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all things are subject to genesis, I want you to be fully convinced. And I said: If all things are subject to genesis and you are fully convinced that this is so, you advise, thinking things contrary to yourself. For if it is not possible even to think contrary to genesis, why do you labor in vain advising that something come to be which is impossible to come to be? But further, if genesis exists, do not be eager to persuade me not to worship the one who is master even of the stars, by whose will, even if something is not to be, it is possible for it to be. For the subordinate always has a necessity to obey the one who leads. However, to worship the so-called gods, when genesis is in control, is superfluous. For neither does anything happen contrary to what has been decreed by fate, nor can they themselves do anything, being subject to universal genesis. If genesis exists, it is a contradiction for it not to rule first. It cannot be subject, as it is ungenerated, having nothing older than itself. While we were saying such things to each other, a large crowd gathered. And then I, looking at the crowd, said: I, having received from my ancestors the tradition of worshiping God and my tribe, and having the command not to give heed to genesis (I mean, to the teaching of astrology), for this reason did not pay attention. Therefore I am not experienced in astrology, but of what I am, I will relate. Since I am not able to refute genesis from the science of genesis itself, I wish to prove in another way that affairs are managed by providence, and each person will receive honor or punishment for what he does, whether now or hereafter, it makes no difference to me, except that each one will certainly receive for what he has done. And the proof that genesis does not exist is this. If anyone of those present has been deprived of his eyes, or has a crippled hand, or a lame foot, or some other bodily ailment, which has no chance of being healed again and is beyond every medical promise, which not even astrologers promise to heal, because nothing of the sort has ever happened from time immemorial, but I, having prayed to God, grant the healing, when such a thing could never have received its remedy from genesis—when this has happened thus, do not those who blaspheme the God who created all things sin? And the old man answered: For is it to blaspheme, to say that all things are subject to genesis? And I answered: Certainly; for if all the sins and impieties and licentiousness of men come from the stars, and the stars were ordered by God to do these things, so that they might be effective of all evils, all the sins are referred back to him, who placed genesis in the stars. And the old man answered: Truly you have spoken greatly, but my own conscience stands in the way of all your incomparable proof. For being an astrologer and having first lived in Rome, having been befriended by someone related to Caesar, I knew both his nativity and that of his wife, and having investigated and found their deeds accomplished in accordance with their nativity, I am unable to be persuaded by you in word. For the chart of her nativity itself made her an adulteress, in love with her own slaves and dying in foreign waters. Which also happened thus. For having fallen in love with her own slave and not bearing the blame, having fled with him, she set out for a foreign land and having had intercourse with him th-

