5.
If he who says 'Thou shalt make thee no idol nor any likeness,' and what follows — wherein the 'thou shalt not worship them' differs from the 'nor shalt thou serve them' — says this, might not one disposed toward idols serve them, while one not disposed but, through cowardice — which he calls compliance — playing the hypocrite toward them to seem godly like the many, serve not but worship the idols? I would say those who on the tribunal deny Christianity, or before the tribunal, serve not but worship the idols — taking the name of the Lord God, 'God,' in vain upon soulless matter. So too the profaned people worshiped but served not idols, 'unto the daughters of Moab.' For it stands written in these very words that they called them to the sacrifices of their idols, and the people ate of their sacrifices, 'and worshiped their idols, and were joined to Belphegor.' And observe that it is not said 'and served their idols' — for it was not possible, under one season's moment, with such signs and wonders, to be persuaded by the women with whom they fornicated to deem the idols gods. Perhaps so too at the calf-making in Exodus they 'worshiped,' not serving the calf they saw coming to be.
Greek (GCS)
γενέσεσι καὶ συστάοεσι καὶ τροφαῖς καὶ αὐξήσεσι καμμύσαι μὲν καὶ μὴ ἐνορᾶν ϑεῷ, τρέψαι δὲ τοὺς ὀφϑαλμοὺς ἐπὶ φόβον τῶν μετ᾿ ὀλίγον τεϑνηξομένων χαὶ παραδοϑησομένων τῇ κατ᾽ ἀξίαν 10 αὐτῶν δίκῃ. ᾿ V. 'To μὲν οὖν Ἀβραάμ ποτε ὑπὸ ϑεοῦ εἴρητο: ,ἔξελϑε ἐκ τῆς 277 γῆς σου", ἦμ ἴν δὲ τάχα μετ᾽ ὀλίγον λεχϑήσεται" ἐξέλϑετε ἀπὸ τῆς ὅλης γῆς ᾧ πείϑεσϑαι καλὸν, ἵνα ἡμῖν ταχέως δείξῃ τοὺς οὐρανοὺς, ἐν οἷς ἐστιν ἡ καλουμένη τῶν οὐρανῶν βασιλεία. περὶ μὲν οὐν πολ- 15 λῶν ἀρετῶν ἔστιν ἰδεῖν τὸν βίον ἀγώνων πεπληρωμένον καὶ τοὺς ἀγωνιζομένους. δόξουσι γὰρ περὶ μὲν σωφροσύνης καὶ ἕτεροι τῶν ἀπὸ τῆς τοῦ ϑεοῦ μερίδος ἠγωνίσϑαι πολλοὶ, καὶ μετὰ ἀνδρείας ἐναπο- τεϑνηχέναι τινὲς τηροῦντες τὴν ὑπὲρ τοῦ κοινοῦ δεσπότου πρόϑεσιν, φρονήσεώς τε ἐπιμεμελῆσϑαι οἱ περὶ τοὺς ἐξεταξομένους λόγους δει- 20 vol, καὶ δικαιοσύνῃ ἑαυτοὺς ἐπιδεδωκέναι οἱ δικαίως ζῆν προτεϑειμέ- vor. καