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κάπρον. πῶς οὖν ἔσται θεὸς ἡ τοιαύτη γυνὴ καὶ
κυνηγὸς καὶ ῥεμβομένη μετὰ τῶν κυνῶν;
Ἀφροδίτην δὲ λέγουσι καὶ αὐτὴν θεὰν εἶναι
μοιχαλίδα. ποτὲ γὰρ ἔσχε μοιχὸν τὸν Ἄρην,
ποτὲ δὲ Ἀγχίσην, ποτὲ δὲ Ἄδωνιν, οὗτινος καὶ
τὸν θάνατον κλαίει, ζητοῦσα τὸν ἐραστὴν αὐτῆς:
ἣν λέγουσιν καὶ εἰς ᾍδου καταβαίνειν, ὅπως
ἐξαγοράσῃ τὸν Ἄδωνιν ἀπὸ τῆς Περσεφόνης.
εἶδες, ὧ βασιλεῦ, μείζονα ταύτης ἀφροσύνην;
θεὰν παρεισάγειν τὴν μοιχεύουσαν καὶ θρηνοῦσαν καὶ κλαίουσαν;
Ἄδωνιν δὲ παρεισάγουσι θεὸν εἶναι κυνηγόν,
καὶ τοῦτον βιαίως ἀποθανεῖν πληγέντα ὑπὸ τοῦ
ὑός, καὶ μὴ δυνηθέντα βοηθῆσαι τῇ ταλαιπωρίᾳ
ἑαυτοῦ. Πῶς οὖν τῶν ἀνθρώπων φροντίδα ποιήσεται
ὁ μοιχὸς καὶ κυνηγὸς καὶ βιοθάνατος;
Ταῦτα πάντα καὶ πολλὰ τοιαῦτα καὶ πολλῷ
πλεῖον αἰσχρότερα καὶ πονηρὰ παρεισήγαγον οἱ
Ἕλληνες, βασιλεῦ, περὶ τῶν θεῶν αὐτῶν, ἃ οὔτε
λέγειν θέμις, οὔτ̓ ἐπὶ μνήμης ὅλως φέρειν: ὅθεν
λαμβάνοντες οἱ ἄνθρωποι ἀφορμὴν ἀπὸ τῶν θεῶν
αὐτῶν ἔπραττον πᾶσαν ἀνομίαν καὶ ἀσέλγειαν
καὶ ἀσέβειαν, καταμιαίνοντες γῆν τε καὶ ἀέρα
ταῖς δειναῖς αὐτῶν πράξεσιν.
Αἰγύπτιοι δέ, ἀβελτερώτεροι καὶ ἀφρονέστεροι
John, of Damascus (attributed author). G.R. Woodward. H. Mattingly. St. John Damascene Barlaam and Joseph. William Heinemann Ltd; Harvard University Press. London; Cambridge, Mass. 1914. Keyboarding.
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