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Graecarum affectionum curatio

THEODORET'S CURE OF GREEK AFFECTIONS.

PREFACE.

p.1 Often some of those attached to Greek mythology, having met me, ridiculed our faith, saying that we recommend nothing else to those being instructed by us in divine matters but to believe, and they accused the apostles of a lack of education, calling them barbarians, for not having the elegance of fine speech; and they said that honoring the martyrs was ridiculous, and that it was utterly foolish for the living to try to obtain benefit from the dead; and they added p.2 other things similar to these, which the treatise will explain. I, for my part, went through what was necessary with them, refuting the accusations; but I thought it unholy and impious to overlook those of simple character being deceived by them and not to write p.3 and expose the futility of the accusations. And I have divided the treatise into twelve discourses, and have given the arguments a relaxed character; for I have supposed this to be suitable for instruction, especially since, using the testimonies of Plato and the other philosophers, it was necessary to compose the arguments not entirely discordantly, but having some resemblance to them. p.4 The first discourse makes a defense on behalf of faith and the apostles' lack of education, offering the proofs from the Greek philosophers. p.5 The second enumerates the opinions concerning the origin of all things of the most famous sages among the Greeks and of those after them who were called philosophers; and setting in parallel the true theology of Moses, who was the most ancient of them all, it refutes their falsehood, and shows the truth of his teaching flashing forth. p.6 The third teaches what things have been mythologized by them concerning the so-called secondary gods among the Greeks, and what the divine scripture teaches us concerning the incorporeal, but created, natures, so that again by the comparison the praiseworthy character of those worshipped by us might be shown, and the ugliness and stench of those abominable myths might be exposed. p.7 The fourth has for its subject matter and the world, and shows that our cosmogony is far more fitting than that of Plato and the others. p.8 The fifth has undertaken the contest concerning the nature of man, displaying both the Greek and Christian doctrines and teaching how great is the difference between light and darkness. p.9 The discourse concerning providence has received the sixth place. For it was necessary that this discourse should follow those concerning God and the things created by God, refuting the atheism of Diagoras, the blasphemy of Epicurus, and the pettiness of Aristotle's providence, but praising the teachings concerning providence of Plato and Plotinus and the others who are of the same mind as them; and by natural reasonings it shows this being contemplated in creation and appearing in each of the things that come from God. p.10 And since it was also necessary to show the superfluity of sacrifices, the seventh discourse contains this argument, accusing the Greek sacrifices with philosophical arguments, and showing the childishness of the Jewish legislation with prophetic ones. p.11 The eighth contains the accusation against those who honor the victorious martyrs, and indeed also the defense, with the

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Graecarum affectionum curatio

ΘΕΟ∆ΩΡΗΤΟΥ ΕΛΛΗΝΙΚΩΝ ΘΕΡΑΠΕΥΤΙΚΗ ΠΑΘΗΜΑΤΩΝ.

ΠΡΟΘΕΩΡΙΑ.

