Folia Theologica 19. (2008)

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

188

PERENDY, László

Kai nuSayôpaç súptoKExat cpA/oapcöv, îtpôç xS Kai ítpóvotav ek- KÓnxeiv.

"And did not Plato, who said so many things about the sole rule of God and about the human soul, saying that the soul is immortal, later contradict himself and say that souls pass into other men and, in some cases, into irrational animals? How is it possible that his teaching will not seem evil and unlawful for those who possess reason, when he holds that one formerly a human being will become a wolf or dog or ass or some other irrational animal? Pythagoras also spoke nonsense which agrees with Plato, in addition to rejecting providence [Diels, Dox. 589, 7: Epicurus]." (Ill 7)

Tivt ow aùxœv 7uaxex>aco(j£v, OtÀtjpovi xcp KcoptKcp, ATyovxr Oi yàp 0EÔV aeßovxeq £À,Tii5aç KaÀ,àç ëftODGiv eiç oœxîpiav,

il oîç npoapf|Kap£v Eùrpépcû Kai ’EniKoúpcp Kai IToGayopa Kat xoîç À,ot7toîç àpvoupévotç eîvat Oeooeßetav Kat Ttpóvotav àvatpoûatv;

"Which of them, then, shall we believe [cf. n. 8]? Philemon the comic poet, who says [fr. 181 Kock]:

Those who worship God have good hopes Of safety,

or the previously mentioned Euhemerus and Epicurus and Pythagoras and the rest who deny the existence of religion and destroy providence?" (Ill 7)5

Oi>SÈ (p.f]v> âyévr|xoç ó KÔopoç èaxiv Kat aùxopaxtopôç xœv Ttávxcov, KaGcoç FIuGayopaç Kat oi Xoinoi 7tecpA,t)apf|Kaatv, àXXà pèv ouv yevrjxôç Kai Ttpovota ôtotKEtxat t)7tô xoû Ttotf|aavxoç xà Ttàvxa 0eoü (*) K(a)X(coç) ó Ttaç ypovoç Kai xà ëxr| ôctKvuxat xoîç ßot>A,op.evotq 7tei0so0at xrj âA,ri0eia.

"The world is not uncreated nor is there spontaneous production of everything, as Pythagoras and the others have babbled [iii. 7]; instead, the world is created and is providentially governed by the God who made everything [iii. 9]." (Ill 26)

5 Kock is the abbreviation for T. Kock, Comicorum Graecorum Fragmenta, Leipzig, 1884.