To Autolycus 1.10
Summary: The Egyptians worship animals and the Greeks statues of dead men; there are many Zeuses, one of whom has a tomb in Crete; all are idols and demons.
Greek text · Otto 8:30–32
Τί μοι λοιπὸν καταλέγειν τὸ πλῆθος ὧν σέβονται ζώων Αἰγύπτιοι, ἑρπετῶν τε καὶ κτηνῶν καὶ θηρίων καὶ πετεινῶν καὶ ἐνύδρων νηκτῶν, ἔτι δὲ καὶ ποδόνιπτρα καὶ ἤχους αἰσχύνης; Εἰ δὲ καὶ Ἕλληνας εἴποις καὶ τὰ λοιπὰ ἔθνη, σέβονται λίθους καὶ ξύλα καὶ τὴν λοιπὴν ὕλην, ὡς ἔφθημεν εἰρηκέναι, ἀπεικονίσματα νεκρῶν ἀνθρώπων. Φειδίας μὲν γὰρ εὑρίσκεται ἐν Πείσῃ ποιῶν Ἠλείοις τὸν Ὀλύμπιον Δία, καὶ Ἀθηναίοις ἐν ἀκροπόλει τὴν Ἀθηνᾶν. Πεύσομαι δέ σου κἀγώ, ὦ ἄνθρωπε, πόσοι Ζῆνες εὑρίσκονται· Ζεὺς μὲν γὰρ ἐν πρώτοις προσαγορεύεται Ὀλύμπιος καὶ Ζεὺς Λατεάριος καὶ Ζεὺς Κάσιος καὶ Ζεὺς Κεραύνιος καὶ Ζεὺς Προπάτωρ καὶ Ζεὺς Παννύχιος καὶ Ζεὺς Πολιοῦχος καὶ Ζεὺς Καπετώλιος. Καὶ ὁ μὲν Ζεὺς παῖς Κρόνου, βασιλεὺς Κρητῶν γενόμενος, ἔχει τάφον ἐν Κρήτῃ· οἱ δὲ λοιποὶ ἴσως οὐδὲ ταφῆς κατηξιώθησαν. Εἰ δὲ καὶ εἴποις τὴν μητέρα τῶν λεγομένων θεῶν, μή μοι γένοιτο διὰ στόματος τὰς πράξεις αὐτῆς ἐξειπεῖν (ἀθέμιτον γὰρ ἡμῖν τὰ τοιαῦτα καὶ ὀνομάζειν), ἢ τῶν θεραπόντων αὐτῆς τὰς πράξεις ὑφʼ ὧν θεραπεύεται, ὁπόσα τε τέλη καὶ εἰσφορὰς παρέχει τῷ βασιλεῖ αὐτή τε καὶ οἱ υἱοὶ αὐτῆς. Οὐ γάρ εἰσιν θεοί, ἀλλὰ εἴδωλα, καθὼς προειρήκαμεν, ἔργα χειρῶν ἀνθρώπων καὶ δαιμόνια ἀκάθαρτα. Γένοιντο δὲ τοιοῦτοι οἱ ποιοῦντες αὐτὰ καὶ οἱ ἐλπίζοντες ἐπʼ αὐτοῖς.
English · Claude translation
Why should I go on to list the multitude of creatures the Egyptians worship: creeping things, cattle, wild beasts, birds, and fish of the waters, and even footbaths and indecent noises? And if you mention the Greeks and the other nations, they worship stones and wood and other matter, as we have said, images of dead men. Phidias is found making the Olympian Zeus for the Eleans at Pisa, and the Athena on the acropolis for the Athenians. I too will ask you, O man, how many Zeuses there are. First there is Zeus called Olympian, and Zeus Latiaris, and Zeus Casius, and Zeus of the Thunderbolt, and Zeus the Forefather, and Zeus of the All-Night Festival, and Zeus Guardian of the City, and Zeus Capitolinus. And Zeus son of Kronos, who became king of the Cretans, has a tomb in Crete; the others perhaps were not even thought worthy of burial. And if you mention the mother of the so-called gods, far be it from my lips to relate her deeds (for it is unlawful for us even to name such things), or the deeds of the attendants by whom she is served, and how many taxes and contributions she and her sons provide to the emperor. For they are not gods but idols, as we said before, the works of human hands and unclean demons. “May those who make them become like them, and all who trust in them.”
About this passage
Notes
Translation notes
- “Footbaths” recalls the story of Amasis, who made a gold footbath into a god's statue (Herodotus 2.172); “indecent noises” (ἤχους αἰσχύνης) is obscure and probably refers to a cult mocked in anti-Egyptian satire.
- The “mother of the gods” is Cybele, whose priests (the galli) castrated themselves; temple revenues were taxed by the state.
Notes on the original text
- Digital text corrected (misprint: λοπὸν for λοιπὸν; missing rough breathing on ὧν): Τί μοι λοπὸν → Τί μοι λοιπὸν; τὸ πλῆθος ὦν σέβονται → τὸ πλῆθος ὧν σέβονται.
Cite this passage
Theophilus, Autol. 1.10 (trans. Sophia Scriptura, https://sophiascriptura.com/fathers/theophilus-autolycus/1/10/).
Plain text
Theophilus, Autol. 1.10 (trans. Sophia Scriptura, https://sophiascriptura.com/fathers/theophilus-autolycus/1/10/).
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