Preparation for the Gospel 8.13.1–8.14.65
Greek text: Dindorf, Eusebii Opera 1 (Greek text: W. Dindorf, Eusebii Caesariensis Opera 1–2 (Leipzig: Teubner, 1867), digitized by the First Thousand Years of Greek project (Open Greek and Latin), CC BY-SA 4.0).English: Claude (claude-opus-5-5), public domain (CC0). Compare: E. H. Gifford, Eusebii Pamphili Evangelicae Praeparationis libri XV (Oxford, 1903), vol. 3 (English).
Preparation 8, chapter 13
8.13.1Dindorf 1:447–448
“ Τινὲς γὰρ τὸν κόσμον μᾶλλον ἢ τὸν κοσμοποιὸν θαυμάσαντες τὸν μὲν ἀγέννητόν τε καὶ ἀίδιον ἀπεφήναντο, τοῦ θεοῦ πολλὴν ἀπραξίαν ἀνάγνως καταψευσάμενοι ‚ δέον ἔμπαλιν τούτου τὰς δυνάμεις ὡς ποιητοῦ καὶ πατρὸς καταπλαγῆναι ‚ τὸν δὲ μὴ πλέον ἀποσεμνῦναι τοῦ μετρίου.
“ Tines gar ton kosmon mallon ē ton kosmopoion thaumasantes ton men agennēton te kai aidion apephēnanto, tou theou pollēn apraxian anagnōs katapseusamenoi ‚ deon empalin toutou tas dynameis hōs poiētou kai patros kataplagēnai ‚ ton de mē pleon aposemnynai tou metriou.
"For some, admiring the world rather than its maker, declared it unbegotten and eternal, impiously and falsely charging God with great inactivity; whereas they ought, on the contrary, to have been struck with amazement at his powers as maker and father, and not to have glorified the world beyond measure.
Notes and citation
Summary: Philo: some wrongly declared the world eternal, slighting its Maker.
- Philo, On the Creation of the World 7.
Notes on the original text
- Digital text corrected (wrong accent in the digital text): τοὐ μετρίου → τοῦ μετρίου.
Extrabiblical texts: Philo, Opif. 7 (Philo of Alexandria (works); quotation)
Cite (SBL): Eusebius, Praep. ev. 8.13.1 (Dindorf 1:447–448; trans. Sophia Scriptura, https://sophiascriptura.com/fathers/eusebius-praeparatio/8-13-1/#p-8-13-1). (abbreviation not yet checked)
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Translation: Translated by Claude from the Greek of Dindorf's Teubner text (1867; digital text First1KGreek, CC BY-SA 4.0), then compared section by section with the public-domain English of E. H. Gifford (1903); differences checked against the Greek.
8.13.2Dindorf 1:448
Μώσης δὲ καὶ φιλοσοφίας ἐπʼ αὐτὴν φθάσας ἀκρότητα καὶ χρησμοῖς τὰ πολλὰ καὶ συνεκτικώτατα τῶν τῆς φύσεως ἀναδιδαχθεὶς ἔγνω διότι ἀναγκαιότατόν ἐστιν ἐν τοῖς οὖσι τὸ μὲν εἶναι δραστήριον * * ὁ τῶν ὅλων νοῦς ἐστιν εἰλικρινέστατος καὶ ἀκραιφνέστατος, κρείττων ἢ ἐπιστήμη, καὶ κρείττων ἢ αὐτὸ τὸ ἀγαθὸν καὶ αὐτὸ τὸ καλόν· τὸ δὲ παθητικὸν ἄψυχον καὶ ἀκίνητον ἐξ αὐτοῦ, κινηθὲν δὲ καὶ μετασχηματισθὲν καὶ ψυχωθὲν ὑπὸ τοῦ νοῦ μετέβαλεν εἰς τὸ τελειότατον ἔργον τόνδε τὸν κόσμον· ὃν οἱ φάσκοντες ἀγέννητον λελήθασι τὸ ὠφελιμώτατον καὶ ἀναγκαιότατον τῶν εἰς εὐσέβειαν ὑποτεμνόμενοι, τὴν πρόνοιαν.
Mōsēs de kai philosophias epʼ autēn phthasas akrotēta kai chrēsmois ta polla kai synektikōtata tōn tēs physeōs anadidachtheis egnō dioti anankaiotaton estin en tois ousi to men einai drastērion * * ho tōn holōn nous estin eilikrinestatos kai akraiphnestatos, kreittōn ē epistēmē, kai kreittōn ē auto to agathon kai auto to kalon; to de pathētikon apsychon kai akinēton ex autou, kinēthen de kai metaschēmatisthen kai psychōthen hypo tou nou metebalen eis to teleiotaton ergon tonde ton kosmon; hon hoi phaskontes agennēton lelēthasi to ōphelimōtaton kai anankaiotaton tōn eis eusebeian hypotemnomenoi, tēn pronoian.
But Moses, having reached the very summit of philosophy and having been taught by oracles most and the most essential things of nature, knew that it is most necessary that among existing things there be an active [cause and a passive one, and that the active] is the mind of the universe, most pure and unmixed, better than knowledge, and better than the good itself and the beautiful itself; while the passive is lifeless and unmoved of itself, but, moved, shaped, and ensouled by the mind, changed into the most perfect work, this world. Those who say it is unbegotten fail to notice that they are cutting away the most useful and necessary of the things that lead to piety: providence.
Textual problem in this passage: see the notes.
Notes and citation
Summary: Philo: Moses taught an active divine Mind and passive matter; an eternal world would abolish providence.
- Philo, On the Creation of the World 8–9. The digital text marks a gap (* *); the words in brackets are supplied by sense from Philo's text.
Notes on the original text
- Digital text corrected (misread letters in the digital text; repeated word in the digital text; word split and wrong accent in the digital text; wrong breathing in the digital text): ἐστιν ἐστιν → ἐστιν; τὸ μὲεν ἴναι → τὸ μὲν εἶναι; ἀκί νῆτον → ἀκίνητον; ὃν οἶ φάσκοντες → ὃν οἱ φάσκοντες.
Extrabiblical texts: Philo, Opif. 8–9 (Philo of Alexandria (works); quotation)
Cite (SBL): Eusebius, Praep. ev. 8.13.2 (Dindorf 1:448; trans. Sophia Scriptura, https://sophiascriptura.com/fathers/eusebius-praeparatio/8-13-1/#p-8-13-2). (abbreviation not yet checked)
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Translation: Translated by Claude from the Greek of Dindorf's Teubner text (1867; digital text First1KGreek, CC BY-SA 4.0), then compared section by section with the public-domain English of E. H. Gifford (1903); differences checked against the Greek.
8.13.3Dindorf 1:448
τοῦ μὲν γὰρ γεγονότος ἐπιμελεῖσθαι τὸν πατέρα καὶ ποιητὴν αἱρεῖ λόγος. καὶ γὰρ πατὴρ ἐκγόνων καὶ δημιουργὸς τῶν δημιουργηθέντων στοχάζεται τῆς διαμονῆς, καὶ ὅσα μὲν ἐπιζήμια μηχανῇ πάσῃ διωθεῖται, ὅσα δὲ ὠφέλιμα καὶ λυσιτελῆ πάντα τρόπον ἐκπορίζειν ἐπιποθεῖ· πρὸς δὲ τὸ μὴ γεγονὸς οἰκείωσις οὐδεμία τῷ μὴ πεποιηκότι.
tou men gar gegonotos epimeleisthai ton patera kai poiētēn hairei logos. kai gar patēr ekgonōn kai dēmiourgos tōn dēmiourgēthentōn stochazetai tēs diamonēs, kai hosa men epizēmia mēchanę̄ pasę̄ diōtheitai, hosa de ōphelima kai lysitelē panta tropon ekporizein epipothei; pros de to mē gegonos oikeiōsis oudemia tǭ mē pepoiēkoti.
For reason requires that the father and maker care for what has come into being. A father aims at the preservation of his offspring and a craftsman of his works; he drives away by every means whatever is harmful and longs to provide in every way whatever is useful and profitable. But toward what has not come into being, one who did not make it has no attachment.
Notes and citation
Summary: A maker cares for what he has made, as a father for his children.
- Philo, On the Creation of the World 10.
Extrabiblical texts: Philo, Opif. 10 (Philo of Alexandria (works); quotation)
Cite (SBL): Eusebius, Praep. ev. 8.13.3 (Dindorf 1:448; trans. Sophia Scriptura, https://sophiascriptura.com/fathers/eusebius-praeparatio/8-13-1/#p-8-13-3). (abbreviation not yet checked)
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Translation: Translated by Claude from the Greek of Dindorf's Teubner text (1867; digital text First1KGreek, CC BY-SA 4.0), then compared section by section with the public-domain English of E. H. Gifford (1903); differences checked against the Greek.
8.13.4Dindorf 1:448
περιμάχητον δὲ δόγμα καὶ ἀνωφελὲς ἀναρχίαν ὡς ἐν πόλει κατασκευάζειν τῷδε τῷ κόσμῳ, τὸν ἔφορον, ἢ βραβευτὴν, ἢ δικαστὴν οὐκ ἔχοντι, ὑφʼ οὗ πάντα οἰκονομεῖσθαι καὶ πρυτανεύεσθαι θέμις.
perimachēton de dogma kai anōpheles anarchian hōs en polei kataskeuazein tǭde tǭ kosmǭ, ton ephoron, ē brabeutēn, ē dikastēn ouk echonti, hyphʼ hou panta oikonomeisthai kai prytaneuesthai themis.
And it is a contentious and unprofitable doctrine that sets up anarchy, as in a city, for this world, which then would have no overseer, umpire, or judge, by whom all things should rightly be managed and governed.
Notes and citation
Summary: An uncreated world would be an anarchy without a ruler.
- Philo, On the Creation of the World 11.
Notes on the original text
- Digital text corrected (wrong accent in the digital text): ὑφʼ οὖ πάντα → ὑφʼ οὗ πάντα.
Extrabiblical texts: Philo, Opif. 11 (Philo of Alexandria (works); quotation)
Cite (SBL): Eusebius, Praep. ev. 8.13.4 (Dindorf 1:448; trans. Sophia Scriptura, https://sophiascriptura.com/fathers/eusebius-praeparatio/8-13-1/#p-8-13-4). (abbreviation not yet checked)
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Translation: Translated by Claude from the Greek of Dindorf's Teubner text (1867; digital text First1KGreek, CC BY-SA 4.0), then compared section by section with the public-domain English of E. H. Gifford (1903); differences checked against the Greek.
8.13.5Dindorf 1:448
ἀλλʼ ὅ γε μέγας Μωσῆς ἀλλοτριώτατον τοῦ ὁρατοῦ νομίσας εἶναι τὸ ἀγέννητον ‚ (πᾶν γὰρ τὸ αἰσθητὸν ἐν γενέσει καὶ μεταβολαῖς οὐδέ ποτε κατὰ ταὐτὰ ὂν) τῷ μὲν ἀοράτῳ καὶ νοητῷ προσένειμεν, ὡς ἀδελφὸν καὶ συγγενῆ, ἀιδιότητα, τῷ δʼ αἰσθητῷ γένεσιν τὸ οἰκεῖον ὄνομα ἐπεφήμισεν.
allʼ ho ge megas Mōsēs allotriōtaton tou horatou nomisas einai to agennēton ‚ (pan gar to aisthēton en genesei kai metabolais oude pote kata tauta on) tǭ men aoratǭ kai noētǭ proseneimen, hōs adelphon kai syngenē, aidiotēta, tǭ dʼ aisthētǭ genesin to oikeion onoma epephēmisen.
But the great Moses, considering the unbegotten to be most foreign to what is visible (for everything perceptible is in becoming and change and never the same), assigned eternity to the invisible and intelligible, as its brother and kin, and gave to the perceptible its proper name, becoming.
Notes and citation
Summary: Moses ascribed eternity to the intelligible and becoming to the visible.
- Philo, On the Creation of the World 12.
Notes on the original text
- Digital text corrected (misread letter in the digital text): Μωσῶς → Μωσῆς.
Extrabiblical texts: Philo, Opif. 12 (Philo of Alexandria (works); quotation)
Cite (SBL): Eusebius, Praep. ev. 8.13.5 (Dindorf 1:448; trans. Sophia Scriptura, https://sophiascriptura.com/fathers/eusebius-praeparatio/8-13-1/#p-8-13-5). (abbreviation not yet checked)
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Translation: Translated by Claude from the Greek of Dindorf's Teubner text (1867; digital text First1KGreek, CC BY-SA 4.0), then compared section by section with the public-domain English of E. H. Gifford (1903); differences checked against the Greek.
8.13.6Dindorf 1:448–449
ἐπεὶ οὖν ὁρατός τε καὶ αἰσθητὸς ὅδε ὁ κόσμος, ἀναγκαίως ἂν εἴη καὶ γεννητὸς, ὅθεν οὐκ ἀπὸ σκοποῦ καὶ τὴν γένεσιν ἀνέγραψεν αὐτοῦ, μάλα σεμνῶς θεολογήσας.
epei oun horatos te kai aisthētos hode ho kosmos, anankaiōs an eiē kai gennētos, hothen ouk apo skopou kai tēn genesin anegrapsen autou, mala semnōs theologēsas.
Since, then, this world is visible and perceptible, it must necessarily also have come into being; hence not without purpose did he record its origin, speaking of God with great reverence."
Notes and citation
Summary: The visible world must have had a beginning, as Moses recorded.
- Philo, On the Creation of the World 12.
Notes on the original text
- Digital text corrected (wrong breathing in the digital text): ὄθεν οὐκ → ὅθεν οὐκ.
Extrabiblical texts: Philo, Opif. 12 (Philo of Alexandria (works); quotation)
Cite (SBL): Eusebius, Praep. ev. 8.13.6 (Dindorf 1:448–449; trans. Sophia Scriptura, https://sophiascriptura.com/fathers/eusebius-praeparatio/8-13-1/#p-8-13-6). (abbreviation not yet checked)
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Translation: Translated by Claude from the Greek of Dindorf's Teubner text (1867; digital text First1KGreek, CC BY-SA 4.0), then compared section by section with the public-domain English of E. H. Gifford (1903); differences checked against the Greek.
8.13.7Dindorf 1:449
Ταῦτα μὲν οὖν περὶ τοῦ γεννητὸν εἶναι τὸν κόσμον. ὁ δὲ αὐτὸς ἀνὴρ καὶ περὶ τοῦ προνοίᾳ διοικεῖσθαι τὸ πᾶν ἐν τῷ Περὶ προνοίας νεανικώτατα διέξεισι, τὰς τῶν ἀθέων ἀντιθέσεις προτάξας καὶ πρὸς αὐτὰς ἑξῆς ἀποκρινάμενος. καὶ τούτων δὲ, εἰ καὶ μακρότερα δόξειεν, ἀλλʼ ὡς ἀναγκαῖα τὰ πλεῖστα συντεμὼν ἐκθήσομαι. κατασκευάζει δὲ τὸν λόγον τοῦτον τὸν τρόπον
Tauta men oun peri tou gennēton einai ton kosmon. ho de autos anēr kai peri tou pronoią dioikeisthai to pan en tǭ Peri pronoias neanikōtata diexeisi, tas tōn atheōn antitheseis protaxas kai pros autas hexēs apokrinamenos. kai toutōn de, ei kai makrotera doxeien, allʼ hōs anankaia ta pleista syntemōn ekthēsomai. kataskeuazei de ton logon touton ton tropon
So much on the world's having come into being. The same man also goes through, very vigorously, in his On Providence, the case that the universe is governed by providence, first setting out the objections of the godless and then answering them in order. Though these may seem rather long, I shall set out most of them, abridged, as necessary. He constructs the argument in this way:
Notes and citation
Summary: Eusebius introduces Philo's On Providence.
Notes on the original text
- Digital text corrected (garbled word in the digital text; repeated syllables in the digital text; stray mark in the digital text; wrong accent in the digital text): διοικεῖσθαι κεῖσθαι → διοικεῖσθαι; δόξειεν) → δόξειεν,; τὰ πλείστα → τὰ πλεῖστα; τοῦτον ’τον τρόπον → τοῦτον τὸν τρόπον.
Cite (SBL): Eusebius, Praep. ev. 8.13.7 (Dindorf 1:449; trans. Sophia Scriptura, https://sophiascriptura.com/fathers/eusebius-praeparatio/8-13-1/#p-8-13-7). (abbreviation not yet checked)
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Translation: Translated by Claude from the Greek of Dindorf's Teubner text (1867; digital text First1KGreek, CC BY-SA 4.0), then compared section by section with the public-domain English of E. H. Gifford (1903); differences checked against the Greek.
Preparation 8, chapter 14
8.14.1Dindorf 1:449
“Πρόνοιαν εἶναι λέγεις ἐν τοσαύτῃ τῶν πραγμάτων ταραχῇ καὶ συγχύσει; τί γὰρ τῶν κατὰ τὸν ἀνθρώπινον βίον διατέτακται; τί μὲν οὖν οὐκ ἀταξίας γέμει καὶ φορᾶς; ἢ μόνος ἀγνοεῖς ὅτι τοῖς μὲν κακίστοις καὶ πονηροτάτοις ἄφθονα ἐπικωμάζει τὰ ἀγαθὰ, πλοῦτος, εὐδοξία, τιμαὶ παρὰ τοῖς πλήθεσιν· ἡγεμονία πάλιν, ὑγεία, εὐαισθησία, κάλλος, ἰσχὺς, ἀπόλαυσις ἡδονῶν ἀκώλυτος, διά τε παρασκευῶν περιουσίαν καὶ διὰ τὴν εἰρηνικωτάτην σώματος εὐμοιρίαν; οἱ δὲ φρονήσεως καὶ ἀρετῆς ἁπάσης ἐρασταί τε καὶ ἀσκηταὶ πάντες εἰσὶν, ὀλίγου δέω φάναι, πένητες, ἀφανεῖς, ἄδοξοι, ταπεινοί;’’
“Pronoian einai legeis en tosautę̄ tōn pragmatōn tarachę̄ kai synchysei? ti gar tōn kata ton anthrōpinon bion diatetaktai? ti men oun ouk ataxias gemei kai phoras? ē monos agnoeis hoti tois men kakistois kai ponērotatois aphthona epikōmazei ta agatha, ploutos, eudoxia, timai para tois plēthesin; hēgemonia palin, hygeia, euaisthēsia, kallos, ischys, apolausis hēdonōn akōlytos, dia te paraskeuōn periousian kai dia tēn eirēnikōtatēn sōmatos eumoirian? hoi de phronēseōs kai aretēs hapasēs erastai te kai askētai pantes eisin, oligou deō phanai, penētes, aphaneis, adoxoi, tapeinoi?’’
"Do you say there is a providence amid such great confusion and disorder of affairs? For what in human life has been set in order? What, rather, is not full of disorder and ruin? Or are you alone ignorant that good things come in riotous abundance to the worst and most wicked: wealth, reputation, honors among the masses, again power, health, keen senses, beauty, strength, unhindered enjoyment of pleasures, through abundance of resources and the most settled good condition of body; while the lovers and practicers of wisdom and every virtue are, I may almost say, all poor, obscure, without honor, and lowly?"
Notes and citation
Summary: Philo states the objection: the wicked prosper while the virtuous are poor.
- Philo, On Providence 2 (Greek fragment).
Notes on the original text
- Digital text corrected (repeated word in the digital text): “πρόνοιαν Πρόνοιαν → “Πρόνοιαν.
Extrabiblical texts: Philo, Prov. 2 (Philo of Alexandria (works); quotation)
Cite (SBL): Eusebius, Praep. ev. 8.14.1 (Dindorf 1:449; trans. Sophia Scriptura, https://sophiascriptura.com/fathers/eusebius-praeparatio/8-13-1/#p-8-14-1). (abbreviation not yet checked)
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Translation: Translated by Claude from the Greek of Dindorf's Teubner text (1867; digital text First1KGreek, CC BY-SA 4.0), then compared section by section with the public-domain English of E. H. Gifford (1903); differences checked against the Greek.
8.14.2Dindorf 1:449–450
Ταῦτα εἰς ἀνασκευὴν καὶ μυρία ἄλλα πλείω τούτων εἰπὼν ἑξῆς ἐπιλύεται τὰς ἀντιθέσεις διὰ τούτων Οὐ τύραννος ὁ θεὸς, ὠμότητα καὶ βίαν καὶ ὅσα δεσπότης ἀνημέρου ἀρχῆς ἔργα ἐπιτετηδευκὼς, ἀλλὰ βασιλεὺς ἥμερον καὶ νόμιμον ἀνημμένος ἡγεμονίαν, μετὰ δικαιοσύνης τὸν σύμπαντα οὐρανόν τε καὶ κόσμον βραβεύει.
Tauta eis anaskeuēn kai myria alla pleiō toutōn eipōn hexēs epilyetai tas antitheseis dia toutōn Ou tyrannos ho theos, ōmotēta kai bian kai hosa despotēs anēmerou archēs erga epitetēdeukōs, alla basileus hēmeron kai nomimon anēmmenos hēgemonian, meta dikaiosynēs ton sympanta ouranon te kai kosmon brabeuei.
After saying these and countless other things by way of objection, he next resolves the objections as follows: "God is not a tyrant, practicing cruelty and violence and all the deeds of a despot of savage rule, but a king who has taken up a gentle and lawful rule, and governs the whole heaven and world with justice.
Notes and citation
Summary: Philo: God is not a tyrant but a just king.
- Philo, On Providence 2.
Extrabiblical texts: Philo, Prov. 2 (Philo of Alexandria (works); quotation)
Cite (SBL): Eusebius, Praep. ev. 8.14.2 (Dindorf 1:449–450; trans. Sophia Scriptura, https://sophiascriptura.com/fathers/eusebius-praeparatio/8-13-1/#p-8-14-2). (abbreviation not yet checked)
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Translation: Translated by Claude from the Greek of Dindorf's Teubner text (1867; digital text First1KGreek, CC BY-SA 4.0), then compared section by section with the public-domain English of E. H. Gifford (1903); differences checked against the Greek.
8.14.3Dindorf 1:450
βασιλεῖ δὲ οὐκ ἔστι πρόσρησις οἰκειοτέρα πατρός. ὃ γὰρ ἐν ταῖς συγγενείαις πρὸς τέκνα γονεῖς, τοῦτο βασιλεὺς μὲν πρὸς πόλιν, πρὸς δὲ κόσμον ὁ θεὸς, δύο κάλλιστα φύσεως θεσμοῖς ἀκινήτοις ἀδιαλύτῳ ἑνώσει ἁρμοσάμενος, τὸ ἡγεμονικὸν μετὰ τοῦ κηδεμονικοῦ.
basilei de ouk esti prosrēsis oikeiotera patros. ho gar en tais syngeneiais pros tekna goneis, touto basileus men pros polin, pros de kosmon ho theos, dyo kallista physeōs thesmois akinētois adialytǭ henōsei harmosamenos, to hēgemonikon meta tou kēdemonikou.
And for a king there is no more fitting title than father. For what parents are to children in families, a king is to a city, and God to the world, having joined by the unmoved ordinances of nature, in indissoluble union, the two finest things: governance with care.
Notes and citation
Summary: God is king and father of the world, uniting rule with care.
