9:9
Τοιοῦτοί τινές εἰσιν οἱ δαίμονες· οὗτοι οἳ τὴν εἱμαρμένην ὥρισαν. Στοιχείωσις δὲ αὐτοῖς ἡ ζώωσις ἦν. Τὰ γὰρ ἐπὶ τῆς γῆς ἑρπετὰ καὶ τὰ ἐν τοῖς ὕδασι νηκτὰ καὶ τὰ ἐπὶ τοῖς ὄρεσι τετράποδα, μεθ ὧν ἐποιοῦντο τὴν δίαιταν ἔκβλητοι τῆς ἐν οὐρανῷ διαίτης γεγενημένοι, ταῦτα τῆς ἐπουρανίου τιμῆς ἠξίωσαν, ἵνα τε νομισθῶσιν αὐτοὶ διατρίβειν ἐν οὐρανῷ καὶ τὴν ἄλογον ἐπὶ γῆς πολιτείαν εὔλογον διὰ τῆς ἀστροθεσίας ἀποδείξωσιν. Ὥστε ὁ θυμικὸς καὶ ὁ ἐπίμοχθος, καὶ ὁ ἐγκρατευόμενος καὶ ὁ ἀκρατής, καὶ ὁ πτωχεύων καὶ ὁ πλουτῶν, ἀπ αὐτῶν ἐστι τῶν νομοθετησάντων τὴν γένεσιν.Ἡ γὰρ τοῦ ζωδιακοῦ κύκλου γραφὴ θεῶν ἐστι ποίημα. Καὶ τὸ ἐπικρατῆσαν, ὥς φασιν, ἑνὸς αὐτῶν φῶς τοὺς πλείονας παραβραβεύει· καὶ ὁ νικώμενος εἰς αὖθις νῦν ἐπικρατεῖν εἴωθεν. Εὐαρεστοῦσι δὲ αὐτοῖς οἱ ἑπτὰ πλανῆται, ὥσπερ οἱ ἐν τοῖς πεττοῖς ἀθύροντες. Ἡμεῖς δὲ καὶ εἱμαρμένης ἐσμὲν ἀνώτεροι, καὶ ἀντὶ πλανητῶν δαιμόνων ἕνα τὸν ἀπλανῆ δεσπότην μεμαθήκαμεν, καὶ οὐ καθ εἱμαρμένην ἀγόμενοι τοὺς ταύτης νομοθέτας παρῃτήμεθα.Λέγε μοι πρὸς τοῦ θεοῦ, Τριπτόλεμος ἔσπειρε τοὺς πυρούς, καὶ μετὰ τὸ πένθος εὐεργετεῖ τοὺς Ἀθηναίους; Διὰ τί δὲ ἡ Δημήτηρ τῆς θυγατρὸς μὴ ἀπολωλυίας τῶν ἀνθρώπων εὐεργέτις οὐκ ἐγένετο; Κύων ὁ τῆς Ἠριγόνης ἐν οὐρανῷ δείκνυται καὶ Σκορπίος ὁ τῆς Ἀρτέμιδος βοηθὸς καὶ Χείρων ὁ Κένταυρος καὶ ἡ ἡμίτομος Ἀργὼ καὶ ἡ Καλλιστοῦς ἄρκτος. Εἶτα πῶς πρὶν τούτους περὶ τὰς προειρημένας πράξεις γενέσθαι ἀκόσμητος ἦν ὁ οὐρανός; Τίνε δὲ οὐ γελοῖον εἶναι δόξει τὸ κατὰ μέν τινας διὰ τὴν Σικελίαν ἀστροθετούμενον Δελτωτόν, κατ ἐνίους δὲ τῆς τοῦ Διὸς προσωνυμίας πρωτότυπον στοιχεῖον; Διὰ τί γὰρ οὐχὶ καὶ ἡ Σαρδὼ καὶ ἡ Κύπρος ἐν οὐρανῷ τετίμηνται; Τίνος δὲ ἕνεκεν οὐχὶ καὶ τῶν τοῦ Διὸς ἀδελφῶν, οἵ διενείμαντο τὰς βασιλείας, γραμμάτων σχηματουργίαι κατεστηρίχθησαν; Πῶς τε ὁ πεδηθεὶς Κρόνος καὶ τῆς βασιλείας ἔκβλητος γενόμενος τῆς εἱμαρμένης οἰκονόμος καθίσταται; Πῶς τε βασιλείας ὁ μηκέτι βασιλεύων δίδωσι; Καταβάλλετε τοιγαροῦν τὸν λῆρον, καὶ μὴ διὰ τὸ μισεῖν ἡμᾶς ἀδίκως παρανομήσητε
Such, then, are the demons; these are they who decreed fate. And their alphabet was the placing of living creatures. For the things that creep upon the earth, and the swimming things in the waters, and the four-footed beasts upon the mountains, among which they made their abode after being cast out of the abode in heaven—these they deemed worthy of heavenly honor, in order both that they themselves might be thought to dwell in heaven, and that they might make the irrational polity on earth appear rational through the placement of the stars. So that the irascible man and the toilsome, the self-controlled and the incontinent, the beggar and the rich, derive from these very ones who legislated genesis. For the drawing of the zodiac circle is the work of gods. And the prevailing light, as they say, of one of them gives the prize unfairly to the many; and the one defeated now is wont to prevail again. And the seven planets are well pleasing to them, like men playing at draughts. But we are above fate, and instead of wandering demons we have learned of one unwandering Lord; and not being led according to fate, we have renounced its lawgivers. Tell me, by God, did Triptolemus sow the wheat, and after the mourning does he benefit the Athenians? And why, if her daughter had not perished, did Demeter not become a benefactress of men? The Dog of Erigone is set in heaven, and the Scorpion the helper of Artemis, and Chiron the Centaur, and the half-formed Argo, and the bear of Callisto. Then how, before these came into being in connection with the aforesaid deeds, was the heaven without adornment? And to whom will it not seem ridiculous that, according to some, the Triangle is placed among the stars on account of Sicily, while according to others it is the prototype letter of the name of Zeus? For why have not Sardinia and Cyprus too been honored in heaven? And why have not the figures of the letters of Zeus's brothers, who divided among themselves the kingdoms, been set among the stars? And how is Cronus, who was put in fetters and cast out of his kingdom, established as steward of fate? And how does he who reigns no longer bestow kingdoms? Lay aside, then, this nonsense, and do not, because you hate us, transgress against us unjustly.
鬼魔便是這等貨色；正是他們定下了命運。他們的「字母」就是把活物排列上天。原來地上爬行之物、水中游動之物、山上四足之獸——它們被逐出天上居所之後，便與這些活物為伍——這些活物竟被他們抬舉得配享天上的尊榮，為的是叫他們自己被認為住在天上，又藉星辰的排列使地上那無理性的行徑顯得合乎理性。如此，那易怒的與勞苦的、自制的與放縱的、行乞的與富足的，都出於這些立定「出生命運」之物。原來黃道圈的圖形乃是這些「神明」的傑作。據他們說，其中一者得勝的光，會不公地把獎賞分給眾多之人；而那被勝者如今卻慣於再度得勝。那七顆行星甚得他們的歡心，好像下棋的人一般。但我們在命運之上，且我們所認識的，不是漂泊的鬼魔，乃是一位不漂泊的主；我們既不受命運牽引，便摒棄了它的立法者。請憑神告訴我：是特里普托勒摩斯播了麥種，且在那場哀傷之後造福了雅典人嗎？倘若得墨忒耳的女兒並未失喪，她為何不曾成為人的恩主呢？厄里戈涅的犬被置於天上，作亞底米幫手的天蠍、半人馬喀戎、那半截的阿耳戈船，以及卡利斯托的熊，也都被置於天上。那麼，在這些尚未因上述事件而生成之先，天豈不是毫無裝飾嗎？有人說「三角座」因西西里而列於星辰之間，另有人說它是宙斯名字的原型字母——這在誰看來不覺荒謬呢？撒丁尼亞與居比路為何不也在天上受尊崇呢？宙斯那些瓜分了諸國的弟兄們，他們名字的字母圖形為何不也被立於星辰之間呢？那被綁縛、被逐出王位的克洛諾斯，又怎能被立為命運的管家呢？那不再作王的，又怎能賜下諸國呢？所以你們當拋下這等胡言，不要因恨惡我們，便不義地加害於我們。