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that most of all, we thus make it useful? Certainly, he said, it is so. In what respect then of these things is falsehood useful to God? Would he lie by making likenesses 13.3.33 through not knowing the things of old? That would be ridiculous, he said. Then there is no lying poet in God? It does not seem so to me. But would he lie through fear of his enemies? Far from it. But on account of the folly or madness of his own people? But none, he said, of the foolish and mad are dear to God. Then there is no reason for which God would lie? There is not. In every way then the divine and spiritual nature is without falsehood. Absolutely, 13.3.34 he said. God then is altogether simple and true in both deed and word, and neither changes himself nor deceives others, either by apparitions or by words or by the sending of signs, whether in waking life or in dreams. So, he said, it appears to me also, as you say. You agree then, I said, that this is a second type in which one must speak and write about the gods, that they are not wizards who transform themselves, nor mislead us by falsehoods in word or in deed? I agree. 13.3.35 Though we praise many things in Homer, this we shall not praise, the sending of the dream by Zeus to Agamemnon; nor of Aeschylus, when Thetis says that Apollo, singing at her wedding, celebrated her fair children, free from disease and of long life. And after telling all, my fortunes dear to the gods, he sang a paean of triumph, gladdening me. And I hoped that the divine mouth of Phoebus, teeming with mantic art, was true. But he, the very one who sang, the very one present at the feast, the very one who said these things, is himself the one who killed my son. 13.3.36 When anyone says such things about the gods, we shall be angry and we will not grant him a chorus, nor shall we allow the teachers to use them for the education of the young, if our guardians are to become god-fearing and divine, as far as is possible for man. Absolutely, he said, I agree to these types, and I would use them as laws.” 13.3.37 These things Plato says. But you would find that the Hebrew scripture in no way contains shameful myths about the God of the universe, nor about the divine angels around him, nor indeed about the men beloved by God in the same way as the Greek theologies, but rather the type set forth by Plato, that God is good and all things that come from him are of such a kind. 13.3.38 And so, over each of the created works the admirable Moses adds: “And God saw that it was good” and over them all, summarizing the account of them all, he says: “And God