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Or rather, if one must speak with a free voice, it was necessary to consider all of these to have been the originators of evils, since indeed, hearing them speak about themselves of adulteries and pederasty, and marriages with mothers and unlawful unions of siblings, and countless other battles against the gods, and enmities and wars of gods against gods and men, in songs and hymns and narratives of mysteries in secret rites, not one of them, at least, ever appears to have been indignant at the things said, as if it were fitting for licentious and not even sober-minded men to think or say such things. 5.Prooem.18 And why must I elaborate, when it is possible from one very great example to perceive the cruel and inhuman and truly abominable nature of the things being shown? I speak of human sacrifice. 5.Prooem.19 For to rejoice not only in the slaughter of irrational animals, but also in the destruction of men, what excess of cruelty has it not surpassed? For these were the things, as I said, testified to throughout the Preparation from the Greek philosophers and writers themselves, from which sources especially, being wicked demons, by intricate devices, sometimes through oracles, sometimes through omens or portents or sacrifices or similar things, they are shown to be perverting the human race. 5.Prooem. Therefore it must be shown that their oracles are not from the God who is over all. Therefore it would not be lawful to compare them to the prophets of the Hebrews, of whom the first hierophant and theologian was Moses; see how many good things for life he became the cause of; first, he published a sacred writing of evangelic and true doctrines concerning God the maker and creator of all things, and concerning the second cause and the rational and intelligent beings after him, and concerning the origin of the world and the origin of man, and further, by sketching the histories of the pious, God-beloved Hebrews of old as certain images of virtues, he stirred up his subjects to zeal for good men, and he began words of light of an inspired legislation, suitable for those who then used it, and he has appeared as an introducer of pious worship, and in addition to all this, he has proclaimed the prophecies of things destined to happen long ages after, as will be mentioned a little later. 5.Prooem.21 And such a man was he. And in the same way the prophets after him, as a secondary matter, if any of the things of daily life were sought, foretold this also to those who asked, but the main point of their prophecy was accomplished in great matters. 5.Prooem.22 For they were not deemed worthy of divine inspiration for the divination of daily affairs and things sought for the present moment, nor indeed for small and humble matters, but the illumination of the divine spirit in them, embracing a very great subject, concerned the whole race of men, not promising prophecy about a man whose body is sick, nor about this temporary and much-suffering life, nor about something lost, nor otherwise about certain intermediate and indifferent things, which neither when present contribute to the betterment of the soul, nor when absent cause loss or harm; but there were times, as I said, when they foretold these things also, not however as the primary purpose, but as a consequence of their comprehension of greater things; but the original causes of their divine possession in prophesying contained a greater subject than the things mentioned. 5.Prooem.23 But if anyone should investigate accurately the whole scope of the writing of Moses and of those after him, he would find it contains an exhortation and teaching of piety towards the God of the universe, the creator himself of all things, and the highest knowledge and theology of the second cause, and an aversion from all polytheistic error, then a remembrance of the God-beloved men of old, who were indeed the first-fruits of the aforesaid piety, and prophecies and proclamations ... of things which, according to their way of life, were destined to be experienced in later times through the epiphany and presence of God among men, of the second Lord and God himself after the most high Father, and who is himself proclaimed as the teacher of

