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concerning the gods, that you do not know what you are saying, God himself would do well to assist you; but if you should still be in need of argument, you will listen to us speaking to the third, if you have any mind at all.” 12.52.32 The sense of these words, if not the very expressions, has been set forth before in the oracles of the Hebrews very concisely, and with the meaning contained in few words. For the saying, ‘Being so small you will not sink into the depth of the earth, nor having become high will you fly up to heaven,’ would be similar to that in David which runs in this manner: ‘Whither shall I go from thy spirit, and from thy presence whither shall I flee? If I go up into heaven, thou art there: if I go down 12.52.33 into Hell, thou art present. If I should take up wings and dwell in the uttermost parts of the sea, even there shall thy hand lead me;’ but also the text, ‘The heavens declare the glory of God, and the firmament showeth his handywork;’ and again in Isaiah the text, ‘Lift up your eyes on high, 12.52.34 and see who hath showed all these things;’ and, ‘By the greatness and beauty of the creatures proportionably the maker of them is seen;’ and, ‘For the invisible things of him from the creation of the world are clearly seen, being understood by the things that are made, even his eternal power and Godhead.’ But also the passage, ‘I was envious at the foolish, when I saw the prosperity of the wicked,’ seems to me to have been paraphrased by Plato by means of the passage: ‘The same argument would also hold good for you concerning those whom you saw, when they had grown great from being small, committing unholy deeds or any such 12.52.35 thing, and you supposed them to have become happy instead of miserable.’ And whatever other things have been said in like manner to these, Plato’s widely extended interpretation had been anticipated in the discourses of the Hebrews. And so you might find each one of them in part, on close examination, agreeing with the writings of the Hebrews. But by discourses of the Hebrews I mean not only the oracles in Moses, but also those of the other men beloved of God after Moses, whether prophets or apostles of our Savior, whose agreement in doctrines would naturally make them worthy of one and the same title.

13.Pin.t XIII. THESE THINGS THE THIRTEENTH BOOK CONTAINS OF THE EVANGELICAL PREPARATION

13.Pin.1 I. How Plato refuted the absurdity of the Hellenic theology. From the Timaeus II. Further, from the treatise Epinomis on the same subject III. Further, from the second book of the Republic on the same subject IV. That the narratives concerning the Hellenic gods contain nothing more than shameful myths, for not believing which the Athenians put Socrates to death. From the Euthyphro V. Of Numenius from the secrets in Plato on the same subject ʹ. That one must not pay attention to the opinions of the many nor change one’s own purpose through fear of death. From the Crito VII. That one must not retaliate against those who have prepared to wrong us. From the same VIII. That one must not set aside things once rightly judged not even if someone brings on death. And it will be applicable to those who in times of persecution forswear their piety IX. Of what sort of disposition will he be who through fear of death forswears his own purpose X. That one ought not to flee death for the sake of truth. From the Apology of Socrates XI. How one ought to honor the death of those who have gloriously departed this life. From Plato XII. How philosophy also before us from Hebrews Aristobulus the Peripatetic confesses the Greeks to have had their origin from the philosophy among the Hebrews XIII. How Clement likewise shows that the things well spoken by the Greeks happen to be in agreement with the doctrines of the Hebrews. From the fifth book of the Stromata XIV. That not all things have been successfully said by Plato; wherefore we have not unreasonably rejected his philosophy

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περὶ θεῶν ὡς οὐκ οἶσθα ὅ τι λέγεις, καλῶς ἄν σοι θεὸς αὐτὸς ξυλλαμβάνοι· εἰ δ' ἐπιδεὴς ἔτι λόγου ἂν εἴης, λεγόντων ἡμῶν πρὸς τὸν τρίτον ἐπακούσῃ, εἰ νοῦν καὶ ὁπωσοῦν ἔχεις.» 12.52.32 Τούτων ὁ νοῦς, εἰ καὶ μὴ τὰ ῥήματα, ἐν τοῖς Ἑβραίων λογίοις προκαταβέβληται συντομώτατα καὶ δι' ὀλίγων τῆς διανοίας περιεχομένης. τό τε γὰρ «οὐχ οὕτω μικρὸς ὢν δύσῃ κατὰ τὸ τῆς γῆς βάθος οὐδ' ὑψηλὸς γενόμενος εἰς τὸν οὐρανὸν ἀναπτήσῃ» ὅμοιον ἂν εἴη τῷ παρὰ τῷ ∆αβὶδ τοῦτον ἔχοντι τὸν τρόπον· «Ποῦ πορευθῶ ἀπὸ τοῦ πνεύματός σου, καὶ ἀπὸ τοῦ προσώπου σου ποῦ φύγω; ἐὰν ἀναβῶ εἰς τὸν οὐρανόν, σὺ ἐκεῖ εἶ· ἐὰν καταβῶ 12.52.33 εἰς τὸν Ἅιδην, πάρει· εἰ ἀναλάβοιμι πτέρυγας καὶ κατασκηνώσαιμι εἰς τὰ ἔσχατα τῆς θαλάσσης, καὶ γὰρ ἐκεῖ ἡ χείρ σου ὁδηγήσει με·» ἀλλὰ καὶ τὸ «οἱ οὐρανοὶ διηγοῦνται δόξαν θεοῦ, καὶ ποίησιν χειρῶν αὐτοῦ ἀναγγέλλει τὸ στερέωμα·» καὶ πάλιν ἐν τῷ Ἡσαΐᾳ τὸ «ἀναβλέψατε εἰς ὕψος 12.52.34 τοὺς ὀφθαλμοὺς ὑμῶν καὶ ἴδετε τίς κατέδειξε ταῦτα πάντα·» καὶ τὸ «ἐκ μεγέθους καὶ καλλονῆς κτισμάτων ἀναλόγως ὁ γενεσιουργὸς θεωρεῖται·» καὶ τὸ «τὰ γὰρ ἀόρατα αὐτοῦ ἀπὸ κτίσεως κόσμου τοῖς ποιήμασι νοούμενα καθορᾶται ἥ τε ἀΐδιος αὐτοῦ δύναμις καὶ θειότης.» ἀλλὰ καὶ τὸ «ἐζήλωσα ἐπὶ τοῖς ἀνόμοις, εἰρήνην ἁμαρτωλῶν θεωρῶν» μεταπεφράσθαι μοι δοκεῖ ὑπὸ τοῦ Πλάτωνος διὰ τοῦ «ὁ αὐτὸς δὲ λόγος σοι καὶ περὶ ἐκείνων ἂν εἴη τῶν οὓς σὺ κατιδὼν ἐκ σμικρῶν μεγάλους γεγονότας ἀνοσιουργήσαντας ἤ τι 12.52.35 τοιοῦτον πράξαντας ᾠήθης ἐξ ἀθλίων εὐδαίμονας γεγονέναι.» καὶ τἄλλα δὲ ὅσα τούτοις ὁμοίως εἴρηται προὔλαβε τὴν εἰς πλάτος ἐκτεθεῖσαν τοῦ Πλάτωνος ἑρμηνείαν ἐν τοῖς Ἑβραίων λόγοις. ἕκαστον δ' οὖν αὐτῶν κατὰ μέρος εὕροις ἂν ἀκριβῶς ἐξετάζων τοῖς Ἑβραίων συμφερόμενον γράμμασιν. Ἑβραίων δὲ εἶναι λόγους οὐ μόνα τὰ παρὰ Μωσεῖ λόγιά φημι, ἀλλὰ καὶ τὰ τῶν ἄλλων μετὰ Μωσέα θεοφιλῶν ἀνδρῶν, εἴτε προφητῶν εἴτε καὶ ἀποστόλων τοῦ σωτῆρος ἡμῶν, ὧν ἡ τῶν δογμάτων συμφωνία μιᾶς εἰκότως αὐτοὺς καὶ τῆς προσηγορίας ἀξιώσειεν.