saw all that he had made, and, behold, it was very good.” It is also a doctrine of the Hebrews that God is not the cause of evils, if indeed God “did not make death, neither has he pleasure in the destruction of the living; for he created all things that they might have their being, and the generations of the world were healthful;” “but by the envy of 13.3.39 the devil death entered into the world.” Wherefore also in the prophet God is introduced as saying to him who had become evil by his own choice: “Yet I had planted you a fruitful vine, wholly a right seed: how then are you turned backward into the degenerate plant of a strange vine?” But if it should be said anywhere that evils happen to the wicked from God, it must be understood homonymously as punishments being so called, which God, being good, is said to bring not for the harm of those who are punished, but for their benefit and advantage; just as a physician also might be thought to bring evils for the salvation of the sick by 13.3.40 applying painful and bitter remedies. Wherefore also in the divine scripture, where it is said that evils are brought upon men by God, the things in Plato must be said, “that God wrought things just and good,” and when he brought upon those who deserved them the things that were gloomy and considered evils by men, “they were benefited by being punished,” not only according to the philosopher, but also according to the Hebrew scripture which says: “For whom the Lord 13.3.41 loves, he chastens; and scourges every son whom he receives.” “that those who pay the penalty are miserable, but the one who does these things is God, not

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ὅτι μάλιστα, οὕτω χρήσιμον ποιοῦμεν; Καὶ μάλα, ἦ δ' ὅς, οὕτως ἔχει. Κατὰ τί δὴ οὖν τούτων τῷ θεῷ τὸ ψεῦδος χρήσιμον; πότερον διὰ τὸ μὴ εἰδέναι τὰ παλαιὰ 13.3.33 ἀφομοιῶν ἂν ψεύδοιτο; Γελοῖον μεντἂν εἴη, ἔφη. Ποιητὴς μὲν ἄρα ἐν θεῷ ψευδὴς οὐκ ἔνι; Οὔ μοι δοκεῖ. Ἀλλὰ δεδιὼς τοὺς ἐχθροὺς ἂν ψεύδοιτο; Πολλοῦ γε δεῖ. Ἀλλὰ δι' οἰκείων ἄνοιαν ἢ μανίαν; Ἀλλ' οὐδείς, ἔφη, τῶν ἀνοήτων καὶ μαινομένων θεοφιλής. Οὐκ ἄρα ἐστὶν οὗ ἕνεκα ἂν θεὸς ψεύδοιτο; Οὐκ ἔστι. Πάντη ἄρα ἀψευδὲς τὸ δαιμόνιον καὶ τὸ θεῖον. Παντάπασι μὲν οὖν, 13.3.34 ἔφη. Κομιδῇ ἄρα ὁ θεὸς ἁπλοῦν καὶ ἀληθὲς ἔν τε ἔργῳ καὶ λόγῳ καὶ οὔτε αὐτὸς μεθίσταται οὔτε ἄλλους ἐξαπατᾷ οὔτε κατὰ φαντασίας οὔτε κατὰ λόγους οὔτε κατὰ σημείων πομπὰς ὕπαρ οὐδ' ὄναρ. Οὕτως, ἔφη, ἔμοιγε καὶ αὐτῷ φαίνεται σοῦ λέγοντος. Συγχωρεῖς ἄρα, ἔφην, τοῦτον δεύτερον τύπον εἶναι ἐν ᾧ δεῖ περὶ θεῶν καὶ λέγειν καὶ ποιεῖν, ὡς μήτε αὐτοὺς γόητας ὄντας τῷ μεταβάλλειν ἑαυτοὺς μήθ' ἡμᾶς ψεύδεσι παράγειν ἐν λόγῳ ἢ ἐν ἔργῳ; Συγχωρῶ. 