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I have exposed the Greek philosophers in the preceding book, not only as being at variance with us, but also with their own people, and as having been refuted by their own acquaintances, by all these means showing to my readers that the criterion of our judgement is impartial, and providing by deeds, so to speak, and by the facts themselves, the proofs that we have not chosen without consideration, but with a deliberate and sober judgement, the ancient and true philosophy and piety of the Hebrews before that of the Greeks; which also 15.1.7 was established by the citation of the Greek authors. Still holding to the last book of this, which is the fifteenth of the treatise in hand, we will supply what is wanting to the previous discussions, still bringing to light the solemnities of the noble philosophy of the Greeks, and laying bare before the eyes of all the useless learning in them, and showing first of all, that it is not from ignorance of the things admired among them, but from contempt of their unprofitable study that we have paid them very little attention, having devoted our own souls to the practice of better 15.1.8 things. When this, therefore, with God's help, has been sealed for us by truth itself, my work on the Preparation will here be brought to a close; and passing on to the more perfect subject of the Evangelical Demonstration, I shall connect the beginning of the second treatise with the remaining point of the accusations against us. 15.1.9 And this was the charge brought against us, that having preferred the oracles of the Hebrews to our ancestral customs, we have not chosen to emulate the same manner of life as the Jews; to which, after the completion of the present book, with God's cooperation, I shall attempt to reply. For in this way I think that the second parts being woven together with the first as if by one bond will complete one general design for the whole 15.1.10 discourse. But as to the present work, since it has been shown in the preceding books that the philosophy of Plato is at one time in harmony with the doctrines of the Hebrews, and at another at variance with them, in which respects it has been convicted of being also at variance with its own tenets, and the doctrines of the other philosophers who were called physical, both those of Plato's succession and those of Xenophanes and Parmenides, and also Pyrrho and those who introduced suspension of judgement, and all the rest in order, whose opinions the preceding discourse refuted, as being opposed to the doctrines of the Hebrews and of Plato and to truth itself, and not only so, but as having also brought their refutation upon themselves with their own 15.1.11 weapons; it is time now to look down as from a high stage upon the other vanity of the philosophers from Aristotle and the Stoics, and to survey all the rest of the natural philosophy of the supercilious, so that we may learn both the things solemnly uttered among them and the things again spoken against them by their own 15.1.12 people. For thus also our deliberate withdrawal from these would be freed from all reasonable accusation, because it is not from ignorance of their solemnities, but by a tested and well-examined judgement that we have preferred the truth and piety among those considered barbarians to all the doctrines of the 15.1.13 Greeks. I shall begin with the doctrines of Aristotle. Now others have slandered the man's life, and these were philosophers and otherwise not obscure. But it is not my wish to hear with my own ears the man spoken ill of by his own people. Therefore I shall rather set forth the apologies for him from the works of Aristocles the Peripatetic, who in the seventh book of his work On Philosophy writes thus concerning him:

15.2.1 2. CONCERNING THE PHILOSOPHY OF ARISTOTLE AND THE THINGS REPORTED ABOUT THE MAN; FROM THE SEVENTH BOOK OF ON PHILOSOPHY

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Ἕλλησι φιλοσόφων οὐ πρὸς ἡμᾶς μόνους, ἀλλὰ καὶ πρὸς τοὺς σφῶν οἰκείους διεστῶτας ὑπό τε τῶν γνωρίμων ἀνατετραμμένους ἐν τῷ πρὸ τούτου συγγράμματι κατεφώρασα, διὰ τούτων ἁπάντων τῆς ἡμετέρας γνώμης τὸ κριτήριον ἀδέκαστον ἐπιδεικνὺς τοῖς ἐντυγχάνουσιν, ἔργοις τε, ὡς ἔπος εἰπεῖν, καὶ αὐτοῖς πράγμασι τὰς ἀποδείξεις τοῦ μὴ ἀσκόπως ἡμᾶς, κεκριμένῳ δὲ καὶ σώφρονι λογισμῷ πρὸ τῆς Ἑλλήνων τὴν Ἑβραίων ὁμοῦ παλαιὰν καὶ ἀληθῆ φιλοσοφίαν τε καὶ εὐσέβειαν ἐπανῃρῆσθαι παρασχόμενος· ὃ καὶ 15.1.7 συνέστη διὰ τῆς τῶν Ἑλληνικῶν φωνῶν παραθέσεως. ἧς εἰσέτι δεῦρο τὸν ὕστατον ἐπέχοντες λόγον, πεντεκαιδέκατον ὄντα τῆς ἐν χερσὶ πραγματείας, τὸ λεῖπον τοῖς διεξωδευμένοις ἀποδώσομεν, τὰ σεμνὰ τῆς γενναίας τῶν Ἑλλήνων φιλοσοφίας ἔτι καὶ νῦν εἰς φῶς ἕλκοντες πρὸ ὀφθαλμῶν τε τοῖς πᾶσι τὴν ἐν αὐτοῖς ἀχρηστομάθειαν ἀπογυμνοῦντες καὶ πάντων γε πρότερον παριστῶντες, ὅτι μὴ ἀγνοίᾳ τῶν παρ' αὐτοῖς θαυμαζομένων, ὀλιγωρίᾳ δὲ τῆς ἐν αὐτοῖς ἀνωφελοῦς σχολῆς ἥκιστα αὐτῶν πεφροντίκαμεν, τῇ τῶν κρειτ15.1.8 τόνων ἀσκήσει τὰς ἑαυτῶν ἀναθέντες ψυχάς. τούτου δὴ οὖν σὺν θεῷ δι' αὐτῆς ἀληθείας ἡμῖν ἐπισφραγισθέντος, τὰ μὲν τῆς Προπαρασκευῆς ἐνταῦθά μοι περιγραφήσεται· μεταβὰς δὲ ἐπὶ τὴν ἐντελεστέραν ὑπόθεσιν τῆς Εὐαγγελικῆς Ἀποδείξεως, ἀπὸ τοῦ λείποντος ταῖς καθ' ἡμῶν κατηγορίαις σκέμματος τὴν καταρχὴν τῆς δευτέρας ἐπισυνάψω πραγματείας. 15.1.9 Ἦν δὲ τοῦτο ἐπιμεμφόμενον ἡμῖν, ὅτι δὴ τὰ Ἑβραίων λόγια τῶν πατρίων προτιμήσαντες οὐ τὸν ὅμοιον τῷ Ἰουδαίων βίον ζηλοῦντες προειλόμεθα· πρὸς ὃ μετὰ τὴν τοῦ παρόντος λόγου συμπλήρωσιν, θεοῦ συνεργοῦντος, ἀπαντῆσαι πειράσομαι. ταύτη γὰρ ἡγοῦμαι τοῖς πρώτοις τὰ δεύτερα ὥσπερ ὑφ' ἑνὶ δεσμῷ συμπλακέντα μίαν τὴν καθόλου διάνοιαν τοῦ παντὸς ἀποτελέσειν 15.1.10 λόγου. τό γε μὴν παρόν, ἐπειδὴ πέφηνεν ἐν τοῖς πρὸ τούτου συγγράμμασιν ἡ κατὰ Πλάτωνα φιλοσοφία τοτὲ μὲν τοῖς Ἑβραίων συμφωνοῦσα λόγοις, τοτὲ δὲ πρὸς αὐτοὺς διεστῶσα, ἐν οἷς ἐλήλεγκται καὶ πρὸς τὰ αὐτῇ ἀρέσκοντα διαφωνοῦσα, τὰ δὲ κατὰ τοὺς ἄλλους τοὺς δὴ φυσικοὺς ἐπικληθέντας φιλοσόφους τά τε τῆς Πλάτωνος διαδοχῆς καὶ τὰ κατὰ Ξενοφάνην τε καὶ Παρμενίδην καὶ ἔτι Πύρρωνα καὶ τοὺς τὴν ἐποχὴν εἰσηγουμένους τούς τε ἄλλους ἑξῆς ἅπαντας, ὧν τὰς δόξας ὁ προλαβὼν ἀπήλεγξε λόγος, τοῖς Ἑβραίων ὁμοῦ καὶ τοῖς Πλάτωνος δόγμασιν αὐτῇ τε ἀληθείᾳ ἐξ ἐναντίας ἱστάμενα, οὐ μὴν ἀλλὰ καὶ τὸν ἔλεγχον τοῖς σφῶν αὐτῶν βέλεσιν ἀπενη15.1.11 νεγμένα· ὥρα καὶ τὸν ἄλλον τῦφον τῶν ἀπ' Ἀριστοτέλους τῶν τε Στωϊκῶν φιλοσόφων ἄνωθεν ὡς ἀπὸ σκηνῆς κατοπτεῦσαι καὶ τὴν λοιπὴν δὲ πᾶσαν φυσιολογίαν τῶν τὰς ὀφρῦς ἀνατεινομένων συνιδεῖν, ὡς ἂν μάθοιμεν καὶ τὰ παρὰ τοῖσδε σεμνολογούμενα τά τε πρὸς αὐτοὺς αὖ πάλιν ὑπὸ τῶν οἰκείων ἀντιλεγό15.1.12 μενα. οὕτω γὰρ καὶ τῆς τούτων ἀναχωρήσεως τὸ παρ' ἡμῖν κεκριμένον εὐλόγου πάσης ἀπολύοιτ' ἂν κατηγορίας, ὅτι δὴ μὴ ἀγνοίᾳ τῶν παρ' αὐτοῖς σεμνῶν, ἐξητασμένῃ δὲ καὶ βεβασανισμένῃ κρίσει τὴν παρὰ τοῖς νενομισμένοις βαρβάροις ἀλήθειάν τε καὶ εὐσέβειαν τῶν Ἑλληνικῶν ἁπάντων προ15.1.13 τετιμήκαμεν. ἄρξομαι δὲ ἀπὸ τῶν Ἀριστοτέλους. ἄλλοι μὲν οὖν τὸν βίον τἀνδρὸς διαβεβλήκασι, φιλόσοφοι δὲ καὶ ἄλλως οὐκ ἀφανεῖς τινες ἦσαν καὶ οὗτοι. ἐμοὶ δ' οὐ φίλον τὸν ἄνδρα οὐδ' αὐταῖς ἀκοαῖς ἀνέχεσθαι κακῶς πρὸς τῶν οἰκείων ἀγορευόμενον. διόπερ τὰς ὑπὲρ αὐτοῦ μᾶλλον ἐκθήσομαι ἀπολογίας ἀπὸ τῶν Ἀριστοκλέους τοῦ Περιπατητικοῦ, ὃς ἐν τῷ ἐβδόμῳ Περὶ φιλοσοφίας τάδε περὶ αὐτοῦ γράφει·

15.2.1 βʹ. ΠΕΡΙ ΤΗΣ ΚΑΤ' ΑΡΙΣΤΟΤΕΛΗΝ ΦΙΛΟΣΟΦΙΑΣ ΚΑΙ ΤΩΝ ΠΕΡΙ ΤΟΥ ΑΝ∆ΡΟΣ ΙΣΤΟΡΟΥΜΕΝΩΝ· ΑΠΟ ΤΟΥ ΠΕΡΙ ΦΙΛΟΣΟΦΙΑΣ ΕΒ∆ΟΜΟΥ