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the capital trials. See, therefore, how both in the hope of learning and everywhere they charge him with innovation. A city of talkers was their city. But all the Athenians and the strangers sojourning there spent their time in nothing else, but either to tell, or to hear some new thing. Then Paul stood in the midst of the Areopagus, and said, Men of Athens, I perceive that in all things you are very religious. For as I passed by, and beheld your devotions, I found an altar with this inscription, To the Unknown God. Whom therefore you worship, though you know him not, him declare I unto you. As if praising them, he seems to say nothing harsh. I perceive that you are very religious, he says; that is, very devout. On which was inscribed, To the Unknown God. What is this? The Athenians, since at various times they had received many gods even from foreign lands, such as the temple of Athena, Pan, and others from elsewhere, fearing lest there might be some other god not yet known to them, but worshipped elsewhere, for the sake of greater safety, as it were, set up an altar to this one also; and since the God was not manifest, it was inscribed: To the Unknown God. This one, therefore, Paul says is Jesus Christ, or rather, the God of all. Whom therefore you worship, though you know him not, he says, him declare I unto you. See how he shows that they had already received him. I bring nothing strange, he says, nothing new. Up and down they were saying this: What is this new doctrine spoken by you? for you bring certain strange things to our ears. Straightway, therefore, he refutes their suspicion, and says: God that made the world and all things therein, 60.269 this being Lord of heaven and earth. Then, lest they should think he was one of the many, he corrects this next, adding: dwells not in temples made with hands; neither is worshipped with men's hands, as though he needed anything. Do you see how little by little he introduces the philosophy? how he mocks the Hellenic error? Giving life, and breath, and all things; and has made of one blood all nations of men for to dwell on all the face of the earth. This is proper to God. See, therefore, if these things cannot also be said of the Son. Being Lord of heaven and earth, he says, which things they thought to be gods. And he declared the creation and men. And has determined the times before appointed, and the bounds of their habitation, that they should seek God, if haply they might feel after him, and find him, though he be not far from every one of us. For in him we live, and move, and have our being; as certain also of your own poets have said, For we are also his