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that I may seem to be a judge who loves the truth. But if you wish to hear the truth, I am more prejudiced toward your way of thinking. And Simon: How are you prejudiced, not knowing what I think? And the father: This is easy to know; and how, listen. You undertook to convict Peter, who says there is one God, of lying, and the one who professes to convict of falsehood the one who says there is one God makes it altogether evident that he, speaking the truth, does not say the same thing. For if he says the same thing as the one he is accusing of falsehood, he himself is also lying; but if he proves it by saying the opposite, then he speaks the truth. You therefore call him who says there is one God a liar on no other ground than that you believe there are many gods. And I also say that there are many gods. Therefore, saying the same thing as you before the investigation, I am more prejudiced toward you. And on this account, you ought not to be anxious about me, but Peter should, because I still think the opposite to him, who, after your investigation, I hope, being a judge who loves the truth, having put off my prejudice, will agree with the prevailing argument. When the father said these things, a quiet shout of praise arose from the crowds at the father's having spoken in this way. And yet Peter said: I am ready to do as the mediator of the discussion has said, and now at last, before any delay, I will set forth my opinion concerning God. And I say that there is one God, who has made the heaven and the earth and all things in them. And it is not lawful to speak of or to think of another. And Simon: But I say that the scriptures entrusted to the Jews say there are many gods, and that God is not angry at this, because he himself, through his scriptures, has spoken of many gods. For instance, in the first utterance of the law he appears, even calling them like himself. For it is thus written that the first man, having a commandment from God to eat from every tree in paradise, but not to eat from the tree of knowing good and evil, the serpent, through the woman, on the promise that they would become gods, persuaded them to eat and made them see, and then God, when they saw, said to them: "Behold, Adam has become as one of us." The serpent, then, saying, "You will be as gods," appears to have spoken as if there were gods, especially since God also testified to it, saying, "Behold, Adam has become as one of us." Thus the serpent, who said there were many gods, did not lie. Again, what is written: "You shall not speak evil of the gods, and you shall not speak ill of the rulers of your people," signifies many gods, whom he does not even wish to be spoken evil of. But also elsewhere it is written: "If another god had dared to enter and take for himself a nation from the midst of a nation, as I, the Lord God." By saying, "If another god had dared," he has spoken as if there were others. And at another time: "The gods who <did not make> the heaven and the earth, <let them perish," as> those who have not made them are about to perish. And elsewhere he says: "Take heed to yourself, lest you go and serve other gods, whom your fathers did not know," as if there were other gods, whom he also says they should not follow. And again: "The names of other gods shall not come upon your lips." And here he speaks of many gods, whose names he does not wish to be named. And again it is written: "The Lord your God, he is God of gods." And again: "Who