- Philo, On Providence 2.
Extrabiblical texts: Philo, Prov. 2 (Philo of Alexandria (works); quotation)
Cite (SBL): Eusebius, Praep. ev. 8.14.3 (Dindorf 1:450; trans. Sophia Scriptura, https://sophiascriptura.com/fathers/eusebius-praeparatio/8-13-1/#p-8-14-3). (abbreviation not yet checked)
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Translation: Translated by Claude from the Greek of Dindorf's Teubner text (1867; digital text First1KGreek, CC BY-SA 4.0), then compared section by section with the public-domain English of E. H. Gifford (1903); differences checked against the Greek.
8.14.4Dindorf 1:450
καθάπερ οὖν τῶν ἀσώτων υἱέων οὐ περιορῶσιν οἱ τοκέες, ἀλλὰ τῆς ἀτυχίας οἶκτον λαμβάνοντες περιέπουσι καὶ τημελοῦσι, νομίζοντες ἐχθρῶν ἀσπόνδων ἔργον εἶναι κακοπραγίαις ἐπεμβαίνειν, φίλων δὲ καὶ συγγενῶν ἐπελαφρίζειν τὰ πταίσματα·
kathaper oun tōn asōtōn huieōn ou periorōsin hoi tokees, alla tēs atychias oikton lambanontes periepousi kai tēmelousi, nomizontes echthrōn aspondōn ergon einai kakopragiais epembainein, philōn de kai syngenōn epelaphrizein ta ptaismata;
Just as parents do not neglect their prodigal sons, but, taking pity on their misfortune, care for and tend them, considering it the work of implacable enemies to trample on misfortunes, but of friends and kin to lighten their failings;
Notes and citation
Summary: Parents care for wayward children.
- Philo, On Providence 2.
Extrabiblical texts: Philo, Prov. 2 (Philo of Alexandria (works); quotation)
Cite (SBL): Eusebius, Praep. ev. 8.14.4 (Dindorf 1:450; trans. Sophia Scriptura, https://sophiascriptura.com/fathers/eusebius-praeparatio/8-13-1/#p-8-14-4). (abbreviation not yet checked)
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Translation: Translated by Claude from the Greek of Dindorf's Teubner text (1867; digital text First1KGreek, CC BY-SA 4.0), then compared section by section with the public-domain English of E. H. Gifford (1903); differences checked against the Greek.
8.14.5Dindorf 1:450
πολλάκις δὲ καὶ τούτοις μᾶλλον ἢ τοῖς σώφροσιν ἐπιδαψιλευόμενοι χαρίζονται, σαφῶς εἰδότες ὡς ἐκείνοις μὲν ἄφθονος εἰς εὐπορίαν ἀφορμὴ πάρεστιν ἡ σωφροσύνη, τοῖς δʼ ἐλπὶς μία οἱ γονεῖς, ἧς εἰ σφαλεῖεν, ἀπορήσουσι καὶ τῶν ἀναγκαίων·
pollakis de kai toutois mallon ē tois sōphrosin epidapsileuomenoi charizontai, saphōs eidotes hōs ekeinois men aphthonos eis euporian aphormē parestin hē sōphrosynē, tois dʼ elpis mia hoi goneis, hēs ei sphaleien, aporēsousi kai tōn anankaiōn;
and often they lavish favors on these even more than on the sensible, knowing clearly that for the latter self-control is an abundant resource for prosperity, while for the former their parents are their one hope, and if they fail of it they will lack even necessities;
Notes and citation
Summary: Parents often favor the weak child, who depends on them alone.
- Philo, On Providence 2.
Notes on the original text
- Digital text corrected (wrong accents in the digital text): οἷ γονεῖς, ἦς εἰ → οἱ γονεῖς, ἧς εἰ.
Extrabiblical texts: Philo, Prov. 2 (Philo of Alexandria (works); quotation)
Cite (SBL): Eusebius, Praep. ev. 8.14.5 (Dindorf 1:450; trans. Sophia Scriptura, https://sophiascriptura.com/fathers/eusebius-praeparatio/8-13-1/#p-8-14-5). (abbreviation not yet checked)
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Translation: Translated by Claude from the Greek of Dindorf's Teubner text (1867; digital text First1KGreek, CC BY-SA 4.0), then compared section by section with the public-domain English of E. H. Gifford (1903); differences checked against the Greek.
8.14.6Dindorf 1:450
τὸν αὐτὸν τρόπον καὶ ὁ θεὸς, λογικῆς συνέσεως πατὴρ ὢν, ἀπάντων μὲν τῶν λογισμοῦ μεμοιραμένων κήδεται, προμηθεῖται δὲ καὶ τῶν ὑπαιτίως ζώντων, ἅμα μὲν καιρὸν εἰς ἐπανόρθωσιν αὐτοῖς διδοὺς, ἅμα δὲ καὶ τὴν ἵλεων φύσιν αὐτοῦ μὴ ὑπερβαίνων, ἧς ὀπαδὸς ἀρετὴ καὶ φιλανθρωπία γέγονεν, ἐπαξία τὸν θεῖον περιπολεῖν οἶκον. ”
ton auton tropon kai ho theos, logikēs syneseōs patēr ōn, apantōn men tōn logismou memoiramenōn kēdetai, promētheitai de kai tōn hypaitiōs zōntōn, hama men kairon eis epanorthōsin autois didous, hama de kai tēn hileōn physin autou mē hyperbainōn, hēs opados aretē kai philanthrōpia gegonen, epaxia ton theion peripolein oikon. ”
in the same way God too, being the father of rational understanding, cares for all who have been allotted reason, and provides even for those who live blameworthily, at once giving them time for correction and not transgressing his own merciful nature, whose attendants are virtue and love of humanity, worthy to keep watch about the divine house."
Notes and citation
Summary: God likewise provides for sinners, giving them time to amend.
- Philo, On Providence 2.
Extrabiblical texts: Philo, Prov. 2 (Philo of Alexandria (works); quotation)
Cite (SBL): Eusebius, Praep. ev. 8.14.6 (Dindorf 1:450; trans. Sophia Scriptura, https://sophiascriptura.com/fathers/eusebius-praeparatio/8-13-1/#p-8-14-6). (abbreviation not yet checked)
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Translation: Translated by Claude from the Greek of Dindorf's Teubner text (1867; digital text First1KGreek, CC BY-SA 4.0), then compared section by section with the public-domain English of E. H. Gifford (1903); differences checked against the Greek.
8.14.7Dindorf 1:450
“Ἕνα μὲν δὴ λόγον τοῦτον, ὦ ψυχὴ, δέξαι τέως αὐτοῦ παρακαταθήκην, ἕτερον δὲ συνῳδὸν καὶ ἐναρμόνιον αὐτῷ τοιόνδε μὴ τοσοῦτόν ποτε ψευσθείης τῆς ἀληθείας ὡς εὐδαίμονά τινα τῶν φαύλων εἶναι νομίσαι, κἂν πλουσιώτερος μὲν ᾖ Κροίσου, Λυγκέως δʼ ὀξυωπέστερος, ἀνδρειότερος δὲ τοῦ Κροτωνιάτου Μίλωνος, καλλίων δὲ Γανυμήδους, ὃν καὶ ἀνηρείψαντο θεοὶ Διὶ οἰνοχοεύειν, κάλλεος εἵνεκα οἷο.
“Hena men dē logon touton, ō psychē, dexai teōs autou parakatathēkēn, heteron de synǭdon kai enarmonion autǭ toionde mē tosouton pote pseustheiēs tēs alētheias hōs eudaimona tina tōn phaulōn einai nomisai, kan plousiōteros men ę̄ Kroisou, Lynkeōs dʼ oxyōpesteros, andreioteros de tou Krotōniatou Milōnos, kalliōn de Ganymēdous, hon kai anēreipsanto theoi Dii oinochoeuein, kalleos heineka hoio.
"Receive this one argument, my soul, as his deposit for now, and another in harmony and accord with it, as follows: may you never be so deceived about the truth as to think any of the wicked happy, even if he is richer than Croesus, sharper-sighted than Lynceus, braver than Milo of Croton, and more beautiful than Ganymede, 'whom the gods carried off to be cupbearer to Zeus, for his beauty.'
Notes and citation
Summary: No wicked man is happy, however rich, strong, or beautiful.
- Philo, On Providence 2, quoting Homer, Iliad 20.234–235.
Notes on the original text
- Digital text corrected (dropped letter in the digital text; repeated word in the digital text; wrong accent in the digital text; wrong breathing in the digital text): Ἔνα μὲν δὴ → Ἕνα μὲν δὴ; ὠ ψυχὴ → ὦ ψυχὴ; φαύλων εἷναι → φαύλων εἶναι; πουσιώτερος → πλουσιώτερος; ὄν ὃν καὶ → ὃν καὶ.
Extrabiblical texts: Philo, Prov. 2 (Philo of Alexandria (works); quotation); Homer, Il. 20.234–235 (Homer, Iliad; quotation)
Cite (SBL): Eusebius, Praep. ev. 8.14.7 (Dindorf 1:450; trans. Sophia Scriptura, https://sophiascriptura.com/fathers/eusebius-praeparatio/8-13-1/#p-8-14-7). (abbreviation not yet checked)
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Translation: Translated by Claude from the Greek of Dindorf's Teubner text (1867; digital text First1KGreek, CC BY-SA 4.0), then compared section by section with the public-domain English of E. H. Gifford (1903); differences checked against the Greek.
8.14.8Dindorf 1:450–451
τὸν γοῦν ἴδιον δαίμονα, λέγω δὲ τὸν ἑαυτοῦ νοῦν, μυρίων ὅσων δεσποτῶν δοῦλον ἀποφήνας, ἔρωτος, ἐπιθυμίας, ἡδονῆς, φόβου, λύπης, ἀφροσύνης, ἀκολασίας, δειλίας, ἀδικίας, οὐκ ἂν εἶναί ποτε δύναιτο εὐδαίμων, κἂν οἱ πολλοὶ σφαλλόμενοι κρίσεως ἀληθοῦς νομίζωσι, δεκασθέντες ὑπὸ κακοῦ διδύμου, τύφου καὶ κενῆς δόξης, δεινῶν παλεῦσαι καὶ παραγαγεῖν ἀνερματίστους ψυχὰς, περὶ ἃ κηραίνει γένος τὸ πλεῖστον ἀνθρώπων.
ton goun idion daimona, legō de ton heautou noun, myriōn hosōn despotōn doulon apophēnas, erōtos, epithymias, hēdonēs, phobou, lypēs, aphrosynēs, akolasias, deilias, adikias, ouk an einai pote dynaito eudaimōn, kan hoi polloi sphallomenoi kriseōs alēthous nomizōsi, dekasthentes hypo kakou didymou, typhou kai kenēs doxēs, deinōn paleusai kai paragagein anermatistous psychas, peri ha kērainei genos to pleiston anthrōpōn.
For having made his own daemon, I mean his own mind, the slave of countless masters, love, desire, pleasure, fear, grief, folly, licentiousness, cowardice, injustice, he could never be happy, even if the many, mistaken in their judgment, think so, bribed by a twin evil, vanity and empty opinion, which are clever at ensnaring and leading astray unballasted souls, over which the greater part of the human race is ruined.
Notes and citation
Summary: A man enslaved to his passions cannot be happy, whatever the crowd thinks.
- Philo, On Providence 2.
Notes on the original text
- Digital text corrected (dropped letter in the digital text; line-end hyphen left in the digital text): ἀφοσύνης → ἀφροσύνης; παρα- γαγεῖν → παραγαγεῖν.
Extrabiblical texts: Philo, Prov. 2 (Philo of Alexandria (works); quotation)
Topics: Ethics
Cite (SBL): Eusebius, Praep. ev. 8.14.8 (Dindorf 1:450–451; trans. Sophia Scriptura, https://sophiascriptura.com/fathers/eusebius-praeparatio/8-13-1/#p-8-14-8). (abbreviation not yet checked)
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Translation: Translated by Claude from the Greek of Dindorf's Teubner text (1867; digital text First1KGreek, CC BY-SA 4.0), then compared section by section with the public-domain English of E. H. Gifford (1903); differences checked against the Greek.
8.14.9Dindorf 1:451
εἰ μέντοι τὸ τῆς ψυχῆς ὄμμα τείνας βουληθείης περιαθρῆσαι θεοῦ πρόνοιαν, ὡς ἔνεστιν ἀνθρωπίνῳ λογισμῷ, τρανοτέραν τὴν τοῦ πρὸς ἀλήθειαν ἀγαθοῦ λαβὼν φαντασίαν, γελάσῃ τὰ παρʼ ἡμῖν, ἃ τέως ἐθαύμαζες. ἀεὶ γὰρ ἀπουσίᾳ τῶν κρειττόνων τιμᾶται τὰ χείρονα, τὴν ἐκείνων κληρονομοῦντα τάξιν· ἐπιφανέντων δὲ ὑποστέλλει, δευτερείοις ἄθλων ἀρκούμενα.
ei mentoi to tēs psychēs omma teinas boulētheiēs periathrēsai theou pronoian, hōs enestin anthrōpinǭ logismǭ, tranoteran tēn tou pros alētheian agathou labōn phantasian, gelasę̄ ta parʼ hēmin, ha teōs ethaumazes. aei gar apousią tōn kreittonōn timatai ta cheirona, tēn ekeinōn klēronomounta taxin; epiphanentōn de hypostellei, deutereiois athlōn arkoumena.
But if you were willing to strain the eye of the soul and look around at God's providence, as far as human reason can, gaining a clearer impression of the true good, you will laugh at the things among us that you used to admire. For in the absence of the better, the worse are always honored, inheriting their rank; but when the better appear, the worse withdraw, content with second prizes.
Notes and citation
Summary: Seeing God's providence, one laughs at worldly goods.
- Philo, On Providence 2.
Extrabiblical texts: Philo, Prov. 2 (Philo of Alexandria (works); quotation)
Cite (SBL): Eusebius, Praep. ev. 8.14.9 (Dindorf 1:451; trans. Sophia Scriptura, https://sophiascriptura.com/fathers/eusebius-praeparatio/8-13-1/#p-8-14-9). (abbreviation not yet checked)
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Translation: Translated by Claude from the Greek of Dindorf's Teubner text (1867; digital text First1KGreek, CC BY-SA 4.0), then compared section by section with the public-domain English of E. H. Gifford (1903); differences checked against the Greek.
8.14.10Dindorf 1:451
καταπλαγεὶς οὖν τὸ θεοειδὲς ἐκεῖνο ἀγαθόν τε καὶ καλὸν, πάντως ἐννοήσεις ὅτι παρὰ θεῷ τῶν εἰρημένων πρότερον οὐδὲν καθʼ ἑαυτὸ τῆς ἀγαθοῦ μοίρας ἠξίωται, διότι τὰ μὲν ἀργύρου μέταλλα καὶ χρυσοῦ γῆς ἐστιν ἡ φαυλοτάτη μοῖρα, τῆς πρὸς καρπῶν ἀνειμένης γένεσιν ὅλῳ καὶ τῷ παντὶ λειπομένη.
kataplageis oun to theoeides ekeino agathon te kai kalon, pantōs ennoēseis hoti para theǭ tōn eirēmenōn proteron ouden kathʼ heauto tēs agathou moiras ēxiōtai, dioti ta men argyrou metalla kai chrysou gēs estin hē phaulotatē moira, tēs pros karpōn aneimenēs genesin holǭ kai tǭ panti leipomenē.
Struck with amazement, then, at that godlike good and beautiful, you will surely realize that none of the things mentioned before has in itself been thought worthy by God of the rank of good; for mines of silver and gold are the meanest part of the earth, falling short in every way of the part given over to the growing of crops.
Notes and citation
Summary: Gold and silver are the lowest part of the earth, not true goods.
- Philo, On Providence 2.
Notes on the original text
- Digital text corrected (word split in the digital text; wrong accent in the digital text): ἐννοἠσεις → ἐννοήσεις; τῆς πρὸς κὰρ πῶν ἀνειμένης → τῆς πρὸς καρπῶν ἀνειμένης.
Extrabiblical texts: Philo, Prov. 2 (Philo of Alexandria (works); quotation)
Cite (SBL): Eusebius, Praep. ev. 8.14.10 (Dindorf 1:451; trans. Sophia Scriptura, https://sophiascriptura.com/fathers/eusebius-praeparatio/8-13-1/#p-8-14-10). (abbreviation not yet checked)
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Translation: Translated by Claude from the Greek of Dindorf's Teubner text (1867; digital text First1KGreek, CC BY-SA 4.0), then compared section by section with the public-domain English of E. H. Gifford (1903); differences checked against the Greek.
8.14.11Dindorf 1:451
οὐ γάρ ἐσθʼ ὅμοιον τροφῆς, ἧς ἄνευ ζῆν ἀδύνατον, εὐπορία χρημάτων. μία τούτων ἐστὶ βάσανος ἐναργεστάτη λιμὸς, ᾧ τὸ πρὸς ἀλήθειαν ἀναγκαῖον καὶ χρήσιμον δοκιμάζεται· θησαυροὺς γὰρ τοὺς πανταχοῦ πάντας ἀντικαταλλάξαιτʼ ἄν τις βραχείας ποτὲ τροφῆς ἄσμενος.
ou gar esthʼ homoion trophēs, hēs aneu zēn adynaton, euporia chrēmatōn. mia toutōn esti basanos enargestatē limos, hǭ to pros alētheian anankaion kai chrēsimon dokimazetai; thēsaurous gar tous pantachou pantas antikatallaxaitʼ an tis bracheias pote trophēs asmenos.
For abundance of money is not like food, without which it is impossible to live. The clearest test of these is famine, by which what is truly necessary and useful is proved; for anyone would gladly exchange all the treasures everywhere for a little food.
Notes and citation
Summary: Famine shows that food, not money, is truly necessary.
- Philo, On Providence 2.
Notes on the original text
- Digital text corrected (misread letter in the digital text; wrong breathing in the digital text): πρὸς άλήθειαν → πρὸς ἀλήθειαν; θησαυσοὺς → θησαυροὺς.
Extrabiblical texts: Philo, Prov. 2 (Philo of Alexandria (works); quotation)
Cite (SBL): Eusebius, Praep. ev. 8.14.11 (Dindorf 1:451; trans. Sophia Scriptura, https://sophiascriptura.com/fathers/eusebius-praeparatio/8-13-1/#p-8-14-11). (abbreviation not yet checked)
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Translation: Translated by Claude from the Greek of Dindorf's Teubner text (1867; digital text First1KGreek, CC BY-SA 4.0), then compared section by section with the public-domain English of E. H. Gifford (1903); differences checked against the Greek.
8.14.12Dindorf 1:451–452
ὅταν δὲ ἡ τῶν ἀναγκαίων ἀφθονία μυρίῳ φορᾶς ἀκατασχέτῳ πλήθει ῥυεῖσα κατὰ πόλεις ἀναχέηται, τοῖς τῆς φύσεως ἀγαθοῖς ἐντρυφῶντες ἐπʼ αὐτῶν μόνων οὐκ ἀξιοῦμεν ἵστασθαι, κόρον δʼ ὑβριστὴν ἡγεμόνα τοῦ βίου ποιησάμενοι, ἀργύρου τε καὶ χρυσοῦ κτήσεσιν ἐπαποδύντες, ἅπασι, παρʼ ὧν ἄν τι κερδανεῖν ἐπελπέσωμεν, κονιόμεθα καθάπερ τυφλοὶ, μηκέτι τῇ διανοίᾳ βλέποντες ὑπὸ φιλαργυρίας ὅτι γῆς εἰσιν ὄγκοι, περὶ ὧν ἐκ μὲν εἰρήνης συνεχὴς καὶ ἀδιάστατος πόλεμος.
hotan de hē tōn anankaiōn aphthonia myriǭ phoras akataschetǭ plēthei rhyeisa kata poleis anacheētai, tois tēs physeōs agathois entryphōntes epʼ autōn monōn ouk axioumen histasthai, koron dʼ hybristēn hēgemona tou biou poiēsamenoi, argyrou te kai chrysou ktēsesin epapodyntes, hapasi, parʼ hōn an ti kerdanein epelpesōmen, koniometha kathaper typhloi, mēketi tę̄ dianoią blepontes hypo philargyrias hoti gēs eisin onkoi, peri hōn ek men eirēnēs synechēs kai adiastatos polemos.
But when an abundance of necessities, flowing in a vast and unchecked flood of produce, pours over the cities, luxuriating in the goods of nature we do not think fit to stop at them alone, but making insolent satiety the guide of life, and stripping for the acquisition of silver and gold, we struggle with everyone from whom we hope to gain anything, like blind men, no longer seeing with the mind, because of love of money, that these are lumps of earth, over which, instead of peace, there is continual and unceasing war.
Notes and citation
Summary: Plenty breeds greed for gold, mere earth, and endless strife.
- Philo, On Providence 2.
Notes on the original text
- Digital text corrected (line-end hyphen left in the digital text; wrong accent and misread letter in the digital text): περὶ ὣν ἐκ μὲν εἰρήνης συντχὴς → περὶ ὧν ἐκ μὲν εἰρήνης συνεχὴς; ἐπελ- πέσωμεν → ἐπελπέσωμεν; δια- νοίᾳ → διανοίᾳ.
Extrabiblical texts: Philo, Prov. 2 (Philo of Alexandria (works); quotation)
Topics: Ethics
Cite (SBL): Eusebius, Praep. ev. 8.14.12 (Dindorf 1:451–452; trans. Sophia Scriptura, https://sophiascriptura.com/fathers/eusebius-praeparatio/8-13-1/#p-8-14-12). (abbreviation not yet checked)
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Translation: Translated by Claude from the Greek of Dindorf's Teubner text (1867; digital text First1KGreek, CC BY-SA 4.0), then compared section by section with the public-domain English of E. H. Gifford (1903); differences checked against the Greek.
8.14.13Dindorf 1:452
ἐσθῆτές γε μὴν προβάτων εἰσὶν, ὡς οἱ ποιηταί πού φασιν, ἄνθος, κατὰ δὲ τὴν δημιουργὸν τέχνην ὑφαντῶν ἔπαινος. εἰ δέ τις ἐπὶ δόξῃ μέγα φρονεῖ, τὴν παρὰ τῶν φαύλων ἀποδοχὴν ἀσπαζόμενος, ἴστω μὲν καὶ αὐτὸς φαῦλος ὤν· τὸ γὰρ ὅμοιον χαίρει τῷ ὁμοίῳ·
esthētes ge mēn probatōn eisin, hōs hoi poiētai pou phasin, anthos, kata de tēn dēmiourgon technēn hyphantōn epainos. ei de tis epi doxę̄ mega phronei, tēn para tōn phaulōn apodochēn aspazomenos, istō men kai autos phaulos ōn; to gar homoion chairei tǭ homoiǭ;
Garments, as the poets somewhere say, are the flower of sheep, and, as regards the craftsman's art, the praise of weavers. And if anyone prides himself on reputation, welcoming the approval of the wicked, let him know that he too is wicked; for like rejoices in like.
Notes and citation
Summary: Clothes are mere wool; praise from the wicked shows one is wicked.
- Philo, On Providence 2. "Flower of sheep" (wool) echoes Homer, Iliad 13.599.
Notes on the original text
- Digital text corrected (misread letters in the digital text; wrong breathing in the digital text): ὡς οἶ ποιηταί → ὡς οἱ ποιηταί; ἀδπαξόηενος → ἀσπαζόμενος.
Extrabiblical texts: Philo, Prov. 2 (Philo of Alexandria (works); quotation); Homer, Il. 13.599 (Homer, Iliad; allusion)
Cite (SBL): Eusebius, Praep. ev. 8.14.13 (Dindorf 1:452; trans. Sophia Scriptura, https://sophiascriptura.com/fathers/eusebius-praeparatio/8-13-1/#p-8-14-13). (abbreviation not yet checked)
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Translation: Translated by Claude from the Greek of Dindorf's Teubner text (1867; digital text First1KGreek, CC BY-SA 4.0), then compared section by section with the public-domain English of E. H. Gifford (1903); differences checked against the Greek.
8.14.14Dindorf 1:452
εὐχέσθω δὲ καθαρσίων μεταλαχὼν ἰαθῆναι τὰ ὦτα, διʼ ὧν αἱ μεγάλαι ψυχῇ νόσοι κατασκήπτουσι. μαθέτωσαν δὲ καὶ ὅσοι ἐπʼ εὐτονίᾳ πεφύσηνται μὴ ὑψαυχενεῖν, ἀπιδόντες εἰς τὰς τῶν ἡμέρων καὶ ἀτιθάσων ζῴων ἀμυθήτους ἀγέλας, αἷς ἰσχὺς καὶ ῥώμη συγγεγένηνται. τῶν γὰρ ἀτοπωτάτων ἐστὶν ἐπὶ θηρίων ἀρεταῖς, καὶ ταῦτα σεμνύνεσθαι. μένον ὑπʼ αὐτῶν ἄνθρωπον ὄντα σεμνύνεσθαι.
euchesthō de katharsiōn metalachōn iathēnai ta ōta, diʼ hōn hai megalai psychę̄ nosoi kataskēptousi. mathetōsan de kai hosoi epʼ eutonią pephysēntai mē hypsauchenein, apidontes eis tas tōn hēmerōn kai atithasōn zǭōn amythētous agelas, hais ischys kai rhōmē syngegenēntai. tōn gar atopōtatōn estin epi thēriōn aretais, kai tauta semnynesthai. menon hypʼ autōn anthrōpon onta semnynesthai.
Let him pray to obtain purifications and be healed in his ears, through which the great diseases fall upon the soul. And let those too who are puffed up with physical vigor learn not to hold their heads high, looking at the countless herds of tame and wild animals, to which strength and might are innate. For it is among the most absurd things for one who is a man to pride himself on the excellences of beasts, and that when he is surpassed by them.
Notes and citation
Summary: One should not boast of strength in which beasts surpass us.
- Philo, On Providence 2. The end of the section is garbled in the digital text (a repeated σεμνύνεσθαι seems to have displaced a word meaning "surpassed"); translated by sense.
Notes on the original text
- Digital text corrected (wrong accent in the digital text): μαθἐτωσαν → μαθέτωσαν.
Extrabiblical texts: Philo, Prov. 2 (Philo of Alexandria (works); quotation)
Cite (SBL): Eusebius, Praep. ev. 8.14.14 (Dindorf 1:452; trans. Sophia Scriptura, https://sophiascriptura.com/fathers/eusebius-praeparatio/8-13-1/#p-8-14-14). (abbreviation not yet checked)
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Translation: Translated by Claude from the Greek of Dindorf's Teubner text (1867; digital text First1KGreek, CC BY-SA 4.0), then compared section by section with the public-domain English of E. H. Gifford (1903); differences checked against the Greek.
8.14.15Dindorf 1:452
διὰ τί δʼ ἄν τις εὖ φρονῶν ἐπὶ σώματος εὐμορφίᾳ ἀγάλλοιτο, ἣν βραχὺς καιρὸς ἔσβεσε, πρὶν ἐπὶ μήκιστον ἀνθῆσαι, τὴν ἀπατηλὴν αὐτῆς ἀκμὴν ἀμαυρώσας, καὶ ταῦθʼ ὁρῶν ἐν ἀψύχοις περιμάχητα καλλιγράφων ἔργα καὶ πλαστῶν καὶ ἄλλων τεχνιτῶν, ἔν τε ζωγραφήμασι καὶ ἀνδριᾶσι καὶ ὑφασμάτων ποικιλίαις, ἐν Ἑλλάδι καὶ βαρβάρῳ κατὰ πόλιν ἑκάστην εὐδοκιμοῦντα;
dia ti dʼ an tis eu phronōn epi sōmatos eumorphią agalloito, hēn brachys kairos esbese, prin epi mēkiston anthēsai, tēn apatēlēn autēs akmēn amaurōsas, kai tauthʼ horōn en apsychois perimachēta kalligraphōn erga kai plastōn kai allōn technitōn, en te zōgraphēmasi kai andriasi kai hyphasmatōn poikiliais, en Helladi kai barbarǭ kata polin hekastēn eudokimounta?
And why would anyone in his right mind exult in bodily beauty, which a short time extinguishes before it has bloomed for long, darkening its deceptive prime; especially when he sees the works of painters, sculptors, and other craftsmen in lifeless things admired, in paintings, statues, and embroidered fabrics, esteemed in every city in Greece and the barbarian world?
Notes and citation
Summary: Bodily beauty is fleeting and surpassed by works of art.
- Philo, On Providence 2.
Extrabiblical texts: Philo, Prov. 2 (Philo of Alexandria (works); quotation)
Cite (SBL): Eusebius, Praep. ev. 8.14.15 (Dindorf 1:452; trans. Sophia Scriptura, https://sophiascriptura.com/fathers/eusebius-praeparatio/8-13-1/#p-8-14-15). (abbreviation not yet checked)
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Translation: Translated by Claude from the Greek of Dindorf's Teubner text (1867; digital text First1KGreek, CC BY-SA 4.0), then compared section by section with the public-domain English of E. H. Gifford (1903); differences checked against the Greek.
8.14.16Dindorf 1:452
τούτων οὖν, ὅπερ ἔφην, οὐδὲν παρὰ θεῷ τῆς ἀγαθοῦ μοίρας ἠξίωται. καὶ τί θαυμάζομεν εἰ μὴ παρὰ θεῷ; οὐδὲ γὰρ παρὰ ἀνθρώποις τοῖς θεοφιλέσι, παρʼ οἷς τὰ πρὸς ἀλήθειαν ἀγαθὰ καὶ καλὰ τετίμηται, φύσεως μὲν εὐμοίρου λαχοῦσι, μελέτῃ δὲ μετʼ ἀσκήσεως τὴν φύσιν ἐπικοσμήσασιν, ὧν ἡ ἄνοθος φιλοσοφία δημιουργός.
toutōn oun, hoper ephēn, ouden para theǭ tēs agathou moiras ēxiōtai. kai ti thaumazomen ei mē para theǭ? oude gar para anthrōpois tois theophilesi, parʼ hois ta pros alētheian agatha kai kala tetimētai, physeōs men eumoirou lachousi, meletę̄ de metʼ askēseōs tēn physin epikosmēsasin, hōn hē anothos philosophia dēmiourgos.
None of these, then, as I said, has been thought worthy by God of the rank of good. And why do we wonder if not by God? Not even by God-beloved men, among whom what is truly good and beautiful is honored, who have been allotted a fortunate nature and have adorned that nature with study and discipline, of whom genuine philosophy is the maker.
Notes and citation
Summary: Neither God nor godly men count such things as goods.
- Philo, On Providence 2.
Notes on the original text
- Digital text corrected (garbled letters in the digital text; misread letters in the digital text; wrong accent in the digital text; wrong breathing in the digital text): τούτων οὑν → τούτων οὖν; θανμάξομεν → θαυμάζομεν; παρʼ οἶς τὰ → παρʼ οἷς τὰ; ἐπικοομŕισασιν → ἐπικοσμήσασιν.
Extrabiblical texts: Philo, Prov. 2 (Philo of Alexandria (works); quotation)
Cite (SBL): Eusebius, Praep. ev. 8.14.16 (Dindorf 1:452; trans. Sophia Scriptura, https://sophiascriptura.com/fathers/eusebius-praeparatio/8-13-1/#p-8-14-16). (abbreviation not yet checked)
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Translation: Translated by Claude from the Greek of Dindorf's Teubner text (1867; digital text First1KGreek, CC BY-SA 4.0), then compared section by section with the public-domain English of E. H. Gifford (1903); differences checked against the Greek.
8.14.17Dindorf 1:452–453
ὅσοι δὲ νόθου παιδείας ἐπεμελήθησαν, οὐδὲ τοὺς ἰατροὺς ἐμιμήσαντο τὸ δοῦλον ψυχῆς σῶμα θεραπεύοντας οἱ τὴν δέσποιναν ἐπιφάσκοντες ἰᾶσθαι. ἐκεῖνοι μὲν γὰρ, ἐπειδάν τις εὐτυχὴς νοσήσῃ, κἂν ὁ μέγας ᾖ βασιλεὺς, πάνθʼ ὑπερβάντες τὰ περίστῳα, τοὺς ἀνδρῶνας, τὰς γυναικωνίτιδας, γραφὰς, ἄργυρον, χρυσὸν, ἄσημον, ἐπίσημον, ἐκπωμάτων ἢ ὑφασμάτων πλῆθος, τὸν ἄλλον τῶν βασιλέων ἀοίδιμον κόσμον, ἔτι δὲ τὸν οἰκετικὸν ὄχλον, καὶ τὴν φίλων ἢ συγγενῶν, ὑπηκόων τῶν ἐν τέλει θεραπείαν ἄξαντες, τῶν σωματοφυλάκων, ἄχρι τῆς εὐνῆς ἀφικόμενοι, καὶ τῶν περὶ αὐτὸ τὸ σῶμα ἀλογήσαντες, οὔθʼ ὅτι κλῖναι λιθοκόλλητοι καὶ ὁλόχρυσοι θαυμάσαντες, οὔθʼ ὅτι ἀραχνοϋφεῖς ἢ λινορραφούμεναι στρωμναὶ, οὔθʼ ὅτι ἐσθημάτων ἰδέαι διάφοροι· προσέτι δὲ τὰς περὶ αὐτὸν χλαίνας ἀπαμφιάσαντες ἅπτονται χειρῶν καὶ τὰς φλέβας προσπιεζοῦντες ἀκριβοῦσι τοὺς παλμοὺς, εἰ σωτήριοι· πολλάκις δὲ καὶ τοὺς χιτωνίσκους ἀναστείλαντες εἰ περιπληθής ἐσθʼ ἡ γαστὴρ ἐξετάζουσιν, εἰ πεπυρωμένος ὁ θώραξ, εἰ ἄτακτα ἡ καρδία πηδᾷ· κἄπειτα τὴν οἰκείαν προσφέρουσι θεραπείαν.
hosoi de nothou paideias epemelēthēsan, oude tous iatrous emimēsanto to doulon psychēs sōma therapeuontas hoi tēn despoinan epiphaskontes iasthai. ekeinoi men gar, epeidan tis eutychēs nosēsę̄, kan ho megas ę̄ basileus, panthʼ hyperbantes ta peristǭa, tous andrōnas, tas gynaikōnitidas, graphas, argyron, chryson, asēmon, episēmon, ekpōmatōn ē hyphasmatōn plēthos, ton allon tōn basileōn aoidimon kosmon, eti de ton oiketikon ochlon, kai tēn philōn ē syngenōn, hypēkoōn tōn en telei therapeian axantes, tōn sōmatophylakōn, achri tēs eunēs aphikomenoi, kai tōn peri auto to sōma alogēsantes, outhʼ hoti klinai lithokollētoi kai holochrysoi thaumasantes, outhʼ hoti arachnoÿpheis ē linorraphoumenai strōmnai, outhʼ hoti esthēmatōn ideai diaphoroi; proseti de tas peri auton chlainas apamphiasantes haptontai cheirōn kai tas phlebas prospiezountes akribousi tous palmous, ei sōtērioi; pollakis de kai tous chitōniskous anasteilantes ei periplēthēs esthʼ hē gastēr exetazousin, ei pepyrōmenos ho thōrax, ei atakta hē kardia pēdą; kapeita tēn oikeian prospherousi therapeian.
But those who pursued a spurious education did not even imitate the physicians who treat the body, the soul's slave, though they claimed to heal its mistress. For they, when some fortunate man falls sick, even if he is the great king, pass by everything: the colonnades, the men's quarters, the women's quarters, paintings, silver, gold, coined and uncoined, the abundance of cups and fabrics, the rest of the kings' celebrated finery, and further the crowd of servants and the attendance of friends or kinsmen or subjects in office, and of the bodyguards; reaching the bed, and disregarding what is around the body itself, not admiring the beds inlaid with stones and all of gold, nor the spider-fine or linen-sewn coverings, nor the various kinds of clothing, they even strip off the cloaks about him, touch his hands, and, pressing the veins, examine the pulse exactly, whether it is healthy; and often, drawing up his tunic, they examine whether the belly is overfull, whether the chest is fevered, whether the heart leaps irregularly; and then they apply the proper treatment.
Notes and citation
Summary: Physicians ignore a king's luxury and examine only his body.
- Philo, On Providence 2.
Notes on the original text
- Digital text corrected (misread letter in the digital text; numeral for a letter in the digital text; wrong breathing in the digital text): οἶ τὴν δέσποιναν → οἱ τὴν δέσποιναν; θαυμάσαν1ες → θαυμάσαντες; ἀσαχνοϋφεῖς → ἀραχνοϋφεῖς; ἐξετάξουσιν → ἐξετάζουσιν.
Extrabiblical texts: Philo, Prov. 2 (Philo of Alexandria (works); quotation)
Cite (SBL): Eusebius, Praep. ev. 8.14.17 (Dindorf 1:452–453; trans. Sophia Scriptura, https://sophiascriptura.com/fathers/eusebius-praeparatio/8-13-1/#p-8-14-17). (abbreviation not yet checked)
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Translation: Translated by Claude from the Greek of Dindorf's Teubner text (1867; digital text First1KGreek, CC BY-SA 4.0), then compared section by section with the public-domain English of E. H. Gifford (1903); differences checked against the Greek.
8.14.18Dindorf 1:453
ἔδει δὲ καὶ τοὺς φιλοσόφους ἰατρικὴν ὁμολογοῦντας ἐπιτηδεύειν τῆς φύσει βασιλίδος ψυχῆς, καταφρονεῖν μὲν ἁπάντων ὅσα αἱ κεναὶ δόξαι τυφλοπλαστοῦσιν, εἴσω δὲ προσιόντας ἅπτεσθαι διανοίας αὐτῆς, εἰ ὑπʼ ὀργῆς ἀνισοταχεῖς καὶ παρὰ φύσιν κεκινημένοι παλμοί· ἅπτεσθαι καὶ γλώττης, εἰ τραχεῖα καὶ κακήγορος, εἰ πεπορνευκυῖα καὶ ἀταμίευτος· ἅπτεσθαι καὶ γαστρὸς, εἰ ἀπλήστῳ σχήματι ἐπιθυμίας διῴδηκε· καὶ συνόλως παθῶν καὶ νοσημάτων καὶ ἀρρωστημάτων, εἰ κεκράσθαι δοκεῖ, διερευνᾶν ἕκαστον, ἵνα μὴ διαμαρτάνωσι τῶν προσφόρων εἰς τὸ σώζειν.
edei de kai tous philosophous iatrikēn homologountas epitēdeuein tēs physei basilidos psychēs, kataphronein men hapantōn hosa hai kenai doxai typhloplastousin, eisō de prosiontas haptesthai dianoias autēs, ei hypʼ orgēs anisotacheis kai para physin kekinēmenoi palmoi; haptesthai kai glōttēs, ei tracheia kai kakēgoros, ei peporneukuia kai atamieutos; haptesthai kai gastros, ei aplēstǭ schēmati epithymias diǭdēke; kai synolōs pathōn kai nosēmatōn kai arrōstēmatōn, ei kekrasthai dokei, diereunan hekaston, hina mē diamartanōsi tōn prosphorōn eis to sōzein.
So too the philosophers, who profess to practice medicine for the soul, by nature a queen, ought to despise everything that empty opinions fashion for the blind, and, going within, touch the mind itself, to see whether its pulses are uneven and moved against nature by anger; touch the tongue too, whether it is harsh and abusive, whether it is licentious and unrestrained; touch the belly, whether it is swollen with the insatiable shape of desire; and in general search out each of the passions, diseases, and infirmities, whether it seems to be mixed in, so that they may not miss what is suitable for saving it.
Notes and citation
Summary: Philosophers should likewise examine the soul's passions, not outward goods.
- Philo, On Providence 2.
Notes on the original text
- Digital text corrected (misread letter in the digital text; wrong breathing and misread letters in the digital text; wrong breathing and repeated word in the digital text): ὀμολογοῦντας ἐπιτηδεύειν ἐπιτηδεύειν → ὁμολογοῦντας ἐπιτηδεύειν; αἶ κεναὶ δόξαι τυφλορλαστοῦδιν → αἱ κεναὶ δόξαι τυφλοπλαστοῦσιν; ἀρρςστημάτων → ἀρρωστημάτων.
Extrabiblical texts: Philo, Prov. 2 (Philo of Alexandria (works); quotation)
Topics: Ethics
Cite (SBL): Eusebius, Praep. ev. 8.14.18 (Dindorf 1:453; trans. Sophia Scriptura, https://sophiascriptura.com/fathers/eusebius-praeparatio/8-13-1/#p-8-14-18). (abbreviation not yet checked)
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Translation: Translated by Claude from the Greek of Dindorf's Teubner text (1867; digital text First1KGreek, CC BY-SA 4.0), then compared section by section with the public-domain English of E. H. Gifford (1903); differences checked against the Greek.
8.14.19Dindorf 1:453–454
νυνὶ δὲ ὑπὸ τῆς τῶν ἔξω περιαυγασθέντες λαμπρότητος, ἅτε νοητὸν φῶς ἰδεῖν ἀδυνατοῦντες, πλαζόμενοι διετέλεσαν εἰς τὸν αἰῶνα, πρὸς μὲν τὸν βασιλέα λογισμὸν φθάσαι μὴ δυνηθέντες, ἄχρι δὲ τῶν προπυλαίων μόλις ἀφικνούμενοι, καὶ τοὺς ἐπὶ θύραις ἀρετῆς, πλοῦτόν τε καὶ δόξαν καὶ ὑγείαν καὶ τὰ συγγενῆ τεθαυμακότες, προσεκύνουν.
nyni de hypo tēs tōn exō periaugasthentes lamprotētos, hate noēton phōs idein adynatountes, plazomenoi dietelesan eis ton aiōna, pros men ton basilea logismon phthasai mē dynēthentes, achri de tōn propylaiōn molis aphiknoumenoi, kai tous epi thyrais aretēs, plouton te kai doxan kai hygeian kai ta syngenē tethaumakotes, prosekynoun.
But as it is, dazzled by the brilliance of external things, and unable to see the intelligible light, they have gone on wandering forever, unable to reach the king, reason, barely arriving at the entrance gates, and admiring and doing obeisance to those at virtue's doors: wealth, reputation, health, and things akin to them.
Notes and citation
Summary: Such philosophers stop at virtue's gates, admiring external goods.
- Philo, On Providence 2.
Notes on the original text
- Digital text corrected (wrong accent in the digital text; wrong breathing in the digital text): ἄτε νοητὸν → ἅτε νοητὸν; λόγισμὸν → λογισμὸν.
Extrabiblical texts: Philo, Prov. 2 (Philo of Alexandria (works); quotation)
Cite (SBL): Eusebius, Praep. ev. 8.14.19 (Dindorf 1:453–454; trans. Sophia Scriptura, https://sophiascriptura.com/fathers/eusebius-praeparatio/8-13-1/#p-8-14-19). (abbreviation not yet checked)
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Translation: Translated by Claude from the Greek of Dindorf's Teubner text (1867; digital text First1KGreek, CC BY-SA 4.0), then compared section by section with the public-domain English of E. H. Gifford (1903); differences checked against the Greek.
8.14.20Dindorf 1:454
ἀλλὰ γὰρ ὡς ὑπερβολὴ μανίας χρωμάτων κριταῖς χρῆσθαι τυφλοῖς ἢ κωφοῖς τῶν κατὰ μουσικὴν φθόγγων, οὕτω καὶ φαύλοις ἀνδράσι τῶν πρὸς ἀλήθειαν ἀγαθῶν. καὶ γὰρ οὗτοι τὸ κυριώτατον τῶν ἐν αὐτοῖς διάνοιαν πεπήρωνται, ἧς βαθὺ σκότος ἀφροσύνη κατέχεεν.
alla gar hōs hyperbolē manias chrōmatōn kritais chrēsthai typhlois ē kōphois tōn kata mousikēn phthongōn, houtō kai phaulois andrasi tōn pros alētheian agathōn. kai gar houtoi to kyriōtaton tōn en autois dianoian pepērōntai, hēs bathy skotos aphrosynē katecheen.
But just as it is the height of madness to use the blind as judges of colors or the deaf of musical sounds, so too to use wicked men as judges of true goods. For they too are maimed in the most important part within them, the mind, over which folly has poured deep darkness.
Notes and citation
Summary: The wicked are blind judges of true goods.
- Philo, On Providence 2.
Extrabiblical texts: Philo, Prov. 2 (Philo of Alexandria (works); quotation)
Cite (SBL): Eusebius, Praep. ev. 8.14.20 (Dindorf 1:454; trans. Sophia Scriptura, https://sophiascriptura.com/fathers/eusebius-praeparatio/8-13-1/#p-8-14-20). (abbreviation not yet checked)
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Translation: Translated by Claude from the Greek of Dindorf's Teubner text (1867; digital text First1KGreek, CC BY-SA 4.0), then compared section by section with the public-domain English of E. H. Gifford (1903); differences checked against the Greek.
8.14.21Dindorf 1:454
εἶτα νῦν θαυμάζομεν εἰ Σωκράτης καὶ ὁ δεῖνα ἢ ὁ δεῖνα τῶν σπουδαίων ἐν πενίᾳ διετέλεσαν, ἄνθρωποι μηδὲν πώποτε τῶν εἰς πορισμὸν ἐπιτηδεύσαντες, ἀλλὰ μηδʼ ὅσα ἢ παρὰ φίλων πολυχρημάτων ἢ παρὰ βασιλέων δωρεὰς μεγάλας προτεινόντων [παρῆν] λαβεῖν ἀξιώσαντες, ἕνεκα τοῦ μόνον ἀγαθὸν καὶ καλὸν τὴν τῆς ἀρετῆς κτῆσιν ἡγεῖσθαι, περὶ ἣν πονούμενοι τῶν ἄλλων ἀγαθῶν πάντων ἠλόγουν;
eita nyn thaumazomen ei Sōkratēs kai ho deina ē ho deina tōn spoudaiōn en penią dietelesan, anthrōpoi mēden pōpote tōn eis porismon epitēdeusantes, alla mēdʼ hosa ē para philōn polychrēmatōn ē para basileōn dōreas megalas proteinontōn [parēn] labein axiōsantes, heneka tou monon agathon kai kalon tēn tēs aretēs ktēsin hēgeisthai, peri hēn ponoumenoi tōn allōn agathōn pantōn ēlogoun?
