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12.13.1 13. CONCERNING THE FIRST LIFE OF MEN

Since Moses described the first life of the earth-born as having been in a paradise of God, and that God was their ruler in a way of life without money and possessions, and that all things grew for them unsown and unploughed, and that they were naked of the clothing that came later, hear the philosopher all but interpreting these very same things in the Greek language. For he says: 12.13.2 “God himself was their shepherd, watching over them, just as men now, being a different and more divine kind of animal, herd other kinds inferior to themselves. And while he was their shepherd, there were no governments, nor possessions of wives and children; for all came to life again from the earth, remembering nothing of what had been before. But all such things were absent, and they had abundant fruits from trees and many other plants, not produced by agriculture, but which the earth gave forth of its own accord. And they lived for the most part naked and without beds, in the open air. For the climate of their seasons was tempered so as to cause them no pain, and they had soft beds of abundant grass growing up from the earth. This is the life, O Socrates, that you hear was in the age of Cronus; but the present life, which is said to be in the age of Zeus, you have experienced yourself by being here.”

12.14.1 14. THAT THEY ALSO CONVERSED WITH THE IRRATIONAL ANIMALS

Again, since Moses recorded that “the serpent was more subtle than all the beasts” and set forth what the serpent said to the woman and the woman to the serpent, and related the conversations of the serpent, hear what Plato writes: 12.14.2 “If, then, the nurslings of Cronus, having so much leisure and the power to converse through speech not only with men but also with beasts, used all these opportunities for philosophy, conversing both with beasts and with one another, and inquiring of every nature if any, possessing a particular power, had perceived anything different from the others for the gathering of wisdom, it is easy to judge that the men of that time were ten thousand times better off than those of today with respect to happiness. 12.14.3 But if, filling themselves to satiety with food and drink, they told one another and the beasts such stories as are now told about them, this also, to declare my opinion so, is very easy to judge. However, let us dismiss these things, until some competent informant appears to tell us in what way those of that time had their desires concerning knowledge and the use of words.”

12.15.1 15. HOW THEY MAKE MENTION OF THE FLOOD

Moses, in establishing legislation for men, thought it necessary for himself in his prefaces of ancient history to make mention both of the flood and of the life of men after it, then he relates the manner of life of ancient men among the Hebrews who were dear to God and of those others who were tried in transgressions, considering that the history concerning these things would be suitable for his legislation. 12.15.2 And Plato likewise, proceeding to the writing of the Laws, emulates the same manner as Moses; at any rate in the prefaces of the Laws he makes use of his ancient history, making mention of a flood and of the life after the flood; at any rate at the beginning of the third of the Laws hear what he says: “Do the ancient stories then seem to you to have some truth?” “Which ones?” “That many destructions of mankind have occurred by floods and diseases

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12.13.1 ιγʹ. ΠΕΡΙ ΤΟΥ ΠΡΩΤΟΥ ΤΩΝ ΑΝΘΡΩΠΩΝ ΒΙΟΥ

Μωσέως τὸν πρῶτον τῶν γηγενῶν βίον ὑπογράψαντος ἐν παραδείσῳ θεοῦ γεγονέναι θεόν τε αὐτῶν ἡγεῖσθαι ἐν ἀχρημάτῳ καὶ ἀκτήμονι διαγωγῇ ἄσπαρτά τε αὐτοῖς καὶ ἀνήροτα πάντα φύεσθαι γυμνούς τε εἶναι τῆς μετὰ ταῦτα περιβολῆς, ἐπάκουσον τοῦ φιλοσόφου μονονουχὶ αὐτὰ δὴ ταῦτα Ἑλληνικῇ τῇ φωνῇ διερμηνεύοντος. λέγει δ' οὖν· 12.13.2 «Θεὸς ἔνεμεν αὐτοὺς αὐτὸς ἐπιστατῶν, καθάπερ νῦν ἄνθρωποι, ζῷον ἕτερον θειότερον, ἄλλα γένη φαυλότερα αὐτῶν νομεύουσι. νέμοντος δ' ἐκείνου πολιτεῖαί τε οὐκ ἦσαν οὐδὲ κτήσεις γυναικῶν καὶ παίδων ἐκ γῆς γὰρ ἀνεβιώσκοντο πάντες, οὐδὲν μεμνημένοι τῶν πρόσθεν, ἀλλὰ τὰ μὲν τοιαῦτα ἀπῆν πάντα, καρποὺς δὲ ἀφθόνους εἶχον ἀπό τε δένδρων καὶ πολλῆς ὕλης, οὐχ ὑπὸ γεωργίας φυομένους, ἀλλ' αὐτομάτης ἀναδιδούσης τῆς γῆς. γυμνοὶ δὲ καὶ ἄστρωτοι θυραυλοῦντες τὰ πολλὰ ἐνέμοντο. τὸ γὰρ τῶν ὡρῶν αὐτοῖς ἄλυπον ἐκέκρατο, μαλακὰς δὲ εὐνὰς εἶχον, ἀναφυομένης ἐκ γῆς πόας ἀφθόνου. τὸν δὴ βίον, ὦ Σώκρατες, ἀκούεις μὲν τὸν τῶν ἐπὶ Κρόνου· τόνδε δ', ὡς λόγος ἐπὶ ∆ιὸς εἶναι, τὸν νῦν, παρὼν αὐτὸς ᾔσθησαι.»

