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impiety, speaking and suffering shameful things. And he has yielded everything to pleasure, so that the avenger of moderation might not be sought, for since he saw that our soul inclines toward the divine, he introduces gods that do not exist, so that we might fall away from the one who does exist, and to these he attaches adulteries, so that we might not practice self-control.

3 For who, hearing that a god according to the myth—if indeed there are so-called gods—but truly, who, hearing that some god, and the first of the gods, became a bull to ravish a maiden, and again gold to violate a womb, and again an eagle to seize a youth for unnatural pleasure, would not endure to imitate the one he worships? For if the one who is worshiped changes his nature to corrupt a soul, or the one said to be above descends because of licentiousness, what should those who wallow below suffer, imitating the one they worship? But when pleasure is introduced to the soul, it is darkened toward the discernment of things; just as when dust falls into the eye sight is deprived of the ability to discern, so when passion falls upon the soul, the afflicted soul discerns nothing, and just as the art of the pilot is lost when a storm comes on, so when passions come upon the soul, reason is defeated. How many evils the devil has wrought, so that it might be known how many good things God has graciously given through Christ; for when that chronic and greatly varied disease that previously afflicted us because of the plot is revealed, the power of the physician will be revealed.

4 The devil set everything in motion against us; some things willingly, others unwillingly. Heaven against us, unwillingly, for heaven does not wish to be worshiped but to proclaim the one who is worshiped. But what heaven does not want, he, gratifying the unwilling one and slandering the creation to be worshiped, has deprived; as far as it was in his power, he deprived the one who is worshiped of being worshiped, as far as it was in his power ... for God does not demand these things, but it benefits us, —he has filled our hearts with myths, so that we might not receive the truth. 'Many gods,' he says, 'and let the one not be sought;' 'and pleasure is sweet, let self-control be overlooked;' 'and the gods,' he says, 'are impious, do not seek what is holy;' and the good things which God has given us, these he has used against us, not according to God. 'Gold is good,' he says, 'let it be melted into a falsehood'; and 'let silver become an idol for deceit'; 'and bright stones for another device'; and 'let groves be set apart for demons'; and 'let springs be dedicated to some'; and 'rivers to others'; and 'the sea to others.'

5 I hesitate to speak, but those who know are aware; he hastened to alienate the creations, he devised these things. We obeyed, for it was not by necessity that he dragged us, but by persuading he took us, just as the well-born of children are corrupted, they are stolen away from their parents by means of some sweets. Thus also the devil, having entered paradise, showed that the tree was good and injected poison, for envy springs up against good things. But if a man in paradise, having the dwelling place of angels, loved by the one who formed him, honored by the one who created him ... he had all things given to man for service, all things for ministry; he could not bear the good fortune of man and approached as a friend, but did the things of an enemy, he slandered the one who was formed to the one who formed him, he persuaded him to disobey. So that he himself might be believed, it was necessary for God who created them to be angry with them, and for the benefactor not to be believed, but for the fellow-servant to be believed first; and yet God had given security beforehand and had threatened death if he should disobey, not so that he would die, but so that by not disobeying he would not die. But the one who deceived and persuaded and took man captive and ... since he took him, he tightened his bonds, he multiplied deceit for him, so that, becoming aware of the wickedness, he might never seek the benefactor. For this reason, because of such things, the devil spread nets for him; he showed heaven and says, 'worship,' and he deifies the sun, so that

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ἀσέβειαν, αἰσχρὰ φθεγγόμενοι καὶ πάσχοντες. καὶ πάντα ἐνδέδωκε τῇ ἡδονῇ, ἵνα μὴ ζητηθῇ ὁ τῆς σωφροσύνης ἔκδικος, ἐπειδὴ γὰρ ἑώρα ὅτι συντείνει εἰς τὸ θεῖον ἡμῶν ἡ ψυχή, εἰσάγει μὴ ὄντας θεούς, ἵνα τοῦ ὄντος ἐκπέσωμεν καὶ τούτοις περιτίθησι μοιχείας, ἵνα μὴ ἀσκήσωμεν σωφροσύνην.

