Barlaam and Ioasaph 1 part 12/18

but if, being defeated whether by deceit or in truth, you become today the cause of shame to me, I will swiftly avenge my outrage, tearing out with my own hands both your heart and your tongue, and giving these along with the rest of your body as food to dogs, so that through you all may be taught not to lead astray the sons of kings."

Nachor, hearing these words, was greatly downcast and gloomy, seeing himself falling into the pit which he had dug and being caught in the snare which he had hidden, and perceiving his own sword sinking into his own heart.

Reasoning within himself, therefore, he resolved rather to side with the king's son and to uphold his cause, in order to escape the danger hanging over him, since the son could reasonably punish him if he were found to be provoking him.

But this was altogether the work of divine providence, which wisely confirms our cause through opposing means.

For as the initiates of the idols and Nachor came to speech with one another, just as another Balaam who once, in the time of Balak, having intended to curse Israel, blessed him instead with manifold blessings, so also Nachor firmly opposed those unwise and unintelligent wise men.

For as the king sat upon his throne, with his son sitting in council with him, as we have said, and as the unwise rhetors stood by who had sharpened their tongues like a sword for the overthrow of truth—who, in the words of Isaiah, conceive trouble and bring forth iniquity—and as countless multitudes had gathered to watch the contest, so as to learn which side would carry off the victory, one of the rhetors says to Nachor,

the most distinguished of all the rhetors present with him:

"Are you the Barlaam who so shamelessly and insolently insults our gods, and who has wrapped the king's most beloved son in such error and taught him to worship the crucified one?" And Nachor —

— answered, "I am, I am Barlaam, who indeed disdains your gods, as you have said, but who has not wrapped the king's son in error, but has rather delivered him from error and brought him into intimacy with the true God.

"Of the great and wondrous men," he said, "who have discovered all the science of wisdom, who name those exalted and immortal gods, and whom all the kings and illustrious men on earth worship and revere, how do you move your tongue against them, and dare altogether to be so bold in such things? What proof is there that these are not gods, but rather the crucified one?" But Nachor, taking this up, did not deem that rhetor worthy of any reply at all;

but, motioning with his hand for the multitude to be silent, opening his mouth, like the ass of Balaam, he spoke the things which he had not intended to say;

and he says to the king:

"I, O king, came into the world by the providence of God;

and beholding heaven and earth and sea, sun and moon and the rest, I marveled at their ordered arrangement.

And seeing the world and all things in it, that they move by necessity, I understood that the one who moves and sustains them is God;

for everything that moves is stronger than that which is moved, and that which sustains is stronger than that which is sustained.

Him, therefore, I say to be God, who established and sustains all things, without beginning and eternal, immortal and without need, above all passions and defects, above anger and forgetfulness and ignorance and the rest.

And through him all things consist.

He has no need of sacrifice and libation, nor of any of the things that are visible;

These things having thus been said concerning God, as far as I was able to speak of him, let us come also to the human race, so that we may see which of them share in the truth and which in error.

For it is evident to us, O king, that there are three kinds of people in this world:

of whom there are the worshippers of those called gods by you, and the Jews, and the Christians;

and again, those who worship many gods are themselves divided into three kinds: Chaldeans, Greeks, and Egyptians;

for these have become the originators and teachers to the rest of the nations of the worship and veneration of the many-named gods.

Let us see, then, which of these share in the truth and which in error.

For the Chaldeans, not knowing God, went astray after the elements and began to worship the creation rather than the one who created them;

and having made certain images of these, they called them representations of heaven and earth and sea, of sun and moon, and of the other elements or luminaries, and, shutting them up in temples, they worship them, calling them gods, whom they also guard securely lest they be stolen by robbers.

And they did not understand that everything that guards is greater than that which is guarded, and that the maker is greater than the thing made;

for if their gods are powerless concerning their own safety, how will they grant safety to others? The Chaldeans, therefore, went astray in a great error, worshipping dead and useless images.

And it occurs to me to marvel, O king, how those who are called philosophers among them did not understand at all that the very elements themselves are corruptible.

But if the elements are corruptible and subject to necessity, how are they gods? And if the elements are not gods, how can the images made in their honor be gods? Let us come, then, O king, to the elements themselves, so that we may demonstrate

concerning them that they are not gods, but corruptible and subject to change, brought forth out of non-being by the command of the truly existing God, who is incorruptible and unchangeable and invisible;

but he himself sees all things, and, as he wills, alters and changes them.

