσῃς· εἰ μὴ νομίζεις κακὸν εἶναι τὸ μοιχεύειν, ἐπειδὰν ἐμπέσῃ μοιχὸς, ἄφες αὐτὸν τῆς τιμωρίας. Εἰ δὲ ἐν τοῖς ἑτέρων ἁμαρτήμασι καὶ νόμους γράφεις, καὶ τιμωρίας ὁρίζεις, καὶ ἀκριβὴς εἶ δικαστὴς, ποίαν ἂν σχοίης ἀπολογίαν ἐν οἷς αὐτὸς ἁμαρτάνεις, λέγων ἀγνοεῖν τὰ πρακτέα; Ἐμοίχευσας, καὶ οὐ κἀκεῖνος. Τίνος οὖν ἕνεκεν ἐκεῖνον μὲν κολάζεις, σαυτὸν δὲ συγγνώμης ἀξιοῖς; Εἰ γὰρ μὴ ᾔδεις κακὸν εἶναι τὴν μοιχείαν, οὐδὲ ἕτερον τιμωρεῖσθαι ἔδει· εἰ δὲ ἕτερον μὲν κολάζεις, σὺ δὲ νομίζεις διαφεύγειν τὴν κόλασιν, πῶς ἂν ἔχοι λόγον τῶν αὐτῶν ἁμαρτημάτων μὴ