Theophilus of Antioch, Theophilus to Autolycus

Chapter XXXVI.—Prophecies of the Sibyl.

And the Sibyl, who was a prophetess among the Greeks and the other nations, in the beginning of her prophecy, reproaches the race of men, saying:—

“How are ye still so quickly lifted up,

And how so thoughtless of the end of life,

Ye mortal men of flesh, who are but nought?

Do ye not tremble, nor fear God most high?

Your Overseer, the Knower, Seer of all,

Who ever keeps those whom His hand first made,

Puts His sweet Spirit into all His works,

And gives Him for a guide to mortal men.

There is one only uncreated God,

Who reigns alone, all-powerful, very great,

From whom is nothing hid. He sees all things,

Himself unseen by any mortal eye.

Can mortal man see the immortal God,

Or fleshly eyes, which shun the noontide beams,

Look upon Him, who dwells beyond the heavens?

Worship Him then, the self-existent God,

The unbegotten Ruler of the world,

Who only was from everlasting time,

And shall to everlasting still abide.

Of evil counsels ye shall reap the fruit,

Because ye have not honoured the true God,

Nor offered to Him sacred hecatombs.

To those who dwell in Hades ye make gifts,

And unto demons offer sacrifice.

In madness and in pride ye have your walk;

And leaving the right way, ye wander wide,

And lose yourselves in pitfalls and in thorns.

Why do ye wander thus, O foolish men?

Cease your vain wanderings in the black, dark night;

Why follow darkness and perpetual gloom

When, see, there shines for you the blessed light?

Lo, He is clear—in Him there is no spot.

Turn, then, from darkness, and behold the day;

Be wise, and treasure wisdom in your breasts.

There is one God who sends the winds and rains,

The earthquakes, and the lightnings, and the plagues,

The famines, and the snow-storms, and the ice,

And all the woes that visit our sad race.

Nor these alone, but all things else He gives,

Ruling omnipotent in heaven and earth,

And self-existent from eternity.”

And regarding those [gods] that are said to have been born, she said:—

“If all things that are born must also die,

“God cannot be produced by mortal man.

But there is only One, the All-Supreme,

Who made the heavens, with all their starry host,

The sun and moon; likewise the fruitful earth,

With all the waves of ocean, and the hills,

The fountains, and the ever flowing streams;

He also made the countless multitude

Of ocean creatures, and He keeps alive

All creeping things, both of the earth and sea;

And all the tuneful choir of birds He made,

Which cleave the air with wings, and with shrill pipe

Trill forth at morn their tender, clear-voiced song.

Within the deep glades of the hills He placed

A savage race of beasts; and unto men

He made all cattle subject, making man

the God-formed image, ruler over all,

And putting in subjection to his sway

Things many and incomprehensible.

For who of mortals can know all these things?

He only knows who made them at the first,

He the Creator, incorruptible,

Who dwells in upper air eternally;

Who proffers to the good most rich rewards,

And against evil and unrighteous men

Rouses revenge, and wrath, and bloody wars,

And pestilence, and many a tearful grief.

O man exalted vainly—say why thus

Hast thou so utterly destroyed thyself?

Have ye no shame worshipping beasts for gods?

And to believe the gods should steal your beasts,

Or that they need your vessels—is it not

Frenzy’s most profitless and foolish thought?

Instead of dwelling in the golden heavens,

Ye see your gods become the prey of worms,

And hosts of creatures noisome and unclean.

O fools! ye worship serpents, dogs, and cats,

Birds, and the creeping things of earth and sea,

Images made with hands, statues of stone,

And heaps of rubbish by the wayside placed.

All these, and many more vain things, ye serve,

Worshipping things disgraceful even to name:

These are the gods who lead vain men astray,

From whose mouth streams of deadly poison flow.

But unto Him in whom alone is life,

Life, and undying, everlasting light;

Who pours into man’s cup of life a joy

Sweeter than sweetest honey to his taste,—

Unto Him bow the head, to Him alone,

And walk in ways of everlasting peace.

Forsaking Him, ye all have turned aside,

And, in your raving folly, drained the cup

Of justice quite unmixed, pure, mastering, strong;

And ye will not again be sober men,

Ye will not come unto a sober mind,

And know your God and King, who looks on all:

Therefore, upon you burning fire shall come,

And ever ye shall daily burn in flames,

Ashamed for ever of your useless gods.

But those who worship the eternal God,

They shall inherit everlasting life,

Inhabiting the blooming realms of bliss,

And feasting on sweet food from starry heaven.”

That these things are true, and useful, and just, and profitable to all men, is obvious. Even the poets have spoken of the punishments of the wicked.

