BOOK VI
CONTENTS
Preface p. 236 a
I. The seeming prophecies of the daemons in the oracles are conjectures from the course of the stars, like those made by men. p. 236 d
II. They destroy our free will by asserting that our purposes are set in motion by Fate p. 238 b
III. They were not able even to defend their own consecrated shrines when struck by lightning p. 238 d
IV. They say that the decrees of Fate may be annulled by magic p. 240 d
V. They utter lying prophecies p. 241 c
VI. Refutation of the argument in defence of Fate p. 242 a
VII. How their philosophers refuted the opinions even of their gods concerning Fate by truer reasoning. From Oenomaus p. 255 b
VIII. On the same subject. From Diogenianus p. 262 a
IX. On the same subject. From Alexander Aphrodisiensis p. 268 a
X. How the argument for Fate is refuted from Mathematical science. From Bardesanes p. 273 b
XI. How refuted also from the interpretation and testimony of the Divine Scriptures. From Origen p. 281 a
PREFACE
In the books which we have already completed we have sufficiently exposed the character of the oracles; and the divine power of our Saviour has exhibited in the teaching of His Gospel an excellence worthy of God and at the same time beneficial to man; for by it alone, and by no other teaching, deliverance from the daemoniacal phantoms, which had from the beginning over shadowed and afflicted the whole life of man, was secured for all.
Now let us examine their false doctrines about fate, and so restore the true account of the same subject, in order that the daemons who have been supposed to inspire the oracles may be shown not only by the wickedness of their system, but also by the error and falsity of their opinions, to be worthless and impotent. Consider therefore whether it will not occur to you also that the account of them is inconsistent with divine power, both from what I shall set before you in refutation of their doctrine concerning fate, and from the very manner in which they are said to perform their divinations.
For it is not said that they have gained the knowledge of future events beforehand by any superior power, but that they guess what is coming from observation of the motion of the stars, just as men do. Thus, it is said, they have no power either to help, or to effect anything at all, except what is in accordance with fate. And the evidence of this shall be that self-same daemons' advocate, who in his book entitled O f the Philosophy to be derived from Oracles , speaks word for word as follows: