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philosophy, but we accept the oracles of the Hebrews. 15. That Plato did not in all respects rightly treat the subject of intelligible substances, but the Hebrews did. 10. That Plato did not in all respects hold right opinions concerning the soul, like the Hebrews. 17. That according to Plato the nature of the soul is not composed of impassible and passible substance. From the works of Severus the Platonist concerning the soul. 18. Concerning heaven and the luminaries therein, that Plato did not hold opinions in all respects correct. 19. What things Plato incorrectly ordained concerning women. 20. What things the same ordained concerning unlawful love in the Phaedrus, to which Moses gives contrary laws. 21. Concerning the laws about murder in Plato, which are unworthy of his magnanimity, with which those of Moses must be compared. XIII Since it has been shown in the preceding books that the philosophy of Plato in most points contains, as it were, an interpretation in the Greek language of Moses and of the sacred oracles of the Hebrews, I come now both to add what is wanting to the argument, and to go through what has been said on these topics by those before us, and at the same time to free myself from a reasonable ground of accusation, if anyone should charge us, saying, “Why then, since Moses and Plato have philosophized in harmony, do we pursue not Plato's teachings, but those of Moses, when the reverse should be the case, seeing that for us who are Greeks the Greek teaching would be more suitable than the barbarian, given the similar doctrines?” But being reluctant to answer this out of respect for the philosopher, I postpone this argument for later, and will first examine the points I mentioned first. Take up and read, therefore, what opinion Plato advanced concerning the Greek theologians and poets, and how he rejected all the ancestral beliefs about the gods and exposed the absurdity in them;

13.1.1 1. HOW PLATO EXPOSED THE ABSURDITY OF GREEK THEOLOGY; FROM THE TIMAEUS

“Concerning the other divinities, to speak of and to know their birth is beyond our power; but we must believe those who have spoken before, who were, as they said, offspring of the gods, and who must surely have known their own ancestors. It is impossible, therefore, to disbelieve the children of the gods, even though they speak without probable and necessary proofs, but as they claim to be reporting on family matters, we must, in obedience to the law, believe them. Thus, then, according to them, let the generation of these gods be held and told by us. The children of Earth and Heaven were Oceanus and Tethys, and of these were Phorcys and Cronus and Rhea, and from Cronus and Rhea, Zeus and Hera and all whom we know are called their brethren, and further, other offspring of these.”

13.1.3 By these words, having urged belief in the myths about the gods, and in the very makers of the myths as being offspring of the gods, he seems to me, in the first place, by saying that the poets are offspring of the gods, to be mocking them, implying that the gods too were once men and of like nature with their offspring.

13.1.4 And next he openly disparages the theologians, whom he said were offspring of the gods, by what he adds, saying “even though they speak without probable and necessary proofs,” and by his addition of “as they said.” And he seems to be jesting when he says, “who must surely have known their own ancestors,” and “it is impossible to disbelieve the children of the gods.” And that he says these things contrary to his own opinion for the sake of the laws he plainly shows, by confessing that it is necessary to believe them in obedience to the law.

13.1.5 But that this was his meaning, hear how with plain and unveiled language he disparages all the theologians, assailing them in the Epinomis with these words:

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φιλοσοφίαν, τὰ δὲ Ἑβραίων ἀποδεχόμεθα λόγια ιεʹ. Ὅτι μὴ καθόλου ὀρθῶς ὁ Πλάτων τὸν περὶ τῶν νοητῶν οὐσιῶν ἐφώδευσε λόγον, ἀλλ' Ἑβραῖοι ιʹ. Ὅτι μὴ Ἑβραίοις ὁμοίως κατὰ πάντα ὀρθῶς ἐδόξαζε περὶ ψυχῆς ὁ Πλάτων ιζʹ. Ὅτι κατὰ Πλάτωνα μὴ ἐξ ἀπαθοῦς καὶ παθητῆς οὐσίας ἡ τῆς ψυχῆς συνέστηκε φύσις. Ἀπὸ τῶν Σευήρου τοῦ Πλατωνικοῦ περὶ ψυχῆς ιηʹ. Περὶ οὐρανοῦ καὶ τῶν ἐν αὐτῷ φωστήρων ὅτι μὴ καθόλου ὀρθῶς ἐδόξασεν ὁ Πλάτων ιθʹ. Ὁποῖα περὶ γυναικῶν οὐκ ὀρθῶς ὁ Πλάτων διετάξατο κʹ. Ὁποῖα περὶ ἔρωτος ἐκθέσμου ὁ αὐτὸς διετάξατο ἐν Φαίδρῳ, οἷς ὁ Μωσῆς ἀντινομοθετεῖ καʹ. Περὶ τῶν παρὰ Πλάτωνι φονικῶν νόμων, οὐκ ἀξίων ὄντων τῆς μεγαλονοίας αὐτοῦ, οἷς τοὺς Μωσέως ἀντιπαραβλητέον ΙΓ Ἐπειδὴ πέφηνεν ἐν τοῖς πρὸ τούτου συγγράμμασιν ἡ κατὰ Πλάτωνα φιλοσοφία κατὰ πλεῖστα Μωσέως καὶ τῶν παρ' Ἑβραίοις ἱερῶν λόγων ἑρμηνείαν ὥσπερ ἐπὶ τὴν Ἑλλάδα φωνὴν περιέχουσα, ἔρχομαι νῦν ὁμοῦ καὶ τὰ λείποντα προσαποδοῦναι τῷ λόγῳ καὶ τὰ τοῖς πρὸ ἡμῶν εἰς τοὺς τόπους εἰρημένα διελθεῖν, ὁμοῦ καὶ διαβολῆς εὐλόγου αἰτίαν ἀπολυσόμενος, εἰ δή τις ἡμῖν ἐπικαλῶν φαίη, τί δή ποτ' οὖν Μωσέως καὶ Πλάτωνος τὰ συνῳδὰ πεφιλοσοφηκότων οὐχὶ τὰ Πλάτωνος, ἀλλὰ τὰ Μωσέως μέτιμεν, τοὔμπαλιν δέον, ὅτι δὴ πρὸς τοῖς ἴσοις δόγμασι προσήκων ἡμῖν γένοιτ' ἂν Ἕλλησιν οὖσιν ὁ Ἑλληνικὸς μᾶλλον ἢ ὁ βάρβαρος. ὀκνῶν δὲ ἀπαντῆσαι πρὸς τοῦτο αἰδοῖ τῇ πρὸς τὸν φιλόσοφον, τοῦτον μὲν εἰς ὕστερον ἀνατίθεμαι τὸν λόγον, τὰ δέ γε πρῶτά μοι λεχθέντα πρῶτα διασκέψομαι. λαβὼν οὖν ἀνάγνωθι ὁποίαν ἐπήγετο δόξαν ὁ Πλάτων περὶ τῶν Ἑλληνικῶν θεολόγων τε καὶ ποιητῶν ὅπως τε πάσας τὰς πατρίους περὶ τῶν θεῶν ὑπολήψεις ἠθέτει καὶ τὴν ἐν αὐτοῖς ἀτοπίαν διήλεγχεν·

