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being alien to divine power, the argument concerning the celebrated oracles will fall still further.

6.pin.t 6. THESE THINGS THE SIXTH BOOK OF THE EVANGELICAL PREPARATION CONTAINS 6.pin.1

1. That even what the demons seem to divine in the oracles, they conjecture from the motion of the stars, in the same way as men. 2. That they also do away with that which is in our power, asserting that our choices also are moved by fate. 3. That they were not able even to protect their own dedicated offerings when struck by lightning. 4. That they say the decrees of fate are dissolved by magic. 5. That they also lie when they prophesy. 6. A refutation of the argument concerning fate. 7. How their own philosophers also refuted the opinions of their gods concerning fate with more correct reasonings. From the works of Oenomaus. 8. Still on the same subject, from the works of Diogenianus. 9. Still on the same subject, from the works of Alexander. 10. How the argument concerning fate is refuted also from astrological theory. From the works of Bardesanes. 11. How also from the exegesis and testimony of the divine scriptures. From the works of Origen. 6. Since the manner of the oracles has been sufficiently refuted by us through what has been previously accomplished, and since the divine virtue and power of our Savior has been shown, through His evangelical teaching, to be at once godlike and beneficial to life, because, indeed, through it alone and through no other was freedom from the demonic phantoms which from of old have darkened and ravaged all life granted to all men, come now, let us also from their false opinions concerning fate direct our argument against them, so that not only on account of the wickedness of their manner, but also on account of what is neither rightly nor truly believed by them, the demons who are thought to move the oracles might be shown to be worthless and powerless. 6.pref.2 Consider, then, whether the argument concerning them, being alien to divine power, will not fall before you also, both from the refutations concerning fate which I shall adduce, and from the very manner in which they are said to make their divinations. 6.pref.3 For they do not say that they have received foreknowledge of the future by any superior power, but that from observation of the motion of the stars they conjecture future events in the same way as men. Thus they say that they are able to do nothing, neither to help nor to effect anything at all, except what is determined by fate. The proof of these things is that very advocate of the demons himself, in the work which he entitled "On the Philosophy derived from Oracles," speaking thus word for word: 6.1.1 1. THAT EVEN WHAT THEY SEEM TO DIVINE FROM THE MOTION OF THE STARS

THEY CONJECTURE IN THE SAME WAY AS MEN "For what the gods say, if indeed they speak knowing what is fated, they declare from the motion of the stars, and this almost all the veracious among the gods have revealed." 6.1.2 Then, continuing in order, he says: "Apollo, being asked what a certain woman would bring forth, said from the stars that it would be female, having ascertained it from the time of conception. He speaks thus: A shoot grows from the earth of the ways, where slugs of the rain in their thirst snatched all the drink of its mother, being stirred within for a sufficient time, not a boy, but a girl; for keen-sighted Phoebe ploughed pure Cypris, urging on a female offspring, O my friend, of yours. 6.1.3 See, even from the time of conception, because the moon was in aspect with Venus, he said that a female would be born. And indeed, they also foretell diseases from there. Listen, for: Truly a bad poison overcomes him in his breast, overflowing from the painful lung

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θείας ἀλλότριος ὢν δυνάμεως ἔτι μᾶλλον ὁ περὶ τῶν θρυλουμένων χρηστηρίων ὑποπεσεῖται λόγος.