12.14.1 ιδʹ. ΟΤΙ ΚΑΙ ΤΟΙΣ ΑΛΟΓΟΙΣ ΖΩΙΟΙΣ ΩΜΙΛΟΥΝ Πάλιν Μωσέως ἀναγράψαντος ὡς ὅτι «ἦν ὁ ὄφις φρονιμώτερος πάντων τῶν θηρίων» οἷά τε εἶπεν ὁ ὄφις τῇ γυναικὶ καὶ ἡ γυνὴ τῷ ὄφει καὶ τὰς ὁμιλίας τοῦ ὄφεως ἐκθεμένου, ὁ Πλάτων οἷα γράφει ἐπάκουσον· 12.14.2 «Εἰ μὲν τοίνυν οἱ τρόφιμοι τοῦ Κρόνου, παρούσης αὐτοῖς οὕτω πολλῆς σχολῆς καὶ δυνάμεως πρὸς τὸ μὴ μόνον ἀνθρώποις, ἀλλὰ καὶ θηρίοις διὰ λόγων δύνασθαι ξυγγίνεσθαι, κατεχρῶντο τούτοις σύμπασιν ἐπὶ φιλοσοφίαν, μετά τε θηρίων καὶ μετ' ἀλλήλων ὁμιλοῦντες καὶ πυνθανόμενοι παρὰ πάσης φύσεως εἴ τινά τις ἰδίαν δύναμιν ἔχουσα ᾔσθητό τι διάφορον τῶν ἄλλων εἰς ξυναγυρμὸν φρονήσεως, εὔκριτον ὅτι τῶν νῦν οἱ τότε μυρίως πρὸς εὐδαιμο12.14.3 νίαν διέφερον. εἰ δ' ἐμπιπλάμενοι σίτων ἄδην καὶ πότων διελέγοντο πρὸς ἀλλήλους καὶ τὰ θηρία μύθους, οἷοι δὴ καὶ τὰ νῦν περὶ αὐτῶν λέγονται, καὶ τοῦθ', οὕτως γε κατ' ἐμὴν δόξαν ἀποφήνασθαι, καὶ μάλα εὔκριτον. ὅμως δ' οὖν ταῦτα μὲν ἀφῶμεν, ἕως ἂν ἡμῖν μηνυτής τις ἱκανὸς φανῇ, ποτέρως οἱ τότε τὰς ἐπιθυμίας εἶχον περί τε ἐπιστημῶν καὶ τῆς τῶν λόγων χρείας.»

12.15.1 ιεʹ. ΟΠΩΣ ΠΕΡΙ ΤΟΥ ΚΑΤΑΚΛΥΣΜΟΥ ΜΕΜΝΗΝΤΑΙ Μωσῆς νομοθεσίαν ἀνθρώποις καταβεβλημένος ἐνόμισεν αὑτῷ δεῖν ἀρχαιολογίας ἐν τοῖς προοιμίοις μνημονεύει τε τοῦ κατακλυσμοῦ καὶ τοῦ μετ' αὐτὸν βίου τῶν ἀνθρώπων, ἔπειτα παλαιῶν ἀνδρῶν τῶν παρ' Ἑβραίοις θεοφιλῶν καὶ τῶν δὲ ἄλλως ἐν πλημμελείαις ἐξητασμένων τὴν πολιτείαν ὑφηγεῖται, κατάλληλον οἷς ἐνομοθέτει τὴν περὶ τούτων ἡγησάμενος ἱστορίαν 12.15.2 ἔσεσθαι. καὶ ὁ Πλάτων δὲ ὡσαύτως, παρελθὼν ἐπὶ τὴν τῶν νόμων γραφήν, τὸν αὐτὸν τῷ Μωσεῖ ζηλοῖ τρόπον· ἐν προοιμίοις γοῦν τῶν Νόμων τῇ κατ' αὐτὸν ἀρχαιολογίᾳ κέχρηται, κατακλυσμοῦ μνημονεύσας καὶ τοῦ μετὰ τὸν κατακλυσμὸν βίου· ἀρχόμενος γοῦν τοῦ τρίτου τῶν Νόμων ἐπάκουσον ἅ φησιν· «Ἆρ' οὖν ὑμῖν οἱ παλαιοὶ λόγοι ἀλήθειαν ἔχειν τινὰ δοκοῦσι; Ποῖοι δή; Τὸ πολλὰς ἀνθρώπων φθορὰς γεγονέναι κατακλυσμοῖς τε καὶ νόσοις