103. However, allow this part of our notions to be worthy of ridicule: in what way wilt thou prove that words concern thee? Nay, if they be thine, how canst thou show that we have no part in them, according to thy legislation and unreasonableness? Whose property are the words of the Greek language? And how must that language be spoken and conceived? Let me define the meaning of the term to thee, O thou man that busiest thyself about synonyms, and meanings, and things of different signification under one name, or the same under different names, and so forth----for thou must either assert that they belong to the religion, or else to the nation which first invented the meaning of the language. If speaking Greek belongs to the religion, pray show where it is the rule, and amongst what sort of priests (like particular sorts of sacrifices), and in honour of what kind of diction? Since all nations have not the same doctrines, nor any single one the sole possession of them; nor yet the same ceremonial, as it is laid down by your own sacred interpreters and directors of sacrifice. For in some places, with the Sindians for instance, it is a religious action to curse the "Bull-eater," and this is a way of doing honour to the god, namely, the reviling of him; or with the Tauri to sacrifice strangers; or with the Saconeans to be flogged upon the altar; or with the Phrygians to castrate themselves when fascinated by the sound of the fife, and emasculated by force of dancing: or amongst others, to abuse boys, or to prostitute oneself; and whatever else belongs to the different Mysteries, not to mention them one by one: in the same manner, for whom of the gods or demons dost thou pretend that speaking Greek is reserved? And yet even though such were the case, it is not even then made out that this tongue is Heathen property, nor that it is the common good set apart for any one of your gods or demons, in the same way as the custom is to sacrifice many other common things.

ΡΓʹ. Ἔστω δὲ καὶ τοῦτο τῶν ἡμετέρων εὐεπηρέαστον: πῶς δὲ σὺ δείξεις τοὺς λόγους σοι διαφέροντας; Εἰ δὲ καὶ σοὺς, πῶς τούτων ἡμῖν οὐ μετὸν κατὰ τὴν σὴν νομοθεσίαν καὶ ἀλογίαν; τίνος γὰρ τοῦ Ἑλληνίζειν εἰσὶν οἱ λόγοι, καὶ τοῦ πῶς λεγομένου καὶ νοουμένου; Ἵν' ἐγώ σοι διέλω τὴν τοῦ ὀνόματος δύναμιν, ὦ περὶ τὰς ὁμωνυμίας ἔχων σὺ, καὶ τὰ δηλούμενα, ἢ μιᾷ προσηγορίᾳ διάφορα, ἢ διαφόροις ταυτὰ, ἢ ἑτέραις ἕτερα: ἢ γὰρ τῆς θρησκείας εἶναι τοῦτο φήσεις, ἢ τοῦ ἔθνους δηλαδὴ, καὶ τῶν πρῶτον εὑρισκομένων τῆς διαλέκτου τὴν δύναμιν. Εἰ μὲν οὖν τῆς θρησκείας, δεῖξον ποῦ καὶ παρὰ τίσι τῶν ἱερέων τὸ Ἑλληνίζειν ἔννομον, ὥσπερ καὶ τὸ θύειν ἔστιν ἃ καὶ οἷς τῶν δαιμόνων: οὔτε γὰρ πᾶσι τὰ αὐτὰ, οὔτε ἑνὶ τὰ πάντα, οὔτε τὸν αὐτὸν τρόπον, ὡς τοῖς παρ' ὑμῖν ἱεροφάνταις δοκεῖ, καὶ τοῖς τῶν θυσιῶν τεχνολόγοις. Ποῦ δὲ, ὥσπερ Λινδίοις, εὐσεβὲς τὸ καταρᾶσθαι τῷ Βουθοίνᾳ, καὶ τοῦτο εἶναι θεοῦ τιμὴν, τὰς εἰς αὐτὸν λοιδορίας; ἢ Ταύροις τὸ ξενοκτονεῖν, ἢ Λάκωσι τὸ ἐπιβώμια ξαίνεσθαι, ἢ Φρυξὶ τὸ κατατέμνεσθαι ὑπ' αὐλῶν κηλουμένους, καὶ ἀνανδρουμένους ὑφ' ἅλματος, ἢ τὸ παιδεραστεῖν ἄλλοις, ἢ τὸ πορνεύειν ἑτέροις, ἢ ὅσα τῶν ἄλλων μυστηρίων ἐστὶν, ἵνα μὴ λέγω καθ' ἕκαστον, οὕτω δὲ καὶ τὸ Ἑλληνίζειν ἔκκριτόν τινος θεῶν ἢ δαιμόνων; Καίτοι κἂν εἰ τοῦτ' ἦν, οὔπω δῆλον, ὡς Ἑλληνικὸν ἦν, ἤ τινι τῶν παρ' ὑμῖν θεῶν ἢ δαιμόνων τὸ κοινὸν ἀπεκρίθη, ὥσπερ καὶ ἄλλα πολλὰ τῶν κοινῶν θύειν νενομοθέτηται.