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rather 3.90 they almost lay a curse upon them, having testified against them wickedness rather than goodness. For they say thus: that I did not sow you, I did not reap you, I did not grind, I did not cast into the oven. Another brought, and I ate. I am without blame. And rather they have shown their own providers of food to be evil-doers. And indeed it is true. For it was necessary for the one denying the God who made all things not to be nourished from God's things, rather than by dissimulation. But they themselves do not cut the cluster of grapes, but they eat the cluster of grapes, so that they might be completely convicted of having drunkenness rather than a grasp of truth. For what is more terrible? For the one harvesting once cut the cluster of grapes, but the one eating through the jaws and by subduing each berry much more and many times over tortured and cut it, and the one having chewed and consumed will no longer be like the one cutting once. But only so that they might seem * to hold an opinion as much as has a proof of truth. 54. Then again he babbles about paradise, which he calls the world. And there are, he says, the plants in it *, for what are praiseworthy to us, these he denies, so that he might be shown truly to have been deceived by the serpent; just as he corrupted the hearing of the innocent Eve, so the terrible serpent corrupts his hearing as well. for he says the plants said to be in paradise are deceptions of desires, which corrupt the reasoning of men. But the plant in paradise, from which they know the good, is Jesus himself, the knowledge in the world. And the one who receives distinguishes the good and the evil. And you see how he distorts all the right things, though the apostle cries out and teaches expressly that, "I fear lest, as the serpent deceived Eve by his craftiness, so your minds may be corrupted from the purity and the simplicity that is in Christ." And see how he declared him a deceiver and a crafty one and to have deceived Eve. And again in another place 3.91 the same apostle [says], "A man ought not to wear long hair, being the glory and image of God." And do you see how he said the long hair is the glory of God, being worn on the body and not in the soul? And after this he says, "Adam was not deceived, but the woman, being in transgression, sinned; but she will be saved through childbearing, if they remain in the faith." And see how by nature the true things have been proclaimed in the divine scripture. And this one boasts in vain, or rather he endures mockery from those who possess perfect wisdom. Then again here he relates that the world is not of God but has been formed from a part of matter. But in not being consistent with himself, but being carried against the same things, inventing refutations and constructions, it is clear to anyone that such a sentiment is of one who talks nonsense. 