Folia Theologica 19. (2008)

Perendy László: Judging Philosophers - Theophilus of Antioch on Hellenic inconsistency

210

PERENDY, László

with those who held that it came into existence. They made these statements by conjecture and by human thought, not in accordance with the truth." (II 8)

Trjç |i£v OÍJV é^arigipou oùôeîç ávOpcímcov Suvaxôç rax’ à^iav xfjv è^f|YT|atv Kai xfjv oÍKOvopiav nSoav è^euieîv, oùSè si popia axójiaxa ëyot Kai p.'opiaç yXcoaaaç. À A. A,’ où5è ei p.'opioiç exëgiv ßiceaet xiç èiiiSrpcov èv xœ8e xœ ßicp, oùôè oùxœç ëaxat ùcavôç npôç xaùxa â^icoç xi eîtiëîv, 5tà tô vncpßäXXov jiéycdoç Kai xôv nXomov rrjç ocxpiocç rov deov, xrjç oi)Gr|ç év xaùxr| xrj npoyeypap.- pivri é^ari|iépcp.

TIoAAoi pèv ouv xœv ouyypacpécov (xijv ypacpijv) é|a.t|a.fiaavxo Kai fi0éA,riGav népi xoùxœv 5níyr|Giv nouiaaaGai, (âAA’ r|8uvaxr|oav) Kaixoi Xaßovxeq èvxeûOev xàç à(popp.àç (rjxot népi kôg|o.ou KpioEœç rj nepî cpùüEcoç àvBpœnou), Kai oûôè xô xuyôv Evanopa d^tóv xi xrjç àA.r|0eiaç è^eînov.

"No man can adequately set forth the whole exegesis and plan of the Hexaëmeros (six days' work), even if he were to have ten thousand mouths and ten thousand tongues. Not even if he were to live ten thousand years, continuing in this life, would he be competent to say anything adequately in regard to these matters, because of the surpassing greatness [Eph. 1:19] and riches of the Wisdom of God [Rom. 11:33] to be found in his Hexaëmeros quoted above.

To be sure, many writers have imitated it and have desired to compose a narrative about these matters, but, although they derived their starting-point from it in dealing with the creation of the world or the nature of man, what they said did not contain even a slight spark worthy of the truth. What has been said by philosophers, historians, and poets is thought to be trustworthy because of its embellished style, but what they say is proved foolish and pointless by the abundance of their nonsense and the absence of even the slightest measure of the truth in their writings." (II12)

Texápxri fipépa èyévovxo oi cpcoaxipeç. ’EtceiSt] ó 0eôç npoy- vœaxriç cóv f]7tiaxaxo xàç cpAuapiaç xœv jiaxaícov (piA,0GÔcpœv, oxt qpeAAov Aiyeiv àno xcov oxoixeîcov eîvai xà etù xrjç yrjç cpuôpe- va, 7tpôç xô àdETEÎv xôv Qeôv ïv’ ouv xô âA,r|0èç ÔGt%0fj, Ttpoys- véGxepa yéyovev xà cpoxà rai xà onéppaxa xœv oxotycCœv xà yàp pexayEvéGxepa où Sùvaxat tioieîv xà aùxœv TtpoyEvécxEpa.