Do we now wonder, then, if Socrates and this or that one of the earnest lived in poverty, men who never practiced anything for gain, and did not even think fit to accept what was offered by wealthy friends or by kings holding out great gifts, because they held the possession of virtue alone to be good and beautiful, and toiling for it, disregarded all other goods?
Notes and citation
Summary: Socrates and others chose poverty, valuing only virtue.
- Philo, On Providence 2. Dindorf brackets the word παρῆν as a deletion; it is left out.
Extrabiblical texts: Philo, Prov. 2 (Philo of Alexandria (works); quotation)
Cite (SBL): Eusebius, Praep. ev. 8.14.21 (Dindorf 1:454; trans. Sophia Scriptura, https://sophiascriptura.com/fathers/eusebius-praeparatio/8-13-1/#p-8-14-21). (abbreviation not yet checked)
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Translation: Translated by Claude from the Greek of Dindorf's Teubner text (1867; digital text First1KGreek, CC BY-SA 4.0), then compared section by section with the public-domain English of E. H. Gifford (1903); differences checked against the Greek.
8.14.22Dindorf 1:454
τίς δʼ οὐκ ἂν ἀλογήσαι νόθων ἕνεκα προνοίας τῶν γνησίων; εἰ δὲ σώματος θνητοῦ μεταλαχόντες καὶ κηρῶν γέμοντες ἀνθρωπίνων, καὶ μετὰ τοσούτου πλήθους ἀδίκων ζῶντες, ὧν οὐδʼ ἀριθμὸν εὑρεῖν εὔπορον, ἐπεβουλεύθησαν, τί τὴν φύσιν αἰτιώμεθα, δέον τὴν τῶν ἐπιθεμένων κακίζειν ὠμότητα;
tis dʼ ouk an alogēsai nothōn heneka pronoias tōn gnēsiōn? ei de sōmatos thnētou metalachontes kai kērōn gemontes anthrōpinōn, kai meta tosoutou plēthous adikōn zōntes, hōn oudʼ arithmon heurein euporon, epebouleuthēsan, ti tēn physin aitiōmetha, deon tēn tōn epithemenōn kakizein ōmotēta?
And who would not disregard the spurious for the sake of care for the genuine? And if, having a share of a mortal body and full of human fates, and living with so great a multitude of the unjust that it is not easy even to count them, they were plotted against, why do we blame nature, when we should condemn the cruelty of the attackers?
Notes and citation
Summary: The sufferings of the good are due to wicked men, not to nature.
- Philo, On Providence 2.
Extrabiblical texts: Philo, Prov. 2 (Philo of Alexandria (works); quotation)
Cite (SBL): Eusebius, Praep. ev. 8.14.22 (Dindorf 1:454; trans. Sophia Scriptura, https://sophiascriptura.com/fathers/eusebius-praeparatio/8-13-1/#p-8-14-22). (abbreviation not yet checked)
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Translation: Translated by Claude from the Greek of Dindorf's Teubner text (1867; digital text First1KGreek, CC BY-SA 4.0), then compared section by section with the public-domain English of E. H. Gifford (1903); differences checked against the Greek.
8.14.23Dindorf 1:454–455
καὶ γὰρ εἰ ἐν ἀέρι γεγένηντο λοιμικῷ, πάντως ὤφειλον νοσῆσαι· καταστάσεως δὲ λοιμικῆς μᾶλλον, ἢ οὐχ ἧττον, φθοροποιός ἐστιν ἡ κακία. ὡς δʼ ὁπόταν ὑετοῦ μὲν ὄντος, ἀνάγκη τὸν σοφὸν, εἰ ἐν ὑπαίθρῳ διάγοι, καταβρέχεσθαι, βορέου δὲ ψυχροῦ καταπνέοντος ῥίγει πιέζεσθαι [καὶ ψύχει], θέρους δʼ ἀκμάζοντος ἀλεαίνεσθαι, (ταῖς γὰρ ἐτησίοις τροπαῖς τὰ σώματα συμπάσχειν νόμος φύσεως) τὸν αὐτὸν τρόπον τὸν ἐν τοῖς τοιούτοις χωρίοις ἐνοικοῦντα, ἔνθα φόνοι τελοῦνται καὶ ἄλλων ἔθνεα κηρῶν, ἐναλλάττεσθαι τὰς ἀπὸ τῶν τοιούτων τιμὰς ἀναγκαῖον.
kai gar ei en aeri gegenēnto loimikǭ, pantōs ōpheilon nosēsai; katastaseōs de loimikēs mallon, ē ouch hētton, phthoropoios estin hē kakia. hōs dʼ hopotan hyetou men ontos, anankē ton sophon, ei en hypaithrǭ diagoi, katabrechesthai, boreou de psychrou katapneontos rhigei piezesthai [kai psychei], therous dʼ akmazontos aleainesthai, (tais gar etēsiois tropais ta sōmata sympaschein nomos physeōs) ton auton tropon ton en tois toioutois chōriois enoikounta, entha phonoi telountai kai allōn ethnea kērōn, enallattesthai tas apo tōn toioutōn timas anankaion.
For if they had been born in a pestilential air, they would certainly have fallen ill; and vice is more destructive than a pestilential condition, or no less. Just as, when there is rain, the wise man, if he lives in the open air, must be drenched, and when a cold north wind blows must be pinched with cold, and in the height of summer must be heated (for it is a law of nature that bodies suffer with the yearly changes of season), in the same way one who lives in such places, where murders are committed and other kinds of deadly evils, must necessarily receive the penalties that come from such things.
Notes and citation
Summary: As the wise suffer weather, so they suffer in a wicked society.
- Philo, On Providence 2. Dindorf brackets καὶ ψύχει ("and cold") as a deletion; it is left out. The phrase "murders ... and other kinds of deadly evils" is a verse of Empedocles.
Notes on the original text
- Digital text corrected (line-end hyphen and stray accent in the digital text; line-end hyphen left in the digital text; wrong accent in the digital text): τοιού- τοῖς → τοιούτοις; ἔθνεα κηρόν → ἔθνεα κηρῶν; πιέζε- σθαι → πιέζεσθαι.
Extrabiblical texts: Philo, Prov. 2 (Philo of Alexandria (works); quotation); Empedocles (Empedocles (fragments); quotation)
Cite (SBL): Eusebius, Praep. ev. 8.14.23 (Dindorf 1:454–455; trans. Sophia Scriptura, https://sophiascriptura.com/fathers/eusebius-praeparatio/8-13-1/#p-8-14-23). (abbreviation not yet checked)
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Translation: Translated by Claude from the Greek of Dindorf's Teubner text (1867; digital text First1KGreek, CC BY-SA 4.0), then compared section by section with the public-domain English of E. H. Gifford (1903); differences checked against the Greek.
8.14.24Dindorf 1:455
ἐπεὶ Πολυκράτει γε, ἐφʼ οἷς δεινοῖς ἠδίκησε καὶ ἠσέβησε, χορηγὸς ἀπήντησε, χείρων μὲν ἡ τοῦ βίου βαρυδαιμονία· πρόσθες δʼ ὡς ὑπὸ μεγάλου βασιλέως ἐκολάζετο καὶ προσηλοῦτο, χρησμὸν ἐκπιμπλὰς, οἶδα, ἔφη, κἀμαυτὸν οὐ πρὸ πολλοῦ ᾐωρῆσθαι δόξαντα ὑπὸ μὲν ἡλίου ἀλείφεσθαι, λούεσθαι δʼ ὑπὸ Δῖός. αἱ γὰρ διὰ συμβόλων αἰνιγματώδεις αὗται φάσεις, ἀδηλούμεναι τὸ πάλαι, τὴν διὰ τῶν ἔργων ἀριδηλοτάτην ἐλάμβανον πίστιν.
epei Polykratei ge, ephʼ hois deinois ēdikēse kai ēsebēse, chorēgos apēntēse, cheirōn men hē tou biou barydaimonia; prosthes dʼ hōs hypo megalou basileōs ekolazeto kai prosēlouto, chrēsmon ekpimplas, oida, ephē, kamauton ou pro pollou ę̄ōrēsthai doxanta hypo men hēliou aleiphesthai, louesthai dʼ hypo Dios. hai gar dia symbolōn ainigmatōdeis hautai phaseis, adēloumenai to palai, tēn dia tōn ergōn aridēlotatēn elambanon pistin.
For as for Polycrates, for the terrible wrongs and impieties he committed, retribution met him, and worse was the misery of his life; add that he was punished by the great king and nailed up, fulfilling an oracle: 'I know,' he said, 'that I myself, not long ago, dreamed that I was raised aloft, anointed by the sun and washed by Zeus.' For these riddling sayings expressed through symbols, obscure of old, received their most evident confirmation through the events.
Notes and citation
Summary: Polycrates' prosperity ended in punishment, fulfilling a dream.
- Philo, On Providence 2. The story of Polycrates is told in Herodotus 3.124–125.
Notes on the original text
- Digital text corrected (dropped letter in the digital text; misread letters in the digital text; wrong accent in the digital text; wrong breathing in the digital text): ἀπἠντνσε → ἀπήντησε; ἐκπιπλὰς → ἐκπιμπλὰς; ἀλεἰφεσθαι → ἀλείφεσθαι; αἶ γὰρ διὰ → αἱ γὰρ διὰ.
Extrabiblical texts: Philo, Prov. 2 (Philo of Alexandria (works); quotation); Herodotus, Hist. 3.124–125 (Herodotus, Histories; allusion)
Cite (SBL): Eusebius, Praep. ev. 8.14.24 (Dindorf 1:455; trans. Sophia Scriptura, https://sophiascriptura.com/fathers/eusebius-praeparatio/8-13-1/#p-8-14-24). (abbreviation not yet checked)
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Translation: Translated by Claude from the Greek of Dindorf's Teubner text (1867; digital text First1KGreek, CC BY-SA 4.0), then compared section by section with the public-domain English of E. H. Gifford (1903); differences checked against the Greek.
8.14.25Dindorf 1:455
οὐκ ἐπὶ τελευτῇ δὲ μόνον, ἀλλὰ παρὰ πάντα τὸν ἐξ ἀρχῆς βίον, ἐλελήθει πρὸ τοῦ σώματος τὴν ψυχὴν κρεμάμενος. ἀεὶ γὰρ φοβούμενος καὶ τρέμων τὸ πλῆθος τῶν ἐπιτιθεμένων ἐπτόητο, σαφῶς ἐξεπιστάμενος ὅτι εὔνους μὲν ἦν οὐδεὶς, ἐχθροὶ δὲ πάντες δυσπραξίᾳ ἀμείλικτοι.’’
ouk epi teleutę̄ de monon, alla para panta ton ex archēs bion, elelēthei pro tou sōmatos tēn psychēn kremamenos. aei gar phoboumenos kai tremōn to plēthos tōn epitithemenōn eptoēto, saphōs exepistamenos hoti eunous men ēn oudeis, echthroi de pantes dyspraxią ameiliktoi.’’
And not only at the end, but throughout his whole life from the beginning, he was unaware that his soul was impaled before his body. For always fearing and trembling, he was terrified of the multitude of those plotting against him, knowing well that no one was well disposed, but all were enemies, implacable because of their misery."
Notes and citation
Summary: Polycrates' soul was tormented by fear all his life.
- Philo, On Providence 2.
Notes on the original text
- Digital text corrected (misread letter in the digital text): ἐξεριστάμενος → ἐξεπιστάμενος.
Extrabiblical texts: Philo, Prov. 2 (Philo of Alexandria (works); quotation)
Cite (SBL): Eusebius, Praep. ev. 8.14.25 (Dindorf 1:455; trans. Sophia Scriptura, https://sophiascriptura.com/fathers/eusebius-praeparatio/8-13-1/#p-8-14-25). (abbreviation not yet checked)
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Translation: Translated by Claude from the Greek of Dindorf's Teubner text (1867; digital text First1KGreek, CC BY-SA 4.0), then compared section by section with the public-domain English of E. H. Gifford (1903); differences checked against the Greek.
8.14.26Dindorf 1:455
“ Τῆς δὲ ἀνηνύτου καὶ συνεχοῦς Διονυσίου εὐλαβείας μάρτυρες οἱ τὰ Σικελικὰ συγγράψαντες, οἴ φασιν ὅτι καὶ τὴν θυμηρεστάτην ὕποπτον εἶχε γυναῖκα· σημεῖον δέ· τὴν εἰς τὸ δωμάτιον εἴσοδον, διʼ ἧς φοιτήσειν ἔμελλεν ὡς αὐτὸν, ἐκέλευσε στορεσθῆναι σανίσιν, ἵνα μὴ λάθῃ ποτὲ παρεισερπύσασα, ψόφῳ δὲ καὶ κτύπῳ τῆς ἐπιβάσεως προμηνύῃ τὴν ἄφιξιν· εἶτʼ οὐκ ἀνείμονα μόνον, ἀλλὰ καὶ πᾶσι τοῖς μέρεσι γυμνήν, ἃ μὴ θέμις ὑπʼ ἀνδρῶν ὁρᾶσθαι, παρέρχεσθαι· πρὸς δὲ τούτοις τὸ συνεχὲς τοῦ κατὰ τὴν ὁδὸν ἐδάφους εἰς τάφρου γεωργικῆς εὖρος καὶ βάθος διακοπῆναι, κατὰ δέος μή τι πρὸς ἐπιβουλὴν ἀφανῶς ἐπικρύπτηται, ὅπερ ἢ ἅλμασιν ἢ μακραῖς διαβάσεσιν ἔμελλε διελέγχεσθαι.
“ Tēs de anēnytou kai synechous Dionysiou eulabeias martyres hoi ta Sikelika syngrapsantes, oi phasin hoti kai tēn thymērestatēn hypopton eiche gynaika; sēmeion de; tēn eis to dōmation eisodon, diʼ hēs phoitēsein emellen hōs auton, ekeleuse storesthēnai sanisin, hina mē lathę̄ pote pareiserpysasa, psophǭ de kai ktypǭ tēs epibaseōs promēnyę̄ tēn aphixin; eitʼ ouk aneimona monon, alla kai pasi tois meresi gymnēn, ha mē themis hypʼ andrōn horasthai, parerchesthai; pros de toutois to syneches tou kata tēn hodon edaphous eis taphrou geōrgikēs euros kai bathos diakopēnai, kata deos mē ti pros epiboulēn aphanōs epikryptētai, hoper ē halmasin ē makrais diabasesin emelle dielenchesthai.
"The historians of Sicily are witnesses to the endless and continual caution of Dionysius, who say that he suspected even his dearest wife. Here is a sign: he ordered the entrance to his chamber, through which she was to come to him, to be floored with planks, so that she might never creep in unnoticed, but announce her arrival by the noise and clatter of her step; and that she should come in not only unclothed but naked even in those parts that it is not lawful for men to see; and besides this, that the continuous floor along the way be cut through to the width and depth of a farm ditch, for fear that something might be hidden there for a plot, which would be detected by leaps or long strides.
Notes and citation
Summary: Dionysius of Syracuse suspected even his wife and took absurd precautions.
- Philo, On Providence 2.
Notes on the original text
- Digital text corrected (garbled repeated syllables in the digital text; misread word in the digital text; missing accent in the digital text; missing punctuation in the digital text; wrong breathing in the digital text): οἶ τὰ Σικελικὰ → οἱ τὰ Σικελικὰ; γυναῖκα σημεῖον δέ· → γυναῖκα· σημεῖον δέ·; ἔνα μὴ λάθῃ → ἵνα μὴ λάθῃ; διακοπηναι → διακοπῆναι; ἐρικρὐρτηται, κρύπτηται, → ἐπικρύπτηται,.
Extrabiblical texts: Philo, Prov. 2 (Philo of Alexandria (works); quotation)
Cite (SBL): Eusebius, Praep. ev. 8.14.26 (Dindorf 1:455; trans. Sophia Scriptura, https://sophiascriptura.com/fathers/eusebius-praeparatio/8-13-1/#p-8-14-26). (abbreviation not yet checked)
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Translation: Translated by Claude from the Greek of Dindorf's Teubner text (1867; digital text First1KGreek, CC BY-SA 4.0), then compared section by section with the public-domain English of E. H. Gifford (1903); differences checked against the Greek.
8.14.27Dindorf 1:455–456
πόσων ἄρα κακῶν ὁ ταῦτα παρατηρῶν καὶ τεχνάζων ἐπὶ γυναικὸς ᾗ πρὸ τῶν ἄλλων ὤφειλε πιστεύειν, μεστὸς ἦν; ἀλλὰ γὰρ ἐῴκει τοῖς διʼ ἀπορρῶγος ὄρους ἐπὶ τῷ τὰς ἐν οὐρανῷ φύσεις ἀριδηλοτέρας κατανοῆσαι κρημνοβατοῦσιν, οἳ μόλις φθάνοντες ἄχρι προνενευκότος αὐχένος οὔτʼ ἀναχωρεῖν ἔτι δύνανται, πρὸς τὸ λειπόμενον ὕψος ἀπειρηκότες, οὔτε καταβαίνειν θαρροῦσι, πρὸς τὴν ὄψιν τῶν χασμάτων ἰλιγγιῶντες.
posōn ara kakōn ho tauta paratērōn kai technazōn epi gynaikos hę̄ pro tōn allōn ōpheile pisteuein, mestos ēn? alla gar eǭkei tois diʼ aporrōgos orous epi tǭ tas en ouranǭ physeis aridēloteras katanoēsai krēmnobatousin, hoi molis phthanontes achri proneneukotos auchenos outʼ anachōrein eti dynantai, pros to leipomenon hypsos apeirēkotes, oute katabainein tharrousi, pros tēn opsin tōn chasmatōn ilingiōntes.
With how many evils, then, was he filled who watched and contrived such things against a wife whom he ought to have trusted before all others? He was like those who climb along a sheer mountain to observe the bodies in heaven more clearly, who, having barely reached a projecting ridge, can neither go back, having given up on the height that remains, nor dare to go down, dizzy at the sight of the chasms.
Notes and citation
Summary: Dionysius was like a climber stuck on a cliff, unable to go up or down.
- Philo, On Providence 2.
Notes on the original text
- Digital text corrected (stray full stop and wrong accent in the digital text): γυναικὸς. ᾖ πρὸ → γυναικὸς ᾗ πρὸ.
Extrabiblical texts: Philo, Prov. 2 (Philo of Alexandria (works); quotation)
Cite (SBL): Eusebius, Praep. ev. 8.14.27 (Dindorf 1:455–456; trans. Sophia Scriptura, https://sophiascriptura.com/fathers/eusebius-praeparatio/8-13-1/#p-8-14-27). (abbreviation not yet checked)
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Translation: Translated by Claude from the Greek of Dindorf's Teubner text (1867; digital text First1KGreek, CC BY-SA 4.0), then compared section by section with the public-domain English of E. H. Gifford (1903); differences checked against the Greek.
8.14.28Dindorf 1:456
ἐρασθεὶς γὰρ, ὡς θείου πράγματος καὶ περιμαχήτου, τυραννίδος οὔτε μένειν οὔτε ἀποδιδράσκειν ἀσφαλὲς εἶναι ὑπελάμβανε. μένοντι μὲν γὰρ ἀλλεπάλληλα ἐπέρρει κακὰ ἀμύθητα, βουλομένῳ δʼ ἀποδιδράσκειν ὁ περὶ τοῦ ζῆν ἐπεκρέματο κίνδυνος, ὡπλισμένων, εἰ καὶ μὴ τοῖς σώμασιν, ἀλλά τοι ταῖς διανοίαις κατʼ αὐτοῦ.
erastheis gar, hōs theiou pragmatos kai perimachētou, tyrannidos oute menein oute apodidraskein asphales einai hypelambane. menonti men gar allepallēla eperrei kaka amythēta, boulomenǭ dʼ apodidraskein ho peri tou zēn epekremato kindynos, hōplismenōn, ei kai mē tois sōmasin, alla toi tais dianoiais katʼ autou.
For having fallen in love with tyranny as a divine and enviable thing, he thought it safe neither to remain nor to run away. If he remained, unspeakable evils poured upon him one after another; if he wished to flee, the danger to his life hung over him, since people were armed against him, if not in body, at least in mind.
Notes and citation
Summary: The tyrant could neither keep nor abandon his power safely.
- Philo, On Providence 2.
Extrabiblical texts: Philo, Prov. 2 (Philo of Alexandria (works); quotation)
Cite (SBL): Eusebius, Praep. ev. 8.14.28 (Dindorf 1:456; trans. Sophia Scriptura, https://sophiascriptura.com/fathers/eusebius-praeparatio/8-13-1/#p-8-14-28). (abbreviation not yet checked)
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Translation: Translated by Claude from the Greek of Dindorf's Teubner text (1867; digital text First1KGreek, CC BY-SA 4.0), then compared section by section with the public-domain English of E. H. Gifford (1903); differences checked against the Greek.
8.14.29Dindorf 1:456
δηλοῖ δὲ καὶ τὸ ἔργον, ᾧ πρὸς τὸν μακαρίζοντα τὸν τῶν τυράννων βίον φασὶ χρήσασθαι Διονύσιον. καλέσας γὰρ αὐτὸν ἐπὶ λαμπροτάτου καὶ πολυτελεστάτου δείπνου παρασκευὴν, ἐκ μηρίνθου πάνυ λεπτῆς προσέταξεν ἠκονημένον ὑπεραιωρηθῆναι πέλεκυν. ἐπεὶ δὲ κατακλιθεὶς εἶδεν αἰφνίδιον, οὔτʼ ἐξαναστῆναι θαρρῶν διὰ τὸν τύραννον, οὔτʼ ἀπολαῦσαί τινος τῶν παρεσκευασμένων διὰ δέος οἷός τε ὢν, ἀφθόνων καὶ πλουσίων ἀλογήσας ἡδονῶν, ἀνατείνας τὸν αὐχένα καὶ τὰς ὄψεις ἐκαραδόκει τὸν οἰκεῖον ὄλεθρον.
dēloi de kai to ergon, hǭ pros ton makarizonta ton tōn tyrannōn bion phasi chrēsasthai Dionysion. kalesas gar auton epi lamprotatou kai polytelestatou deipnou paraskeuēn, ek mērinthou pany leptēs prosetaxen ēkonēmenon hyperaiōrēthēnai pelekyn. epei de kataklitheis eiden aiphnidion, outʼ exanastēnai tharrōn dia ton tyrannon, outʼ apolausai tinos tōn pareskeuasmenōn dia deos hoios te ōn, aphthonōn kai plousiōn alogēsas hēdonōn, anateinas ton auchena kai tas opseis ekaradokei ton oikeion olethron.
The deed Dionysius is said to have used against the man who called the tyrant's life blessed also shows this. Inviting him to a most splendid and costly banquet, he ordered a sharpened axe to be hung over him by a very fine thread. When, having reclined, he suddenly saw it, neither daring to get up because of the tyrant nor able to enjoy any of the things prepared because of fear, disregarding the abundant and rich pleasures, he stretched up his neck and eyes, waiting for his own destruction.
Notes and citation
Summary: Dionysius showed a flatterer the fear of a tyrant's life with an axe hung by a thread.
- Philo, On Providence 2. This is the story usually told of Damocles.
Notes on the original text
- Digital text corrected (misread ending in the digital text): παρεσκευασμένοιν → παρεσκευασμένων.
Extrabiblical texts: Philo, Prov. 2 (Philo of Alexandria (works); quotation)
Cite (SBL): Eusebius, Praep. ev. 8.14.29 (Dindorf 1:456; trans. Sophia Scriptura, https://sophiascriptura.com/fathers/eusebius-praeparatio/8-13-1/#p-8-14-29). (abbreviation not yet checked)
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Translation: Translated by Claude from the Greek of Dindorf's Teubner text (1867; digital text First1KGreek, CC BY-SA 4.0), then compared section by section with the public-domain English of E. H. Gifford (1903); differences checked against the Greek.
8.14.30Dindorf 1:456
συνεὶς δʼ ὁ Διονύσιος, ἆρʼ ἤδη κατανοεῖς, ἔφη, τὸν ἀοίδιμον καὶ περιμάχητον ἡμῶν βίον; ἔστι γὰρ τοιοῦτος, εἰ μὴ βούλοιτό τις ἑαυτὸν φενακίζειν, ἐπειδὴ περιέχει παμπληθεῖς μὲν χορηγίας, ἀπόλαυσιν δʼ οὐδενὸς χρηστοῦ, φόβους δʼ ἐπαλλήλους καὶ κινδύνους ἀνηκέστους καὶ νόσον ἑρπηνώδους καὶ φθινάδος χαλεπωτέραν, ἀθεράπευτον ἀεὶ φέρουσαν ὄλεθρον.
syneis dʼ ho Dionysios, arʼ ēdē katanoeis, ephē, ton aoidimon kai perimachēton hēmōn bion? esti gar toioutos, ei mē bouloito tis heauton phenakizein, epeidē periechei pamplētheis men chorēgias, apolausin dʼ oudenos chrēstou, phobous dʼ epallēlous kai kindynous anēkestous kai noson herpēnōdous kai phthinados chalepōteran, atherapeuton aei pherousan olethron.
Dionysius, perceiving it, said, 'Do you now understand our celebrated and envied life? It is like this, unless one wishes to deceive oneself; for it contains abundant resources, but enjoyment of nothing good, only continual fears, incurable dangers, and a disease worse than a spreading or wasting one, always bringing incurable ruin.'
Notes and citation
Summary: Dionysius explains that the tyrant's life is constant fear.
- Philo, On Providence 2.
Extrabiblical texts: Philo, Prov. 2 (Philo of Alexandria (works); quotation)
Cite (SBL): Eusebius, Praep. ev. 8.14.30 (Dindorf 1:456; trans. Sophia Scriptura, https://sophiascriptura.com/fathers/eusebius-praeparatio/8-13-1/#p-8-14-30). (abbreviation not yet checked)
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Translation: Translated by Claude from the Greek of Dindorf's Teubner text (1867; digital text First1KGreek, CC BY-SA 4.0), then compared section by section with the public-domain English of E. H. Gifford (1903); differences checked against the Greek.
8.14.31Dindorf 1:456–457
οἱ δὲ πολλοὶ τῶν ἀνεξετάστων ὑπὸ τῆς λαμπρᾶς φανερότητος ἀπατώμενοι ταὐτὸν πεπόνθασι τοῖς ἀγκιστρευομένοις ὑπὸ τῶν εἰδεχθῶν ἑταιρίδων, ἃ τὴν δυσμορφίαν ἐσθῆτι καὶ χρυσῷ καὶ ταῖς τῆς ὄψεως ὑπογραφαῖς ἐπισκιάζοντα, γνησίου κάλλους ἀπορίᾳ, νόθον ἐπʼ ἐνέδρᾳ τῶν θεωμένων δημιουργεῖ.
hoi de polloi tōn anexetastōn hypo tēs lampras phanerotētos apatōmenoi tauton peponthasi tois ankistreuomenois hypo tōn eidechthōn hetairidōn, ha tēn dysmorphian esthēti kai chrysǭ kai tais tēs opseōs hypographais episkiazonta, gnēsiou kallous aporią, nothon epʼ enedrą tōn theōmenōn dēmiourgei.
But most of the unreflecting, deceived by the brilliant appearance, suffer the same as those hooked by ugly courtesans, who, hiding their deformity with clothes and gold and eye-paint, for lack of genuine beauty, fashion a counterfeit to ensnare the beholders.
Notes and citation
Summary: The crowd is fooled by appearances, as by painted courtesans.
- Philo, On Providence 2.
Notes on the original text
- Digital text corrected (line-end hyphen and stray accent in the digital text; line-end hyphen left in the digital text; misread letter and accent in the digital text): ἀπατώ- μένοι → ἀπατώμενοι; τόν θεωμένων → τῶν θεωμένων; ἐπισκιά- ζοντα → ἐπισκιάζοντα.
Extrabiblical texts: Philo, Prov. 2 (Philo of Alexandria (works); quotation)
Cite (SBL): Eusebius, Praep. ev. 8.14.31 (Dindorf 1:456–457; trans. Sophia Scriptura, https://sophiascriptura.com/fathers/eusebius-praeparatio/8-13-1/#p-8-14-31). (abbreviation not yet checked)
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Translation: Translated by Claude from the Greek of Dindorf's Teubner text (1867; digital text First1KGreek, CC BY-SA 4.0), then compared section by section with the public-domain English of E. H. Gifford (1903); differences checked against the Greek.
8.14.32Dindorf 1:457
τοιαύτης γέμουσι βαρυδαιμονίας οἱ λίαν εὐτυχεῖς, ἧς τὰς ὑπερβολὰς αὐτοὶ δικάσαντες παρʼ ἑαυτοῖς οὐ στέγουσιν, ἀλλʼ ὥσπερ οἱ τὰ ἀρρωστήματα ὑπʼ ἀνάγκης ἐκλαλοῦντες ἀφιᾶσι τὰς ἐκ πάθους ἀψευδεστάτας φωνὰς, ἐπὶ συνουσίᾳ τιμωριῶν καὶ παρουσῶν καὶ προσδοκωμένων ζῶντες, καθάπερ τῶν θρεμμάτων τὰ πρὸς ἱερουργίαν πιαινόμενα. καὶ γὰρ ταῦτα τῆς πλείστης ἐπιμελείας ἐπὶ τῷ σφαγῆναι τυγχάνει διὰ πολύκρεων εὐωχίαν.
toiautēs gemousi barydaimonias hoi lian eutycheis, hēs tas hyperbolas autoi dikasantes parʼ heautois ou stegousin, allʼ hōsper hoi ta arrōstēmata hypʼ anankēs eklalountes aphiasi tas ek pathous apseudestatas phōnas, epi synousią timōriōn kai parousōn kai prosdokōmenōn zōntes, kathaper tōn thremmatōn ta pros hierourgian piainomena. kai gar tauta tēs pleistēs epimeleias epi tǭ sphagēnai tynchanei dia polykreōn euōchian.
With such misery are the very fortunate filled, the excess of which they themselves judge and do not keep to themselves; but, like those who are compelled to speak of their ailments, they let out the truest cries of suffering, living in the company of punishments both present and expected, like animals fattened for sacrifice. For these too receive the greatest care in order to be slaughtered for a feast of much meat.
Notes and citation
Summary: The powerful live like animals fattened for slaughter.
- Philo, On Providence 2.
Notes on the original text
- Digital text corrected (line-end hyphen and stray breathing in the digital text; stray mark in the digital text; wrong accent in the digital text): οὐ στέγουσιν ^ → οὐ στέγουσιν,; ὥσπερ οἷ τὰ → ὥσπερ οἱ τὰ; συν- οὐσίᾳ → συνουσίᾳ.
Extrabiblical texts: Philo, Prov. 2 (Philo of Alexandria (works); quotation)
Cite (SBL): Eusebius, Praep. ev. 8.14.32 (Dindorf 1:457; trans. Sophia Scriptura, https://sophiascriptura.com/fathers/eusebius-praeparatio/8-13-1/#p-8-14-32). (abbreviation not yet checked)
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Translation: Translated by Claude from the Greek of Dindorf's Teubner text (1867; digital text First1KGreek, CC BY-SA 4.0), then compared section by section with the public-domain English of E. H. Gifford (1903); differences checked against the Greek.
8.14.33Dindorf 1:457
εἰσὶ δʼ οἱ καὶ περὶ χρημάτων ἀσεβῶν οὐκ ἀδήλους, ἀλλὰ φανερὰς ἔδοσαν δίκας, ὧν τὰ πλήθη καταλέγεσθαι περιττὸς πόνος, ἀπόχρη δʼ ἓν ἔργον παράδειγμα πάντων ἑστάναι. λέγεται τοίνυν ὑπὸ τῶν ἀναγεγραφότων τὸν ἱερὸν πόλεμον τὸν ἐν Φωκίδι, νόμου κειμένου τὸν ἱερόσυλον κατακρημνίζεσθαι ἢ καταποντοῦσθαι ἢ καταπίμπρασθαι, τρεῖς συλήσαντας τὸ ἐν Δελφοῖς ἱερὸν, Φιλόμηλον καὶ Ὀνόμαρχον καὶ Φάϋλλον, διανείμασθαι τὰς τιμωρίας. τὸν μὲν γὰρ διὰ λόφου τραχέος καὶ λιθώδους ῥαγείσης πέτρας κατακρημνισθῆναί τε καὶ καταλευσθῆναι ’ τὸν δὲ, ἀφηνιάσαντος τοῦ κομίζοντος ἵππου καὶ μέχρι θαλάσσης καταβάντος, ἐπιδραμόντος τοῦ πελάγους, εἰς ἀχανῆ βυθὸν αὐτῷ ζῴῳ καταδῦναι· Φάϋλλον δὲ φθινάδι νόσῳ (διττὸς γὰρ ὁ περὶ αὐτοῦ λόγος) συντακῆναι, ἢ ἐν τῷ ἐν Ἄβαις ἱερῷ συνεμπρησθέντα ἀπολέσθαι.
eisi dʼ hoi kai peri chrēmatōn asebōn ouk adēlous, alla phaneras edosan dikas, hōn ta plēthē katalegesthai perittos ponos, apochrē dʼ hen ergon paradeigma pantōn hestanai. legetai toinyn hypo tōn anagegraphotōn ton hieron polemon ton en Phōkidi, nomou keimenou ton hierosylon katakrēmnizesthai ē katapontousthai ē katapimprasthai, treis sylēsantas to en Delphois hieron, Philomēlon kai Onomarchon kai Phaÿllon, dianeimasthai tas timōrias. ton men gar dia lophou tracheos kai lithōdous rhageisēs petras katakrēmnisthēnai te kai kataleusthēnai ’ ton de, aphēniasantos tou komizontos hippou kai mechri thalassēs katabantos, epidramontos tou pelagous, eis achanē bython autǭ zǭǭ katadynai; Phaÿllon de phthinadi nosǭ (dittos gar ho peri autou logos) syntakēnai, ē en tǭ en Abais hierǭ synemprēsthenta apolesthai.
And there are those who, for impiety concerning money, paid penalties not hidden but manifest; to list them all would be superfluous labor, and one deed suffices as an example of all. It is said by those who wrote the history of the Sacred War in Phocis that, there being a law that a temple-robber be thrown from a cliff, drowned, or burned, the three who plundered the temple at Delphi, Philomelus, Onomarchus, and Phayllus, divided the punishments among them. One, falling from a rough and rocky hill when a rock broke away, was hurled down and stoned; the second, his horse bolting and carrying him down to the sea, was overwhelmed by the sea and sank with the beast into the vast deep; and Phayllus wasted away with consumption (for there are two accounts about him), or perished, burned in the temple at Abae.
Notes and citation
Summary: The three plunderers of Delphi died by the very penalties the law prescribed.
- Philo, On Providence 2.
Notes on the original text
- Digital text corrected (garbled diaeresis and line-end hyphen in the digital text; line-end hyphen left in the digital text; missing space in the digital text; repeated syllables and line-end hyphen in the digital text; wrong accent in the digital text): οἷ καὶ περὶ → οἱ καὶ περὶ; ῥαγεί- ῥαγείσης → ῥαγείσης; Φάὐ̓λ- λον → Φάϋλλον; ἐν τῷ ἐνἈβαις → ἐν τῷ ἐν Ἄβαις; ἀδή- λους → ἀδήλους; κα- ταλέγεσθαι → καταλέγεσθαι; Φω- κίδι → Φωκίδι; κατακρημνίζε- σθαι → κατακρημνίζεσθαι; μέ- χρι → μέχρι; πελά- γους → πελάγους; συνεμ- πρησθέντα → συνεμπρησθέντα.
Extrabiblical texts: Philo, Prov. 2 (Philo of Alexandria (works); quotation)
Cite (SBL): Eusebius, Praep. ev. 8.14.33 (Dindorf 1:457; trans. Sophia Scriptura, https://sophiascriptura.com/fathers/eusebius-praeparatio/8-13-1/#p-8-14-33). (abbreviation not yet checked)
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Translation: Translated by Claude from the Greek of Dindorf's Teubner text (1867; digital text First1KGreek, CC BY-SA 4.0), then compared section by section with the public-domain English of E. H. Gifford (1903); differences checked against the Greek.
8.14.34Dindorf 1:457–458
ταῦτα γὰρ φιλονεικότατον λέγειν ἀποβῆναι κατὰ τύχην. εἰ μὲν γάρ τινες ἢ ἐν διαφέρουσι καιροῖς ἢ ἑτέραις ἐκολάσθησαν τιμωρίαις, εἰκὸς ἦν τὸ ἄστατον τῆς τύχης προφασίζεσθαι πάντων δʼ ἀθρόως καὶ ὑφʼ ἕνα καιρὸν καὶ μὴ ἑτέραις τιμωρίαις, ἀλλὰ ταῖς περιεχομέναις ἐν τοῖς νόμοις κολασθέντων εὔλογον φάσκειν ὅτι θεοῦ δικάσαντος ἑάλωσαν.”
tauta gar philoneikotaton legein apobēnai kata tychēn. ei men gar tines ē en diapherousi kairois ē heterais ekolasthēsan timōriais, eikos ēn to astaton tēs tychēs prophasizesthai pantōn dʼ athroōs kai hyphʼ hena kairon kai mē heterais timōriais, alla tais periechomenais en tois nomois kolasthentōn eulogon phaskein hoti theou dikasantos healōsan.”
To say these things happened by chance is most contentious. For if some had been punished at different times or by other penalties, it would be reasonable to plead the instability of fortune; but since all were punished together, at one time, and not by other penalties but by those contained in the laws, it is reasonable to say that they were caught by God's judgment."
Notes and citation
Summary: Their simultaneous, lawful punishments show God's judgment, not chance.
- Philo, On Providence 2.
Notes on the original text
- Digital text corrected (line-end hyphen left in the digital text; wrong accent and line-end hyphen in the digital text): φιλονεἰκότα- τον → φιλονεικότατον; τιμω- ρίαις → τιμωρίαις.
Extrabiblical texts: Philo, Prov. 2 (Philo of Alexandria (works); quotation)
Cite (SBL): Eusebius, Praep. ev. 8.14.34 (Dindorf 1:457–458; trans. Sophia Scriptura, https://sophiascriptura.com/fathers/eusebius-praeparatio/8-13-1/#p-8-14-34). (abbreviation not yet checked)
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Translation: Translated by Claude from the Greek of Dindorf's Teubner text (1867; digital text First1KGreek, CC BY-SA 4.0), then compared section by section with the public-domain English of E. H. Gifford (1903); differences checked against the Greek.
8.14.35Dindorf 1:458
“Εἰ δέ τινες τῶν ὑπολειφθέντων βιαίων, καὶ τοῖς πλήθεσιν ἐπαναστάντων, καὶ δουλωσαμένων οὐ μόνον δήμους ἑτέρους, ἀλλὰ καὶ πατρίδας τὰς ἑαυτῶν, ἀτιμώρητοι διετέλεσαν, θαυμαστὸν οὐδέν. πρῶτον μὲν γὰρ οὐχ ὁμοίως ἄνθρωπος δικάζει καὶ θεὸς, διότι τὰ μὲν φανερὰ ἡμεῖς ἐρευνῶμεν, ὁ δὲ ἄχρι μυχῶν ψυχῆς εἰσδυόμενος ἀψοφητὶ, καθάπερ ἐν ἡλίῳ λαμπρὰν διάνοιαν αὐγάζει, ἀπαμπίσχων μὲν τὰ περίαπτα, οἷς ἐγκατείληπται, γυμνὰ δὲ περιαθρῶν τὰ βουλήματα, καὶ διαγινώσκων εὐθὺς τά τε παράσημα καὶ δόκιμα.
“Ei de tines tōn hypoleiphthentōn biaiōn, kai tois plēthesin epanastantōn, kai doulōsamenōn ou monon dēmous heterous, alla kai patridas tas heautōn, atimōrētoi dietelesan, thaumaston ouden. prōton men gar ouch homoiōs anthrōpos dikazei kai theos, dioti ta men phanera hēmeis ereunōmen, ho de achri mychōn psychēs eisdyomenos apsophēti, kathaper en hēliǭ lampran dianoian augazei, apampischōn men ta periapta, hois enkateilēptai, gymna de periathrōn ta boulēmata, kai diaginōskōn euthys ta te parasēma kai dokima.
"And if some of the violent who remain, who rose up against the masses and enslaved not only other peoples but their own homelands too, have gone unpunished, it is no wonder. First, man and God do not judge alike, for we search out what is manifest, but he, entering silently into the recesses of the soul, sees the mind as in bright sunlight, stripping off the trappings in which it is wrapped, viewing its intentions naked, and at once discerning the counterfeit and the genuine.
Notes and citation
Summary: Unpunished tyrants are no wonder, for God judges the hidden soul.
- Philo, On Providence 2.
Extrabiblical texts: Philo, Prov. 2 (Philo of Alexandria (works); quotation)
Cite (SBL): Eusebius, Praep. ev. 8.14.35 (Dindorf 1:458; trans. Sophia Scriptura, https://sophiascriptura.com/fathers/eusebius-praeparatio/8-13-1/#p-8-14-35). (abbreviation not yet checked)
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Translation: Translated by Claude from the Greek of Dindorf's Teubner text (1867; digital text First1KGreek, CC BY-SA 4.0), then compared section by section with the public-domain English of E. H. Gifford (1903); differences checked against the Greek.
8.14.36Dindorf 1:458
μηδέποτʼ οὖν τὸ οἰκεῖον δικαστήριον τοῦ θείου προκρίναντες ἀψευδέστερον αὐτὸ καὶ εὐβουλότερον εἶναι φῶμεν· οὐ γὰρ ὅσιον. ἐν ᾧ μὲν γὰρ πολλὰ τὰ σφάλλοντα, ἀπατηλαὶ αἰσθήσεις, πάθη ἐπίβουλα, κακιῶν ὁ βαρύτατος ἐπιτειχισμὸς, ἐν ᾧ δὲ οὐδὲν μὲν τῶν ἐπʼ ἐξαπάτῃ, δικαιότης δὲ καὶ ἀλήθεια, αἷς ἕκαστον βραβευόμενον ἐπαινετῶς ἐξορθοῦσθαι πέφυκεν.
mēdepotʼ oun to oikeion dikastērion tou theiou prokrinantes apseudesteron auto kai eubouloteron einai phōmen; ou gar hosion. en hǭ men gar polla ta sphallonta, apatēlai aisthēseis, pathē epiboula, kakiōn ho barytatos epiteichismos, en hǭ de ouden men tōn epʼ exapatę̄, dikaiotēs de kai alētheia, hais hekaston brabeuomenon epainetōs exorthousthai pephyken.
Let us never, then, prefer our own tribunal to the divine and say it is more truthful and better advised; for it is not holy. In the one there are many things that mislead: deceptive senses, treacherous passions, the most grievous siege-works of vices; in the other, nothing that makes for deceit, but justice and truth, by which everything judged is naturally set right in a praiseworthy way.
Notes and citation
Summary: God's judgment is truer than ours.
- Philo, On Providence 2.
Notes on the original text
- Digital text corrected (line-end hyphen left in the digital text): ἐξορ- θοῦσθαι → ἐξορθοῦσθαι.
Extrabiblical texts: Philo, Prov. 2 (Philo of Alexandria (works); quotation)
Cite (SBL): Eusebius, Praep. ev. 8.14.36 (Dindorf 1:458; trans. Sophia Scriptura, https://sophiascriptura.com/fathers/eusebius-praeparatio/8-13-1/#p-8-14-36). (abbreviation not yet checked)
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Translation: Translated by Claude from the Greek of Dindorf's Teubner text (1867; digital text First1KGreek, CC BY-SA 4.0), then compared section by section with the public-domain English of E. H. Gifford (1903); differences checked against the Greek.
8.14.37Dindorf 1:458
ἔπειτʼ, ὦ γενναῖε, μὴ νομίσῃς ἀλυσιτελὲς ἐπίκαιρον εἶναι τυραννίδα. οὐδὲ γὰρ ἡ κόλασις ἀλυσιτελὲς, ἀλλὰ τιμωρίας διδόναι τοῖς ἀγαθοῖς ἢ ὠφελιμώτερον ἢ οὐκ ἀποδέον. οὗ χάριν ἐν ἅπασι μὲν τοῖς ὀρθῶς γραφεῖσι παρείληπται νόμοις· οἱ δὲ γράψαντες ὑπὸ πάντων ἐπαινοῦνται. ὅπερ γὰρ ἐν δήμῳ τύραννος, τοῦτʼ ἐν νόμῳ κόλασις.
epeitʼ, ō gennaie, mē nomisę̄s alysiteles epikairon einai tyrannida. oude gar hē kolasis alysiteles, alla timōrias didonai tois agathois ē ōphelimōteron ē ouk apodeon. hou charin en hapasi men tois orthōs grapheisi pareilēptai nomois; hoi de grapsantes hypo pantōn epainountai. hoper gar en dēmǭ tyrannos, toutʼ en nomǭ kolasis.
Next, my good friend, do not think that tyranny, at the right time, is unprofitable. For punishment is not unprofitable either; rather, to inflict penalties is either more beneficial to the good or not less. That is why it is included in all rightly written laws, and those who wrote them are praised by all. For what a tyrant is in a people, punishment is in law.
Notes and citation
Summary: Tyranny can serve as punishment, which is useful.
- Philo, On Providence 2.
Notes on the original text
- Digital text corrected (doubled full stop in the digital text): τυραννίδα.. → τυραννίδα..
Extrabiblical texts: Philo, Prov. 2 (Philo of Alexandria (works); quotation)
Cite (SBL): Eusebius, Praep. ev. 8.14.37 (Dindorf 1:458; trans. Sophia Scriptura, https://sophiascriptura.com/fathers/eusebius-praeparatio/8-13-1/#p-8-14-37). (abbreviation not yet checked)
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Translation: Translated by Claude from the Greek of Dindorf's Teubner text (1867; digital text First1KGreek, CC BY-SA 4.0), then compared section by section with the public-domain English of E. H. Gifford (1903); differences checked against the Greek.