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μᾶλλον δ', εἰ χρὴ φάναι ἐλευθέρᾳ φωνῇ, τούτους ἅπαντας ἀρχεκάκους ἡγεῖσθαι χρῆν γεγονέναι, εἰ δὴ περὶ σφῶν αὐτῶν μοιχείας καὶ ἀρρενομιξίας, μητρογαμίας τε καὶ ἀδελφῶν ἐκθέσμους κοινωνίας, καὶ μυρίας ἄλλας θεομαχίας ἔχθρας τε καὶ πολέμους θεῶν πρὸς θεοὺς ἀνθρώπων τε ᾠδαῖς καὶ ὕμνοις καὶ διηγήμασιν μυστηρίων τε ἐν ἀπορρήτοις τελεταῖς λεγόντων ἀκροώμενοι, οὐδεὶς γοῦν αὐτῶν πώποτε ἐπὶ τοῖς εἰρημένοις, ὡς ἐπ' ἀκολάστοις καὶ μηδὲ σώφροσιν ἀνθρώποις ἁρμόζουσι φρονεῖν ἢ λέγειν τὰ τοιαῦτα, ἀγανακτήσας φαίνεται. 5.Prooem.18 καὶ τί με χρὴ διατείνεσθαι, παρὸν ἐξ ἑνὸς τοῦ μεγίστου παραδείγματος τὸ ὠμὸν καὶ ἀπάνθρωπον καὶ ὡς ἀληθῶς μιαρὸν τῶν δηλουμένων συνορᾶν; λέγω δ' ἐκ τῆς ἀνθρωποθυσίας. 5.Prooem.19 τὸ γὰρ μὴ μόνον ἀλόγων ζῴων σφαγαῖς χαίρειν, ἀλλὰ καὶ ἀνθρώπων ἀπωλείαις, ποίας ὠμότητος ὑπερβολὴν οὐχ ὑπερηκόντισεν; ταῦτα γὰρ ἦν, ὡς ἔφην, τὰ διὰ τῆς Προπαρασκευῆς ἐξ αὐτῶν τῶν Ἑλληνικῶν φιλοσόφων τε καὶ συγγραφέων μεμαρτυρημένα, ἐξ ὧν καὶ μάλιστα, δαίμονες ὄντες πονηροί, πολυπλόκοις μηχαναῖς, τοτὲ μὲν ταῖς διὰ μαντειῶν τοτὲ δὲ ταῖς δι' οἰωνῶν ἢ συμβόλων ἢ θυμάτων ἢ τῶν παραπλησίων, τὸ ἀνθρώπειον διαστρέφοντες γένος δείκνυνται. 5.Prooem. διόπερ ἀποφαντέον αὐτῶν τὰ χρηστήρια μὴ τοῦ ἐπὶ πάντων γεγονέναι θεοῦ. Οὐκοῦν οὐδὲ συγκρίνειν αὐτὰ τοῖς Ἑβραίων προφήταις θεμιτὸν ἂν εἴη, ὧν ὁ πρῶτος ἱεροφάντης καὶ θεολόγος γέγονεν Μωσῆς· θέα ὅσων ἀγαθῶν τῷ βίῳ παραίτιος κατέστη· πρῶτον μὲν δογμάτων εὐαγγελικῶν καὶ ἀληθῶν περὶ τοῦ ποιητοῦ καὶ δημιουργοῦ τῶν ἁπάντων θεοῦ, περί τε τοῦ δευτέρου αἰτίου τῶν τε μετ' αὐτὸν λογικῶν καὶ νοερῶν οὐσιῶν περί τε κοσμογονίας καὶ ἀνθρωπογονίας γραφὴν ἱερὰν ἐξέδωκεν, ἔτι τε τῶν θεοσεβῶν ἱστορίας τῶν πάλαι θεοφιλῶν Ἑβραίων ὥσπερ τινὰς ἀρετῶν εἰκόνας ὑποτυπωσάμενος εἰς ζῆλον τῶν ἀγαθῶν ἀνδρῶν τοὺς ὑπηκόους ἀνεκίνησεν, καὶ νομοθεσίας ἐνθέου καὶ καταλλήλου τοῖς τότε χρωμένοις φωτὸς ἀπήρξατο λόγων, καὶ θρησκείας θεοσεβοῦς πέφηνεν εἰσαγωγεύς, καὶ ἐπὶ πᾶσιν τῶν μακροῖς ὕστερον χρόνοις ἔσεσθαι μελλόντων τὰς προρρήσεις ἀναπεφώνηκεν, ὡς μικρὸν ὕστερον μνημονευθήσεται. 5.Prooem.21 Καὶ τοιοῦτος μὲν οὗτος. κατὰ τὰ αὐτὰ δὲ καὶ οἱ μετ' αὐτὸν προφῆται πάρεργον μέν, εἴ πού τι τῶν ἐφημέρων ἐζητεῖτο, καὶ τοῦτο προύλεγον τοῖς ἐρωτῶσιν, τὸ δὲ κεφάλαιον τῆς προφητείας αὐτοῖς ἐπὶ μεγάλοις συνετελεῖτο. 5.Prooem.22 οὐ γὰρ ἐπὶ μαντείᾳ τῶν ἐφημέρων καὶ πρὸς τὸν παρόντα καιρὸν ἐπιζητουμένων οὐδέ γε σμικρῶν καὶ ταπεινῶν τὰ τῆς θεοφορίας ἠξιοῦντο, ἀλλ' ἐπὶ τοῦ παντὸς ἀνθρώπων γένους ἡ τοῦ θείου πνεύματος ἐν αὐτοῖς ἔλλαμψις μεγίστην ὑπόθεσιν περιέχουσα, οὐ περὶ νοσοῦντος ἀνθρώπου τὸ σῶμα οὐδὲ περὶ τῆς προσκαίρου καὶ πολυπαθοῦς ταύτης ζωῆς τὴν πρόρρησιν ἐπαγγελλομένη, οὐδὲ περί τινος ἀπολωλότος οὐδὲ ἄλλως περί τινων μέσων καὶ ἀδιαφόρων, ἃ οὔτε παρόντα ψυχῆς βελτιώσει συμβάλλεται οὔτε μὴ παρόντα ζημίαν ἢ βλάβην περιποιεῖ· ἀλλ' ἦν μέν, ὡς ἔφην, ὅτε καὶ ταῦτα προύλεγον, οὐ κατὰ τὸν προηγούμενον δὲ λόγον, ἀλλὰ κατὰ ἀκολουθίαν τῆς τῶν κρειττόνων καταλήψεως· τὰ δέ γε πρωτοτύπως αἴτια τῆς ἐν τῷ προφητεύειν αὐτοὺς θεοληψίας μείζονα τὴν ὑπόθεσιν ἢ κατὰ τὰ εἰρημένα περιεῖχεν. 5.Prooem.23 εἰ δ' οὖν τις τὴν πᾶσαν περιοχὴν τῆς Μωσέως γραφῆς καὶ τῶν μετ' αὐτὸν ἀκριβῶς διερευνήσειεν, εὕροι ἂν προτροπὴν καὶ διδασκαλίαν εὐσεβείας τῆς εἰς τὸν τῶν ὅλων θεὸν αὐτὸν δὴ τὸν δημιουργὸν ἁπάντων περιέχουσαν, γνῶσίν τε καὶ θεολογίαν τὴν ἀνωτάτω τοῦ δευτέρου αἰτίου, πάσης δὲ πολυθέου πλάνης ἀποτροπήν, εἶτα τῶν πάλαι θεοφιλῶν ἀνδρῶν, τῶν δὴ καὶ ἀπαρξαμένων τῆς εἰρημένης εὐσεβείας, μνήμην, προρρήσεις τε καὶ ἀναφωνήσεις ... κατὰ τὸν ἐκείνων βίον ὑστέροις ποτὲ χρόνοις μελλόντων βιώσεσθαι δι' ἐπιφανείας καὶ παρουσίας εἰς ἀνθρώπους θεοῦ, αὐτοῦ δὴ τοῦ δευτέρου κυρίου καὶ θεοῦ μετὰ τὸν ἀνωτάτω πατέρα καὶ αὐτοῦ χρηματίζοντος διδασκάλου τῆς