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“Whether the universe is one and interconnected, as it seems to us and to the wisest of the Greeks, Plato and Pythagoras and those of the Stoa and Heraclitus, or two, as someone has perhaps supposed, or even many and infinite, as it seemed to others, who with many aberrations of thought and various utterances of names have attempted to break up the substance of the whole, positing it to be infinite and 14.23.2 uncreated and without providence? For some, having named them atoms, putting forward certain indestructible and very small bodies, innumerable in multitude, and some empty space of unlimited magnitude, say that these atoms, moving randomly in the void and automatically colliding with one another through disorderly impetus and becoming entangled because, being of many shapes, they lay hold of each other, thus form the cosmos and the things in it, or rather, infinite cosmoses. 14.23.3 Of this opinion were Epicurus and Democritus; and they disagreed to this extent, that the one held all atoms to be very small and for this reason imperceptible, while Democritus supposed that some atoms are also very large. Both say they are and are called ‘atoms’ because of their indissoluble solidity. 14.23.4 Others, renaming the atoms, say they are ‘indivisible’ bodies, parts of the universe, from which, being indivisible, all things are composed and into which they are dissolved. And they say that Diodorus was the originator of the name for these ‘indivisibles’; but Heraclides, they say, giving them another name, called them ‘masses,’ from whom Asclepiades the physician also inherited the name.” Having said these things, he next refutes the doctrine with many arguments, but also with these:

14.24.1 24. FROM EXAMPLES AMONG MEN “How can we tolerate them when they say that the wise and for this reason beautiful creations are chance occurrences? Of which each, having come into being by itself, was seen to be good by the one who commanded it to come into being, and likewise all of them collectively. For ‘God saw,’ it says, ‘14.24.2 all the things that he had made, and behold, they were very good.’ But they are not even admonished by the small, common examples at their feet, from which they can learn that no useful and beneficial work is accomplished without skill or by chance, but being crafted it is prepared for its proper service; but when it falls into a useless and unhelpful state, then, being dissolved, it is scattered indefinitely and randomly, since wisdom, which was concerned with its 14.24.3 composition, no longer handles or arranges it. For a garment is not woven without a weaver assembling the warp-threads, nor with the woof being interwoven automatically, but if it should be worn out, the torn pieces are scattered about as rags; and a house is built and a city, not by accepting some stones that desert to the foundations on their own, and others that leap up to the upper courses, but the wall-builder brings the suitable ones into place; but when it is thrown down, each one, carried away, 14.24.4 is displaced as it gives way. And when a ship is being built, the keel did not put itself underneath, nor did the mast raise itself in the middle, nor did each of the other timbers take whatever position it chanced upon of its own accord; nor were the so-called hundred timbers of the wagon each fixed in whatever empty place it found; but the craftsman brought together the opportune part of each, but if the ship at sea should be broken up, or the wagon being carried over land, the timbers are scattered wherever they may chance, some by the waves, others by the forceful 14.24.5 impetus. Thus it would be fitting for them to say that the atoms also, remaining idle and uncrafted and useless, are moved at random. For let those men see the unseen things

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«Πότερον ἕν ἐστι συναφὲς τὸ πᾶν, ὡς ἡμῖν τε καὶ τοῖς σοφωτάτοις Ἑλλήνων Πλάτωνι καὶ Πυθαγόρᾳ καὶ τοῖς ἀπὸ τῆς Στοᾶς καὶ Ἡρακλείτῳ φαίνεται, ἢ δύο, ὡς ἴσως τις ὑπέλαβεν, ἢ καὶ πολλὰ καὶ ἄπειρα, ὥς τισιν ἄλλοις ἔδοξεν, οἳ πολλαῖς τῆς διανοίας παραφοραῖς καὶ ποικίλαις προφοραῖς ὀνομάτων τὴν τῶν ὅλων ἐπεχείρησαν κατακερματίζειν οὐσίαν ἄπειρόν τε καὶ 14.23.2 ἀγένητον καὶ ἀπρονόητον ὑποτίθενται; οἱ μὲν γὰρ ἀτόμους προσειπόντες ἄφθαρτά τινα καὶ σμικρότατα σώματα πλῆθος ἀνάριθμα καί τι χωρίον κενὸν μέγεθος ἀπεριόριστον προβαλόμενοι, ταύτας δή φασι τὰς ἀτόμους ὡς ἔτυχεν ἐν τῷ κενῷ φερομένας αὐτομάτως τε συμπιπτούσας ἀλλήλαις διὰ ῥύμην ἄτακτον καὶ συμπλεκομένας διὰ τὸ πολυσχήμονας οὔσας ἀλλήλων ἐπιλαμβάνεσθαι, καὶ οὕτω τόν τε κόσμον καὶ τὰ ἐν αὐτῷ, μᾶλλον δὲ κόσμους ἀπείρους 14.23.3 ἀποτελεῖν. ταύτης δὲ τῆς δόξης Ἐπίκουρος γεγόνασι καὶ ∆ημόκριτος· τοσοῦτον δὲ διεφώνησαν ὅσον ὁ μὲν ἐλαχίστας πάσας καὶ διὰ τοῦτο ἀνεπαισθήτους, ὁ δὲ καὶ μεγίστας εἶναί τινας ἀτόμους ὁ ∆ημόκριτος ὑπέλαβεν. ἀτόμους δὲ εἶναί φασιν ἀμφότεροι καὶ λέγεσθαι διὰ τὴν ἄλυτον στερρότητα. 14.23.4 οἱ δὲ τὰς ἀτόμους μετονομάσαντες ἀμερῆ φασιν εἶναι σώματα, τοῦ παντὸς μέρη, ἐξ ὧν ἀδιαιρέτων ὄντων συντίθεται τὰ πάντα καὶ εἰς ἃ διαλύεται. καὶ τούτων φασὶ τῶν ἀμερῶν ὀνοματοποιὸν ∆ιόδωρον γεγονέναι· ὄνομα δέ, φασίν, αὐτοῖς ἄλλο Ἡρακλείδης θέμενος ἐκάλεσεν ὄγκους, παρ' οὗ καὶ Ἀσκληπιάδης ὁ ἰατρὸς ἐκληρονόμησε τὸ ὄνομα.» Ταῦτ' εἰπὼν ἑξῆς ἀνασκευάζει τὸ δόγμα διὰ πολλῶν, ἀτὰρ καὶ διὰ τούτων·