55. And he tells of transmigrations of souls from bodies into bodies, which falsehood he is found to have borrowed perhaps either from Plato or Zeno the Stoic or from one of those who are deluded. For how is it possible for the soul to be introduced from body into body? For if bodies were formed and ready and thus received the souls, the myth-making of the tragedy would be somewhat plausible; but if what is sown is from a small drop, how did the soul in such a small body find such a flowing-course? for thus are things that are formed, formed; and his argument will no longer stand. for souls are not transfused from body to body; for without the union of female with male and male with female in each of the living beings, none of the things that are formed comes to be. Does the soul then stand by so, that by the joining of the two bodies this tragic tale of the impostor may be accomplished? And there is a great absurdity in those who even think such things. But we, lest we alter the solemn things, have had enough only to give the form of the hypothesis as if from afar. I will therefore pass over from such a corrupting suspicion; for all such thoughts are absurd. For if the change of souls is from body to body and the

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μᾶλλον 3.90 δὲ σχεδὸν κατάραν αὐτοῖς ἐπιτιθέασιν, ἐπιμαρτυρήσαντες αὐτοῖς κακίαν μᾶλλον ἢ ἀγαθωσύνην. φάσκουσι γὰρ οὕτως· ὅτι ἐγὼ οὐκ ἔσπειρά σε, οὐκ ἐθέρισά σε, οὐκ ἤλεσα, εἰς κλίβανον οὐκ ἔβαλον. ἄλλος ἤνεγκε, καὶ ἔφαγον. ἀναίτιός εἰμι. καὶ μᾶλλον πονηροποιοὺς ὑπέδειξαν τοὺς ἑαυτῶν τροφεῖς. καὶ γὰρ ἀληθές. ἔδει γὰρ τὸν ἀρνούμενον τὸν θεὸν τὸν ποιήσαντα τὰ πάντα μηδὲ ἀπὸ τῶν τοῦ θεοῦ τρέφεσθαι ἤπερ κατ' εἰρωνείαν. αὐτοὶ δὲ οὐ τέμνουσι τὸν βότρυν, ἀλλὰ ἐσθίουσι τὸν βότρυν, ἵνα ἐλεγχθῶσι παντάπασι μέθην μᾶλλον ἔχοντες ἤπερ ἀληθείας κατάληψιν. ποῖον γάρ ἐστι τὸ δεινότερον; ὁ μὲν γὰρ τρυγῶν ἅπαξ ἔτεμε τὸν βότρυν, ὁ δὲ ἐσθίων διὰ τῶν μασητήρων καὶ διὰ τοῦ καταδαμάζειν ἕκαστον κόκκον μᾶλλον πολυπλασίως ἐβασάνισε καὶ ἔτεμε, καὶ οὐχ ὅμοιος οὐκέτι ἔσται τῷ τέμνοντι ἅπαξ ὁ μασησάμενος καὶ καταδαπανήσας. ἀλλ' ἵνα μόνον δόξωσι * δοξοποιεῖν ὅσον τῆς ἀληθείας ἔχει τεκμήριον. 54. Εἶτα πάλιν ἀθυρογλωττεῖ περὶ τοῦ παραδείσου, ὃν καλεῖ κόσμον. ἔστι δέ, φησί, τὰ φυτὰ τὰ ἐν αὐτῷ *, ἃ γὰρ ἡμῖν ἐπαινετά, ταῦτα αὐτὸς ἀρνεῖται, ἵνα δειχθῇ ἀληθῶς ὑπὸ τοῦ ὄφεως ἠπατημένος· καθὼς ἐκείνης παρέφθειρε τὴν ἀκοὴν τῆς ἀκάκου Εὔας, οὕτως ὁ δεινὸς ὄφις καὶ αὐτοῦ παραφθείρει ἀκοάς. τὰ γάρ φησιν ἐν τῷ παραδείσῳ λεγόμενα φυτὰ ἐπιθυμιῶν εἰσιν ἀπάται, αἳ διαφθείρουσι τὸν λογισμὸν τῶν ἀνθρώπων. τὸ δὲ ἐν τῷ παραδείσῳ φυτόν, ἐξ οὗ γνωρίζουσι τὸ καλόν, αὐτός ἐστιν ὁ Ἰησοῦς, ἡ γνῶσις ἡ ἐν τῷ κόσμῳ. ὁ δὲ λαμβάνων διακρίνει τὸ καλὸν καὶ τὸ κακόν. καὶ ὁρᾷς πῶς πάντα τὰ ὀρθὰ διαστρέφει τοῦ ἀποστόλου διαρρήδην βοῶντος καὶ διδάσκοντος ὅτι «φοβοῦμαι μή πως ὡς ὁ ὄφις ἐξηπάτησεν Εὔαν ἐν τῇ πανουργίᾳ, οὕτω φθαρῇ τὰ νοήματα ὑμῶν ἀπὸ τῆς ἁγνότητος καὶ τῆς ἁπλότητος τῆς εἰς τὸν Χριστόν». καὶ ὅρα πῶς ἀπεφήνατο αὐτὸν πλάνον καὶ πανοῦργον καὶ ἠπατηκότα τὴν Εὔαν. καὶ πάλιν ἐν ἄλλῳ τόπῳ 3.91 ὁ αὐτὸς ἀπόστολος «ἀνὴρ οὐκ ὀφείλει κομᾶν, δόξα καὶ εἰκὼν θεοῦ ὑπάρχων». καὶ ὁρᾷς ὡς δόξαν θεοῦ ἔφη τὴν κόμην, ἐπὶ σώματος φερομένην καὶ οὐκ ἐν ψυχῇ; καὶ μετὰ ταῦτά φησιν «Ἀδὰμ οὐκ ἐξηπατήθη, ἀλλ' ἡ γυνὴ ἐν παραβάσει γενομένη ἡμάρτηκε· σωθήσεται δὲ διὰ τῆς τεκνογονίας, ἐὰν ἐμμείνωσιν ἐν τῇ πίστει». καὶ ὅρα πῶς φύσει τὰ ἀληθινὰ κεκήρυκται ἐν τῇ θείᾳ γραφῇ. καὶ μάτην οὗτος κομποποιεῖ, μᾶλλον δὲ χλεύην ὑφίσταται παρὰ τοῖς τὴν τελείαν φρόνησιν κεκτημένοις. εἶτα πάλιν ἐνταῦθα διηγεῖται μὴ εἶναι τὸν κόσμον τοῦ θεοῦ ἀλλ' ἢ ἀπὸ μέρους τῆς ὕλης πεπλάσθαι. ἐν τῷ δὲ μὴ ἑαυτῷ στοιχεῖν, ἀλλὰ κατὰ τῶν αὐτῶν φέρεσθαι, ἀνασκευὰς καὶ κατασκευὰς ἐπιπλαττόμενον, παντί τῳ σαφές ἐστι ληροῦντος εἶναι τὸ τοιοῦτον φρόνημα. 55. Μεταγγισμοὺς δὲ ψυχῶν διηγεῖται ἀπὸ σωμάτων εἰς σώματα, ἅτινα τάχα ἢ παρὰ Πλάτωνος ἢ Ζήνωνος τοῦ Στωϊκοῦ ἢ παρά τινος τῶν πεφαντασμένων ἐρανισάμενος τουτὶ τὸ ψεῦσμα εὑρίσκεται. πῶς γὰρ οἷόν τέ ἐστιν ἀπὸ σώματος εἰς σῶμα εἰσκρίνεσθαι τὴν ψυχήν; εἰ μὲν γὰρ σώματα πεπλασμένα καὶ ἕτοιμα ἦν καὶ οὕτω τὰς ψυχὰς ὑπεδέχετο, πιθανή τις ἦν ἡ τῆς τραγῳδίας μυθοποιία· εἰ δὲ τὸ σπειρόμενόν ἐστιν ἐκ σταγόνος βραχείας, πῶς ἡ ψυχὴ ἐν τῷ τοσούτῳ μικρῷ σώματι εὗρε τοιαύτην εὔροιαν; οὕτω γὰρ τὰ πλασσόμενα πλάσσεται· καὶ οὐκέτι συσταθήσεται αὐτοῦ ὁ λόγος. οὔτε γὰρ ἀπὸ σώματος εἰς σῶμα μεταγγίζονται αἱ ψυχαί· δίχα γὰρ μίξεως θηλείας πρὸς ἄρρενα καὶ ἄρρενος πρὸς θήλειαν ἐν ἑκάστῳ τῶν ζῴων οὐδέν τι τῶν πλασσομένων γίνεται. ἆρα γοῦν οὕτως ἕστηκεν ἡ ψυχή, ἵνα τῇ συναφείᾳ τῶν δύο σωμάτων τὸ τραγῴδημα τοῦτο τοῦ ἀγύρτου ἐπιτελεσθῇ; καὶ πολλή τίς ἐστιν ἡ ἀτοπία ἐν τοῖς τὰ τοιαῦτα κἂν διανοουμένοις. ἡμεῖς δὲ ἵνα μὴ τὰ σεμνὰ μεταβάλλωμεν, ἀρκετῶς ἔσχομεν μόνον ὡς ἀπὸ πόρρωθεν δοῦναι τῆς ὑποθέσεως τὸ εἶδος. παρελεύσομαι τοίνυν ἀπὸ τῆς τοιαύτης φθοροποιοῦ ὑπονοίας· καὶ γὰρ πάντα ἄτοπα τὰ τοιαῦτα διανοήματα. εἰ γὰρ ἐκ σώματος εἰς σῶμα ἡ μεταβολὴ τῶν ψυχῶν καὶ ὁ