13.Pin.t ΙΓ ΤΑ∆Ε ΤΟ ΙΓ ΠΕΡΙΕΧΕΙ ΣΥΓΓΡΑΜΜΑ ΤΗΣ ΕΥΑΓΓΕΛΙΚΗΣ ΠΡΟΠΑΡΑΣΚΕΥΗΣ

13.Pin.1 αʹ. Ὅπως ὁ Πλάτων τῆς Ἑλληνικῆς θεολογίας ἀπήλεγχε τὴν ἀτοπίαν. Ἐκ τοῦ Τιμαίου βʹ. Ἔτι ἀπὸ τοῦ λόγου Ἐπινομίδος περὶ τοῦ αὐτοῦ γʹ. Ἔτι ἀπὸ τοῦ δευτέρου τῆς Πολιτείας περὶ τοῦ αὐτοῦ δʹ. Ὅτι πλέον οὐδὲν τῶν αἰσχρῶν μύθων αἱ περὶ τῶν Ἑλληνικῶν θεῶν διηγήσεις περιέχουσιν, αἷς μὴ πειθόμενον Σωκράτην ἔκτειναν Ἀθηναῖοι. Ἀπὸ τοῦ Εὐθύφρονος εʹ. Νουμηνίου ἐκ τῶν παρὰ Πλάτωνι ἀπορρήτων περὶ τοῦ αὐτοῦ ʹ. Ὅτι μὴ δεῖ ταῖς τῶν πολλῶν προσέχειν δόξαις μηδὲ τῆς ἰδίας μετατίθεσθαι προαιρέσεως δαὶ θανάτου φόβον. Ἀπὸ τοῦ Κρίτωνος ζʹ. Ὅτι μὴ δεῖ ἀμύνεσθαι τοὺς ἀδικεῖν ἡμᾶς παρεσκευσαμένους. Ἀπὸ τοῦ αὐτοῦ ηʹ. Ὅτι μὴ δεῖ τὰ ἅπαξ ὀρθῶς κριθέντα ἀθετεῖν μηδ' εἰ θάνατόν τις ἐπάγοι. ἁρμόσει δὲ πρὸς τοὺς ἐν καιροῖς διωγμῶν ἐξομνυμένους τὴν εὐσέβειαν θʹ. Ὁποῖός ποτε ἔσται τὴν διάθεσιν ὁ διὰ θανάτου φόβον ἐξομνύμενος τὴν οἰκείαν πρόθεσιν ιʹ. Ὅτι μὴ δέοι φεύγειν τὸν ὑπὲρ ἀληθείας θάνατον. Ἀπὸ τῆς Σωκράτους ἀπολογίας ιαʹ. Ὅπως δέοι τιμᾶν τὸν θάνατον τῶν εὐκλεῶς μεταλλαξάντων τὸν βίον. Ἐκ τοῦ Πλάτωνος ιβʹ. Ὅπως φιλοσοφίας καὶ πρὸ ἡμῶν ἐξ Ἑβραίων Ἀριστόβουλος ὁ Περιπατητικὸς ἐκ τῆς παρ'Ἑβραίοις φιλοσοφίας ὁμολογεῖ τοὺς Ἕλληνας ὡρμῆσθαι ιγʹ. Ὡς καὶ Κλήμης ὁμοίως τὰ καλῶς Ἕλλησιν εἰρημένα σύμφωνα τυγχάνειν τοῖς Ἑβραίων παρίστησι δόγμασιν. Ἀπὸ τοῦ εʹ Στρωματέως ιδʹ. Ὅτι μὴ πάντα ἐπιτυχῶς εἴρηται τῷ Πλάτωνι· διὸ οὐκ ἀλόγως τὴν κατ' αὐτὸν παρῃτήμεθα