14.24.1 κδʹ. ΑΠΟ ΤΩΝ ΕΝ ΑΝΘΡΩΠΟΙΣ ΥΠΟ∆ΕΙΓΜΑΤΩΝ «Πῶς αὐτῶν ἀνασχώμεθα τυχηρὰ λεγόντων εἶναι συμπτώματα τὰ σοφὰ καὶ διὰ τοῦτο καλὰ δημιουργήματα; ὧν ἕκαστόν τε καθ' ἑαυτὸ γενόμενον ὤφθη τῷ προστάξαντι γενέσθαι καλὸν καὶ συλλήβδην ὁμοίως ἅπαντα. καὶ «εἶδε» 14.24.2 γάρ, φησίν, «ὁ θεὸς τὰ πάντα ὅσα ἐποίησε, καὶ ἰδοὺ καλὰ λίαν.» ἀλλ' οὐδὲ ἀπὸ τῶν μικρῶν τῶν συνήθων καὶ παρὰ πόδας νουθετοῦνται παραδειγμάτων, ἐξ ὧν δύνανται μανθάνειν ὅτι χρειῶδες μὲν καὶ πρὸς ὠφέλειαν ἔργον οὐδὲν ἀνεπιτηδεύτως οὐδὲ συμβατικῶς ἀπεργάζεται, ἀλλὰ χειρουργούμενον εἰς τὴν πρέπουσαν ὑπηρεσίαν καταρτίζεται· ὅταν δὲ εἰς ἄχρηστον μεταπίπτῃ καὶ ἀνωφελές, τότε διαλυόμενον ἀορίστως καὶ ὡς ἂν τύχῃ διασκίδναται, ἅτε μηκέτι μεταχειριζομένης μηδὲ διαταττούσης αὐτὸ τῆς σοφίας, ᾗ τοῦ συνεστά14.24.3 ναι τοῦτο ἔμελεν. ἱμάτιόν τε γὰρ οὐ χωρὶς ἱστουργοῦ συνισταμένων τῶν στημόνων οὐδὲ τῆς κρόκης αὐτομάτως παρεμπλεκομένης ἀνυφαίνεται, εἰ δὲ κατατριβείη, τὰ λακισθέντα διαρριπτεῖται ῥάκη· οἰκία τε ἀνοικοδο μεῖται καὶ πόλις οὐ τοὺς μέν τινας δεχομένη θεμελίοις αὐτομολοῦντας λίθους, τοὺς δὲ ἀναπηδῶντας εἰς τὰς ἐπιβολάς, ἀλλὰ κατὰ χώραν ὁ τοιχοδόμος τοὺς εὐθέτους ἐπιφέρει· καταρριφθείσης δέ, ὡς ἂν παρείκῃ κατενεχθεὶς ἕκαστος 14.24.4 ἀπεσφάλη. καὶ κατασκευαζομένης νεὼς οὐχ ἡ μέν τις ὑπέβαλεν ἑαυτὴν τρόπις, ὁ δὲ κατὰ μέσην ἑαυτὸν ἱστὸς ὤρθωσε καὶ τῶν ἄλλων ἕκαστον ξύλων ἣν ἔτυχεν ἐξ ἑαυτοῦ θέσιν κατέλαβεν· οὐδὲ τὰ λεγόμενα ἑκατὸν τῆς ἁμάξης ξύλα καθ' ὃν εὗρε κενὸν τόπον ἕκαστον συνεπάγη· ἀλλ' ὁ τέκτων ἑκατέρας συνεκόμισε καίριον, εἰ δὲ διαλυθείη ἡ ναῦς ἐνθαλασσεύουσα, ἢ φερομένη κατὰ γῆν ἅμαξα, ὅπῃ τύχῃ τὰ ξύλα τὰ μὲν ὑπὸ τῶν κυμάτων, τὰ δὲ ὑπὸ τῆς συντόνου 14.24.5 ῥύμης διασπείρεται. οὕτως ἂν ἁρμόζοι λέγειν αὐτοῖς καὶ τὰς ἀτόμους, ἀργὰς μενούσας καὶ ἀχειροποιήτους καὶ ἀχρήστους, εἰκῇ φέρεσθαι. ὁράτωσαν γὰρ τὰς ἀθεάτους ἐκεῖνοι