8.14.38Dindorf 1:458–459
ἐπειδὰν οὖν ἔνδεια μὲν καὶ σπάνις δεινὴ καταλάβῃ τὰς πόλεις ἀρετῆς, ἀφθονία δʼ ἀφροσύνης ἐπιπολάσῃ, τηνικαῦτα ὁ θεὸς, ὥσπερ ῥεῦμα χειμάρρου τὴν φορὰν τῆς κακίας ἀποχετεῦσαι γλιχόμενος, ἵνα καθαρῇ τὸ γένος ἡμῶν, ἰσχὺν καὶ κράτος δίδωσι τοῖς τὰς φύσεις ἀρχικοῖς.
epeidan oun endeia men kai spanis deinē katalabę̄ tas poleis aretēs, aphthonia dʼ aphrosynēs epipolasę̄, tēnikauta ho theos, hōsper rheuma cheimarrou tēn phoran tēs kakias apocheteusai glichomenos, hina katharę̄ to genos hēmōn, ischyn kai kratos didōsi tois tas physeis archikois.
When, then, a terrible want and scarcity of virtue seizes cities, and an abundance of folly overflows, then God, eager to drain off the flood of wickedness like the stream of a torrent, so that he may cleanse our race, gives strength and power to those who are by nature fit to rule.
Notes and citation
Summary: God raises rulers to purge cities of wickedness.
- Philo, On Providence 2.
Notes on the original text
- Digital text corrected (line-end hyphen and stray mark in the digital text): φο- ’ρᾶν → φορὰν.
Extrabiblical texts: Philo, Prov. 2 (Philo of Alexandria (works); quotation)
Cite (SBL): Eusebius, Praep. ev. 8.14.38 (Dindorf 1:458–459; trans. Sophia Scriptura, https://sophiascriptura.com/fathers/eusebius-praeparatio/8-13-1/#p-8-14-38). (abbreviation not yet checked)
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Translation: Translated by Claude from the Greek of Dindorf's Teubner text (1867; digital text First1KGreek, CC BY-SA 4.0), then compared section by section with the public-domain English of E. H. Gifford (1903); differences checked against the Greek.
8.14.39Dindorf 1:459
ὠμῆς γὰρ δίχα ψυχῆς οὐ καθαίρεται κακία. καὶ ὅνπερ τρόπον αἱ πόλεις ἐπʼ ἀνδροφόνοις καὶ προδόταις καὶ θεοσύλαις δημίους ἀνατρέφουσιν, οὐ τὴν γνώμην ἀποδεχόμεναι τῶν ἀνδρῶν, ἀλλὰ τὸ τῆς ὑπηρεσίας χρήσιμον ἐξετάζουσαι, τὸν αὐτὸν τρόπον καὶ ὁ τῆς μεγαλοπόλεως τοῦδε τοῦ κόσμου κηδεμὼν οἷα δημοκοίνους ἐφίστησι τοὺς τυράννους ταῖς πόλεσιν, ἐν αἷς ἂν αἴσθηται βίαν, ἀδικίαν, ἀσέβειαν, τὰ ἄλλα κακὰ πλημμύροντα, ὅπως ἤδη ποτὲ στάντα λωφήσῃ.
ōmēs gar dicha psychēs ou kathairetai kakia. kai honper tropon hai poleis epʼ androphonois kai prodotais kai theosylais dēmious anatrephousin, ou tēn gnōmēn apodechomenai tōn andrōn, alla to tēs hypēresias chrēsimon exetazousai, ton auton tropon kai ho tēs megalopoleōs toude tou kosmou kēdemōn hoia dēmokoinous ephistēsi tous tyrannous tais polesin, en hais an aisthētai bian, adikian, asebeian, ta alla kaka plēmmyronta, hopōs ēdē pote stanta lōphēsę̄.
For vice is not purged without a harsh soul. And just as cities maintain executioners for murderers, traitors, and temple-robbers, not approving the men's disposition but examining the usefulness of their service, so too the guardian of this great city, the world, sets tyrants over cities as public executioners, wherever he perceives violence, injustice, impiety, and other evils overflowing, so that they may at last stop and abate.
Notes and citation
Summary: Tyrants are like public executioners whom God uses to punish evil.
- Philo, On Providence 2.
Notes on the original text
- Digital text corrected (misread letters in the digital text; wrong breathing in the digital text): αἶ πόλεις → αἱ πόλεις; ἀνατρέφονδιν → ἀνατρέφουσιν.
Extrabiblical texts: Philo, Prov. 2 (Philo of Alexandria (works); quotation)
Cite (SBL): Eusebius, Praep. ev. 8.14.39 (Dindorf 1:459; trans. Sophia Scriptura, https://sophiascriptura.com/fathers/eusebius-praeparatio/8-13-1/#p-8-14-39). (abbreviation not yet checked)
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Translation: Translated by Claude from the Greek of Dindorf's Teubner text (1867; digital text First1KGreek, CC BY-SA 4.0), then compared section by section with the public-domain English of E. H. Gifford (1903); differences checked against the Greek.
8.14.40Dindorf 1:459
τηνικαῦτα καὶ τοὺς αἰτίους, ὡς ἐκ δυσκαθάρτου καὶ ἀνηλεοῦς ψυχῆς ὑπηρετήσαντας, ἐφʼ ἅπασιν, ὥσπερ τινὰς κορυφαίους, ἀξιοῖ μετέρχεσθαι. καθάπερ γὰρ ἡ τοῦ πυρὸς δύναμις, ὅταν παραβληθεῖσαν ὕλην ἀναλώσῃ, τελευταῖον αὑτὴν ἐπινέμεται, τοῦτον τὸν τρόπον καὶ οἱ ἐπὶ τοῖς πλήθεσι δυναστείας εἰληφότες, ὅταν δαπανήσαντες τὰς πόλεις κενὰς ἀνδρῶν ἐργάσωνται, τὰς ὑπὲρ ἁπάντων τίνοντες δίκας ἐπιδιαφθείρονται.
tēnikauta kai tous aitious, hōs ek dyskathartou kai anēleous psychēs hypēretēsantas, ephʼ hapasin, hōsper tinas koryphaious, axioi meterchesthai. kathaper gar hē tou pyros dynamis, hotan parablētheisan hylēn analōsę̄, teleutaion hautēn epinemetai, touton ton tropon kai hoi epi tois plēthesi dynasteias eilēphotes, hotan dapanēsantes tas poleis kenas andrōn ergasōntai, tas hyper hapantōn tinontes dikas epidiaphtheirontai.
Then he thinks fit to pursue the guilty ones too, as having served from an impure and pitiless soul, last of all, as ringleaders. For just as the power of fire, when it has consumed the material laid before it, at last feeds on itself, in the same way those who have taken power over the masses, when they have consumed the cities and made them empty of men, are themselves destroyed in turn, paying the penalty for all.
Notes and citation
Summary: Tyrants are finally destroyed themselves, like fire consuming itself.
- Philo, On Providence 2.
Notes on the original text
- Digital text corrected (wrong breathing in the digital text): καὶ οἶ ἐπὶ τοῖς → καὶ οἱ ἐπὶ τοῖς.
Extrabiblical texts: Philo, Prov. 2 (Philo of Alexandria (works); quotation)
Cite (SBL): Eusebius, Praep. ev. 8.14.40 (Dindorf 1:459; trans. Sophia Scriptura, https://sophiascriptura.com/fathers/eusebius-praeparatio/8-13-1/#p-8-14-40). (abbreviation not yet checked)
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Translation: Translated by Claude from the Greek of Dindorf's Teubner text (1867; digital text First1KGreek, CC BY-SA 4.0), then compared section by section with the public-domain English of E. H. Gifford (1903); differences checked against the Greek.
8.14.41Dindorf 1:459
καὶ τί θαυμάζομεν εἰ διὰ τυράννων ὁ θεὸς κακίαν ἀναχυθεῖσαν ἐν πόλεσι καὶ χώραις καὶ ἔθνεσιν ἀποδιοπομπεῖται; πολλάκις γὰρ μὴ χρώμενος ὑπηρέταις ἄλλοις αὐτὸς διʼ ἑαυτοῦ τοῦτʼ ἐργάζεται, λιμὸν ἐπάγων ἢ λοιμὸν ἢ σεισμὸν καὶ ὅσα ἄλλα θεήλατα, οἷς ὅμιλοι μεγάλοι καὶ πολυάνθρωποι καθʼ ἑκάστην ἡμέραν ἀπόλλυνται, καὶ πολλὴ μοῖρα τῆς οἰκουμένης ἐρημοῦται διὰ προμήθειαν ἀρετῆς. ”
kai ti thaumazomen ei dia tyrannōn ho theos kakian anachytheisan en polesi kai chōrais kai ethnesin apodiopompeitai? pollakis gar mē chrōmenos hypēretais allois autos diʼ heautou toutʼ ergazetai, limon epagōn ē loimon ē seismon kai hosa alla theēlata, hois homiloi megaloi kai polyanthrōpoi kathʼ hekastēn hēmeran apollyntai, kai pollē moira tēs oikoumenēs erēmoutai dia promētheian aretēs. ”
And why do we wonder if through tyrants God drives out vice that has spread in cities, countries, and nations? Often, using no other servants, he does this himself through himself, bringing famine, pestilence, earthquake, and other god-sent things, by which great and populous multitudes perish every day and much of the inhabited world is made desolate, out of care for virtue."
Notes and citation
Summary: God also punishes wickedness directly through famine, plague, and earthquake.
- Philo, On Providence 2.
Notes on the original text
- Digital text corrected (garbled word in the digital text; misread letters in the digital text): ὐρηρέταις → ὑπηρέταις; ὅσʼ ἁ ἄλλα → ὅσα ἄλλα.
Extrabiblical texts: Philo, Prov. 2 (Philo of Alexandria (works); quotation)
Cite (SBL): Eusebius, Praep. ev. 8.14.41 (Dindorf 1:459; trans. Sophia Scriptura, https://sophiascriptura.com/fathers/eusebius-praeparatio/8-13-1/#p-8-14-41). (abbreviation not yet checked)
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Translation: Translated by Claude from the Greek of Dindorf's Teubner text (1867; digital text First1KGreek, CC BY-SA 4.0), then compared section by section with the public-domain English of E. H. Gifford (1903); differences checked against the Greek.
8.14.42Dindorf 1:459–460
“Ἱκανῶς μὲν οὖν εἴς γε τὰ παρόντα περὶ τοῦ μή τινα τῶν φαύλων εὐδαιμονεῖν, ὡς οἶμαι, λέλεκται· διʼ οὗ μάλιστα παρίσταται τὸ εἶναι πρόνοιαν. εἰ δὲ μηδέπω πέπεισαι, τὸν ἔθʼ ὑποικουροῦντα ἐνδοιασμὸν εἰπὲ θαρρῶν· ἀμφότεροι γὰρ ᾗ τἀληθὲς ἔχει συνδιαπορήσαντες εἰσόμεθα.’’
“Hikanōs men oun eis ge ta paronta peri tou mē tina tōn phaulōn eudaimonein, hōs oimai, lelektai; diʼ hou malista paristatai to einai pronoian. ei de mēdepō pepeisai, ton ethʼ hypoikourounta endoiasmon eipe tharrōn; amphoteroi gar hę̄ talēthes echei syndiaporēsantes eisometha.’’
"Enough, then, I think, has been said for the present about no wicked person being happy; by which especially it is established that there is providence. But if you are not yet persuaded, state boldly the doubt still lurking within you; for by examining it together we shall both know how the truth stands."
Notes and citation
Summary: Philo invites further objections to be examined together.
- Philo, On Providence 2.
Notes on the original text
- Digital text corrected (line-end hyphen left in the digital text; missing full stop in the digital text; wrong breathing in the digital text): “Ἰκανῶς → “Ἱκανῶς; πρόνοιαν εἰ δὲ → πρόνοιαν. εἰ δὲ; ἐν- δοιασμὸν → ἐνδοιασμὸν.
Extrabiblical texts: Philo, Prov. 2 (Philo of Alexandria (works); quotation)
Cite (SBL): Eusebius, Praep. ev. 8.14.42 (Dindorf 1:459–460; trans. Sophia Scriptura, https://sophiascriptura.com/fathers/eusebius-praeparatio/8-13-1/#p-8-14-42). (abbreviation not yet checked)
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Translation: Translated by Claude from the Greek of Dindorf's Teubner text (1867; digital text First1KGreek, CC BY-SA 4.0), then compared section by section with the public-domain English of E. H. Gifford (1903); differences checked against the Greek.
8.14.43Dindorf 1:460
Καὶ μεθʼ ἕτερα πάλιν φησίν ‘‘Ἀνέμων καὶ ὑετῶν φορὰς οὐκ ἐπὶ λύμῃ τῶν πλεόντων, ὡς ἐνόμιζες, ἢ γεωργούντων, ἀλλʼ ἐπʼ ὠφελείᾳ τοῦ παντὸς ἡμῶν γένους ὁ θεὸς εἰργάζετο. ὕδασι μὲν γὰρ τὴν γῆν καθαίρει, τὸν δʼ ὑπὸ σελήνην ἅπαντα χῶρον πνεύμασιν· ἀμφοτέροις δὲ ζῷα καὶ φυτὰ τρέφει καὶ αὔξει καὶ τελειοῖ.
Kai methʼ hetera palin phēsin ‘‘Anemōn kai hyetōn phoras ouk epi lymę̄ tōn pleontōn, hōs enomizes, ē geōrgountōn, allʼ epʼ ōpheleią tou pantos hēmōn genous ho theos eirgazeto. hydasi men gar tēn gēn kathairei, ton dʼ hypo selēnēn hapanta chōron pneumasin; amphoterois de zǭa kai phyta trephei kai auxei kai teleioi.
And after other things he says again: "God did not make the movements of winds and rains to harm sailors or farmers, as you thought, but for the benefit of our whole race. For with waters he cleanses the earth, and with winds the whole region below the moon; and with both he nourishes, increases, and perfects animals and plants.
Notes and citation
Summary: Philo: winds and rains benefit the whole race.
- Philo, On Providence 2.
Notes on the original text
- Digital text corrected (misread letters in the digital text; wrong accent in the digital text): Ἀνἐμων → Ἀνέμων; δελἠνην → σελήνην.
Extrabiblical texts: Philo, Prov. 2 (Philo of Alexandria (works); quotation)
Cite (SBL): Eusebius, Praep. ev. 8.14.43 (Dindorf 1:460; trans. Sophia Scriptura, https://sophiascriptura.com/fathers/eusebius-praeparatio/8-13-1/#p-8-14-43). (abbreviation not yet checked)
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Translation: Translated by Claude from the Greek of Dindorf's Teubner text (1867; digital text First1KGreek, CC BY-SA 4.0), then compared section by section with the public-domain English of E. H. Gifford (1903); differences checked against the Greek.
8.14.44Dindorf 1:460
εἰ δὲ τοὺς μὴ ἐν καιρῷ πλωτῆρας ἢ γεωπόνους ἔστιν ὅτε βλάπτει, θαυμαστὸν οὐδέν· βραχὺ γὰρ οὗτοι μέρος, ἡ δʼ ἐπιμέλεια τοῦ παντὸς ἀνθρώπων γένους. ὥσπερ οὖν τὸ ἐν τῷ γυμνασίῳ ἄλειμμα τίθεται μὲν ἐπʼ ὠφελείᾳ, πολλάκις δʼ ὁ γυμνασίαρχος ἕνεκα πολιτικῶν χρειῶν ὥρας τῆς ἐν ἔθει μετέθηκε τὴν τάξιν, διʼ ἧς ὑστέρησαν ἔνιοι τῶν ἀλειφομένων, οὕτω καὶ ὁ θεὸς, οἷα πόλεως τοῦ παντὸς ἐπιμελούμενος κόσμου, θέρη χειμαίνοντα καὶ χειμῶνας ἐαρίζοντας εἴωθε ποιεῖν ἐπὶ τῇ τοῦ παντὸς ὠφελείᾳ, κἂν εἰ ναύκληροί τινες ἢ γῆς ἐργάται μέλλοιεν ταῖς τούτων ἀνωμαλίαις ζημιοῦσθαι.
ei de tous mē en kairǭ plōtēras ē geōponous estin hote blaptei, thaumaston ouden; brachy gar houtoi meros, hē dʼ epimeleia tou pantos anthrōpōn genous. hōsper oun to en tǭ gymnasiǭ aleimma tithetai men epʼ ōpheleią, pollakis dʼ ho gymnasiarchos heneka politikōn chreiōn hōras tēs en ethei metethēke tēn taxin, diʼ hēs hysterēsan enioi tōn aleiphomenōn, houtō kai ho theos, hoia poleōs tou pantos epimeloumenos kosmou, therē cheimainonta kai cheimōnas earizontas eiōthe poiein epi tę̄ tou pantos ōpheleią, kan ei nauklēroi tines ē gēs ergatai melloien tais toutōn anōmaliais zēmiousthai.
And if they sometimes harm untimely sailors or farmers, it is no wonder; for these are a small part, while his care is for the whole human race. Just as in the gymnasium oil is provided for benefit, but often the gymnasiarch, because of civic needs, changes the order of the usual hours, by which some of those being anointed have missed out, so too God, caring for the whole world as for a city, is accustomed to make wintry summers and spring-like winters for the benefit of the whole, even if some shipowners or tillers of the earth are going to be harmed by their irregularities.
Notes and citation
Summary: God may harm a few for the good of the whole, as a gymnasiarch does.
- Philo, On Providence 2.
Notes on the original text
- Digital text corrected (misread letter and repeated syllables in the digital text; wrong accent in the digital text): ἐπὶ τῂ τοῦ → ἐπὶ τῇ τοῦ; ξημιοῦσθαι. μιοῦσθαι. → ζημιοῦσθαι..
Extrabiblical texts: Philo, Prov. 2 (Philo of Alexandria (works); quotation)
Cite (SBL): Eusebius, Praep. ev. 8.14.44 (Dindorf 1:460; trans. Sophia Scriptura, https://sophiascriptura.com/fathers/eusebius-praeparatio/8-13-1/#p-8-14-44). (abbreviation not yet checked)
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Translation: Translated by Claude from the Greek of Dindorf's Teubner text (1867; digital text First1KGreek, CC BY-SA 4.0), then compared section by section with the public-domain English of E. H. Gifford (1903); differences checked against the Greek.
8.14.45Dindorf 1:460
τὰς οὖν τῶν στοιχείων εἰς ἄλληλα μεταβολὰς, ἐξ ὧν ὁ κόσμος ἐπάγη καὶ συνέστηκεν, εἰδὼς ἀναγκαιότατον ἔργον, ἀκωλύτους παρέχεται· πάχναι δὲ καὶ χιόνες καὶ ὅσα ὁμοιότροπα ἀέρος ἐπακολουθεῖ καταψύξει, καὶ πάλιν προσαράξει καὶ παρατρίψει νεφῶν, ἀστραπαί τε καὶ βρονταί· ὧν οὐδὲν ἴσως κατὰ πρόνοιαν, ἀλλʼ ὑετοὶ καὶ πνεύματα ζωῆς καὶ τροφῆς καὶ αὐξήσεως τοῖς περὶ γῆν αἴτια, ὧν ταῦτα ἐπακολουθήματα.
tas oun tōn stoicheiōn eis allēla metabolas, ex hōn ho kosmos epagē kai synestēken, eidōs anankaiotaton ergon, akōlytous parechetai; pachnai de kai chiones kai hosa homoiotropa aeros epakolouthei katapsyxei, kai palin prosaraxei kai paratripsei nephōn, astrapai te kai brontai; hōn ouden isōs kata pronoian, allʼ hyetoi kai pneumata zōēs kai trophēs kai auxēseōs tois peri gēn aitia, hōn tauta epakolouthēmata.
The changes of the elements into one another, then, of which the world was put together and consists, he keeps unhindered, knowing it to be a most necessary work. Frosts and snows and the like follow upon the chilling of the air, and again lightnings and thunders upon the collision and friction of clouds; none of these perhaps is by providence, but rains and winds are causes of life, nourishment, and growth for things on earth, and these are their consequences.
Notes and citation
Summary: Some weather events are by-products, not direct works of providence.
- Philo, On Providence 2.
Notes on the original text
- Digital text corrected (wrong accent in the digital text): τὰς οὑν τῶν → τὰς οὖν τῶν.
Extrabiblical texts: Philo, Prov. 2 (Philo of Alexandria (works); quotation)
Cite (SBL): Eusebius, Praep. ev. 8.14.45 (Dindorf 1:460; trans. Sophia Scriptura, https://sophiascriptura.com/fathers/eusebius-praeparatio/8-13-1/#p-8-14-45). (abbreviation not yet checked)
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Translation: Translated by Claude from the Greek of Dindorf's Teubner text (1867; digital text First1KGreek, CC BY-SA 4.0), then compared section by section with the public-domain English of E. H. Gifford (1903); differences checked against the Greek.
8.14.46Dindorf 1:460–461
οἷα, γυμνασιάρχου φιλοτιμίαις πολλάκις ἀνειμένας ποιουμένου δαπάνας, ἀνθʼ ὕδατος ἐλαίῳ καταιονούμενοί τινες τῶν ἀπειροκάλων εἰς τοὔδαφος ῥανίδας ἀποστάζουσιν, ὁ δʼ ὀλισθηρότατος αὐτίκα γίνεται πηλὸς, ἀλλʼ οὐκ ἄν τις εὖ φρονῶν εἴποι τὸν πηλὸν καὶ τὸν ὄλισθον προμηθείᾳ τοῦ γυμνασιάρχου γεγονέναι, παρηκολουθηκέναι δὲ ἄλλως τῇ ἀφθονίᾳ τῶν χορηγιῶν ταῦτα.
hoia, gymnasiarchou philotimiais pollakis aneimenas poioumenou dapanas, anthʼ hydatos elaiǭ kataionoumenoi tines tōn apeirokalōn eis toudaphos rhanidas apostazousin, ho dʼ olisthērotatos autika ginetai pēlos, allʼ ouk an tis eu phronōn eipoi ton pēlon kai ton olisthon promētheią tou gymnasiarchou gegonenai, parēkolouthēkenai de allōs tę̄ aphthonią tōn chorēgiōn tauta.
Just as, when a gymnasiarch out of generosity often makes lavish expenses, some of the vulgar, being drenched with oil instead of water, let drops fall on the ground, and at once very slippery mud forms; but no one in his right mind would say that the mud and the slipperiness came about by the gymnasiarch's forethought, but that these were incidental consequences of the abundance of his provisions.
Notes and citation
Summary: As spilled oil makes mud by accident, some evils are incidental.
- Philo, On Providence 2.
Notes on the original text
- Digital text corrected (misread letter and repeated syllables in the digital text): ἀρειροκάλων ροκάλων → ἀπειροκάλων.
Extrabiblical texts: Philo, Prov. 2 (Philo of Alexandria (works); quotation)
Cite (SBL): Eusebius, Praep. ev. 8.14.46 (Dindorf 1:460–461; trans. Sophia Scriptura, https://sophiascriptura.com/fathers/eusebius-praeparatio/8-13-1/#p-8-14-46). (abbreviation not yet checked)
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Translation: Translated by Claude from the Greek of Dindorf's Teubner text (1867; digital text First1KGreek, CC BY-SA 4.0), then compared section by section with the public-domain English of E. H. Gifford (1903); differences checked against the Greek.
