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“Since, therefore, all gods who openly revolve and all who appear, came into being insofar as they might wish, he who begat this universe speaks to them as follows: Gods of gods, of whose works I am creator and father, indissoluble by my will. All that is bound is dissoluble; but to wish to dissolve that which is well fitted together and in a good state is the mark of an evil one. For which reasons, and since you have come into being, you are not immortal nor altogether indissoluble; yet you shall certainly not be dissolved nor meet with the fate of death, having received a still greater and more sovereign bond from my will than those with which you were bound when you came into being.” 13.18.11 So says Plato. With good reason then does Moses and the Hebrew oracles forbid us to worship these and to regard them as gods, but leading us upward to the all-sovereign God, he who is the creator of the sun and moon and stars and of the whole heaven and world, he who bound and fitted all things together with a divine word, him alone he legislates we should regard as God and to him alone assign reverent honor, saying: “Lest when you see the sun and the moon and the stars and 13.18.12 all the host of heaven, you be led astray and worship them.” Philo, who was educated in the learning of the Hebrews, interprets and clarifies these things at length, speaking somewhat as follows, word for word: “Some have supposed the sun and moon and the other stars to be sovereign gods, to whom they have assigned the causes of all things that come to be. But to Moses the world seemed to be both created and the greatest city, having rulers and subjects: the rulers being all those in heaven, as many as are planets and fixed 13.18.13 stars, and the subjects being the natures below the moon, in the air and about the earth; but the said rulers are not self-willed, but are viceroys of the one Father of all, by imitating whose superintendence they succeed while he presides over each of the created things according to justice and law; but those who do not see the charioteer mounted on his team assign the causes to those yoked beneath him as if they were the primary agents of things that happen in the world. Whose ignorance the most holy lawgiver transforms into knowledge, speaking thus: ‘Lest when you see the sun and the moon and the stars and all the host of heaven, you be led astray and worship them.’” 13.18.14 Very aptly and well did he call the acceptance of the aforementioned as gods a “wandering.” For those who saw that by the sun’s advances and retreats the yearly seasons are constituted, in which the generations of