offspring. This Aratus the poet said. See how he provides the proofs both from the things done by them and from the things said by them. Forasmuch then as we are the offspring of God, we ought not to think that the Godhead is like unto gold, or silver, or stone, graven by art and man's device. And yet for this reason, he says, we ought. By no means; for neither are we like them, nor our souls. Why did he not turn to philosophy at once, and say: God is by nature incorporeal, invisible, and without form? Because it seemed for the time superfluous to say these things to men who had not yet learned that God is One. For this reason, leaving those things unsaid, he comes to the point in question, and says: And the times of this ignorance God winked at; but now commands all men every where to repent: Because he has appointed a day, in the which he will judge the world in righteousness by that man whom he has ordained; whereof he has given assurance unto all men, in that he has raised him from the dead. See, having shaken their mind by saying, He has appointed a day, and having frightened them, then he opportunely brings in this, Raising him from the dead. But let us look at what was said from the beginning. Now while Paul waited for them at Athens, his spirit, it says, was stirred in him. The stirring here denotes not anger nor indignation, but an awakening and zeal, just as elsewhere: There arose, it says, a sharp contention between them. b. But see how it is managed, that he should unwillingly remain there waiting for them. What then is, Was stirred? Instead of, Was aroused; for of anger and

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αἱ φονικαὶ δίκαι. Ὅρα γοῦν πῶς καὶ ἐν ἐλπίδι τοῦ μαθεῖν καὶ πανταχοῦ τὴν καινοτομίαν ἐγκαλοῦσι. Λάλων πόλις ἡ πόλις ἐκείνων ἦν. Ἀθηναῖοι δὲ πάντες καὶ οἱ ἐπιδημοῦντες ξένοι, εἰς ἕτερον οὐδὲν εὐκαίρουν, ἢ λέγειν τι καὶ ἀκούειν καινότερον. Σταθεὶς δὲ ὁ Παῦλος ἐν μέσῳ τοῦ Ἀρείου πάγου, ἔφη· Ἄνδρες Ἀθηναῖοι, κατὰ πάντα ὡς δεισιδαιμονεστέρους ὑμᾶς θεωρῶ. ∆ιερχόμενος γὰρ καὶ ἀναθεωρῶν τὰ σεβάσματα ὑμῶν, εὗρον καὶ βωμὸν, ἐν ᾧ ἐπεγέγραπτο· Ἀγνώστῳ Θεῷ. Ὃν οὖν ἀγνοοῦντες εὐσεβεῖτε, τοῦτον ἐγὼ καταγγέλλω ὑμῖν. Ὥσπερ ἐγκωμιάζων αὐτοὺς, δοκεῖ οὐδὲν λέγειν βαρύ. Ὡς δεισιδαιμονεστέρους ὑμᾶς, φησὶ, θεωρῶ· τουτέστιν εὐλαβεστέρους. Ἐν ᾧ ἐπεγέγραπτο· Ἀγνώστῳ Θεῷ. Τί ἐστι τοῦτο; Οἱ Ἀθηναῖοι, ἐπειδὴ κατὰ καιροὺς πολλοὺς ἐδέξαντο θεοὺς καὶ ἀπὸ τῆς ὑπερορίας, οἷον τὸ τῆς Ἀθηνᾶς ἱερὸν, τὸν Πᾶνα, καὶ ἄλλους ἀλλαχόθεν, δεδοικότες, μή ποτε καὶ ἄλλος τις ᾖ αὐτοῖς μὲν οὐδέπω γνώριμος, θεραπευόμενος δὲ ἀλλαχοῦ, ὑπὲρ πλείονος δῆθεν ἀσφαλείας καὶ τούτῳ βωμὸν ἔστησαν· καὶ ἐπειδὴ οὐκ ἦν δῆλος ὁ Θεὸς, ἐπεγέγραπτο· Ἀγνώστῳ Θεῷ. Τοῦτον οὖν Χριστὸν Ἰησοῦν εἶναι