8.14.47Dindorf 1:461
ἶρις δὲ καὶ ἄλως καὶ ὅσα ὁμοιότροπα πάλιν ἐστὶν αὐγῶν ἐγκιρναμένων τοῖς νέφεσιν ἐπακολουθήματα, οὐκ ἔργα φύσεως προηγούμενα, φυσικοῖς δʼ ἐπισυμβαίνοντα ἔργοις· οὐ μὴν ἀλλὰ παρέχει τινὰ καὶ ταῦτα χρείαν ἀναγκαίαν τοῖς φρονιμωτέροις· νηνεμίας γὰρ καὶ πνεύματα, εὐδίας τε καὶ χειμῶνας ἀπὸ τούτων τεκμαιρόμενοι προλέγουσι.
iris de kai alōs kai hosa homoiotropa palin estin augōn enkirnamenōn tois nephesin epakolouthēmata, ouk erga physeōs proēgoumena, physikois dʼ episymbainonta ergois; ou mēn alla parechei tina kai tauta chreian anankaian tois phronimōterois; nēnemias gar kai pneumata, eudias te kai cheimōnas apo toutōn tekmairomenoi prolegousi.
Again, the rainbow, the halo, and the like are consequences of rays mixing with the clouds, not primary works of nature but incidental to natural works. Yet these too provide a necessary use to the more prudent; for from them they infer and foretell calms and winds, fair weather and storms.
Notes and citation
Summary: Rainbows are by-products but useful for forecasting.
- Philo, On Providence 2.
Extrabiblical texts: Philo, Prov. 2 (Philo of Alexandria (works); quotation)
Cite (SBL): Eusebius, Praep. ev. 8.14.47 (Dindorf 1:461; trans. Sophia Scriptura, https://sophiascriptura.com/fathers/eusebius-praeparatio/8-13-1/#p-8-14-47). (abbreviation not yet checked)
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Translation: Translated by Claude from the Greek of Dindorf's Teubner text (1867; digital text First1KGreek, CC BY-SA 4.0), then compared section by section with the public-domain English of E. H. Gifford (1903); differences checked against the Greek.
8.14.48Dindorf 1:461
τὰς κατὰ πόλιν στοὰς οὐχ ὁρᾷς; τούτων αἱ πλείους πρὸς μεσημβρίαν νενεύκασιν, ὑπὲρ τοῦ τοὺς ἐμπεριπατοῦντας χειμῶνι μὲν ἀλεαίνεσθαι, θέρους δὲ καταπνεῖσθαι. παρακολουθεῖ δέ τι καὶ ἕτερον, ὃ μὴ τῇ γνώμῃ τοῦ κατεσκευακότος ἐπιγίνεται. τί δὲ τοῦτʼ ἔστιν; αἱ ἀπὸ τῶν ποδῶν ἐκπίπτουσαι σκιαὶ τὰ μέτρα διασημαίνουσι ταῖς ὥραις.
tas kata polin stoas ouch horąs? toutōn hai pleious pros mesēmbrian neneukasin, hyper tou tous emperipatountas cheimōni men aleainesthai, therous de katapneisthai. parakolouthei de ti kai heteron, ho mē tę̄ gnōmę̄ tou kateskeuakotos epiginetai. ti de toutʼ estin? hai apo tōn podōn ekpiptousai skiai ta metra diasēmainousi tais hōrais.
Do you not see the colonnades in the city? Most of them face south, so that those walking in them may be warmed in winter and cooled by the breeze in summer. But something else follows, which does not come about by the builder's intention. What is this? The shadows cast from the feet mark the measures of the hours.
Notes and citation
Summary: Colonnades built for comfort also serve as sundials.
- Philo, On Providence 2.
Notes on the original text
- Digital text corrected (misread letter in the digital text; missing accent in the digital text): νενευκασιν → νενεύκασιν; ὑπὲρ του τοὺς → ὑπὲρ τοῦ τοὺς; παρακολουθιῖ → παρακολουθεῖ.
Extrabiblical texts: Philo, Prov. 2 (Philo of Alexandria (works); quotation)
Cite (SBL): Eusebius, Praep. ev. 8.14.48 (Dindorf 1:461; trans. Sophia Scriptura, https://sophiascriptura.com/fathers/eusebius-praeparatio/8-13-1/#p-8-14-48). (abbreviation not yet checked)
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Translation: Translated by Claude from the Greek of Dindorf's Teubner text (1867; digital text First1KGreek, CC BY-SA 4.0), then compared section by section with the public-domain English of E. H. Gifford (1903); differences checked against the Greek.
8.14.49Dindorf 1:461
καὶ μὲν δὴ τὸ πῦρ φύσεως ἀναγκαιότατον ἔργον, ἐπακολούθημα δὲ τούτου καπνός· ἀλλʼ ὅμως παρέχεταί τινα ὠφέλειαν ἔστιν ὅτε καὶ αὐτός. ἐν γοῦν ταῖς μεθημεριναῖς πυρσείαις, ἡνίκα τὸ πῦρ ὑπὸ τῶν ἡλιακῶν καταλαμπόμενον αὐγῶν ἐξαμαυροῦται, καπνῷ μηνύεται πολεμίων ἔφοδος.
kai men dē to pyr physeōs anankaiotaton ergon, epakolouthēma de toutou kapnos; allʼ homōs parechetai tina ōpheleian estin hote kai autos. en goun tais methēmerinais pyrseiais, hēnika to pyr hypo tōn hēliakōn katalampomenon augōn examauroutai, kapnǭ mēnyetai polemiōn ephodos.
And fire is a most necessary work of nature, and smoke a consequence of it; yet it too sometimes provides some benefit. In daytime fire signals, at any rate, when the fire is outshone by the sun's rays and becomes faint, the approach of enemies is announced by smoke.
Notes and citation
Summary: Even smoke, a by-product, has uses.
- Philo, On Providence 2.
Notes on the original text
- Digital text corrected (missing punctuation in the digital text): καπνός ἀλλʼ → καπνός· ἀλλʼ.
Extrabiblical texts: Philo, Prov. 2 (Philo of Alexandria (works); quotation)
Cite (SBL): Eusebius, Praep. ev. 8.14.49 (Dindorf 1:461; trans. Sophia Scriptura, https://sophiascriptura.com/fathers/eusebius-praeparatio/8-13-1/#p-8-14-49). (abbreviation not yet checked)
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Translation: Translated by Claude from the Greek of Dindorf's Teubner text (1867; digital text First1KGreek, CC BY-SA 4.0), then compared section by section with the public-domain English of E. H. Gifford (1903); differences checked against the Greek.
8.14.50Dindorf 1:461
οἷός γʼ οὖν ἐπὶ τῆς ἴριδος, τοιοῦτος καὶ ἐπὶ τῶν ἐκλείψεων ὁ λόγος· θείαις γὰρ φύσεσιν ἡλίου καὶ σελήνης ἐπακολουθοῦσιν ἐκλείψεις· αἱ δὲ μηνύματά εἰσιν ἢ βασιλέων τελευτῆς, ἢ πόλεων φθορᾶς· ὃ καὶ Πίνδαρος ᾐνίξατο γενομένης ἐκλείψεως διὰ τῶν πρόσθεν εἰρημένων.
hoios gʼ oun epi tēs iridos, toioutos kai epi tōn ekleipseōn ho logos; theiais gar physesin hēliou kai selēnēs epakolouthousin ekleipseis; hai de mēnymata eisin ē basileōn teleutēs, ē poleōn phthoras; ho kai Pindaros ę̄nixato genomenēs ekleipseōs dia tōn prosthen eirēmenōn.
The same account as for the rainbow applies to eclipses. For eclipses follow on the divine natures of the sun and moon; and they are signs either of the death of kings or of the destruction of cities, as Pindar too hinted when an eclipse took place, in the words quoted earlier.
Notes and citation
Summary: Eclipses are by-products of celestial motion that serve as signs.
- Philo, On Providence 2. The reference is to Pindar, Paean 9.
Notes on the original text
- Digital text corrected (misread letter in the digital text): φθοδᾶς → φθορᾶς.
Extrabiblical texts: Philo, Prov. 2 (Philo of Alexandria (works); quotation); Pindar, Paean 9 (Pindar (odes and fragments); allusion)
Cite (SBL): Eusebius, Praep. ev. 8.14.50 (Dindorf 1:461; trans. Sophia Scriptura, https://sophiascriptura.com/fathers/eusebius-praeparatio/8-13-1/#p-8-14-50). (abbreviation not yet checked)
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Translation: Translated by Claude from the Greek of Dindorf's Teubner text (1867; digital text First1KGreek, CC BY-SA 4.0), then compared section by section with the public-domain English of E. H. Gifford (1903); differences checked against the Greek.
8.14.51Dindorf 1:461–462
ὁ δὲ δὴ τοῦ γάλακτος κύκλος τῆς μὲν αὐτῆς οὐσίας τοῖς ἄλλοις ἄστροις μετέσχηκε, δυσαιτιολόγητος δʼ εἴπερ ἐστὶ, μὴ ἀποκνείτωσαν οἱ τὰ φύσεως ἐρευνᾶν εἰωθότες. ὠφελιμώτατον γὰρ ἡ εὕρεσις, ἥδιστον δὲ καὶ καθʼ αὑτὸ τοῖς φιλομαθέσιν ἡ ζήτησις.
ho de dē tou galaktos kyklos tēs men autēs ousias tois allois astrois meteschēke, dysaitiologētos dʼ eiper esti, mē apokneitōsan hoi ta physeōs ereunan eiōthotes. ōphelimōtaton gar hē heuresis, hēdiston de kai kathʼ hauto tois philomathesin hē zētēsis.
The circle of the Milky Way shares the same substance as the other stars; and if it is hard to explain, let those accustomed to investigate nature not shrink from it. For the discovery is most useful, and the search in itself most pleasant to lovers of learning.
Notes and citation
Summary: The Milky Way should be investigated, though hard to explain.
- Philo, On Providence 2.
Notes on the original text
- Digital text corrected (truncated word in the digital text): καὶ κα αὑτὸ → καὶ καθʼ αὑτὸ.
Extrabiblical texts: Philo, Prov. 2 (Philo of Alexandria (works); quotation)
Cite (SBL): Eusebius, Praep. ev. 8.14.51 (Dindorf 1:461–462; trans. Sophia Scriptura, https://sophiascriptura.com/fathers/eusebius-praeparatio/8-13-1/#p-8-14-51). (abbreviation not yet checked)
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Translation: Translated by Claude from the Greek of Dindorf's Teubner text (1867; digital text First1KGreek, CC BY-SA 4.0), then compared section by section with the public-domain English of E. H. Gifford (1903); differences checked against the Greek.
8.14.52Dindorf 1:462
ὥσπερ οὖν ἥλιος καὶ σελήνη προνοίᾳ γεγόνασιν, οὕτω καὶ τὰ ἐν οὐρανῷ πάντα, κἂν ἡμεῖς τὰς ἑκάστων φύσεις τε καὶ δυνάμεις ἰχνηλατεῖν ἀδυνατοῦντες ἡσυχάζωμεν.
hōsper oun hēlios kai selēnē pronoią gegonasin, houtō kai ta en ouranǭ panta, kan hēmeis tas hekastōn physeis te kai dynameis ichnēlatein adynatountes hēsychazōmen.
Just as the sun and moon came into being by providence, so did all things in heaven, even if we, unable to track the natures and powers of each, keep silent.
Notes and citation
Summary: All heavenly bodies exist by providence, though we cannot explain each.
- Philo, On Providence 2.
Notes on the original text
- Digital text corrected (wrong accent in the digital text): ὥσπερ οὑν → ὥσπερ οὖν.
Extrabiblical texts: Philo, Prov. 2 (Philo of Alexandria (works); quotation)
Cite (SBL): Eusebius, Praep. ev. 8.14.52 (Dindorf 1:462; trans. Sophia Scriptura, https://sophiascriptura.com/fathers/eusebius-praeparatio/8-13-1/#p-8-14-52). (abbreviation not yet checked)
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Translation: Translated by Claude from the Greek of Dindorf's Teubner text (1867; digital text First1KGreek, CC BY-SA 4.0), then compared section by section with the public-domain English of E. H. Gifford (1903); differences checked against the Greek.
8.14.53Dindorf 1:462
σεισμοί τε καὶ λοιμοὶ καὶ κεραυνῶν βολαὶ, καὶ ὅσα τοιαῦτα, λέγεται μὲν εἶναι θεήλατα, πρὸς δʼ ἀλήθειαν οὐκ ἔστι, θεὸς γὰρ οὐδενὸς αἴτιος κακοῦ τὸ παράπαν· ἀλλʼ αἱ τῶν στοιχείων μεταβολαὶ ταῦτα γεννῶσιν, οὐ προηγούμενα ἔργα φύσεως, ἀλλʼ ἑπόμενα τοῖς ἀναγκαίοις καὶ τοῖς προηγουμένοις ἐπακολουθοῦντα.
seismoi te kai loimoi kai keraunōn bolai, kai hosa toiauta, legetai men einai theēlata, pros dʼ alētheian ouk esti, theos gar oudenos aitios kakou to parapan; allʼ hai tōn stoicheiōn metabolai tauta gennōsin, ou proēgoumena erga physeōs, allʼ hepomena tois anankaiois kai tois proēgoumenois epakolouthounta.
Earthquakes, pestilences, strokes of lightning, and the like are said to be sent by God, but in truth they are not, for God is the cause of no evil at all; but the changes of the elements produce these, not as primary works of nature, but following on the necessary and primary ones as consequences.
Notes and citation
Summary: Natural disasters are by-products of the elements, not works of God, who causes no evil.
- Philo, On Providence 2.
Notes on the original text
- Digital text corrected (missing breathing and repeated syllables in the digital text; words run together and stray mark in the digital text; wrong breathing in the digital text): τοπαράπαν) → τὸ παράπαν·; ἀλλʼ αἶ τῶν → ἀλλʼ αἱ τῶν; ἐπομενα μένα → ἑπόμενα; έπακολουθοῦντα → ἐπακολουθοῦντα.
Extrabiblical texts: Philo, Prov. 2 (Philo of Alexandria (works); quotation)
Cite (SBL): Eusebius, Praep. ev. 8.14.53 (Dindorf 1:462; trans. Sophia Scriptura, https://sophiascriptura.com/fathers/eusebius-praeparatio/8-13-1/#p-8-14-53). (abbreviation not yet checked)
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Translation: Translated by Claude from the Greek of Dindorf's Teubner text (1867; digital text First1KGreek, CC BY-SA 4.0), then compared section by section with the public-domain English of E. H. Gifford (1903); differences checked against the Greek.
8.14.54Dindorf 1:462
εἰ δέ τινες τῶν χαριεστέρων συναπολαύουσι τῆς ἀπὸ τούτων βλάβης, οὐκ αἰτιατέον τὴν διοίκησιν. πρῶτον μὲν γὰρ οὐκ εἴ τινες ἀγαθοὶ παρʼ ἡμῖν νομίζονται, καὶ πρὸς ἀλήθειάν εἰσιν, ἐπειδὴ τὰ θεοῦ κριτήρια τῶν κατὰ τὸν ἀνθρώπινον νοῦν πάντων ἀκριβέστερα· δεύτερον δὲ τὸ προμηθὲς ἐπὶ τὰ τῶν ἐν κόσμῳ συνεκτικώτατα ἐφορᾶν ἀγαπᾷ, καθάπερ ἐν ταῖς βασιλείαις καὶ στραταρχίαις ἐπὶ τὰς πόλεις καὶ τὰ στρατόπεδα, οὐκ τινα τῶν ἠμελημένων καὶ ἀφανῶν ἕνα τὸν προστυχόντα.
ei de tines tōn chariesterōn synapolauousi tēs apo toutōn blabēs, ouk aitiateon tēn dioikēsin. prōton men gar ouk ei tines agathoi parʼ hēmin nomizontai, kai pros alētheian eisin, epeidē ta theou kritēria tōn kata ton anthrōpinon noun pantōn akribestera; deuteron de to promēthes epi ta tōn en kosmǭ synektikōtata ephoran agapą, kathaper en tais basileiais kai stratarchiais epi tas poleis kai ta stratopeda, ouk tina tōn ēmelēmenōn kai aphanōn hena ton prostychonta.
And if some of the more virtuous share in the harm from these, the government of the world is not to be blamed. First, if some are thought good among us, they are not necessarily so in truth, since God's standards are more exact than all those of the human mind. Second, providence loves to look to the things that most hold the world together, as in kingdoms and military commands it looks to the cities and the armies, not to some one neglected and obscure person who happens along.
Notes and citation
Summary: Providence cares for the whole, and the apparently good may not be truly so.
- Philo, On Providence 2.
Notes on the original text
- Digital text corrected (missing punctuation in the digital text; repeated syllables in the digital text; wrong breathing in the digital text): ἀκριβέστερα δεύτερον → ἀκριβέστερα· δεύτερον; στραταρχίαις Χίαις → στραταρχίαις; ἔνα τὸν προστυχόντα → ἕνα τὸν προστυχόντα.
Extrabiblical texts: Philo, Prov. 2 (Philo of Alexandria (works); quotation)
Cite (SBL): Eusebius, Praep. ev. 8.14.54 (Dindorf 1:462; trans. Sophia Scriptura, https://sophiascriptura.com/fathers/eusebius-praeparatio/8-13-1/#p-8-14-54). (abbreviation not yet checked)
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Translation: Translated by Claude from the Greek of Dindorf's Teubner text (1867; digital text First1KGreek, CC BY-SA 4.0), then compared section by section with the public-domain English of E. H. Gifford (1903); differences checked against the Greek.
8.14.55Dindorf 1:462
λέγουσι δέ τινες, καθάπερ ἐν ταῖς τυραννοκτονίαις καὶ τοὺς συγγενεῖς ἀναιρεῖσθαι νόμιμόν ἐστιν ὑπὲρ τοῦ μεγέθει τῆς τιμωρίας ἐπισχεθῆναι τὰ ἀδικήματα, τὸν αὐτὸν τρόπον κἀν ταῖς λοιμώδεσι νόσοις παραπόλλυσθαί τινας τῶν μὴ ὑπαιτίων, ἵνα πόρρωθεν οἱ ἄλλοι σωφρονίζωνται, δίχα τοῦ ἀναγκαῖον εἶναι τοὺς ἐμφερομένους ἀέρι νοσώδει νοσεῖν, ὥσπερ καὶ τοὺς ἐν νηὶ χειμαζομένους κινδυνεύειν ἐξίσου.
legousi de tines, kathaper en tais tyrannoktoniais kai tous syngeneis anaireisthai nomimon estin hyper tou megethei tēs timōrias epischethēnai ta adikēmata, ton auton tropon kan tais loimōdesi nosois parapollysthai tinas tōn mē hypaitiōn, hina porrōthen hoi alloi sōphronizōntai, dicha tou anankaion einai tous empheromenous aeri nosōdei nosein, hōsper kai tous en nēi cheimazomenous kindyneuein exisou.
Some say that, just as in the punishment of tyrants it is lawful to put their kinsmen to death too, so that wrongdoing may be checked by the greatness of the penalty, in the same way in pestilential diseases some of the guiltless perish together with the rest, so that others far off may be brought to self-control; besides the fact that those who are in diseased air must fall ill, just as those on a storm-tossed ship are equally in danger.
Notes and citation
Summary: Innocents perish in plagues, as on a sinking ship, and as a warning to others.
- Philo, On Providence 2.
Notes on the original text
- Digital text corrected (line-end hyphen left in the digital text; repeated syllables in the digital text; wrong breathing in the digital text): τοὺς έν νηὶ → τοὺς ἐν νηὶ; κινδυνεύειν νεύειν → κινδυνεύειν; νο- σεῖν → νοσεῖν.
Extrabiblical texts: Philo, Prov. 2 (Philo of Alexandria (works); quotation)
Cite (SBL): Eusebius, Praep. ev. 8.14.55 (Dindorf 1:462; trans. Sophia Scriptura, https://sophiascriptura.com/fathers/eusebius-praeparatio/8-13-1/#p-8-14-55). (abbreviation not yet checked)
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Translation: Translated by Claude from the Greek of Dindorf's Teubner text (1867; digital text First1KGreek, CC BY-SA 4.0), then compared section by section with the public-domain English of E. H. Gifford (1903); differences checked against the Greek.
8.14.56Dindorf 1:462–463
τὰ δʼ ἄλκιμα τῶν θηρίων γέγονεν, οὐ γὰρ ὑποσιωπητέον, εἰ καὶ τῷ δεινὸς εἰπεῖν εἶναι προλαβὼν τὴν ἀπολογίαν διέσυρες, ἀσκήσεως ἕνεκα τῆς πρὸς τοὺς πολεμικοὺς ἀγῶνας. τὰ γὰρ γυμνάσια καὶ αἱ συνεχεῖς θῆραι συγκροτοῦσι καὶ νευροῦσιν εὖ μάλα τὰ σώματα, καὶ πρὸ τῶν σωμάτων τὰς ψυχὰς ἐθίζουσιν ἐχθρῶν ἐξαπιναίας ἐφόδους τῷ καρτερῷ τῆς ῥώμης ἀλογεῖν.
ta dʼ alkima tōn thēriōn gegonen, ou gar hyposiōpēteon, ei kai tǭ deinos eipein einai prolabōn tēn apologian diesyres, askēseōs heneka tēs pros tous polemikous agōnas. ta gar gymnasia kai hai synecheis thērai synkrotousi kai neurousin eu mala ta sōmata, kai pro tōn sōmatōn tas psychas ethizousin echthrōn exapinaias ephodous tǭ karterǭ tēs rhōmēs alogein.
And the fierce beasts came into being (for this must not be passed over in silence, even though, being clever at speaking, you have anticipated and disparaged the defense) for training for the contests of war. For exercises and continual hunts harden and brace bodies well, and, before bodies, accustom souls to disregard sudden attacks of enemies through strength and endurance.
Notes and citation
Summary: Wild beasts exist to train people for war through hunting.
- Philo, On Providence 2.
Notes on the original text
- Digital text corrected (stray mark in the digital text): διέσυρες) → διέσυρες,.
Extrabiblical texts: Philo, Prov. 2 (Philo of Alexandria (works); quotation)
Cite (SBL): Eusebius, Praep. ev. 8.14.56 (Dindorf 1:462–463; trans. Sophia Scriptura, https://sophiascriptura.com/fathers/eusebius-praeparatio/8-13-1/#p-8-14-56). (abbreviation not yet checked)
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Translation: Translated by Claude from the Greek of Dindorf's Teubner text (1867; digital text First1KGreek, CC BY-SA 4.0), then compared section by section with the public-domain English of E. H. Gifford (1903); differences checked against the Greek.
8.14.57Dindorf 1:463
τοῖς δὲ τὰς φύσεις εἰρηνικοῖς ἔξεστιν οὐ μόνον τειχῶν ἐντὸς, ἀλλὰ καὶ κλισιάδων θαλαμευομένοις, ἀποζῆν ἀνεπιβουλεύτως, ἔχουσιν εἰς ἀπόλαυσιν ἀφθονωτάτας ἡμέρων ἀγέλας· ἐπειδὴ σῦς καὶ λέοντες καὶ ὅσα ὁμοιότροπα, ἑκουσίᾳ φύσει χρώμενα, μακρὰν ἄστεος ἀπελήλαται τὸ μηδὲν παθεῖν ἀγαπῶντα τῆς ἀνθρώπων ἐπιβουλῆς.
tois de tas physeis eirēnikois exestin ou monon teichōn entos, alla kai klisiadōn thalameuomenois, apozēn anepibouleutōs, echousin eis apolausin aphthonōtatas hēmerōn agelas; epeidē sys kai leontes kai hosa homoiotropa, hekousią physei chrōmena, makran asteos apelēlatai to mēden pathein agapōnta tēs anthrōpōn epiboulēs.