animals and plants and fruits are brought to perfection in appointed periods of time; and that the moon is the servant and successor of the sun by night, having taken on the care and protection of those things over which the sun presides by day; and that the other stars, according to their sympathy with earthly things, effect and perform myriad things for the preservation of the universe, have wandered a fruitless wandering, 13.18.15 supposing these alone to be gods. But if they had been zealous to walk by the path that does not wander, they would have known at once that just as perception has become a subordinate servant of the mind, in the same way all perceptible things have been established as servants of the intelligible.” 13.18.16 And he adds, saying: “So that, transcending with our reason all visible substance, let us proceed to the honour of Him who is ever-existent and invisible and apprehended by the mind alone, who is not only God of things intelligible and perceptible, but also the creator of all things. But if anyone assigns the worship of the eternal and maker God to another who is younger and created, let him be recorded as mad and guilty of the greatest impiety.” 13.18.17 These truly pure and divine lessons of the Hebrew piety we have honored above the arrogant philosophy. Why must I prolong the argument and bring the other points of Plato to light, when it is possible from these to infer also what I have now left unsaid? I was not, however, led to say these things for the sake of slander, since I myself greatly admire the man, yes, I consider and honor him as a friend among all the Greeks, for having held opinions that are dear and akin to my own, even if not altogether the same, but in comparison with Moses

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«Ἐπεὶ δ' οὖν πάντες ὅσοι τε περιπολοῦσι φανερῶς καὶ ὅσοι φαίνονται, καθ' ὅσον ἂν ἐθέλωσι θεοὶ γένεσιν ἔσχον, λέγει πρὸς αὐτοὺς ὁ τόδε τὸ πᾶν γεννήσας τάδε· Θεοὶ θεῶν, ὧν ἐγὼ δημιουργὸς πατήρ τε ἔργων, ἄλυτα ἐμοῦ μὴ θέλοντος. τὸ μὲν οὖν δὴ δεθὲν πᾶν λυτόν· τό γε μὴν καλῶς ἁρμοσθὲν καὶ ἔχον εὖ λύειν ἐθέλειν κακοῦ. δι' ἃ καὶ ἐπείπερ γεγένησθε, ἀθάνατοι μὲν οὐκ ἐστὲ οὐδ' ἄλυτοι τὸ πάμπαν· οὔτι μὲν δὴ λυθήσεσθέ γε οὐδὲ τεύξεσθε θανάτου μοίρας, τῆς ἐμῆς βουλήσεως μείζονος ἔτι δεσμοῦ καὶ κυριωτέρου λαχόντες ἐκείνων οἷς ὅτε ἐγίγνεσθε ξυνεδεῖσθε.» 