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νέσει τὰ πάντα ὑπόκειται, πληροφορηθῆναί σε θέλω. κἀγὼ ἔφην· Eἰ γενέσει τὰ πάντα ὑπόκειται καὶ τοῦτο οὕτως ἔχειν πεπληροφόρησαι, σεαυτῷ ἐναντία νοῶν συμβουλεύεις. εἰ μὲν γὰρ παρὰ γένεσιν οὐ δυνα- τὸν οὐδὲ τὸ φρονεῖν, τί ματαιοπονεῖς συμβουλεύων γενέσθαι ὃ γενέσθαι ἀδύνατόν ἐστιν; ἀλλ' ἔτι μὴν εἰ γένεσις ὑφέστηκεν, μὴ σπεῦδε πείθειν ἐμὲ μὴ σέβειν τὸν καὶ τῶν ἄστρων δεσπότην, οὗ θέλοντος καὶ μὴ γενέσθαι τι, γενέσθαι δυνατόν . αἰεὶ γὰρ τὸ ὑποκείμενον τῷ ἡγουμένῳ πείθεσθαι ἀνάγκην ἔχει. τὸ μέντοι τοὺς νομιζομένους θεοὺς σέβειν γενέσεως ἐπι- κρατούσης περιττόν ἐστιν. οὔτε γὰρ παρὰ τὸ δοκοῦν τῇ πεπρωμένῃ τι γίνεται οὔτε αὐτοί τι ποιεῖν δύνανται, τῇ καθόλου [αὐτῶν] ὑποκεί- μενοι γενέσει. εἰ γένεσις ἔστιν, ἀντίκειται τὸ μὴ πρῶτον ἄρχειν. ὑπο- κεῖσθαι οὐ δύναται ὡς ἀγένητον ἑαυτοῦ πρεσβύτερον μηδὲν ἔχον . Τοιαῦτα πρὸς ἀλλήλους λεγόντων ἡμῶν, πολὺς παρέστη ὄχλος. καὶ τότε ἐγὼ εἰς τὸν ὄχλον ἀποβλέπων ἔφην· Ἐγὼ καὶ τὸ ἐμὸν φῦλον ἐκ προγόνων θεὸν σέβειν παρειληφὼς καὶ παράγγελμα ἔχων γενέσει μὴ προσανέχειν (λέγω δὴ τῷ τῆς ἀστρολογίας μαθήματι), διὰ τοῦτο οὐ προσέσχον. ὅθεν ἀστρολογίας μὲν οὔκ εἰμι ἔμπειρος, ὧν δέ εἰμι, ὑφη- γήσομαι. ἐπειδὴ γένεσιν ἀπὸ αὐτῆς τῆς κατὰ τὴν γένεσιν ἐπιστήμης ἀνασκευάζειν οὐ δύναμαι, βούλομαι ἄλλῳ τρόπῳ ἀποδεῖξαι ὅτι κατὰ πρόνοιαν διοικεῖται τὰ πράγματα καὶ ἕκαστος πρὸς ἃ πράττει τιμῆς ἢ κολάσεως τεύξεται, εἴτε νῦν εἴτε αὖθις, οὐθέν μοι διαφέρει, πλὴν ὅτι πάντως ἀπολαύσει ἕκαστος ὧν ἔπραξεν. ἡ δὲ ἀπόδειξις τοῦ μὴ εἶναι γένεσίν ἐστιν αὕτη. τῶν παρεστώτων εἴ τις ὀφθαλμῶν ἐστέρηται ἢ κυλλὴν τὴν χεῖρα ἔχει ἢ χωλὸν τὸν πόδα ἢ ἕτερόν τι περὶ σῶμα, ὃ ὑπο- στροφὴν πρὸς ἴασιν πάλιν οὐκ ἔχει καὶ παντὸς ἰατικοῦ ἐπαγγέλματος ἐκτός ἐστιν, ὃν οὐδὲ ἀστρολόγοι ἰᾶσθαι ἐπαγγέλλονται, ὅτι μὴ ἀπὸ τοῦ μακροῦ αἰῶνος τοιοῦτόν τι γέγονεν, ἐγὼ δὲ θεοῦ δεηθεὶς τὴν ἴασιν παράσχω, ὁπότε ἐκ γενέσεως κατόρθωσιν τὸ τοιοῦτο οὐδέποτε λαβεῖν ἠδυνήθη-τούτου οὕτως γενομένου οὐχ ἁμαρτάνουσιν οἱ τὸν πάντα δη- μιουργήσαντα θεὸν βλασφημοῦντες; καὶ ὁ γέρων ἀπεκρίνατο· Βλασφημεῖν γάρ ἐστιν τὸ λέγειν γενέσει ὑποκεῖσθαι τὰ πάντα; κἀγὼ ἀπεκρινάμην· Καὶ πάνυ· εἰ γὰρ πᾶσαι αἱ τῶν ἀνθρώπων ἁμαρτίαι καὶ ἀσέβειαι καὶ ἀσέλγειαι ἐξ ἀστέρων γίνονται, οἱ δὲ ἀστέρες ταῦτα ποιεῖν ὑπὸ θεοῦ ἐτάγησαν, ἵνα πάντων χαλεπῶν ἀποτελεστικοὶ γένωνται, αἱ πάντων ἁμαρ- τίαι εἰς αὐτὸν ἀναφέρονται, τὸν τὴν γένεσιν θέντα ἐν τοῖς ἄστροις. καὶ ὁ γέρων ἀπεκρίνατο· Ἀληθῶς μεγάλως ἔφης, ἀλλὰ πάσῃ σου τῇ ἀπαρα- βλήτῳ ἀποδείξει ἡ ἐμὴ ἐμποδίζει συνείδησις. ἐγὼ γὰρ ἀστρολόγος ὢν καὶ Ῥώμην πρῶτον οἰκήσας φιλωθείς τινι πρὸς γένους ὄντι Καίσαρος, αὐτοῦ τε καὶ τῆς συμβίου τὴν γένεσιν ἠπιστάμην καὶ ἱστορήσας ἀκολού- θως τῇ γενέσει αὐτῶν τὰς πράξεις ἀποτελεσθείσας ἔργῳ σοὶ λόγῳ πεί- θεσθαι οὐ δύναμαι. ἦν γὰρ τῆς γενέσεως αὐτῆς τὸ διάθεμα ποιοῦν μοι- χάδας, ἰδίων δούλων ἐρώσας καὶ ἐπὶ ξένης ἐν ὕδασιν θνῃσκούσας. ὃ καὶ οὕτω γέγονεν. ἐρασθεῖσα γὰρ τοῦ ἰδίου δούλου καὶ μὴ φέρουσα τὸν ψόγον, φυγοῦσα σὺν αὐτῷ, ἐν ἀλλοδαπῇ ὁρμήσασα καὶ κοινωνήσασα αὐτῷ θα-