What, then, do I say concerning the elements? Those who suppose the heaven to be a god are in error.

For we see it turning and moving by necessity, and composed of many parts;

and an ordered structure is the construction of some craftsman;

and that which has been constructed has both a beginning and an end.

And the heaven moves by necessity along with its luminaries;

for the stars, being carried in order and at fixed intervals from point to point, some set and others rise, and at their appointed times they make their courses so as to bring about summers and winters, just as it has been ordained for them by God, and they do not transgress their own boundaries, by the inescapable necessity of nature, together with the heavenly world.

Whence it is evident that heaven is not God, but a work of God.

And those who suppose the earth to be a goddess have gone astray.

For we see it being abused by men, and dominated, and mixed, and rendered useless.

For if it is scorched, it becomes dead;

for nothing grows from a potsherd.

And further, if it is drenched too much, both it itself and its fruits are ruined.

It is trampled underfoot by men and by the rest of the animals, it is defiled by the blood of those who are slain, it is dug through, and it becomes a repository of dead bodies.

These things being so, it is not possible for the earth to be a goddess, but rather a work of God for the use of men.

And those who suppose water to be a god have gone astray.

For it too came into being for the use of men, and it is dominated by them, is defiled and corrupted, and is altered when boiled and changed in colors, and congeals by cold, and is used for the washing of all manner of unclean things.

Therefore it is impossible for water to be a god, but rather a work of God.

And those who suppose fire to be a god are in error.

For it too came into being for the use of men;

and it is dominated by them, being carried about from place to place for the boiling and roasting of all kinds of meats, and also of dead bodies.

And it is destroyed in many ways, being extinguished by men.

Therefore it is not possible for fire to be a god, but rather a work of God.

And those who suppose the breath of the winds to be a goddess are in error;

for it is evident that it serves another, and was made by God for the sake of men, for the conveyance of ships and the gathering in of crops, and for their other needs it increases and abates, according to the command of God.

Therefore the breath of the winds is not held to be a goddess, but a work of God.

But those who think the sun to be a god are in error.

For we see it moving by necessity and turning, and passing from point to point, setting and rising, warming the plants and shoots for the use of men, and moreover having divisions along with the rest of the stars, and being much smaller than the heaven, and failing of its light, and having no mastery over itself.

Therefore the sun is not held to be a god, but a work of God.

But those who think the moon to be a goddess are in error.

For we see it moving by necessity and turning, and passing from point to point, setting and rising for the need of men, and being smaller than the sun, waxing and waning, and having eclipses.

Therefore the moon is not held to be a goddess, but a work of God.

But those who think man to be a god are in error.

For we see him moving by necessity, and being nourished and growing old, even against his own will.

And at one time he rejoices, at another he grieves, being in need of food and drink and clothing.

And he is prone to anger and jealous and full of desire, and repents, and has many defects.

And he perishes in many ways, by the elements and by animals, and by the death that lies upon him.

It is not possible, therefore, for man to be a god, but a work of God.

The Chaldeans, then, have gone astray in a great error, following after their own desires.

For they worship corruptible elements and dead images, and do not perceive that in doing so they are deifying these things.

Let us come, then, to the Greeks, that we may see whether they have any right notion concerning God.

The Greeks, then, though calling themselves wise, became more foolish than the Chaldeans, introducing many gods as having come into being, some male, some female, makers of every kind of passion and every sort of transgression.

Whence, O king, the Greeks introduced ridiculous and foolish and impious words, calling by the name of gods those who do not exist, according to their own wicked desires, so that, having these as advocates of their wickedness, they might commit adultery, plunder, murder, and do all manner of terrible deeds.

For if their gods did such things, how shall they themselves not do likewise? From these practices of error, then, it came to pass that men had frequent wars, and slaughters, and bitter captivities.

But if we should wish to go through each of their gods in turn with our discourse, you will see much absurdity.

The first introduced by them, before all others, is the god called Cronos, and to him they sacrifice their own children — he who had many children by Rhea, and, going mad, devoured his own children.

They say that Zeus cut off his father's private parts and threw them into the sea, whence Aphrodite is fabled to have been born.

So Zeus, having bound his own father, cast him into Tartarus.

