Eusebius, Praeparatio Evangelica, ed. Wilhelm Dindorf, 12.46

[1] Τοῦ προφήτου Ἰεζεκιὴλ φήσαντος” ἐγένετο ἐπ’ ἐμὲ χεὶρ κυρίου, καὶ εἶδον, καὶ ἰδοὺ πνεῦμα ἐξαῖρον ἤρχετο ἀπὸ βορρᾶ,” καὶ ἐξῆς εἰπόντος “καὶ ἐν τῷ μέσῳ, ὡς ὁμοίωμα τεσσάρων ζῴων. καὶ ἡ ὕραἐν
¹ σις αὐτῶν ὡς ὁμοίωμα ἀνθρώπου ἐπ’ αὐτοῖς, καὶ πρόσωπα τέσσαρα τῷ ἑνί. καὶ ὁμοίωσις τῶν προσώπων αὐτῶν, πρόσωπον ἀνθρώπου, καὶ πρόσωπον λέοντος ἐκ δεξιῶν τοῖς τέσσαρσι, καὶ πρόσωπον μόσχου c
ἐξ ἀριστερῶν τοῖς τέσσαρσι. καὶ πρόσωπον ἀετοῦ τοῖς τέσσαρσι,” καὶ ὁ Πλάτων’ ὁμοίως ἄκουσον ἅ 361 φησι

[2] “ Νῦν δὴ, ἔφην, αὐτῷ διαλεγώμεθα, ἐπειδὴ διωμολογησάμεθα, τό τε ἀδικεῖν καὶ τὸ δίκαια πρᾶτ’
τειν 5 ἣν ἑκάτερον ἔχει δύναμιν. Πῶς; ἔφη. Εἰκόνα πλάσαντες τῆς ψυχῆς λόγῳ, ἵνα εἰδῇ ὁ ἐκεῖνα λέγων οἵαν ἔλεγε. Ποίαν τινά; ἦ δ’ ὅς. Τῶν τοιούτων τινὰ, ἣν δ’ ἐγὼ, οἷαι μυθολογοῦνται παλαιαὶ γενέσθαι φύσεις, ἥ τε Χιμαίρας καὶ ἡ Σκύλλης καὶ Κερβέρου,
καὶ ἄλλαι τινὲς συχναὶ λέγονται συμπεφυκυῖαι ἰδέαι πολλαὶ εῖς γενέσθαι.

[3] Λέγονται γὰρ, ἔφη. Πλάττε d τοίνυν μίαν μὶν ἰδέαν θηρίου ποικίλου καὶ πολυκεφάλου, ἡμέρων δὲ θηρίων ἔχοντος κεφαλὰς κύκλῳ καὶ ἀγρίων, καὶ δυνατοῦ μεταβάλλειν καὶ φύειν ἐξ
αὐτοῦ ταῦτα πάντα. Δεινοῦ πλάστου, ἔφη, τὸ ἔργον· ὅμως δ’, ἐπειδὴ εὐπλαστότερον κηροῦ καὶ τῶν τοιούτων ὁ λόγος, πεπλάσθω.

[4] Μίαν δὴ τοίνυν ἄλλην ἰδέαν λέοντος, μίαν δὲ ἀνθρώπου· πολὺ δὲ μέγιστον ἔστω τὸ πρῶτον, καὶ δεύτερον τὸ δεύτερον. Ταῦτ’, 616
ἔφη, ῥᾴω, καὶ πέπλασται. Σύναπτε τοίνυν αὐτὰ εἰς ἓν τρία ὄντα, ὥστε πη ξυμπεφυκέναι ἀλλήλοις. Ξυνῆπται, ἔφη. Περίπλασον δὴ αὐτοῖς ἔξωθεν ἑνὸς εἰκόνα, τὴν τοῦ ἀνθρώπου, ὥστε τῷ μὴ δυναμένῳ τὰ ἐντὸς ὁρᾶν, ἀλλὰ τὸ ἔξω μόνον ἔλυτρον ὁρῶντι,
ἔν ζῷον φαίνεσθαι, ἄνθρωπον.

[5] Περιπέπλασται, ² ἔφη. Λέγωμεν δὴ τῷ λέγοντι ὡς λυσιτελεῖ τούτῳ ἀδικεῖν τῷ ἀνθρώπῳ, δίκαια δὲ πράττειν οὐ ξυμφέρει, διότι οὐδὲν ἄλλο φήσει ἢ λυσιτελεῖν αὐτῷ τὸ παντοδαπὸν θηρίον εὐωχοῦντι ποιεῖν ἰσχυρὸν καὶ τὸν b λέοντα καὶ τὰ περὶ τὸν λέοντα, τὸν δὲ ἄνθρωπον
λιμοκτονεῖν παὶ ποιεῖν ἀσθενῆ, ὥστε ἕλκεσθαι ὅπη ἂν ἐκείνων ὁπότερον ἄγῃ, καὶ μηδὲν ἕτερον ἑτέρω ξυνεθίζειν μηδὲ φίλον ποιεῖν, ἀλλ’ ἐᾶν αὐτὰ ἐν αὑτοῖς δάκνεσθαί τε καὶ μαχόμενα ἐσθίειν ἄλληλα.

[6] Παντάπασι γὰρ, ἔφη, ταῦτ’ ἂν λέγοι ὁ τὸ ἀδικεῖν
ἐπαινῶν. Οὐκοῦν αὖ ὁ τὰ δίκαια λέγων λυσιτελεῖν φαίη ἂν δεῖν ταῦτα πράττειν καὶ ταῦτα λέγειν, ὅθεν τοῦ ἀνθρώπου ὁ ἐντὸς ἄνθρωπος ἔσται ἐγκρατέστατος, c καὶ τοῦ πολυκεφάλου θρέμματος ἐπιμελήσεται ὥσπερ γεωργὸς, τὰ μὲν ἥμερα τρέφων καὶ τιθασσεύων,
τὰ δὲ ἄγρια ἀποκωλύων φύεσθαι, ξύμμαχον ποιησάμενος τὴν τοῦ λέοντος φύσιν, καὶ κοινῇ πάντων κηδόνενος, φίλα ποιησάμενος ἀλλήλοις τε καὶ αὑτῷ, οὕτω θρέψει; Κομιδῇ γὰρ αὖ λέγει ταῦτα ὁ τὸ δίκαιον ἐπαίνων.”

Eusebius Praeparatio Evangelica 12.46

ed. Wilhelm Dindorf

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