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to decline 40. Concerning the outside 41. What are the right parts of the world and what are the left 42. Concerning heaven 43. Concerning demons and heroes 44. Concerning matter 45. Concerning idea 46. Concerning the order of the stars 47. Concerning the course and motion of the stars 48. From where the stars are lighted 49. Concerning those called the Dioscuri 50. Concerning the eclipse of the sun 51. Concerning the eclipse of the moon 52. Concerning its appearance, and why it appears earthy 53. Concerning the distances of the moon 54. Concerning years 55. Concerning the earth 56. Concerning the shape of the earth 57. Concerning the position of the earth 58. Concerning the sea, how it was formed and how it is bitter 60. Concerning the parts of the soul 61. Concerning the ruling principle 62. That even the wisest of the Greeks, Socrates, showed those who were puffed up with the physiology of the aforesaid things to be fools, as being occupied with things useless to life and incomprehensible

ΙΕ 15.1.1 1. PREFACE CONCERNING THE WHOLE SUBJECT Having long ago purposed in the beginning of the Evangelical Preparation to refute the polytheistic error of all the nations, for the confirmation and defense of our withdrawal from them, which we have made with reasonable judgment, I investigated, first of all in the first three books, not only the myths which the children of their theologians and poets have ridiculed concerning their own gods, but also their seemingly solemn and secret speculations on nature, which were carried up to heaven and the parts of the world by their noble philosophy, 15.1.2 although their theologians themselves have declared that there is nothing at all in these things to be treated with solemnity. At any rate, it must be observed that the most ancient of their theologians, knowing nothing more than the story, were attested as paying attention only to the myths; whence it is reasonable that in all cities and villages, according to the narratives of the ancients, rites of the gods and mysteries have been handed down in harmony with the mythical narratives of their predecessors, so that even to this day we receive the marriages of the gods and their procreations, their lamentations and drunkenness, the wanderings of some, the loves of others, the angers of others, and other various misfortunes and circumstances, in accordance with what is recorded by the most ancient writers, both in the rites and in the hymns and songs composed to 15.1.3 their gods. Nevertheless, out of an abundance of caution I brought to light even their boastful talk, which has been made into a tragedy in physical interpretations, and the fine-spun arguments of the sophists and philosophers; and not only that, but in another three books after the first, I exposed with clear refutations the argument concerning the celebrated oracles, and the false opinion concerning fate which has been much talked of among the many, using not only arguments from our own side, but especially the very words of the Greek philosophers for their own 15.1.4 refutation. Then, passing from thence to the Hebrew oracles, I set forth in another equal number of treatises by what reasonings we accepted the dogmatic theology contained in them, and all their history, which is attested by the Greeks themselves. 15.1.5 Then next, having refuted the Greek way, showing both how they have benefited in all things from the barbarians and how they bring in no profound learning from their own resources, and having brought to light the comparison of the times in which the celebrated men of the Greeks and the prophets of the Hebrews lived, again through the next three I showed the agreement of the esteemed philosophers among the Greeks with the doctrines of the Hebrews, once more making the men's own words 15.1.6 witnesses. And not only that, but also those among them who hold different opinions from us

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ἐγκλιθῆναι μʹ. Περὶ τοῦ ἐκτός μαʹ. Τίνα δεξιὰ τοῦ κόσμου καὶ τίνα ἀριστερά μβʹ. Περὶ οὐρανοῦ μγʹ. Περὶ δαιμόνων καὶ ἡρώων μδʹ. Περὶ ὕλης μεʹ. Περὶ ἰδέας μʹ. Περὶ τάξεως ἀστέρων μζʹ. Περὶ τῆς τῶν ἄστρων φορᾶς καὶ κινήσεως μηʹ. Πόθεν φωτίζονται οἱ ἀστέρες μθʹ. Περὶ τῶν καλουμένων ∆ιοσκούρων νʹ. Περὶ ἐκλείψεως ἡλίου ναʹ. Περὶ ἐκλείψεως σελήνης νβʹ. Περὶ ἐμφάσεως αὐτῆς, καὶ διὰ τί γεώδης φαίνεται νγʹ. Περὶ τῶν ἀποστημάτων τῆς σελήνης νδʹ. Περὶ ἐνιαυτῶν νεʹ. Περὶ γῆς νʹ. Περὶ σχήματος γῆς νζʹ. Περὶ θέσεως τῆς γῆς νθʹ. Περὶ θαλάσσης, πῶς συνέστη καὶ πῶς ἐστι πικρά ξʹ. Περὶ μερῶν τῆς ψυχῆς ξαʹ. Περὶ ἡγεμονικοῦ ξβʹ. Ὅτι καὶ τῶν Ἑλλήνων ὁ σοφώτατος Σωκράτης τοὺς ἐπὶ τῇ τῶν προειρημένων φυσιολογίᾳ μεγάλα φυσῶντας μωραίνοντας ἀπεδείκνυεν, ὡς περὶ ἄχρηστα τῷ βίῳ καὶ ἀκατάληπτα κατατριβομένους