Do you see the error and the licentiousness which they attribute to their own god? Is it then possible for a god to be a prisoner and mutilated? O the folly!

Who among those possessing reason would say such things? Second is introduced Zeus, whom they say reigned as king of their gods, and transformed himself into animals, in order to commit adultery with mortal women.

For they represent him as transforming himself into a bull to approach Europa, and into gold to approach Danaë, and into a swan to approach Leda, and into a satyr to approach Antiope, and into a thunderbolt to approach Semele.

Then from these unions were born many children: Dionysus, and Zethus and Amphion, and Heracles, and Apollo and Artemis, and Perseus, Castor and Helen and Polydeuces, and Minos, and Rhadamanthus, and Sarpedon, and the nine daughters whom they called the Muses.

Then in like manner they introduce the story concerning Ganymede.

It came to pass then, O king, that men imitated all these things, and became adulterers and sodomites, and workers of other terrible deeds, in imitation of their god.

How then can it be that a god is an adulterer or a sodomite or a parricide? Along with this they also introduce a certain Hephaestus as being a god, one who is lame, and holds a hammer and fire-tongs, and works as a smith for the sake of his food.

which it is not possible for a god to be — lame and in need of men.

Then they introduce Hermes as being a god, one full of desire and a thief and covetous and a sorcerer, and lame, and an interpreter of words.

which it is not possible for a god to be such.

They introduce Asclepius as being a god, one who was a physician and prepared medicines and the compounding of plasters, for the sake of food (for he was in need), and who was later struck by a thunderbolt from Zeus, because of Tyndareus, son of Lacedaemon, and died.

But if Asclepius, being a god and struck by the thunderbolt, was not able to help himself, how shall he help others? And Ares is introduced as being a god, a warrior and jealous, and a desirer of cattle and certain other things.

and later, while committing adultery with Aphrodite, he was bound by the infant Eros and by Hephaestus.

How then is he a god, this one who is full of desire and a warrior and a captive and an adulterer? And they introduce Dionysus as being a god, one who holds nocturnal festivals and is a teacher of drunkenness, and

one who tears away the wives of his neighbors, and is mad and flees.

and later he was slain by the Titans.

If, then, Dionysus, being slain, was not able to help himself, but was also mad and a drunkard and a fugitive, how could he be a god? And they introduce Heracles as having become drunk and mad, and having slain his own children, and afterward being consumed by fire and thus dying.

How then could he be a god, a drunkard and a child-slayer and one being burned up? Or how shall he help others, being unable to help himself? And they introduce Apollo as being a jealous god, moreover holding a bow and quiver, and at times also a lyre and pipe, and prophesying to men for the sake of payment.

which it is not possible for a god to be — needy and jealous and a lyre-player.

And they introduce Artemis as being his sister, a huntress, having a bow with a quiver, and that she wanders about the mountains alone with her dogs, in order to hunt deer or boar.

How then shall such a woman be a god — a huntress wandering about with dogs? And they say that Aphrodite too is a goddess, an adulteress.

For at one time she had Ares as her lover, at another Anchises, at another Adonis, whose death also she bewails, seeking her lover.

They say that she even went down to Hades, in order to redeem Adonis from Persephone.

Have you seen, O king, a greater folly than this — to introduce as a goddess one who commits adultery and laments and weeps? And they introduce Adonis as being a god, a hunter, and that he died violently, wounded by a boar, and was not able to help himself in his misery.

How then shall this adulterer and hunter, who died a violent death, take thought for men? All these things, O king, and many more like them, and things far more shameful and wicked, the Greeks have introduced concerning their gods — things which it is not lawful even to speak, nor to call to mind at all.

Whence men, taking occasion from their gods, committed every unlawfulness and licentiousness and impiety, defiling both earth and air with their terrible deeds.

But the Egyptians, being more stupid and more foolish than these, have gone astray worse than all the nations.

For they were not content with the objects of worship of the Chaldeans and the Greeks, but even introduced irrational animals as being gods, both those of the land and those of the water, and plants and shoots, and were defiled in every madness and licentiousness worse than all the nations upon the earth.

For from the beginning they worshipped Isis, who had as brother and husband Osiris, who was slain by his own brother Typhon.

And because of this Isis fled with Horus her son to Byblos in Syria, seeking Osiris, bitterly lamenting, until Horus grew up and killed Typhon.

Neither, then, was Isis able to help her own brother and husband.