But those of peaceful nature may live free from attack not only within walls but even shut up in their chambers, having abundant herds of tame animals to enjoy; since boars, lions, and the like, following their own nature, have been driven far from the city, content to suffer nothing from the plots of men.
Notes and citation
Summary: Peaceful people can live safely; wild beasts keep away from cities.
- Philo, On Providence 2.
Extrabiblical texts: Philo, Prov. 2 (Philo of Alexandria (works); quotation)
Cite (SBL): Eusebius, Praep. ev. 8.14.57 (Dindorf 1:463; trans. Sophia Scriptura, https://sophiascriptura.com/fathers/eusebius-praeparatio/8-13-1/#p-8-14-57). (abbreviation not yet checked)
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Translation: Translated by Claude from the Greek of Dindorf's Teubner text (1867; digital text First1KGreek, CC BY-SA 4.0), then compared section by section with the public-domain English of E. H. Gifford (1903); differences checked against the Greek.
8.14.58Dindorf 1:463
εἰ δέ τινες ὑπὸ ῥᾳθυμίας ἄοπλοι καὶ ἀπαράσκευοι ταῖς καταδύσεσι τῶν θηρίων ἀδεῶς ἐνδιαιτῶνται, τῶν συμβαινόντων ἑαυτοὺς, ἀλλὰ μὴ τὴν φύσιν αἰτιάσθωσαν, διότι φυλάξασθαι παρὸν ὠλιγώρησαν. ἤδη γοῦν καὶ ἐν ἱπποδρομίαις εἶδόν τινας εἴξαντας ἀλογιστίᾳ, οἳ, δέον ἐγκαθέζεσθαι καὶ σὺν κόσμῳ θεωρεῖν, ἐν μέσῳ στάντες, ὑπὸ τῆς ῥύμης τῶν τεθρίππων ἀνωσθέντες, ποσὶ καὶ τροχοῖς κατηλοήθησαν, ἀνοίας τἀπίχειρα εὑράμενοι.”
ei de tines hypo rhąthymias aoploi kai aparaskeuoi tais katadysesi tōn thēriōn adeōs endiaitōntai, tōn symbainontōn heautous, alla mē tēn physin aitiasthōsan, dioti phylaxasthai paron ōligōrēsan. ēdē goun kai en hippodromiais eidon tinas eixantas alogistią, hoi, deon enkathezesthai kai syn kosmǭ theōrein, en mesǭ stantes, hypo tēs rhymēs tōn tethrippōn anōsthentes, posi kai trochois katēloēthēsan, anoias tapicheira heuramenoi.”
And if some, out of carelessness, unarmed and unprepared, live fearlessly in the lairs of beasts, let them blame themselves for what happens, not nature, since they neglected to guard themselves when they could. I have seen some at chariot races give way to thoughtlessness: when they should have sat down and watched in order, they stood in the middle, were knocked over by the rush of the four-horse chariots, and were trampled by hooves and wheels, reaping the reward of their folly."
Notes and citation
Summary: Those who expose themselves to danger have only themselves to blame.
- Philo, On Providence 2.
Notes on the original text
- Digital text corrected (line-end hyphen left in the digital text): κατηλοήθη- σαν → κατηλοήθησαν.
Extrabiblical texts: Philo, Prov. 2 (Philo of Alexandria (works); quotation)
Cite (SBL): Eusebius, Praep. ev. 8.14.58 (Dindorf 1:463; trans. Sophia Scriptura, https://sophiascriptura.com/fathers/eusebius-praeparatio/8-13-1/#p-8-14-58). (abbreviation not yet checked)
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Translation: Translated by Claude from the Greek of Dindorf's Teubner text (1867; digital text First1KGreek, CC BY-SA 4.0), then compared section by section with the public-domain English of E. H. Gifford (1903); differences checked against the Greek.
8.14.59Dindorf 1:463
“Περὶ μὲν οὖν τούτων ἀπόχρη τὰ λεχθέντα. τῶν δʼ ἑρπετῶν τὰ ἰοβόλα γέγονεν οὐ κατὰ πρόνοιαν, ἀλλὰ κατʼ ἐπακολούθησιν, ὡς καὶ πρότερον εἶπον. ζωογονεῖται γὰρ, ὅταν ἡ ἐνυπάρχουσα ἰκμὰς μεταβάλῃ πρὸς τὸ θερμότερον. ἔνια δὲ καὶ σῆψις ἐψύχωσεν, ὡς ἕλμινθας μὲν ἡ περὶ τροφὴν, φθεῖρας δʼ ἡ ἀπὸ τῶν ἱδρώτων. ὅσα δʼ ἐξ οἰκείας ὕλης κατὰ φύσιν σπερματικὴν καὶ προηγουμένην ἔχει γένεσιν, εἰκότως ἐπιγέγραπται πρόνοιαν.
“Peri men oun toutōn apochrē ta lechthenta. tōn dʼ herpetōn ta iobola gegonen ou kata pronoian, alla katʼ epakolouthēsin, hōs kai proteron eipon. zōogoneitai gar, hotan hē enyparchousa ikmas metabalę̄ pros to thermoteron. enia de kai sēpsis epsychōsen, hōs helminthas men hē peri trophēn, phtheiras dʼ hē apo tōn hidrōtōn. hosa dʼ ex oikeias hylēs kata physin spermatikēn kai proēgoumenēn echei genesin, eikotōs epigegraptai pronoian.
"Enough has been said about these things. The venomous reptiles came into being not by providence but as a consequence, as I said before. For they are brought to life when the moisture within changes to greater heat. Some, too, decay has ensouled, as worms are produced by the decay of food and lice by sweat. But whatever has its origin from its own matter by a seminal and primary nature is rightly ascribed to providence.
Notes and citation
Summary: Venomous creatures arise as by-products, not by providence directly.
- Philo, On Providence 2.
Extrabiblical texts: Philo, Prov. 2 (Philo of Alexandria (works); quotation)
Cite (SBL): Eusebius, Praep. ev. 8.14.59 (Dindorf 1:463; trans. Sophia Scriptura, https://sophiascriptura.com/fathers/eusebius-praeparatio/8-13-1/#p-8-14-59). (abbreviation not yet checked)
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Translation: Translated by Claude from the Greek of Dindorf's Teubner text (1867; digital text First1KGreek, CC BY-SA 4.0), then compared section by section with the public-domain English of E. H. Gifford (1903); differences checked against the Greek.
8.14.60Dindorf 1:463–464
ἤκουσα δὲ καὶ περὶ ἐκείνων διττοὺς λόγους ὡς ἐπʼ ὠφελείᾳ τοῦ ἀνθρώπου γεγονότων, οὓς οὐκ ἂν ἐπικρυψαίμην. ἦν δʼ ὁ μὲν ἕτερος τοιόσδε· πρὸς πολλὰ τῶν ἰατρικῶν ἔφασάν τινες τὰ ἰοβόλα συνεργεῖν καὶ τοὺς μεθοδεύοντας τὴν τέχνην, εἰς ἃ δεῖ καταχρωμένους αὐτοῖς ἐπιστημόνως, ἀλεξιφαρμάκων εὐπορεῖν, ἐπὶ τῇ τῶν μάλιστα ἐπισφαλῶς ἐχόντων ἀπροσδοκήτῳ σωτηρίᾳ· καὶ μέχρι νῦν ἔστιν ἰδεῖν τοὺς μὴ ῥᾳθύμως καὶ ἀμελῶς ἰατρεύειν ἐπιχειροῦντας ἐν ταῖς συνθέσεσι τῶν φαρμάκων καταχρωμένους ἑκάστοις οὐ παρέργως.
ēkousa de kai peri ekeinōn dittous logous hōs epʼ ōpheleią tou anthrōpou gegonotōn, hous ouk an epikrypsaimēn. ēn dʼ ho men heteros toiosde; pros polla tōn iatrikōn ephasan tines ta iobola synergein kai tous methodeuontas tēn technēn, eis ha dei katachrōmenous autois epistēmonōs, alexipharmakōn euporein, epi tę̄ tōn malista episphalōs echontōn aprosdokētǭ sōtērią; kai mechri nyn estin idein tous mē rhąthymōs kai amelōs iatreuein epicheirountas en tais synthesesi tōn pharmakōn katachrōmenous hekastois ou parergōs.
I have also heard two accounts of these as having come into being for man's benefit, which I would not conceal. One was this: some said that venomous creatures help with many medical needs, and that those who practice the art, using them skillfully for what is needed, have an abundance of antidotes for the unexpected rescue of those most dangerously ill; and to this day one can see those who undertake to practice medicine not carelessly or negligently using each of them with attention in compounding their drugs.
Notes and citation
Summary: One account: venomous creatures provide medicines.
- Philo, On Providence 2.
Notes on the original text
- Digital text corrected (line-end hyphen left in the digital text; repeated syllable in the digital text; wrong accent in the digital text): μεθοδεὐοντας → μεθοδεύοντας; ἀμελῶς λῶς → ἀμελῶς; ἔφα- σάν → ἔφασάν.
Extrabiblical texts: Philo, Prov. 2 (Philo of Alexandria (works); quotation)
Cite (SBL): Eusebius, Praep. ev. 8.14.60 (Dindorf 1:463–464; trans. Sophia Scriptura, https://sophiascriptura.com/fathers/eusebius-praeparatio/8-13-1/#p-8-14-60). (abbreviation not yet checked)
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Translation: Translated by Claude from the Greek of Dindorf's Teubner text (1867; digital text First1KGreek, CC BY-SA 4.0), then compared section by section with the public-domain English of E. H. Gifford (1903); differences checked against the Greek.
8.14.61Dindorf 1:464
ὁ δʼ ἕτερος λόγος οὐκ ἰατρικὸς, ἀλλὰ φιλόσοφος ἦν, ὡς ἔοικε. τῷ γὰρ θεῷ ταῦτʼ ἔφασκεν ηὐτρεπίσθαι κατὰ τῶν ἁμαρτανόντων κολαστήρια, ὡς στρατηγοῖς καὶ ἡγεμόσιν ὕστριχας ἢ σίδηρον· οὗ χάριν ἠρεμοῦντα τὸν ἄλλον χρόνον ἀνερεθίζεσθαι πρὸς ἀλκὴν ἐπὶ τοῖς κατακριθεῖσιν, ὧν ἡ φύσις ἐν τῷ ἀδωροδοκήτῳ δικαστηρίῳ ἑαυτῆς κατέγνω θάνατον.
ho dʼ heteros logos ouk iatrikos, alla philosophos ēn, hōs eoike. tǭ gar theǭ tautʼ ephasken ēutrepisthai kata tōn hamartanontōn kolastēria, hōs stratēgois kai hēgemosin hystrichas ē sidēron; hou charin ēremounta ton allon chronon anerethizesthai pros alkēn epi tois katakritheisin, hōn hē physis en tǭ adōrodokētǭ dikastēriǭ heautēs kategnō thanaton.
The other account was not medical but philosophical, it seems. It said that these have been prepared by God as punishments for sinners, as scourges or the sword are for generals and governors; and for this reason, though at rest the rest of the time, they are roused to strength against the condemned, whom nature in her incorruptible court has sentenced to death.
Notes and citation
Summary: Another account: venomous creatures are God's instruments of punishment.
- Philo, On Providence 2.
Notes on the original text
- Digital text corrected (misread letter and repeated syllables in the digital text; wrong accent in the digital text; wrong breathing in the digital text): ηύτρεπίσθαι → ηὐτρεπίσθαι; δτρατηγοῖς τηγοῖς → στρατηγοῖς; οὑ χάριν → οὗ χάριν.
Extrabiblical texts: Philo, Prov. 2 (Philo of Alexandria (works); quotation)
Cite (SBL): Eusebius, Praep. ev. 8.14.61 (Dindorf 1:464; trans. Sophia Scriptura, https://sophiascriptura.com/fathers/eusebius-praeparatio/8-13-1/#p-8-14-61). (abbreviation not yet checked)
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Translation: Translated by Claude from the Greek of Dindorf's Teubner text (1867; digital text First1KGreek, CC BY-SA 4.0), then compared section by section with the public-domain English of E. H. Gifford (1903); differences checked against the Greek.
8.14.62Dindorf 1:464
τὸ δʼ ἐν ταῖς οἰκίαις πεφωλευκέναι μᾶλλον ἐστὶ μὲν ψεῦδος· ἔξω γὰρ ἄστεος ἐν ἀγρῷ καὶ ἐρημίαις θεωρεῖται, φεύγοντα ὡς δεσπότην τὸν ἄνθρωπον. οὐ μὴν ἀλλʼ, εἰ καὶ ἀληθές ἐστιν, ἔχει τινὰ λόγον. ἐν γὰρ μυχοῖς σεσώρευται φορυτὸς καὶ σκυβάλων πλῆθος, οἷς εἰσδύεσθαι φιλεῖ δίχα τοῦ καὶ τὴν κνῖσαν ὁλκὸν ἔχειν δύναμιν.
to dʼ en tais oikiais pephōleukenai mallon esti men pseudos; exō gar asteos en agrǭ kai erēmiais theōreitai, pheugonta hōs despotēn ton anthrōpon. ou mēn allʼ, ei kai alēthes estin, echei tina logon. en gar mychois sesōreutai phorytos kai skybalōn plēthos, hois eisdyesthai philei dicha tou kai tēn knisan holkon echein dynamin.
That they lurk in houses more is false; for they are seen outside the city in the countryside and deserts, fleeing man as their master. Yet even if it is true, it has a reason. For in corners rubbish and a mass of refuse are heaped up, into which they like to creep, besides the fact that the smell has an attractive power.
Notes and citation
Summary: Snakes avoid people; if found in houses, it is because of rubbish.
- Philo, On Providence 2.
Notes on the original text
- Digital text corrected (wrong breathing in the digital text): οἶς εἰσδύεσθαι → οἷς εἰσδύεσθαι.
Extrabiblical texts: Philo, Prov. 2 (Philo of Alexandria (works); quotation)
Cite (SBL): Eusebius, Praep. ev. 8.14.62 (Dindorf 1:464; trans. Sophia Scriptura, https://sophiascriptura.com/fathers/eusebius-praeparatio/8-13-1/#p-8-14-62). (abbreviation not yet checked)
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Translation: Translated by Claude from the Greek of Dindorf's Teubner text (1867; digital text First1KGreek, CC BY-SA 4.0), then compared section by section with the public-domain English of E. H. Gifford (1903); differences checked against the Greek.
8.14.63Dindorf 1:464
εἰ δὲ καὶ χελιδόνες ἡμῖν συνδιαιτῶνται θαυμαστὸν οὐδέν· τῆς γὰρ τούτων θήρας ἀπεχόμεθα. σωτηρίας δὲ πόθος ἐν ταῖς ψυχαῖς οὐ λογικαῖς μόνον, ἀλλὰ καὶ ἀλόγοις ἐνίδρυται, τῶν δὲ πρὸς ἀπόλαυσιν οὐδὲν ὁμοδίαιτον διὰ τὰς ἐξ ἡμῶν ἐπιβουλὰς, πλὴν παρʼ οἷς ἡ τῶν τοιούτων χρῆσις ἀπηγόρευται νόμῳ.
ei de kai chelidones hēmin syndiaitōntai thaumaston ouden; tēs gar toutōn thēras apechometha. sōtērias de pothos en tais psychais ou logikais monon, alla kai alogois enidrytai, tōn de pros apolausin ouden homodiaiton dia tas ex hēmōn epiboulas, plēn parʼ hois hē tōn toioutōn chrēsis apēgoreutai nomǭ.
And if swallows live with us, it is no wonder; for we refrain from hunting them. And the longing for safety is implanted in souls not only rational but also irrational; but none of the animals good to eat lives with us, because of our plots against them, except among those for whom the use of such animals is forbidden by law.
Notes and citation
Summary: Animals we do not hunt, like swallows, live among us.
- Philo, On Providence 2.
Notes on the original text
- Digital text corrected (garbled word in the digital text): χπῆδις σις → χρῆσις.
Extrabiblical texts: Philo, Prov. 2 (Philo of Alexandria (works); quotation)
Cite (SBL): Eusebius, Praep. ev. 8.14.63 (Dindorf 1:464; trans. Sophia Scriptura, https://sophiascriptura.com/fathers/eusebius-praeparatio/8-13-1/#p-8-14-63). (abbreviation not yet checked)
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Translation: Translated by Claude from the Greek of Dindorf's Teubner text (1867; digital text First1KGreek, CC BY-SA 4.0), then compared section by section with the public-domain English of E. H. Gifford (1903); differences checked against the Greek.
8.14.64Dindorf 1:464–465
τῆς Συρίας ἐπὶ θαλάττῃ πόλις ἐστὶν Ἀσκάλων ὄνομα· γενόμενος ἐν ταύτῃ, καθʼ ὃν χρόνον εἰς τὸ πατρῷον ἱερὸν ἐστελλόμην, εὐξόμενός τε καὶ θύσων, ἀμήχανόν τι πελειάδων πλῆθος ἐπὶ τῶν τριόδων καὶ κατʼ οἰκίαν ἑκάστην ἐθεασάμην. πυνθανομένῳ δέ μοι τὴν αἰτίαν ἔφασαν οὐ θεμιτὸν εἶναι συλλαμβάνειν· ἀπειρῆσθαι γὰρ ἐκ παλαιοῦ τοῖς οἰκήτορσι τὴν χρῆσιν. οὕτως ἡμέρωται τὸ ζῷον ὑπʼ ἀδείας ὥστʼ οὐ μόνον ὑπωρόφιον, ἀλλὰ καὶ ὁμοτράπεζον ἀεὶ γίνεσθαι καὶ τοῖς ἐκεχειρίαις ἐντρυφᾶν.
tēs Syrias epi thalattę̄ polis estin Askalōn onoma; genomenos en tautę̄, kathʼ hon chronon eis to patrǭon hieron estellomēn, euxomenos te kai thysōn, amēchanon ti peleiadōn plēthos epi tōn triodōn kai katʼ oikian hekastēn etheasamēn. pynthanomenǭ de moi tēn aitian ephasan ou themiton einai syllambanein; apeirēsthai gar ek palaiou tois oikētorsi tēn chrēsin. houtōs hēmerōtai to zǭon hypʼ adeias hōstʼ ou monon hypōrophion, alla kai homotrapezon aei ginesthai kai tois ekecheiriais entryphan.
There is a city of Syria on the sea named Ascalon. Being there at the time when I was on my way to the ancestral temple to pray and sacrifice, I saw an enormous number of doves at the crossroads and in every house. When I asked the reason, they said it was not lawful to catch them, for their use had been forbidden to the inhabitants from of old. So tame has the creature become through freedom from fear that it is not only under the roof but always at the table, and revels in the truce.
Notes and citation
Summary: Philo saw tame doves everywhere at Ascalon, where they may not be caught.
- Philo, On Providence 2. This is Philo's only recorded mention of his own pilgrimage to the Jerusalem temple.
Notes on the original text
- Digital text corrected (misread letters in the digital text): ἐντσυφαᾶν → ἐντρυφᾶν.
Extrabiblical texts: Philo, Prov. 2 (Philo of Alexandria (works); quotation)
Cite (SBL): Eusebius, Praep. ev. 8.14.64 (Dindorf 1:464–465; trans. Sophia Scriptura, https://sophiascriptura.com/fathers/eusebius-praeparatio/8-13-1/#p-8-14-64). (abbreviation not yet checked)
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Translation: Translated by Claude from the Greek of Dindorf's Teubner text (1867; digital text First1KGreek, CC BY-SA 4.0), then compared section by section with the public-domain English of E. H. Gifford (1903); differences checked against the Greek.
8.14.65Dindorf 1:465
ἐν Αἰγύπτῳ δὲ καὶ θαυμασιώτερον ἰδεῖν ἐστιν. τὸ γὰρ ἀνθρωποβόρον καὶ θηρίων ἀργαλεώτατον ὁ κροκόδειλος, γεννώμενος καὶ τρεφόμενος ἐν τῷ ἱερωτάτῳ Νείλῳ, τῆς ὠφελείας, καίτοι βύθιος ὢν, ἐπαισθάνεται. παρʼ οἷς μὲν γὰρ τιμᾶται πληθύνει μάλιστα, παρὰ δὲ τοῖς λυμαινομένοις οὐδʼ ὄναρ φαίνεται· ὡς τῶν πλεόντων ὅπου μὲν καὶ τοὺς πάνυ θρασεῖς μηδʼ ἄκρον ἐπιτολμᾶν καθιέναι δάκτυλον, ἀγεληδὸν ἐπιφοιτώντων ὅπου δὲ καὶ τοὺς ἄγαν δειλοὺς ἐξαλλομένους νήχεσθαι μετὰ παιδιὰς.
en Aigyptǭ de kai thaumasiōteron idein estin. to gar anthrōpoboron kai thēriōn argaleōtaton ho krokodeilos, gennōmenos kai trephomenos en tǭ hierōtatǭ Neilǭ, tēs ōpheleias, kaitoi bythios ōn, epaisthanetai. parʼ hois men gar timatai plēthynei malista, para de tois lymainomenois oudʼ onar phainetai; hōs tōn pleontōn hopou men kai tous pany thraseis mēdʼ akron epitolman kathienai daktylon, agelēdon epiphoitōntōn hopou de kai tous agan deilous exallomenous nēchesthai meta paidias.
In Egypt there is something more wonderful to see. For the man-eating crocodile, most troublesome of beasts, born and reared in the most sacred Nile, perceives, though it lives in the deep, what benefits it. Among those who honor it, it multiplies most; but among those who harm it, it does not appear even in a dream; so that, of those sailing, in one place even the very bold dare not dip the tip of a finger, as they come in herds, while in another even the very timid leap out and swim playfully.
Notes and citation
Summary: Crocodiles abound where honored and vanish where hunted.
- Philo, On Providence 2.
Notes on the original text
- Digital text corrected (repeated syllables in the digital text; wrong accent in the digital text; wrong breathing in the digital text): ἀργαλεὠτατον → ἀργαλεώτατον; Νείλῳ εἴλω, → Νείλῳ,; ὄπου μὲν → ὅπου μὲν.
Extrabiblical texts: Philo, Prov. 2 (Philo of Alexandria (works); quotation)
Cite (SBL): Eusebius, Praep. ev. 8.14.65 (Dindorf 1:465; trans. Sophia Scriptura, https://sophiascriptura.com/fathers/eusebius-praeparatio/8-13-1/#p-8-14-65). (abbreviation not yet checked)
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Translation: Translated by Claude from the Greek of Dindorf's Teubner text (1867; digital text First1KGreek, CC BY-SA 4.0), then compared section by section with the public-domain English of E. H. Gifford (1903); differences checked against the Greek.