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had received a divine wisdom, nor was there any need for the wise to innovate, if indeed the traditions of their ancestors were sound for them, nor for the noble philosophers to be in sedition and at variance, if indeed their ancestral opinion about the gods had been approved 14.9.6 as harmonious and true. And why was it necessary to war and fight with one another, or to run up and down the long road, wandering about and plundering the property of barbarians, when they should have stayed at home and learned from the gods, if indeed there were any gods, or from theological men the true and unerring doctrines about the things sought in philosophy, about which they toiled over countless things and were at variance, falling far short 14.9.7 of the discovery of the truth? And why was it necessary to dare to seek newer things about the gods, or to be in sedition and fight with one another, if indeed a safe and sure discovery of gods and a true knowledge of piety was contained in rites and mysteries and in the other theology of the most ancient men, when it was possible to maintain that very theology 14.9.8 unshaken and by common consent harmoniously? But if it should appear that these men had learned nothing true about God from their predecessors, but by their own ideas had applied themselves to the examination of nature, and had used conjectures rather than comprehension, what then prevents us from agreeing that the ancient theology of the Gentiles contained nothing more than the account given in the writings 14.9.9 before this? That the philosophy among the Greeks, therefore, arose from human conjectures and much strife of words and error, and not from any accurate comprehension, you may learn from the letter of Porphyry to Anebo the Egyptian, hearing him confessing this very thing in these words:

14.10.1 10. THAT CONJECTURES AND STRIFES OF WORDS AND MUCH ERROR EXIST AMONG THE GREEK PHILOSOPHERS

"I will begin my friendly discussion with you from the gods and good daemons and the philosophical doctrines related to them, about which very much has been said by the Greek philosophers, but said for the most part from conjecture, having the first principles of their belief from that source." 14.10.2 And next after this he adds, saying: "For among us there is much strife of words, since the good is conjectured from human reasonings; but for those by whom communion with the superior power has been devised, if this part is given up to examination, their wisdom has been practiced in vain." 14.10.3 But also in his reply to Boethus On the Soul, the same author confesses thus, writing to the letter: "... that the facts of our conceptions and of history indisputably establish that the soul is immortal; but the arguments brought for proof by the philosophers seem easy to overthrow, on account of the contentiousness of the disputatious in all things. For what argument in philosophy is not disputed by those of a different opinion, where some of them have thought it right to suspend judgement even about things that seem evident?" 14.10.4 And in the work which he entitled On the Philosophy from Oracles, he expressly acknowledges that the Greeks have been in error, calling his own god to witness, that Apollo also had declared this by oracles, and had testified that the discovery of the truth belonged to Barbarians rather than to Greeks, and indeed had made mention of the Hebrews 14.10.5 among those to whom witness was borne. At any rate after the quotation of the oracle he uses in addition the following concluding words: "You have heard what great labor it is for one to offer the purificatory sacrifices for the body, not that he may find out the salvation of the soul. For the way to the gods is bound with brass, steep and rugged, of which Barbarians have found out many paths, but Greeks have gone astray, and those who are now in power have even corrupted them; and the god testified that the discovery belonged to Egyptians and Phoenicians and Chaldeans, for Assyrians

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θεοσοφίας προειλήφει, οὐδ' ἦν τις ἀνάγκη καινοτομεῖν τοὺς σοφούς, εἰ δὴ τὰ τῶν προγόνων αὐτοῖς εὖ ἔχοντα ἦν, ἀλλ' οὐδὲ στασιάζειν καὶ διαφέρεσθαι τοὺς γενναίους φιλοσόφους, εἰ δὴ σύμφωνος καὶ ἀληθὴς ἡ πάτριος αὐτοῖς περὶ θεῶν δόξα τυγχάνειν δε14.9.6 δοκίμαστο. τί δὲ ἔδει πολεμεῖν ἀλλήλοις καὶ μάχεσθαι ἢ τὴν μακρὰν ὁδὸν ἄνω καὶ κάτω περιτρέχειν πλανᾶσθαί τε καὶ τὰ βαρβάρων ὑποσυλᾶν, οἴκοι δέον μένοντας παρὰ θεῶν ἐκμανθάνειν, εἰ δή τινες ἦσαν θεοί, ἢ παρὰ τῶν θεολόγων ἀνδρῶν τοὺς ἀληθεῖς καὶ ἀδιαπτώτους περὶ τῶν ἐπιζητουμένων ἐν φιλοσοφίᾳ λόγους, περὶ ὧν μυρία ὅσα μοχθήσαντες διηνέχθησαν, μακρῷ 14.9.7 τῆς τἀληθοῦς εὑρέσεως ἀφυστερήσαντες; τί δὲ καὶ περὶ θεῶν νεώτερα χρῆν ἐπιζητεῖν τολμᾶν ἢ στασιάζειν καὶ διαπυκτεύειν ἀλλήλοις, εἰ δὴ ἀσφαλὴς καὶ βεβαία θεῶν εὕρεσις καὶ γνῶσις εὐσεβείας ἀληθὴς ἐν τελεταῖς καὶ μυ στηρίοις τῇ τε ἄλλῃ τῶν παλαιτάτων περιείχετο θεολογίᾳ, αὐτὴν ἐκείνην 14.9.8 παρὸν ἀκίνητον καὶ ὁμολογουμένην συμφώνως περιέπειν; ἀλλὰ γὰρ εἰ φανεῖεν οὗτοι μηδὲν ἀληθὲς περὶ θεοῦ παρὰ τῶν προτέρων μεμαθηκότες, οἰκείαις δ' ἐπινοίαις τῇ περὶ φύσεως ἐπιβεβληκότες ἐξετάσει καὶ στοχασμοῖς μᾶλλον ἢ καταλήψει κεχρημένοι, τί χρὴ λοιπὸν μὴ οὐχὶ συνομολογεῖν τὴν παλαιὰν τῶν ἐθνῶν θεολογίαν μηδὲν πλέον τῆς ἀποδοθείσης ἐν τοῖς 14.9.9 πρὸ τούτου συγγράμμασιν ἱστορίας ἐπέχειν; ὅτι μὲν οὖν ἐξ ἀνθρωπίνων στοχασμῶν καὶ πολλῆς λογομαχίας καὶ πλάνης, ἀλλ' οὐκ ἔκ τινος ἀκριβοῦς καταλήψεως ἡ παρὰ τοῖς Ἕλλησιν ὑπέστη φιλοσοφία, ἐκ τῆς πρὸς Ἀνεβὼ τὸν Αἰγύπτιον ἐπιστολῆς τοῦ Πορφυρίου μάθοις ἄν, αὐτὸ δὴ τοῦτο ἀκούσας ὁμολογοῦντος ἐν τούτοις·