13.1.1 αʹ. ΟΠΩΣ Ο ΠΛΑΤΩΝ ΤΗΣ ΕΛΛΗΝΙΚΗΣ ΘΕΟΛΟΓΙΑΣ ΑΠΗΛΕΓΧΕ ΤΗΝ ΑΤΟΠΙΑΝ· ΕΚ ΤΟΥ ΤΙΜΑΙΟΥ

«Περὶ δὲ τῶν ἄλλων δαιμόνων εἰπεῖν τε καὶ γνῶναι τὴν γένεσιν μεῖζον ἢ καθ' ἡμᾶς, πειστέον δὲ τοῖς εἰρηκόσιν ἔμπροσθεν, ἐκγόνοις μὲν θεῶν οὖ σιν, ὡς ἔφασαν, σαφῶς γέ που τοὺς ἑαυτῶν προγόνους εἰδότων. ἀδύνατον οὖν θεῶν παισὶν ἀπιστεῖν, καίπερ ἄνευ εἰκότων καὶ ἀναγκαίων ἀποδείξεων λέγουσιν, ἀλλ' ὡς οἰκεῖα φασκόντων ἀπαγγέλλειν ἑπομένους τῷ νόμῳ πιστευ13.1.2 τέον. οὕτως οὖν κατ' ἐκείνους ἡμῖν ἡ γένεσις περὶ τούτων τῶν θεῶν ἐχέτω καὶ λεγέσθω. Γῆς τε καὶ Οὐρανοῦ παῖδες Ὠκεανός τε καὶ Τηθὺς ἐγενέσθην, τούτων δὲ Φόρκυς Κρόνος τε καὶ Ῥέα, ἐκ δὲ Κρόνου καὶ Ῥέας Ζεὺς Ἥρα τε καὶ πάντες, ὅσους ἴσμεν ἀδελφοὺς λεγομένους αὐτῶν, ἔτι τε τούτων ἄλλους ἐκγόνους.» 13.1.3 ∆ιὰ τούτων πιστεύειν τοῖς περὶ θεῶν μύθοις καὶ αὐτοῖς δὲ τοῖς τῶν μύθων ποιηταῖς ὡς δὴ θεῶν ἐκγόνοις οὖσι παρακελευσάμενος, πρῶτα μὲν διὰ τοῦ φάναι ἐκγόνους εἶναι τῶν θεῶν τοὺς ποιητὰς χλευάζειν μοι δοκεῖ, ὡς καὶ τῶν θεῶν ἀνθρώπων γεγονότων καὶ τοῖς ἐκγόνοις ὁμοίων τὴν φύσιν. 13.1.4 διαβάλλει δ' ἑξῆς ἄντικρυς τοὺς θεολόγους, οὓς ἐκγόνους ἔφησεν εἶναι θεῶν, δι' ὧν ἐπάγει φάσκων «καίπερ ἄνευ εἰκότων καὶ ἀναγκαίων ἀποδείξεων λέγουσι» δι' ὧν τε προστίθησι τὸ «ὡς ἔφασαν.» παίζειν δ' ἔοικε λέγων «σαφῶς γέ που τοὺς ἑαυτῶν προγόνους εἰδότων» καὶ τὸ «ἀδύνατον θεῶν παισὶν ἀπιστεῖν.» καὶ τὸ παρὰ γνώμην δὲ ταῦτα λέγειν τῶν νόμων ἕνεκα διαρρήδην παρίστησιν, ὁμολογήσας ὅτι δέοι ἑπομένους τῷ νόμῳ πιστεύειν 13.1.5 αὐτοῖς. ὅτι δὲ ταῦτ' ἐνόει, ἐπάκουσον ὅπως γυμνῇ καὶ ἀκατακαλύπτῳ φωνῇ τοὺς δὴ θεολόγους ἅπαντας διαβάλλει, κόπτων ἐν Ἐπινομίδι τούτοις τοῖς ῥήμασιν·