13.3.35 Πολλὰ ἄρα Ὁμήρου ἐπαινοῦντες τοῦτο οὐκ ἐπαινεσόμεθα, τὴν τοῦ ἐνυπνίου πομπὴν ὑπὸ ∆ιὸς τῷ Ἀγαμέμνονι· οὐδ' Αἰσχύλου, ὅταν φῇ ἡ Θέτις τὸν Ἀπόλλω ἐν τοῖς αὑτῆς γάμοις ᾄδοντα ἐνδατεῖσθαι τὰς ἑὰς εὐπαιδίας νόσων τ' ἀπείρους καὶ μακραίωνος βίου. ξύμπαντά τ' εἰπών, θεοφιλεῖς ἐμὰς τύχας, παιῶν' ἐπευφήμησεν, εὐθυμῶν ἐμέ. κἀγὼ τὸ Φοίβου θεῖον ἀψευδὲς στόμα ἤλπιζον εἶναι, μαντικῇ βρύον τέχνῃ. ὁ δ' αὐτὸς ὑμνῶν, αὐτὸς ἐν θοίνῃ παρών, αὐτὸς τάδ' εἰπών, αὐτός ἐστιν ὁ κτανὼν τὸν παῖδα τὸν ἐμόν. 13.3.36 ὅταν τις τοιαῦτα λέγῃ περὶ θεῶν, χαλεπανοῦμέν τε καὶ χορὸν οὐ δώσομεν οὐδὲ τοὺς διδασκάλους ἐάσομεν ἐπὶ παιδείᾳ χρῆσθαι τῶν νέων, εἰ μέλλουσιν ἡμῖν οἱ φύλακες θεοσεβεῖς τε καὶ θεῖοι γίγνεσθαι, καθ' ὅσον ἀνθρώπῳ ἐπὶ πλεῖστον οἷόν τε. Παντάπασιν, ἔφη, ἐγὼ τοὺς τύπους τούτους συγχωρῶ καὶ ὡς νόμοις ἂν αὐτοῖς χρῴμην.» 13.3.37 Ταῦτα μὲν ὁ Πλάτων. εὕροις δ' ἂν τὴν Ἑβραίων γραφὴν οὐδαμῶς μὲν μύθους αἰσχροὺς περὶ τοῦ τῶν ὅλων θεοῦ, ἀλλ' οὐδὲ περὶ τῶν ἀμφ' αὐτὸν θείων ἀγγέλων οὐδέ γε περὶ τῶν θεοφιλῶν ἀνδρῶν ὁμοίως ταῖς Ἑλληνικαῖς θεολογίαις περιέχουσαν, τὸν δὲ ὑπὸ τοῦ Πλάτωνος ἐκτεθέντα τύπον ὅτι τε ἀγαθὸς ὢν ὁ θεὸς τυγχάνει καὶ τὰ πρὸς αὐτοῦ γεγονότα πάντα τοιαῦτα. 13.3.38 ἐφ' ἑκάστῳ δ' οὖν τῶν δημιουργημάτων ὁ θαυμάσιος Μωσῆς ἐπιλέγει· «Καὶ εἶδεν ὁ θεὸς ὅτι καλόν» ἐπί τε πᾶσι τὸν περὶ πάντων συγκεφαλαιούμενος λόγον φησί· «Καὶ εἶδεν ὁ θεὸς πάντα ὅσα ἐποίησε, καὶ ἰδοὺ καλὰ λίαν.» δόγμα δὲ Ἑβραίων ἐστὶ καὶ τὸ μὴ εἶναι τὸν θεὸν κακῶν αἴτιον, εἰ δὴ ὁ θεὸς «θάνατον οὐκ ἐποίησεν οὐδὲ τέρπεται ἐπ' ἀπωλείᾳ ζώντων· ἔκτισε γὰρ εἰς τὸ εἶναι τὰ πάντα καὶ σωτήριοι αἱ γενέσεις τοῦ κόσμου·» «φθόνῳ δὲ 13.3.39 διαβόλου θάνατος εἰσῆλθεν εἰς τὸν κόσμον.» διὸ καὶ παρὰ τῷ προφήτῃ εἰσῆκται λέγων ὁ θεὸς πρὸς τὸν ἐξ οἰκείας προαιρέσεως κακὸν γεγενημένον· «Ἐγὼ δὲ ἐφύτευσά σε ἄμπελον καρποφόρον πᾶσαν ἀληθινήν· πῶς ἐστράφης εἰς τὰ ὀπίσω ἡ ἄμπελος ἡ ἀλλοτρία;» εἰ δέ που λέγοιτο κακὰ τοῖς φαύλοις ἐκ θεοῦ συμβαίνειν, ὁμωνύμως ἀκουστέον ὡς τῶν τιμωριῶν οὕτω κεκλημένων, ἃς ἀγαθὸς ὢν ὁ θεὸς οὐκ ἐπὶ βλάβῃ τῶν τιμωρουμένων, ἐπ' ὠφελείᾳ δὲ καὶ συμφέροντι λέγεται ἐπάγειν· ὥσπερ ἂν καὶ ἰατρὸς ἐπὶ σωτηρίᾳ τῶν καμνόν13.3.40 των κακὰ νομίζοιτο προσφέρειν τὰς ἀλγεινὰς καὶ πικρὰς θεραπείας. διὸ καὶ ἐπὶ τῆς θείας γραφῆς, ἔνθα εἴρηται κακὰ ἀνθρώποις ἐπάγεσθαι ὑπὸ τοῦ θεοῦ, τὰ παρὰ τῷ Πλάτωνι λεκτέον, «ὡς ὁ μὲν θεὸς δίκαιά τε καὶ ἀγαθὰ εἰργάζετο,» καὶ ὅτε τὰ σκυθρωπὰ καὶ ἀνθρώποις κακὰ νενομισμένα τοῖς τούτων ἀξίοις ἐπῆγεν, «οἱ δὲ ὤναντο κολαζόμενοι,» οὐ μόνον κατὰ τὸν φιλόσοφον, ἀλλὰ καὶ κατὰ τὴν Ἑβραίων γραφὴν λέγουσαν· «Ὃν γὰρ ἀγαπᾷ 13.3.41 κύριος, παιδεύει· μαστιγοῖ δὲ πάντα υἱὸν ὃν παραδέχεται.» «ὡς δ' ἄθλιοι μὲν οἱ δίκην διδόντες, ἦν δὲ ὁ δρῶν ταῦτα ὁ θεός, οὐκ