To Autolycus 2.3

Of the gods of those days, if indeed they were born, many births were recorded. But now, where is any birth of gods shown? If they begot and were begotten then, clearly gods ought to be born up to the present day; if not, the whole idea will seem feeble: either they have grown old and so no longer beget, or they have died and exist no longer. For if gods were born, they ought to go on being born to this day, just as human beings are; indeed there ought to be more gods than human beings, as the Sibyl says: “If gods beget and yet remain immortal, the gods born would outnumber men, and there would never be room for mortals to stand.” The children of human beings, who are mortal and short-lived, are to be seen to this day, and human beings have not ceased to be born, so that cities and villages are full and even the countryside is inhabited. How much more, then, ought gods, who according to the poets do not die, to beget and be begotten, since you say the gods had a birth? And why was the mountain called Olympus inhabited by gods then, but deserted now? Or why did Zeus once live on Ida (he was known to live there according to Homer and the other poets), while now no one knows of him there? And why was he not everywhere, instead of being found in one part of the earth? Either he neglected the rest, or he was unable to be everywhere and provide for all. If he was, say, in the east, he was not in the west; and if he was in the west, he was not in the east. But it belongs to the Most High and Almighty God, the true God, not only to be everywhere, but also to see all things and hear all things, and not to be contained in a place; otherwise the place containing him would turn out to be greater than he, since what contains is greater than what is contained. For God is not contained; he himself is the place of all things. And why did Zeus leave Ida? Did he die, or did the mountain no longer please him? And where did he go? To heaven? No. You will say, to Crete? Yes, where his tomb is shown to this day. Or you will say, to Pisa, which to this day glories in the handiwork of Phidias. Let us come, then, to the writings of the philosophers and poets.