3 Τίς γὰρ ἀκούων ὅτι θεὸς κατὰ τὸν μῦθον, -εἴπερ γάρ εἰσι λεγόμενοι θεοί, - ἀλλὰ δὴ τίς ἀκούων ὅτι θεός τις ὢν καὶ πρῶτος θεῶν ταῦρος γέγονεν, ἵνα παρθένον συλήσῃ καὶ πάλιν χρυσός, ἵνα κόλπους ἐρημώσῃ καὶ πάλιν ἀετός, ἵνα νεανίαν εἰς παρὰ φύσιν ἡδονὴν ἁρπάσῃ, τίς οὐκ ἀνάσχηται μιμεῖσθαι ὃν προσκυνεῖ. εἰ γὰρ ὁ προσκυνούμενος μεταβάλλει τὴν φύσιν, ἵνα φθείρῃ ψυχὴν ἢ ὁ ἄνω λεγόμενος κατέρχεται διὰ ἀσέλγειαν, τί πάθωσιν οἱ κάτω κυλιόμενοι, μιμούμενοι τὸν προσκυνούμενον. ἡδονῆς δὲ ἐπεισαχθείσης τῇ ψυχῇ ἐσκότωται πρὸς διάγνωσιν τῶν πραγμάτων· ὥσπερ κονιορτοῦ ἐμπεσόντος ἐν τῷ ὀφθαλμῷ ἀπεστέρηται ἡ ὄψις τοῦ διακρίνειν, οὕτως πάθους ἐμπεσόντος τῇ ψυχῇ οὐδὲν διακρίνει ἡ παθοῦσα καὶ ὥσπερ ἡ τοῦ κυβερνήτου τέχνη ἐπελθόντος χειμῶνος ἀπόλλυται, οὕτως ἐπερχομένων παθῶν τῇ ψυχῇ ἥττηται ὁ λογισμός. ὅσα κακὰ ὁ διάβολος περιεργάσατο, ἵνα γνώσθῃ, ὅσα ὁ θεὸς ἀγαθὰ διὰ Χριστοῦ ἐχαρίσατο· ὅταν γὰρ φανῇ ἡ προλαβοῦσα ἡμᾶς νόσος διὰ τὴν ἐπιβουλήν, ἡ χρονία ἐκείνη καὶ πολυπαμποίκιλος φανήσεται τοῦ ἰατροῦ ἡ δύναμις.

4 Πάντα ἐκίνησε καθ' ἡμῶν ὁ διάβολος· τὰ μὲν ἕκοντα, τὰ δὲ ἄκοντα. οὐρανὸν καθ' ἡμῶν οὐκ ἕκοντα, οὐ γὰρ θέλει ὁ οὐρανὸς προσκυνεῖσθαι ἀλλὰ μηνύειν τὸν προσκυνούμενον. ὃ δὲ μὴ βούλεται οὐρανὸς προσχαρισάμενος τῷ μὴ θέλοντι καὶ συκοφαντήσας τὸ δημιούργημα πρὸς τὸ προσκυνεῖσθαι ἀπεστέρησεν· ὅσον ἐπ' αὐτὸν τὸν προσκυνούμενον τοῦ προσκυνεῖσθαι ἀπεστέρησεν ὅσον ἐπ' αὐτόν ... οὐ γὰρ θεὸς ταῦτα ἀπαιτεῖ, ἡμᾶς δὲ ὠφελεῖ, -ἐνέπλησεν ἡμῶν τὰς καρδίας μύθων, ἵνα μὴ δεξώμεθα τὴν ἀλήθειαν. πολλοί, φησί, θεοὶ καὶ μὴ ζητείσθω ὁ εἷς· καὶ γλυκεῖα ἡ ἡδονή, παροράσθω ἡ σωφροσύνη· καὶ οἱ θεοί, φησίν, ἀσεβοῦσιν, μὴ ζήτει τὸ σεμνόν· καὶ οἷς δέδωκεν ἡμῖν ὁ θεὸς καλοῖς, τούτοις ἐχρήσατο καθ' ἡμῶν οὐ κατὰ τὸν θεόν. καλός, φησίν, ὁ χρυσός, χωνευέσθω εἰς ψεῦδος καὶ ὁ ἄργυρος γινέσθω ἄγαλμα εἰς ἀπάτην καὶ οἱ λαμπροὶ λίθοι εἰς ἄλλην ἐπίνοιαν καὶ τὰ σύνδενδρα ἀφοριζέσθω δαίμοσι καὶ πηγαὶ ἀνατιθέσθωσαν ἀλλήλοις καὶ οἱ ποταμοὶ ἑτέροις καὶ ἡ θάλασσα ἄλλοις.