Nor was Osiris, being slain by Typhon, able to defend himself.

Nor did Typhon, the fratricide, being destroyed by Horus and Isis, find means to save himself from death.

And in such misfortunes these very ones came to be recognized and considered as gods by the senseless Egyptians.

They, not even content with these or with the other objects of worship of the nations, introduced also irrational animals as being gods.

For some of them worshipped the sheep, some the goat, others the calf and the pig, others the raven and the hawk and the vulture and the eagle, and others the crocodile, some the cat and the dog, and the wolf and the ape, and the dragon and the asp, and others the onion and the garlic and thorns, and the rest of created things.

And these wretched ones do not perceive concerning all these things that they have no power at all.

For seeing their gods being eaten by other men, and burned, and slaughtered, and rotting, they did not understand concerning them that they are not gods.

A great error, then, have the Egyptians and the Chaldeans and the Greeks fallen into.

introducing such gods, and making images of them, and deifying deaf and senseless idols.

And I marvel how, seeing their gods being sawn and hewn by craftsmen, and growing old with time and disintegrating, and being melted down, they did not think concerning them that they are not gods.

For when they have no power at all concerning their own preservation, how shall they take thought for men? But their poets and philosophers, both of the Chaldeans and the Greeks and the Egyptians, wishing by their poems and writings to glorify their gods, all the more uncovered their shame and exposed it naked to all.

For if the body of man, though composed of many parts, does not cast off any of its own members, but having an unbreakable union with all its members, is in harmony with itself, how shall there be in the nature of God so great a conflict and discord? For if the nature of the gods were one, god ought not to pursue god, nor slay, nor do evil.

But if the gods were pursued by gods and slain, and were carried off and struck by thunderbolts, then it is no longer one nature, but divided wills, all of them evil-doing, so that none of them is a god.

It is evident, then, O king, that the whole natural philosophy concerning the gods is error.

How did the wise and learned among the Greeks not understand that even those who established the laws are judged by their own laws? For if the laws are just, then their gods are altogether unjust, having committed lawless acts — mutual slaughters and sorceries, and adulteries and thefts and sodomies.

But if they did these things rightly, then the laws are unjust, having been composed against the gods.

But now, the laws are good and just, praising good things and forbidding evil things;

but the deeds of their gods are lawless;

therefore their gods are lawless, and all who introduce such gods are liable to death and are impious.

For if the stories about them are mythical, they are nothing but mere words;

but if they are natural, then those who did and suffered these things are no longer gods;

and if they are allegorical, they are myths and nothing else.

It has therefore been demonstrated, O king, that all these polytheistic objects of worship are works of error and destruction.

One ought not, then, call gods those who are visible yet do not see;

but one must worship the invisible God who created all things.

Let us come, then, O king, also to the Jews, that we may see what they too think concerning God.

For these, being descendants of Abraham and Isaac and Jacob, sojourned in Egypt;

and from there God led them out with a mighty hand and an uplifted arm through Moses their lawgiver, and by many wonders and signs made known to them his own power.

But they too, proving themselves ungrateful and useless, often served the objects of worship of the nations, and killed the prophets and righteous men sent to them.

Then, when the Son of God was pleased to come upon the earth, they, treating him with drunken insolence, betrayed him to Pilate, the governor of the Romans, and condemned him to the cross, having no reverence for his benefactions and for the countless wonders which he had worked among them.

Wherefore they perished by their own transgression.

For even now they worship God, the only Almighty, but not according to full knowledge;

for they deny Christ, the Son of God, and are like the Gentiles, even though they may somehow seem to draw near the truth, from which they have distanced themselves.

But the Christians trace their lineage from the Lord Jesus Christ.

He is confessed to be the Son of God Most High, who came down from heaven in the Holy Spirit for the salvation of mankind, and being born of a holy Virgin without seed and without corruption, took on flesh, and appeared to men, that he might call them back from polytheistic error.

And, having accomplished his wondrous dispensation, he tasted death by the cross, by his own voluntary will, according to a great dispensation;

and after three days he rose to life again, and ascended into the heavens.

The glory of his coming you may, O king, come to know from what is called among them the holy Gospel Scripture, if you should read it.

He had twelve disciples, who, after his ascent into the heavens, went out into the provinces of the inhabited world, and taught his majesty;

just as one of them went about through our own regions, proclaiming the doctrine of the truth.