ΙΕ 15.1.1 αʹ. ΠΡΟΟΙΜΙΟΝ ΠΕΡΙ ΑΠΑΣΗΣ ΤΗΣ ΥΠΟΘΕΣΕΩΣ Τὴν πολύθεον τῶν ἐθνῶν ἁπάντων πλάνην ἐν ἀρχαῖς τῆς Εὐαγγελικῆς Προπαρασκευῆς ἀπελέγξαι πρὸ πολλοῦ θέμενος ἐπὶ συστάσει καὶ ἀπολογίᾳ τῆς ἐξ αὐτῶν ἀναχωρήσεως, ἣν μετ' εὐλόγου κρίσεως πεποιήμεθα, οὐ μόνον τοὺς μύθους, οὓς δὴ περὶ τῶν οἰκείων θεῶν παῖδες τῶν παρ' αὐτοῖς θεολόγων τε καὶ ποιητῶν κεκωμῳδήκασιν, ἀλλὰ καὶ τούτων τὰς σεμνοπρεπεῖς δὴ καὶ ἀπορρήτους φυσιολογίας, ἄνω που εἰς οὐρανὸν καὶ τὰ κόσμου μέρη πρὸς τῆς γενναίας φιλοσοφίας μετενηνεγμένας, πρώτιστα πάντων ἐν τρισὶ τοῖς πρώτοις συγγράμμασι διηρευνησάμην, καίτοι μηδὲν τὸ παράπαν ἐν τούτοις 15.1.2 χρῆναι σεμνολογεῖν τῶν δὴ θεολόγων αὐτῶν ἀποφηναμένων. τηρητέον γοῦν, ὡς ὅτι μάλιστα οἱ πρεσβύτατοι τῶν παρ' αὐτοῖς θεολόγων οὐδέν τι πλέον τῆς ἱστορίας εἰδότες, μόνοις δὲ τοῖς μύθοις προσανέχοντες ἐμαρτυρήθησαν· ὅθεν εἰκότως ἐν πάσαις πόλεσί τε καὶ κώμαις κατὰ τὰς τῶν παλαιῶν διηγήσεις θεῶν τελεταὶ καὶ μυστήρια σύμφωνα τοῖς τῶν προτέρων μυθικοῖς διηγήμασι παραδέδοται, ὡς εἰσέτι καὶ νῦν τῶν θεῶν γάμους καὶ παιδοποιίας θρήνους τε καὶ μέθας καὶ τῶν μὲν πλάνας, τῶν δὲ ἔρωτας, τῶν δὲ ὀργάς, τῶν δὲ ἑτέρας παντοίας συμφοράς τε καὶ περιστάσεις, ἀκολούθως τοῖς ὑπὸ τῶν παλαιοτάτων μνημονευομένοις, κατά τε τὰς τελετὰς ἔν τε τοῖς ὕμνοις καὶ ταῖς εἰς 15.1.3 τοὺς θεοὺς αὐτῶν πεποιημέναις ᾠδαῖς παραλαμβάνειν. πλὴν ὅμως ἐκ περιουσίας καὶ τούτων αὐτῶν τὰς τετραγῳδημένας ἐν φυσικαῖς ἀποδόσεσι κομπωδίας τάς τε τῶν σοφιστῶν καὶ φιλοσόφων εὑρησιλογίας εἰς φανε ρὸν ἤγαγον· οὐ μὴν ἀλλὰ καὶ τὸν περὶ τῶν βοωμένων χρηστηρίων λόγον τήν τε παρὰ τοῖς πολλοῖς διατεθρυλημένην περὶ εἱμαρμένης ψευδῆ δόξαν ἐν ἑτέροις τρισὶ τοῖς ἑξῆς μετὰ τὰ πρῶτα συγγράμμασι λευκοῖς τοῖς ἐλέγχοις ἀπεγύμνωσα, οὐ μόνοις τοῖς οἴκοθεν ἐπιχειρήμασιν, ἀλλὰ καὶ ταῖς αὐτῶν μάλιστα τῶν παρ' Ἕλλησι φιλοσόφων φωναῖς εἰς τὸν κατ' αὐτῶν 15.1.4 ἔλεγχον συγκεχρημένος. μεταβὰς δὲ ἐκεῖθεν ἐπὶ τὰ Ἑβραίων λόγια, τίσι ποτὲ λογισμοῖς τὴν ἐν τούτοις περιεχομένην δογματικὴν θεολογίαν τήν τε κατὰ τούσδε ἱστορίαν ἅπασαν καὶ πρὸς αὐτῶν Ἑλλήνων μεμαρτυρημένην παρεδεξάμεθα, ἐν ἰσαρίθμοις αὖ πάλιν λόγων συντάξεσι παρεστη15.1.5 σάμην. εἶθ' ἑξῆς τὸν Ἑλληνικὸν ἀπελέγξας τρόπον, ὅπως τε τὰ πάντα παρὰ βαρβάρων ὠφέληντο καὶ ὡς οὐδὲν οἴκοθεν σεμνὸν ἐπάγονται μάθημα, καὶ τήν γε τῶν χρόνων ἀντιπαράθεσιν, καθ' οὓς Ἑλλήνων τε οἱ βοώμενοι Ἑβραίων τε οἱ προφῆται γεγόνασιν, εἰς φῶς ἀγαγών, αὖθις διὰ τῶν μετὰ ταῦτα τριῶν τὴν τῶν παρ' Ἕλλησιν εὐδοκίμων φιλοσόφων πρὸς τὰς Ἑβραίων δόξας συνδρομὴν ὑπέδειξα, αὐτὰς πάλιν τὰς οἰκείας τῶν ἀνδρῶν φωνὰς μάρ15.1.6 τυρας ποιησάμενος. οὐ μὴν ἀλλὰ καὶ τοὺς ἑτεροδοξοῦντας ἡμῖν τῶν παρ'