p.1 Πολλάκις μοι τῶν τῆς Ἑλληνικῆς μυθολογίας ἐξηρτημένων

ξυντετυχηκότες τινὲς τήν τε πίστιν ἐκωμῴδησαν τὴν ἡμετέραν, οὐδὲν ἄλλο λέγοντες ἡμᾶς τοῖς τὰ θεῖα παρ' ἡμῶν παιδευομέ νοις ἢ τὸ πιστεύειν παρεγγυᾶν, καὶ τῆς τῶν ἀποστόλων κατηγό ρουν ἀπαιδευσίας, βαρβάρους ἀποκαλοῦντες, τὸ γλαφυρὸν τῆς εὐεπείας οὐκ ἔχοντας· καὶ τὸ γεραίρειν δὲ τοὺς μάρτυρας κατα γέλαστον ἔφασκον, καὶ λίαν ἀνόητον τὸ πειρᾶσθαι τοὺς ζῶντας παρὰ τῶν τεθνεώτων ὠφέλειαν πορίζεσθαι· προσετίθεσαν δὲ καὶ p.2 ἕτερα ἄττα παραπλήσια τούτοις, ἃ διδάξει τὸ ξύγγραμμα. Ἐγὼ δὲ πρὸς μὲν ἐκείνους ἅπερ ἐχρῆν διεξῆλθον, τὰ κατηγορήματα διαλύων· ἀνόσιον δὲ ᾠήθην καὶ δυσσεβὲς παριδεῖν τοὺς ἁπλοῖς ἤθεσι κεχρημένους ὑπ' ἐκείνων ἀπατωμένους καὶ μὴ ξυγγράψαι p.3 καὶ διελέγξαι τῶν κατηγορημάτων τὸ μάταιον. Καὶ διεῖλον μὲν εἰς δυοκαίδεκα διαλέξεις τὴν πραγματείαν, τὸν ἀνειμένον δὲ χαρακτῆρα τοῖς λόγοις ἐντέθεικα· τῇ διδασκαλίᾳ γὰρ εἶναι τοῦ τον ὑπείληφα πρόσφορον, ἄλλως τε καὶ ταῖς Πλάτωνος καὶ τῶν ἄλλων φιλοσόφων χρώμενον μαρτυρίαις ἔδει καὶ τοὺς λόγους μὴ παντάπασιν ἀπᾴδοντας ξυναρμόσαι, ἀλλ' ἔχοντάς τινα πρὸς ἐκεί νας ἐμφέρειαν. p.4 Ἡ δὲ πρώτη διάλεξις τὴν ὑπὲρ τῆς πίστεως καὶ τῆς τῶν ἀποστόλων ἀπαιδευσίας ἀπολογίαν ποιεῖται, ἐκ τῶν Ἑλληνικῶν φιλοσόφων τὰς ἀποδείξεις προσφέρουσα. p.5 Ἡ δὲ δευτέρα τῶν παρ' Ἕλλησιν ὀνομαστοτάτων σοφῶν καὶ τῶν μετ' ἐκείνους φιλοσόφων ἐπικληθέντων τὰς περὶ τῆς τῶν ὅλων ἀρχῆς ἀπαριθμεῖται δόξας· καὶ Μωϋσοῦ τοῦ πάντων ἐκεί νων πρεσβυτάτου τὴν ἀληθῆ θεολογίαν ἐκ παραλλήλου τιθεῖσα, τὴν μὲν ἐκείνων διελέγχει ψευδολογίαν, τῆς δὲ τούτου διδασκα λίας ἀστράπτουσαν δείκνυσι τὴν ἀλήθειαν. p.6 Ἡ δὲ τρίτη διδάσκει, τίνα μὲν περὶ τῶν δευτέρων παρ' Ἕλλησι καλουμένων θεῶν παρ' ἐκείνοις μεμυθολόγηται, τίνα δὲ περὶ τῶν ἀσωμάτων, κτιστῶν δὲ φύσεων ἡμᾶς ἡ θεία διδάσκει γραφή, ὥστε πάλιν τῇ παρεξετάσει καὶ τῶν παρ' ἡμῖν θρησκευο μένων δειχθῆναι τὸ ἀξιέπαινον καὶ τῶν μυσαρῶν ἐκείνων μύθων τὸ δυσειδὲς καὶ δυσῶδες διελεγχθῆναι. p.7 Ἡ δὲ τετάρτη περὶ τῆς ὕλης καὶ τοῦ κόσμου τὴν ὑπόθεσιν ἔχει καὶ δείκνυσι τὴν ἡμετέραν κοσμογένειαν πολλῷ τῆς Πλά τωνος καὶ τῶν ἄλλων πρεπωδεστέραν. p.8 Περὶ δὲ τῆς τοῦ ἀνθρώπου φύσεως ἡ πέμπτη δέδεκται τὸν ἀγῶνα, καὶ τὰς Ἑλληνικὰς δόξας καὶ τὰς Χριστιανικὰς ἐπιδεικ νῦσα καὶ ὅσον φωτὸς καὶ σκότους διδάσκουσα τὸ διάφορον. p.9 Τὴν ἕκτην δὲ τάξιν ὁ περὶ τῆς προνοίας ἔλαχε λόγος. Ἔδει γὰρ τοῖς περὶ Θεοῦ καὶ τοῖς ὑπὸ Θεοῦ γεγενημένοις τοῦτον ἀκο λουθῆσαι τὸν λόγον, διελέγχοντα ∆ιαγόρου μὲν τὸ ἄθεον, Ἐπι κούρου δὲ τὸ βλάσφημον, τῆς Ἀριστοτέλους δὲ προνοίας τὸ σμικρολόγον, ἐπαινοῦντα δὲ Πλάτωνος καὶ Πλωτίνου καὶ τῶν ἄλλων, ὅσοι τούτων εἰσὶν ὁμογνώμονες, τὰ περὶ τῆς προνοίας διδάγματα· καὶ φυσικοῖς δὲ λογισμοῖς ἐπιδείκνυσι ταύτην ἐν τῇ κτίσει θεωρουμένην καὶ ἐν ἑκάστῳ τῶν θεόθεν γινομένων προ φαινομένην. p.10 Ἐπειδὴ δὲ καὶ τῶν θυσιῶν ἔδει δεῖξαι τὸ περιττόν, ἡ ἑβδόμη διάλεξις τοῦτον περιέχει τὸν λόγον, φιλοσόφοις μὲν λόγοις τῶν θυσιῶν τῶν Ἑλληνικῶν κατηγοροῦσα, προφητικοῖς δὲ τὸ νηπιῶ δες τῆς Ἰουδαίων νομοθεσίας ἐπιδεικνῦσα. p.11 Τὴν δὲ κατὰ τῶν τοὺς νικηφόρους μάρτυρας γεραιρόντων κατηγορίαν, καὶ μέντοι καὶ τὴν ἀπολογίαν, ἡ ὀγδόη περιέχει, ταῖς τῶν