6.pin.t ʹ ΤΑ∆Ε ΤΟ ΕΚΤΟΝ ΠΕΡΙΕΧΕΙ ΣΥΓΓΡΑΜΜΑ ΤΗΣ ΕΥΑΓΓΕΛΙΚΗΣ ΠΡΟΠΑΡΑΣΚΕΥΗΣ 6.pin.1

αʹ. Ὅτι καὶ ἃ δοκοῦσιν οἱ δαίμονες ἐν τοῖς χρηστηρίοις μαντεύεσθαι, ἀπὸ τῆς τῶν ἄστρων φορᾶς ὁμοίως ἀνθρώποις καταστοχάζονται βʹ. Ὅτι καὶ τὸ ἐφ' ἡμῖν ἀναιροῦσιν, ἐξ εἱμαρμένης φάσκοντες καὶ τὰς προαιρέσεις κινεῖσθαι γʹ. Ὅτι οὐδὲ τοῖς αὐτῶν ἀφιερώμασι κεραυνουμένοις ἐπαρκεῖν ἐδυνήθησαν δʹ. Ὅτι διὰ μαγείας φασὶ τὰ τῆς εἱμαρμένης λύεσθαι εʹ. Ὅτι καὶ ψεύδονται μαντευόμενοι ʹ. Ἀνασκευὴ τοῦ περὶ εἱμαρμένης λόγου ζʹ. Ὅπως καὶ αὐτῶν οἱ φιλόσοφοι τὰς τῶν θεῶν αὐτῶν περὶ εἱμαρμένης δόξας ὀρθοτέροις ἀπήλεγξαν λογισμοῖς. Ἀπὸ τῶν Οἰνομάου ηʹ. Ἔτι περὶ τοῦ αὐτοῦ, ἀπὸ τῶν ∆ιογενειανοῦ θʹ. Ἔτι περὶ τοῦ αὐτοῦ, ἀπὸ τῶν Ἀλεξάνδρου ιʹ. Ὡς καὶ ἀπὸ τῆς μαθηματικῆς θεωρίας ὁ περὶ εἱμαρμένης ἐλέγχεται λόγος. Ἐκ τῶν Βαρδησάνου ιαʹ. Ὡς καὶ ἀπὸ τῆς τῶν θείων γραφῶν ἐξηγήσεώς τε καὶ μαρτυρίας. Ἐκ τῶν Ὠριγένους ʹ Τοῦ περὶ τῶν χρηστηρίων τρόπου διὰ τῶν προδιηνυσμένων αὐτάρκως ἡμῖν ἀπεληλεγμένου καὶ τῆς θείας ἀρετῆς καὶ δυνάμεως τοῦ σωτῆρος ἡμῶν διὰ τῆς εὐαγγελικῆς αὐτοῦ διδασκαλίας τὸ θεοπρεπὲς ἅμα καὶ βιωφελὲς ἐπιδεδειγμένης, ὅτι δὴ διὰ μόνης αὐτῆς καὶ οὐ δι' ἄλλης τῶν ἐξ αἰῶνος τὸν πάντα βίον ἐπισκοτησάντων τε καὶ λυμηναμένων δαιμονικῶν φασμάτων ἐλευθερία πᾶσιν ὑπῆρξεν ἀνθρώποις, φέρε καὶ ἀπὸ τῶν περὶ εἱμαρμένης ψευδοδοξουμένων αὐτοῖς τὸν περὶ τῶν αὐτῶν ἀπευθύνωμεν λόγον, ὡς ἂν μὴ διὰ μόνης τῆς τοῦ τρόπου μοχθηρίας, ἀλλὰ καὶ διὰ τῶν οὐκ ὀρθῶς οὐδὲ ἀληθῶς αὐτοῖς δοξαζομένων φαῦλοι καὶ ἀδρανεῖς ὄντες οἱ τὰ χρηστήρια κινεῖν νενομισμένοι 6.pref.2 δαίμονες ἀποδειχθεῖεν. σκέψαι δ' οὖν εἰ μὴ καὶ σοὶ θείας ἀλλότριος ὢν δυνάμεως ὁ περὶ αὐτῶν ὑποπεσεῖται λόγος ἔκ τε ὧν παραθήσομαι ἀνατρεπτικῶν τοῦ περὶ εἱμαρμένης καὶ αὐτόθεν ἐκ τοῦ τρόπου, καθ' ὃν τὰς μαν6.pref.3 τείας ποιεῖσθαι λέγονται. οὐ γὰρ δὴ δυνάμει κρείττονι τὴν τῶν μελλόντων γνῶσιν προειληφέναι φασὶν αὐτούς, ἐκ θεωρίας δὲ τῆς τῶν ἄστρων κινήσεως ὁμοίως ἀνθρώποις τὰ μέλλοντα καταστοχάζεσθαι. οὕτως οὐδὲν δύνασθαι οὔτ' ὠφελεῖν οὔτε τι τὸ παράπαν ἐνεργεῖν αὐτούς, εἰ μὴ τὰ καθειμαρμένα, φασί. τούτων δὲ ἔλεγχος αὐτὸς ἐκεῖνος ὁ τῶν δαιμόνων προήγορος ἐν οἷς ἐπέγραψε «Περὶ τῆς ἐκ λογίων φιλοσοφίας» ὧδε λέγων πρὸς λέξιν· 6.1.1 αʹ. ΟΤΙ ΚΑΙ Α ∆ΟΚΟΥΣΙ ΜΑΝΤΕΥΕΣΘΑΙ ΑΠΟ ΤΗΣ ΤΩΝ ΑΣΤΡΩΝ ΦΟΡΑΣ

ΟΜΟΙΩΣ ΑΝΘΡΩΠΟΙΣ ΚΑΤΑΣΤΟΧΑΖΟΝΤΑΙ «Ἃ γὰρ λέγουσιν οἱ θεοί, εἴπερ τὰ μεμοιραμένα γινώσκοντες λέγουσιν, ἀπὸ τῆς τῶν ἄστρων φορᾶς δηλοῦσιν, καὶ τοῦτο σχεδὸν πάντες ἐξέφηναν οἱ ἀψευδεῖς τῶν θεῶν.» 6.1.2 Εἶθ' ἑξῆς ὑποβάς φησιν· «Ἐρωτηθεὶς ὁ Ἀπόλλων τί τέξεται ἡ γυνή, ἐκ τῶν ἄστρων εἶπεν ὅτι θῆλυ, ἐκ τοῦ σπορίμου ἐπιγνοὺς χρόνου. λέγει δὲ οὕτως· ἐκφύεται γαίηθεν ὁδῶν, ὅθι λείμακες ὄμβρου διψοσύνῃ κατέμαρψαν ὅλον πόμα μητέρος αὐτῆς, ἔνδον ὀρινομένης χρόνον ἄρκιον, οὔ τι δὲ κοῦρον, ἀλλὰ κόρην· Φοίβη γὰρ ἐΰσκοπος ἤροσεν ἁγνὴν Κύπριν, ἐπειγομένην θῆλυν γόνον, ὦ φίλε, σεῖο. 6.1.3 ἰδοὺ καὶ ἀπὸ τοῦ σπορίμου, ὅτι σελήνη ἐπὶ Ἀφροδίτην ἐφέρετο, εἶπεν ὅτι θῆλυ γεννηθήσεται. καὶ μὴν καὶ τὰς νόσους ἐκεῖθεν προλέγουσιν. ἐπάκουσον γάρ· ἦ μάλα μιν κακὸς ἰὸς ἐνὶ στέρνοισι δαμάζει, πνεύμονος ἀλγινόεσσαν ὑπερβλύζων