14.10.1 ιʹ. ΟΤΙ ΣΤΟΧΑΣΜΟΙ ΚΑΙ ΛΟΓΟΜΑΧΙΑΙ ΚΑΙ ΠΟΛΛΗ ΠΛΑΝΗ ΤΥΓΧΑΝΕΙ ΠΑΡΑ ΤΟΙΣ ΕΛΛΗΝΩΝ ΦΙΛΟΣΟΦΟΙΣ

«Ἄρξομαι δὲ τῆς πρὸς σὲ φιλίας ἀπὸ θεῶν καὶ δαιμόνων ἀγαθῶν τῶν τε τούτοις συγγενῶν φιλοσοφημάτων, περὶ ὧν εἴρηται μὲν πλεῖστα καὶ παρὰ τοῖς Ἑλλήνων φιλοσόφοις, εἴρηται δὲ ἐκ στοχασμοῦ τὸ πλέον τὰς ἀρχὰς ἔχοντα τῆς πίστεως.» 14.10.2 Καὶ ὑποβὰς ἑξῆς ἐπιφέρει λέγων· «Παρὰ μὲν γὰρ ἡμῖν λογομαχία τίς ἐστι πολλή, ἅτε ἐξ ἀνθρωπίνων λογισμῶν τοῦ ἀγαθοῦ εἰκαζομένου· οἷς δὲ μεμηχάνηται ἡ πρὸς τὸ κρεῖττον συνουσία, εἰ παρεῖται τὸ μέρος τοῦτο εἰς ἐξέτασιν, μάτην αὐτοῖς ἡ σοφία ἐξήσκηται.» 14.10.3 Ἀλλὰ καὶ ἐν οἷς ἀντέγραψε Βοήθῳ Περὶ ψυχῆς ὁ αὐτὸς ὧδε γράφων ὁμολογεῖ πρὸς λέξιν· «... ὡς τὰ μὲν τῶν ἐννοιῶν καὶ τὰ τῆς ἱστορίας ἀναμφιλέκτως συνίστησι τὴν ψυχὴν εἶναι ἀθάνατον· οἱ δὲ εἰς ἀπόδειξιν παρὰ τῶν φιλοσόφων κομισθέντες λόγοι δοκοῦσιν εἶναι εὐανάτρεπτοι διὰ τὴν ἐν πᾶσιν εὑρησιλογίαν τῶν ἐριστικῶν. τίς γὰρ λόγος τῶν ἐν φιλοσοφίᾳ οὐκ ἀμφισβητήσιμος τοῖς ἑτεροδόξοις, ὅπου καὶ περὶ τῶν δοκούντων ἐναργῶν ἐπέχειν αὐτῶν τισιν ἐδόκει;» 14.10.4 Καὶ ἐν οἷς δὲ ἐπέγραψε Περὶ τῆς ἐκ λογίων φιλοσοφίας διαρρήδην ὁμολογεῖ τοὺς Ἕλληνας πεπλανῆσθαι, ἐπιμαρτυρόμενος τὸν ἑαυτοῦ θεόν, ὡς τοῦτο καὶ τοῦ Ἀπόλλωνος διὰ χρησμῶν ἐξειπόντος καὶ βαρβάροις μᾶλλον ἢ Ἕλλησι τὴν εὕρεσιν τῆς ἀληθείας ἐπιμαρτυρήσαντος καὶ δὴ καὶ Ἑβραίων 14.10.5 μνημονεύσαντος ἐν τοῖς μαρτυρηθεῖσι. μετὰ γοῦν τὴν τοῦ χρησμοῦ παράθεσιν ἑξῆς τούτοις κέχρηται τοῖς ἐπιλόγοις· «Ἀκήκοας πόσος πόνος, ἵν' ὑπὲρ σώματός τις τὰ καθάρσια θύσῃ, οὐχ ὅτι τῆς ψυχῆς τὴν σωτηρίαν ἐξεύροι; χαλκόδετος γὰρ ἡ πρὸς θεοὺς ὁδὸς αἰπεινή τε καὶ τραχεῖα, ἧς πολλὰς ἀτραποὺς βάρβαροι μὲν ἐξεῦρον, Ἕλληνες δὲ ἐπλανήθησαν, οἱ δὲ κρατοῦντες ἤδη καὶ διέφθειραν· τὴν δὲ εὕρεσιν Αἰγυπτίοις ὁ θεὸς ἐμαρτύρησε Φοίνιξί τε καὶ Χαλδαίοις Ἀσσύριοι γὰρ