Σίβυλλα δέ, ἐν Ἕλλησιν καὶ ἐν τοῖς λοιποῖς ἔθνεσιν γενομένη προφῆτις, ἐν ἀρχῇ τῆς προφητείας αὐτῆς ὀνειδίζει τὸ τῶν ἀνθρώπων γένος, λέγουσα· Ἄνθρωποι θνητοὶ καὶ σάρκινοι, οὐδὲν ἐόντες, πῶς ταχέως ὑψοῦσθε, βίου τέλος οὐκ ἐσορῶντες, οὐ τρέμετ' οὐδὲ φοβεῖσθε θεόν, τὸν ἐπίσκοπον ὑμῶν, ὕψιστον γνώστην, πανεπόπτην, μάρτυρα πάντων, παντοτρόφον κτίστην, ὅστις γλυκὺ πνεῦμ' ἐν ἅπασιν κάτθετο, χἠγητῆρα βροτῶν πάντων ἐποίησεν; εἷς θεός, ὃς μόνος ἄρχει, ὑπερμεγέθης, ἀγένητος, παντοκράτωρ, ἀόρατος, ὁρῶν μόνος αὐτὸς ἅπαντα, αὐτὸς δ' οὐ βλέπεται θνητῆς ὑπὸ σαρκὸς ἁπάσης. τίς γὰρ σὰρξ δύναται τὸν ἐπουράνιον καὶ ἀληθῆ ὀφθαλμοῖσιν ἰδεῖν θεὸν ἄμβροτον, ὃς πόλον οἰκεῖ; ἀλλ' οὐδ' ἀκτίνων κατεναντίον ἡελίοιο ἄνθρωποι στῆναι δυνατοί, θνητοὶ γεγαῶτες, ἄνδρες ἐν ὀστήεσσι, φλέβες καὶ σάρκες ἐόντες. αὐτὸν τὸν μόνον ὄντα σέβεσθ' ἡγήτορα κόσμου, ὃς μόνος εἰς αἰῶνα καὶ ἐξ αἰῶνος ἐτύχθη. αὐτογενής, ἀγένητος, ἅπαντα κρατῶν διαπαντός, πᾶσι βροτοῖσι νέμων τὸ κριτήριον ἐν φαῒ κοινῷ. τῆς κακοβουλοσύνης δὲ τὸν ἄξιον ἕξετε μισθόν, ὅττι θεὸν προλιπόντες ἀληθινὸν ἀεναόν τε δοξάζειν, αὐτῷ τε θύειν ἱερὰς ἑκατόμβας, δαίμοσι τὰς θυσίας ἐποιήσατε τοῖσιν ἐν ἅδῃ· τύφῳ καὶ μανίῃ δὲ βαδίζετε, καὶ τρίβον ὀρθὴν εὐθεῖαν προλιπόντες ἀπήλθετε, καὶ δι' ἀκανθῶν καὶ σκολόπων ἐπλανᾶσθε. βροτοὶ παύσασθε μάταιοι ·εμβόμενοι σκοτίῃ καὶ ἀφεγγέϊ νυκτὶ μελαίνῃ, καὶ λίπετε σκοτίην νυκτός, φωτὸς δὲ λάβεσθε. οὗτος ἰδοὺ πάντεσσι σαφὴς ἀπλάνητος ὑπάρχει. ἔλθετε, μὴ σκοτίην δὲ διώκετε καὶ γνόφον αἰεί· ἡελίου γλυκυδερκὲς ἰδοὺ φάος ἔξοχα λάμπει. γνῶτε δὲ κατθέμενοι σοφίην ἐν στήθεσιν ὑμῶν· εἷς θεὸς ἔστι, βροχάς, ἀνέμους, σεισμοὺς ἐπιπέμπων, ἀστεροπάς, λιμούς, λοιμοὺς καὶ κήδεα λυγρὰ καὶ νιφετούς, κρύσταλλα. τί δὴ καθ' ἓν ἐξαγορεύω; οὐρανοῦ ἡγεῖται, γαίης κρατεῖ, αὐτὸς ὑπάρχει. καὶ πρὸς τοὺς γενητοὺς λεγομένους ἔφη· Eἰ δὲ γενητὸν ὅλως καὶ φθείρεται, οὐ δύνατ' ἀνδρὸς ἐκ μηρῶν μήτρας τε θεὸς τετυπωμένος εἶναι. ἀλλὰ θεὸς μόνος εἷς πανυπέρτατος, ὃς πεποίηκεν οὐρανὸν ἡέλιόν τε καὶ ἀστέρας ἠδὲ σελήνην, καρποφόρον γαῖάν τε καὶ ὕδατος οἴδματα πόντου, οὔρεα θ' ὑψήεντα καὶ ἀέναα χεύματα πηγῶν· τῶν τ' ἐνύδρων πάλι γεννᾷ ἀνήριθμον πολὺ πλῆθος. ἕρπετα δὲ γαίης κινούμενα ψυχοτροφεῖται, ποικίλα τε πτηνῶν λιγυρόθροα, τραυλίζοντα, ξουθά, λιγυπτερόφωνα, ταράσσοντ' ἀέρα ταρσοῖς, ἐν δὲ νάπαις ὀρέων ἀγρίαν γένναν θέτο θηρῶν· ἡμῖν τε κτήνη ὑπέταξεν πάντα βροτοῖσιν, πάντων δ' ἡγητῆρα κατέστησεν θεότευκτον, ἀνδρὶ δ' ὑπαίταξεν παμποίκιλα κοὐ καταληπτά. τίς γὰρ σὰρξ δύναται θνητῶν γνῶναι τάδ' ἅπαντα; ἀλλ' αὐτὸς μόνος οἶδεν ὁ ποιήσας τάδ' ἀπ' ἀρχῆς ἄφθαρτος κτίστης αἰώνιος, αἰθέρα ναίων, τοῖς ἀγαθοῖς ἀγαθὸν προφέρων πολὺ πλείονα μισθόν, τοῖς δὲ κακοῖς ἀδίκοις τε χόλον καὶ θυμὸν ἐγείρων, καὶ πόλεμον καὶ λοιμὸν ἴδ' ἄλγεα δακρυόεντα. ἄνθρωποι, τί μάτην ὑψούμενοι ἐκριζοῦσθε; Aἰσχύνθητε γαλᾶς καὶ κνώδαλα θειοποιοῦντες. οὐ μανίη καὶ λύσσα φρενῶν αἴσθησιν ἀφαιρεῖ, εἰ λοπάδας κλέπτουσι θεοί, συλοῦσι δὲ χύτρας; ἀντὶ δὲ χρυσήεντα πόλον κατὰ πίονα ναίειν σητόβρωτα δέδορκε, πυκναῖς δ' ἀράχναις δεδίασται· προσκυνέοντες ὄφεις κύνας αἰλούρους, ἀνόητοι, καὶ πετεηνὰ σέβεσθε καὶ ἑρπετὰ θηρία γαίης καὶ λίθινα ξόανα καὶ ἀγάλματα χειροποίητα, καὶ παρ' ὁδοῖσι λίθων συγχώσματα· ταῦτα σέβεσθε ἄλλα τε πολλὰ μάταια, ἃ δή κ' αἰσχρὸν ἀγορεύειν, εἰσι θεοὶ μερόπων δόλῳ ἡγητῆρες ἀβούλων τῶν δὴ κἀκ στόματος χεῖται θανατηφόρος ἰός. ὃς δ' ἔστι ζωή τε καὶ ἄφθιτον ἀέναον φῶς, καὶ μέλιτος γλυκερώτερον ἀνδράσι χάρμα ἐκπροχέει τῷ δὴ μόνῳ αὐχένα κάμπτειν, καὶ τρίβον αἰώνεσσιν ἐν εὐσεβέεσσ' ἀνακλίνοις. ταῦτα λιπόντες ἅπαντα, δίκης μεστὸν τὸ κύπελλον ζωρότερον, στιβαρόν, βεβαρημένον, εὖ μάλ' ἄκρητον, εἱλκύσατ' ἀφροσύνῃ μεμανηότι πνεύματι πάντες· κοὐ θέλετ' ἐκνῆψαι καὶ σώφρονα πρὸς νόον ἐλθεῖν, καὶ γνῶναι βασιλῆα θεόν, τὸν πάντ' ἐφορῶντα. τοὔνεκεν αἰσθομένοιο πυρὸς σέλας ἔρχετ' ἐφ' ὑμᾶς· λαμπάσι καυθήσεσθε δι' αἰῶνος τὸ πανῆμαρ, ψευδέσιν αἰσχυνθέντες ἐπ' εἰδώλοισιν ἀχρήστοις. οἱ δὲ θεὸν τιμῶντες ἀληθινὸν ἀέναόν τε ζωὴν κληρονομοῦσι, τὸν αἰῶνος χρόνον αὐτοὶ οἰκοῦντες παραδείσου ὁμῶς ἐριθηλέα κῆπον, δαινύμενοι γλυκὺν ἄρτον ἀπ' οὐρανοῦ ἀστερόεντος. ὅτι μὲν οὖν ταῦτα ἀληθῆ καὶ ὠφέλιμα καὶ δίκαια καὶ προφιλῆ πᾶσιν ἀνθρώποις τυγχάνει, δῆλόν ἐστιν, καὶ ὅτι οἱ κακῶς δράσαντες ἀναγκαίως ἔχουσιν κατ' ἀξίαν τῶν πράξεων κολασθῆναι.