2-9:9
Ἰνα δὲ μή τις εἰπῃ τὸ λεγόμενον ὑπὸ τῶν νομιζομένων φιλοσόφων, ὅτι κόμποι καὶ φόβητρά ἐστι τὰ λεγόμενα ὑφ ἡμῶν ὅτι κολάζονται ἐν αἰωνίῳ πυρὶ οἱ ἄδικοι, καὶ διὰ φόβον ἀλλ οὐ διὰ τὸ καλὸν εἶναι καὶ ἀρεστὸν ἐναρέτως βιοῦν τοὺς ἀνθρώπους ἀξιοῦμεν, βραχυεπῶς πρὸς τοῦτο ἀποκρινοῦμαι, ὅτι, εἰ μὴ τοῦτό ἐστιν, οὔτε ἔστι θεός, ἤ, εἰ ἔστιν, οὐ μέλει αὐτῷ τῶν ἀνθρώπων, καὶ οὐδέν ἐστιν ἀρετὴ οὐδὲ κακία, καί, ὡς προέφημεν, ἀδίκως τιμωροῦσιν οἱ νομοθέται τοὺς παραβαίνοντας τὰ διατεταγμένα καλά. Ἀλλ ἐπεὶ οὐκ ἄδικοι ἐκεῖνοι καὶ ὁ αὐτῶν πατήρ, τὰ αὐτὸ αὐτῷ πράττειν διὰ τοῦ λόγου διδάσκων, οἱ τούτοις συντιθέμενοι οὐκ ἄδικοι. Ἐὰν δέ τις τοὺς διαφόρους νόμους τῶν ἀνθρώπων προβάληται, λέγων, ὅτι παρ οἷς μὲν ἀνθρώποις τάδε καλά, τάδε αἰσχρὰ νενόμισται, παρ ἄλλοις δὲ τὰ παρ ἐκείνοις αἰσχρὰ καλά, καὶ τὰ καλὰ αἰσχρὰ νομίζεται, ἀκουέτω καὶ τῶν εἰς τοῦτο λεγομένων. Καὶ νόμους διατάξασθαι τῇ ἑαυτῶν κακίᾳ ὁμοίους τοὺς πονηροὺς ἀγγέλλους ἐπιστάμεθα, οἷς χαίρουσιν οἱ ὅμοιοι γενόμενοι ἄνθρωποι, καὶ ὀρθὸς λόγος παρελθὼν οὐ πάσας δόξας οὐδὲ πάντα δόγματα καλὰ ἀποδείκνυσιν, ἀλλὰ τὰ μὲν φαῦλα, τὰ δὲ ἀγαθά· ὥστε μοι καὶ πρὸς τοὺς τοιούτους τὰ αὐτὰ καὶ τὰ ὅμοια εἰρήσεται, καὶ λεχθήσεται διὰ πλειόνων, ἐὰν χρεία ᾖ. Τανῦν δὲ ἐπὶ τὸ προκείμενον ἀνέρχομαι
但恐怕有人要說那些自命為哲學家之人所說的話——說我們所說不義之人在永火中受刑罰，乃是誇大之詞與嚇唬人的把戲，又說我們是要人因懼怕、而非因善與可喜悅而存德行而活——我要簡短地回答這個：若非如此，便是根本沒有神，或者即使有神，祂也不顧念世人，並且德行與惡行都不存在了，且如我們先前所說，立法者懲罰那些違犯所定善事的人也成了不義的了。但因那些立法者和他們的父並非不義的——祂藉著道教導同樣的行為——所以那些與這些相合的人也不是不義的。倘若有人提出人類各異的律法，說在某些人中間這些事算為善、那些事算為可恥，而在另一些人中間前者所視為可恥的卻算為善、所視為善的卻算為可恥，那麼也讓他聽聽就此所說的話。我們知道，那些邪惡的天使制定了與他們自身惡行相似的律法，凡變得像他們的人便以此為樂;而正理一旦臨到，便不認可一切意見、也不認可一切教義為善，乃以有些為卑劣、有些為良善。所以對這樣的人，我也要說同樣與相似的話，若有需要，還要更詳盡地申述。但如今我要回到眼前的題目。
But lest someone should say what is said by those reputed to be philosophers—that the things said by us, that the unjust are punished in eternal fire, are bombast and bugbears, and that we want men to live virtuously through fear and not because it is good and pleasing—I will answer this briefly: that, if this is not so, either there is no God, or, if there is, he does not care about men, and there is no such thing as virtue or vice, and, as we said before, the lawgivers unjustly punish those who transgress the good things ordained. But since those lawgivers and their Father are not unjust—teaching, as he does, the same conduct through the Word—those who agree with these are not unjust. And if anyone should bring forward the differing laws of men, saying that among some men these things are deemed good and those shameful, while among others the things deemed shameful by the former are deemed good, and the good shameful, let him also hear what is said in answer to this. We know that the wicked angels ordained laws resembling their own wickedness, in which men who have become like them delight; and right reason, when it comes upon them, does not approve all opinions nor all doctrines as good, but some as base and some as good. So that to such men also the same and similar things will be said by me, and will be expounded at greater length, if there be need. But for now I return to the subject before me.