Whence those who still minister to the righteousness of their preaching are called Christians.

And these are they who, beyond all the nations of the earth, have found the truth;

for they know God, the creator and maker of all things in the only-begotten Son and the Holy Spirit, and they worship no other god besides this one.

They have the commandments of the Lord Jesus Christ himself engraved on their hearts, and they keep these, awaiting the resurrection of the dead and the life of the age to come.

They do not commit adultery, do not fornicate, do not bear false witness, do not covet what belongs to others; they honor father and mother, and love their neighbors; they judge justly; whatever they do not wish to be done to themselves, they do not do to another; they exhort those who wrong them and make them beloved to themselves; they are eager to do good to their enemies; they are gentle and forbearing; they abstain from all unlawful intercourse and from all impurity; they do not overlook the widow, they do not grieve the orphan;

he who has, unstintingly supplies him who has not;

if they see a stranger, they bring him under their roof, and rejoice over him as over a true brother;

for they call one another brothers not according to the flesh, but according to the spirit.

They are ready to give up their souls for Christ's sake;

for they keep his commands securely, living holily and justly, just as the Lord God commanded them, giving thanks to him at every hour, in every food and drink and in all other good things.

Truly, then, this is the way of truth, which leads by the hand those who journey on it into the eternal kingdom that was promised by Christ in the life to come.

And that you may know, O king, that I do not say these things of myself, if you look closely into the Scriptures of the Christians, you will find that I say nothing outside of the truth.

Your son, therefore, has understood well, and has rightly been taught to serve the living God and to be saved unto the age that is to come.

For great and wonderful are the things said and done by the Christians;

for they speak not the words of men, but those of God.

But the rest of the nations are deceived, and deceive themselves;

for as they journey in darkness they dash against one another as men who are drunk.

Thus far my discourse to you, O king, which was dictated in my mind by the truth.

Wherefore, let your foolish wise men cease their vain talk against the Lord;

for it is expedient for you to worship God the Creator and to give ear to his incorruptible words, that, escaping judgment and punishment, you may be shown to be heirs of imperishable life.

When Nachor had gone through these things, the king was changed with wrath;

but his orators and temple-wardens stood speechless, unable to say anything in reply except some feeble and worthless little arguments.

But the king's son exulted in spirit, and with a radiant countenance glorified the Lord, who gives a way out of the impasse to those who trust in him, who even through the adversary and enemy strengthened the truth;

and the ringleader of error was shown to be an advocate of the right doctrine.

The king, however, though terribly angry at Nachor, was nevertheless unable to do him any harm, because of the decree previously proclaimed before all, urging him to speak fearlessly on behalf of the Christians;

but he himself, contending much, kept hinting through riddles that he should give way somewhat in his opposition and be defeated in the debate by the orators.

But he prevailed all the more, refuting all their propositions and

syllogisms, and exposing the deceitfulness of error.

And when the debate had extended almost until evening, the king ordered the council to be dissolved, since he wished to deliberate on this matter again on the following day.

But the son said to the king:

As at the beginning you ordered a just judgment to take place, my lord, add justice to the end also, doing one of two things:

either allow my teacher to remain with me this night, so that we may together deliberate about what we must say tomorrow to those who fight against us, while you in turn take your own men with you and consider what is fitting as you wish;

or else, having yielded your own men to me this night, take my man to yourself.

But if both should remain with you, mine in affliction and fear, while yours are in joy and ease, this does not seem to me to be a just judgment, but a tyranny of power and a transgression of the agreements.

And the king, overcome by the cleverness of the speech, taking his wise men and priests to himself, yielded Nachor to his son, still holding hopes concerning him and thinking to keep what had been agreed.

The king's son then went away to his own palace, like some Olympic victor who has prevailed over his opponents, having Nachor with him.

And having called him aside privately, he said:

Do not think that what concerns you escapes my notice;

for I know precisely that you are not the most divine Barlaam, but Nachor the astrologer.

And I marvel how it seemed good to you to play such a pretense, and to think you could envelop me in such dim-sightedness in the middle of the day, so that I should receive a wolf instead of a sheep.

But well is the saying sung, that 'the heart of a fool thinks vain things.'

This device and plan of yours, then, was stale and altogether foolish;

but the deed which you performed is filled with all wisdom.

Wherefore rejoice, Nachor, and be exceeding glad;