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ἵνα δόξω φιλαλήθης εἶναι κριτής· εἰ δὲ τἀληθῆ ἀκοῦσαι θέλεις, τῷ σῷ φρονήματι μᾶλλον προείλημμαι. καὶ ὁ Σίμων· Πῶς προείληψαι, οὐκ εἰδὼς ὃ φρονῶ; καὶ ὁ πατήρ· Τοῦτο ῥᾴδιόν ἐστιν εἰδέναι· καὶ πῶς, ἄκουσον. ἐλέγξειν ὑπέσχου Πέτρον ἕνα θεὸν λέγοντα εἶναι ὅτι ψεύδεται, ὁ δὲ ἕνα λέγοντα ψεύσματος ἐλέγξαι ἐπαγγελλόμενος πάντως εὔδηλον ὡς ἐκεῖνος ἀληθεύων τὸ αὐτὸ οὐ λέγει. εἰ γὰρ τῷ καταψευδομένῳ τὸ αὐτὸ λέγει, καὶ αὐτὸς ψεύδεται· εἰ δὲ τὰ ἐναντία λέγων ἀποδείκνυσιν, τότε ἀληθεύει. οὐκ ἄλλως οὖν τὸν ἕνα θεὸν εἶναι λέγοντα ψεύστην λέγεις, εἰ μήτι ἂν ὅτι πολλοὺς δοξάζεις θεούς. θεοὺς δὲ πολλοὺς εἶναι κἀγὼ λέγω. τὸ αὐτὸ οὖν σοι πρὸ τῆς ζητήσεως λέγων σοὶ μᾶλλον προείλημμαι. καὶ κατὰ τοῦτο ἀγωνιᾶν περὶ ἐμοῦ οὐκ ὀφείλεις, ἀλλὰ Πέτρος, ὅτι ἀκμὴν αὐτῷ τὰ ἐναντία φρονῶ, ὅσπερ μετὰ τὴν ὑμετέραν ζήτησιν ἐλπίζω φιλαλήθης ὢν κριτής, πρόληψιν ἀποδυσάμενος, τῷ ἐπικρατοῦντι συνθέσθαι λόγῳ. ταῦτα τοῦ πατρὸς εἰπόντος ἠρέμα βοή τις ἐπαίνου ἐκ τῶν ὄχλων ἐγέ- νετο ἐπὶ τῷ οὕτως τὸν πατέρα διαλεχθῆναι. Καὶ ὁμῶς ὁ Πέτρος ἔφη· Ἐγὼ ὡς ὁ τῶν λόγων μεσίτης εἴρηκεν, ποιεῖν ἕτοιμός εἰμι, καὶ ἤδη ποτὲ πρὸ πάσης ἀναβολῆς τὸ ἐμὸν περὶ θεοῦ ἐκθήσομαι φρόνημα. κἀγὼ ἕνα θεὸν εἶναι λέγω, τὸν πεποιηκότα τὸν οὐρανὸν καὶ τὴν γῆν καὶ τὰ ἐν αὐτοῖς πάντα. ἄλλον δὲ οὔτε λέγειν οὔτε νομίζειν ἔξεστιν. καὶ ὁ Σίμων· Ἐγὼ δέ φημι τὰς πεπιστευμένας γραφὰς παρὰ Ἰουδαίοις πολλοὺς λέγειν θεούς, καὶ μὴ χαλεπαίνειν ἐπὶ τούτῳ τὸν θεὸν τῷ αὐτὸν διὰ τῶν γραφῶν αὐτοῦ πολλοὺς θεοὺς εἰρηκέναι. αὐτίκα γοῦν ἐν τῇ πρώτῃ φωνῇ τοῦ νόμου φαίνεται καὶ ἑαυτῷ αὐτοὺς ὁμοίους λέγων. οὕτως γὰρ γέγραπται ὡς ὅτι τῷ πρώτῳ ἀνθρώπῳ ἐντολὴν ἔχοντι παρὰ τοῦ θεοῦ ἀπὸ παντὸς ξύλου τοῦ ἐν τῷ παραδείσῳ φαγεῖν, ἀπὸ δὲ τοῦ ξύ- λου τοῦ γινώσκειν καλὸν καὶ πονηρὸν μὴ φαγεῖν, ὁ ὄφις διὰ τῆς γυναικὸς ἐπὶ ὑποσχέσει τοῦ γενέσθαι αὐτοὺς θεοὺς φαγεῖν αὐτοὺς πείσας ἀναβλέψαι ἐποίησεν καὶ εἶθ' οὕτως ὁ θεὸς ἀναβλέψασιν αὐτοῖς ἔφη· «Ἰδοὺ γέγονεν Ἀδὰμ ὡς εἷς ἐξ ἡμῶν». ὁ μὲν οὖν ὄφις εἰπών· «Ἔσεσθε ὡς θεοί» ὡς ὄν- των θεῶν εἰρηκὼς φαίνεται ταύτῃ μᾶλλον ᾗ καὶ θεὸς ἐπεμαρτύρησεν εἰπών· «Ἰδοὺ γέγονεν Ἀδὰμ ὡς εἷς ἐξ ἡμῶν». οὕτως ὁ τοὺς πολλοὺς εἰπὼν ὄφις εἶναι θεοὺς οὐκ ἐψεύσατο. πάλιν τὸ γεγράφθαι· «Θεοὺς οὐ κακολογή- σεις καὶ ἄρχοντας τοῦ λαοῦ σου οὐ κακῶς ἐρεῖς» πολλοὺς σημαίνει θε- ούς, οὓς οὐδὲ κακολογεῖσθαι θέλει. ἀλλὰ καὶ ἄλλοθί που γέγραπται· «Eἰ ἐτόλμησεν θεὸς ἕτερος εἰσελθεῖν καὶ λαβεῖν ἑαυτῷ ἔθνος ἐκ μέσου ἔθνους ὡς ἐγὼ κύριος ὁ θεός». τῷ εἰπεῖν· «Eἰ ἐτόλμησεν θεὸς ἕτερος» ὡς ὄντων ἑτέρων εἴρηκεν. καὶ ἄλλοτε· «Θεοὶ οἳ τὸν οὐρανὸν καὶ τὴν γῆν <οὐκ ἐποίησαν, ἀπολέσθωσαν» ὡς τῶν> μὴ πεποιηκότων ἀπόλλυσθαι μελλόντων. καὶ ἄλλῃ που λέγει· «Ἔπεχε σεαυτῷ, μὴ πορευθεὶς λα- τρεύσῃς θεοῖς ἑτέροις, οἷς οὐκ ᾔδεισαν οἱ πατέρες σου», ὡς ὄντων θεῶν ἑτέρων, οἷς καὶ μὴ ἐξακολουθεῖν αὐτοὺς λέγει. καὶ πάλιν· «Ὀνό- ματα θεῶν ἑτέρων οὐκ ἀναβήσεται ἐπὶ τῶν χειλέων σου». καὶ ἐνταῦθα πολλοὺς θεοὺς λέγει, ὧν τὰ ὀνόματα ὀνομάζεσθαι οὐ θέλει. καὶ πάλιν γέγραπται· «Κύριος ὁ θεός σου, οὗτος θεὸς τῶν θεῶν». καὶ πάλιν· «Τίς