5 Ὀκνῶ λέγειν, συνείσασιν δὲ οἱ εἰδότες· ἐσπούδασεν ἀλλοτριῶσαι τὰ δημιουργήματα, ἐπενόησε ταῦτα. ὑπηκούσαμεν ἡμεῖς, οὐ γὰρ ἀνάγκη ὅτι ἡμᾶς εἵλκυσεν, ἀλλὰ πείσας ἔλαβεν, ὥσπερ οἱ εὐγενεῖς τῶν παίδων ὑποφθεί ρονται, διὰ γλυκέων τινῶν ἀπὸ τῶν γονέων ἀποσυλῶνται. οὕτως καὶ ὁ διάβολος εἰς παράδεισον εἰσελθὼν ἔδειξεν ὅτι καλὸν τὸ δένδρον καὶ ἐνέβαλεν ἰόν, τοῖς γὰρ καλοῖς ἀναφύεται φθόνος. εἰ δὲ ἄνθρωπον ἐν παραδείσῳ διαίτημα ἀγγέλων ἔχοντα, φιλούμενον ὑπὸ τοῦ πλάσαντος, τετιμημένον ὑπὸ τοῦ δημιουργήσαντος ... πάντα εἶχεν δεδομένα τῷ ἀνθρώπῳ εἰς λειτουργίαν, πάντα εἰς ὑπηρεσίαν, οὐκ ἤνεγκεν τοῦ ἀνθρώπου τὴν εὐπραγίαν καὶ προσῆλθεν ὡς φίλος, ἔδρασε δὲ τὰ τῶν ἐχθρῶν, διέβαλε τὸν πλασθέντα πρὸς τὸν πλάσαντα, ἔπειθε παρακούειν. ἵνα αὐτὸς πιστεύθῃ, ἔδει τὸν θεὸν ὀργισθῆναι εἰς αὐτοὺς δημιουργήσαντα καὶ ὁ εὐεργέτης οὐκ ἐπιστεύθῃ, ὁ δὲ σύνδουλος προεπιστεύθῃ· καίτοι προησφαλίσατο ὁ θεὸς καὶ ἠπείλησε θάνατον, ἐὰν παρακούσῃ, οὐχ ἵνα ἀποθανῇ, ἀλλ' ἵνα μὴ παρακούσας μὴ ἀποθανῇ. ὁ δὲ ἐξαπατήσας καὶ πείσας καὶ λαβὼν αἰχμάλωτον τὸν ἄνθρωπον καὶ ... ἐπειδὴ ἔλαβεν, ἐπέσφιγξεν αὐτῷ τὰ δεσμά, ἐπλήθυνεν αὐτῷ τὴν ἀπάτην, ἵνα μήποτε τῆς κακουργίας αἰσθανόμενος ζητήσῃ τὸν εὐεργέτην. διὰ τοῦτο διὰ τὰ τοιαῦτα ἐξήπλωσεν αὐτῷ ὁ διάβολος δίκτυα· ἔδειξεν οὐρανὸν καὶ φησίν, προσκυνεῖτε, καὶ ἥλιον θεοποιεῖ, ἵνα