13.18.11 Ταῦτα ὁ Πλάτων. εἰκότως δῆτα Μωσῆς καὶ τὰ Ἑβραίων λόγια σέβειν μὲν ἀπαγορεύει ταῦτα καὶ θεοὺς ἡγεῖσθαι, ἄνω δὲ πρὸς τὸν παμβασιλέα θεὸν ἀνάγοντα, αὐτὸν δὴ τὸν ἡλίου καὶ σελήνης καὶ ἄστρων ὅλου τε οὐρανοῦ καὶ κόσμου δημιουργόν, τὸν δὴ τὰ πάντα θείῳ λόγῳ συνδήσαντά τε καὶ συναρμοσάμενον μόνον ἡγεῖσθαι θεὸν καὶ μόνῳ τὴν σεβάσμιον ἀπονέμειν νομοθετεῖ τιμήν, λέγων· «Μὴ ἰδὼν τὸν ἥλιον καὶ τὴν σελήνην καὶ τοὺς ἀστέρας καὶ 13.18.12 πάντα τὸν κόσμον τοῦ οὐρανοῦ πλανηθεὶς προσκυνήσῃς αὐτοῖς.» ἑρμηνεύει δὲ ταῦτα διασαφῶν εἰς πλάτος ὁ τὰ Ἑβραίων πεπαιδευμένος Φίλων ὧδέ πη λέγων πρὸς λέξιν· «Τινὲς ἥλιον καὶ σελήνην καὶ τοὺς ἄλλους ἀστέρας ὑπέλαβον εἶναι θεοὺς αὐτοκράτορας, οἷς τὰς τῶν γιγνομένων ἁπάντων αἰτίας ἀνέθεσαν. Μωσεῖ δὲ ὁ κόσμος ἔδοξεν εἶναι καὶ γενητὸς καὶ πόλις ἡ μεγίστη ἄρχοντας ἔχουσα καὶ ὑπηκόους· ἄρχοντας μὲν τοὺς ἐν οὐρανῷ πάντας, ὅσοι πλάνητες καὶ ἀπλανεῖς 13.18.13 ἀστέρες, ὑπηκόους δὲ τὰς μετὰ σελήνην ἐν ἀέρι καὶ περιγείους φύσεις· τοὺς δὲ λεχθέντας ἄρχοντας οὐκ αὐτεξουσίους, ἀλλ' ἑνὸς τοῦ πάντων πατρὸς ὑπάρχους, οὗ μιμουμένους τὴν ἐπιστασίαν κατορθοῦν πρυτανεύοντος κατὰ δίκην καὶ νόμον ἕκαστον τῶν γεγονότων· τοὺς δὲ μὴ βλέποντας τὸν ἐπιβεβηκότα ἡνίοχον τοῖς ὑπεζευγμένοις ὡς αὐτουργοῖς τῶν ἐν τῷ κόσμῳ γινομένων ἀνάψαι τὰς αἰτίας. ὧν τὴν ἄγνοιαν ὁ ἱερώτατος νομοθέτης εἰς ἐπιστήμην μεθαρμόζεται λέγων ὧδε· «Μὴ ἰδὼν τὸν ἥλιον καὶ τὴν σελήνην καὶ τοὺς ἀστέ ρας καὶ πάντα τὸν κόσμον τοῦ οὐρανοῦ πλανηθεὶς προσκυνήσῃς αὐτοῖς.» 13.18.14 εὐθυβόλως πάνυ καὶ καλῶς πλάνον εἶπε τὴν τῶν εἰρημένων ὡς θεῶν ἀποδοχήν. οἱ γὰρ ἰδόντες ἡλίου μὲν προόδοις καὶ ἀναχωρήσεσι τὰς ἐτησίους ὥρας συνισταμένας, ἐν αἷς αἱ ζῴων καὶ φυτῶν καὶ καρπῶν γενέσεις ὡρισμέναις χρόνων περιόδοις τελεσφοροῦνται, σελήνην δ' ὑπηρέτιν καὶ διάδοχον ἡλίου νύκτωρ τὴν ἐπιμέλειαν καὶ προστασίαν ἀνειληφυῖαν ὧν μεθ' ἡμέραν ἥλιος, καὶ τοὺς ἄλλους ἀστέρας κατὰ τὴν πρὸς τἀπίγεια συμπάθειαν μυρία τῶν ἐπὶ διαμονῇ τοῦ παντὸς ἐνεργοῦντάς τε καὶ δρῶντας, πλάνον ἐπλανή13.18.15 θησαν ἀνήνυτον μόνους εἶναι τούτους θεοὺς ὑποτοπήσαντες. εἰ δ' ἐσπούδασαν διὰ τῆς ἀπλανοῦς βαδίζειν ὁδοῦ, κἂν εὐθὺς ἔγνωσαν, ὅτι καθάπερ αἴσθησις ὑποδιάκονος νοῦ γέγονε, τὸν αὐτὸν τρόπον καὶ οἱ αἰσθητοὶ πάντες ὑπηρέται τοῦ νοητοῦ συνέστησαν.» 13.18.16 Καὶ ἐπάγει λέγων· «Ὥσθ' ὑπερβάντες τῷ λογισμῷ πᾶσαν τὴν ὁρατὴν οὐσίαν ἐπὶ τὴν τοῦ ἀειδοῦς καὶ ἀοράτου καὶ μόνῃ διανοίᾳ καταληπτοῦ τιμὴν ἴωμεν, ὃς οὐ μόνον θεός ἐστι νοητῶν τε καὶ αἰσθητῶν, ἀλλὰ καὶ πάντων δημιουργός. ἐὰν δέ τις τὴν τοῦ ἀϊδίου καὶ ποιητοῦ θεραπείαν ἄλλῳ προσνέμῃ νεωτέρῳ καὶ γενητῷ, φρενοβλαβὴς ἀναγεγράφθω καὶ ἔνοχος ἀσεβείᾳ τῇ μεγίστῃ.» 13.18.17 Ταῦτα τῆς Ἑβραίων εὐσεβείας τὰ ὡς ἀληθῶς ἀκήρατά τε καὶ θεῖα μαθήματα πρὸ τῆς τετυφωμένης φιλοσοφίας τετιμήκαμεν. τί με δεῖ μηκύνειν καὶ τἄλλα τοῦ Πλάτωνος εἰς φῶς ἄγειν, ἐκ τῶνδε παρὸν καὶ τὰ ἐμοὶ νῦν σεσιγημένα τεκμαίρεσθαι; οὐ μὴν διαβολῆς ἕνεκα ταῦτα φάναι προήχθην, ἐπεὶ καὶ σφόδρα ἔγωγε ἄγαμαι τὸν ἄνδρα, ναὶ πάντων Ἑλλήνων φίλον ἡγοῦμαι καὶ τιμῶ, τὰ ἐμοὶ φίλα καὶ συγγενῆ, εἰ καὶ μὴ τὰ ἴσα διόλου, πεφρονηκότα, Μωσέως δ' ἐν παραθέσει