Παῦλος λέγει, μᾶλλον δὲ τῶν πάντων Θεόν. Ὃν οὖν ἀγνοοῦντες, φησὶν, εὐσεβεῖτε, τοῦτον ἐγὼ καταγγέλλω ὑμῖν. Ὅρα πῶς δείκνυσι προειληφότας αὐτόν. Οὐδὲν ξένον, φησὶν, οὐδὲν καινὸν εἰσφέρω. Ἄνω καὶ κάτω τοῦτο ἔλεγον ἐκεῖνοι· Τίς ἡ καινὴ αὕτη ἡ λαλουμένη ὑπὸ σοῦ διδαχή; ξενίζοντα γάρ τινα εἰσφέρεις εἰς τὰς ἀκοὰς ἡμῶν. Εὐθέως οὖν ἀναιρεῖ αὐτῶν τὴν ὑπόληψιν, καί φησιν· Ὁ Θεὸς ὁ ποιήσας τὸν κόσμον, καὶ πάντα τὰ ἐν αὐτῷ, 60.269 οὗτος οὐρανοῦ καὶ γῆς Κύριος ὑπάρχων. Εἶτα, ἵνα μὴ νομίσωσιν ἕνα τῶν πολλῶν εἶναι, διορθοῦται λοιπὸν ἐπάγων· Οὐκ ἐν χειροποιήτοις ναοῖς κατοικεῖ, οὐδὲ ὑπὸ χειρῶν ἀνθρώπων θεραπεύεται, προσδεόμενός τινος. Ὁρᾷς ὅπως κατὰ μικρὸν εἰσάγει τὴν φιλοσοφίαν; πῶς καταγελᾷ τῆς Ἑλληνικῆς πλάνης; ∆οὺς ζωὴν καὶ πνοὴν καὶ τὰ πάντα· ἐποίησέ τε ἐξ ἑνὸς αἵματος πᾶν ἔθνος ἀνθρώπων κατοικεῖν ἐπὶ πᾶν τὸ πρόσωπον τῆς γῆς. Τοῦτο Θεοῦ ἴδιον. Ὅρα τοίνυν εἰ μὴ καὶ ἐπὶ τοῦ Υἱοῦ ταῦτα λέγεσθαι δύναται. Οὐρανοῦ, φησὶ, καὶ γῆς Κύριος ὑπάρχων, ἅπερ ἐνόμιζον εἶναι θεούς. Καὶ τὴν δημιουργίαν ἐδήλωσε καὶ τοὺς ἀνθρώπους. Ὁρίσας προστεταγμένους καιροὺς καὶ τὰς ὁροθεσίας τῆς κατοικίας αὐτῶν, ζητεῖν τὸν Θεὸν, εἰ ἄρα γε ψηλαφήσειαν αὐτὸν καὶ εὕροιεν, καίτοι γε οὐ μακρὰν ἀπὸ ἑνὸς ἑκάστου ἡμῶν ὑπάρχοντα. Ἐν αὐτῷ γὰρ ζῶμεν, καὶ κινούμεθα, καὶ ἐσμὲν, ὡς καί τινες τῶν καθ' ὑμᾶς ποιητῶν εἰρήκασι· Τοῦ γὰρ καὶ γένος ἐσμέν. Τοῦτο Ἄρατος εἶπεν ὁ ποιητής. Ὅρα καὶ ἀπὸ τῶν ὑπ' αὐτῶν γινομένων, καὶ ἀπὸ τῶν εἰρημένων τὰς ἀποδείξεις παρέχοντα. Γένος οὖν ὑπάρχοντες τοῦ Θεοῦ, οὐκ ὀφείλομεν νομίζειν χρυσῷ ἢ ἀργύρῳ ἢ λίθῳ, χαράγματι τέχνης καὶ ἐνθυμήσεως ἀνθρώπου τὸ Θεῖον εἶναι ὅμοιον. Καὶ μὴν διὰ τοῦτο, φησὶν, ὀφείλομεν. Οὐδαμῶς· οὐ γὰρ δὴ ἡμεῖς ὅμοιοι, οὐδὲ αἱ ψυχαὶ αἱ ἡμέτεραι. Τί δήποτε οὐκ ἔστη πρὸς φιλοσοφίαν εὐθὺς, καὶ εἶπεν· Ὁ Θεὸς ἀσώματος φύσει, ἀόρατος καὶ ἀσχημάτιστος; Ὅτι περιττὸν τέως ἐδόκει ταῦτα λέγειν πρὸς ἀνθρώπους μήπω μαθόντας, ὅτι ἔστι μόνος Θεός. ∆ιὰ τοῦτο ἐκεῖνα εἰπεῖν ἀφεὶς, πρὸς τὸ ζητούμενον ἵσταται, καί φησι· Τοὺς μὲν οὖν χρόνους τῆς ἀγνοίας ὑπεριδὼν ὁ Θεὸς, τὰ νῦν παραγγέλλει τοῖς ἀνθρώποις πᾶσι πανταχοῦ μετανοεῖν, διότι ἔστησεν ἡμέραν, ἐν ᾗ μέλλει κρίνειν τὴν οἰκουμένην ἐν δικαιοσύνῃ, ἐν ἀνδρὶ ᾧ ὥρισε, πίστιν παρασχὼν πᾶσιν, ἀναστήσας αὐτὸν ἐκ νεκρῶν. Ὅρα, κατασείσας αὐτῶν τὴν διάνοιαν τῷ εἰπεῖν, Ἔστησεν ἡμέραν, καὶ φοβήσας, τότε εὐκαίρως ἐπάγει τοῦτο τὸ, Ἀναστήσας αὐτὸν ἐκ νεκρῶν. Ἀλλ' ἴδωμεν ἄνωθεν τὰ εἰρημένα. Ἐν δὲ ταῖς Ἀθήναις ἐκδεχομένου αὐτοὺς τοῦ Παύλου, παρωξύνετο, φησὶ, τὸ πνεῦμα αὐτοῦ ἐν αὐτῷ. Οὐκ ὀργὴν ἐνταῦθα οὐδὲ ἀγανάκτησιν ὁ παροξυσμὸς, ἀλλὰ διέγερσιν καὶ ζῆλον δηλοῖ, καθάπερ καὶ ἀλλαχοῦ· Ἐγένετο, φησὶ, παροξυσμὸς μεταξὺ αὐτῶν. βʹ. Ὅρα δὲ πῶς οἰκονομεῖται, καὶ ἄκοντα μεῖναι ἐκεῖ ἐκδεχόμενον ἐκείνους. Τί οὖν ἐστι, Παρωξύνετο; Ἀντὶ τοῦ, ∆ιηγείρετο· ὀργῆς γὰρ καὶ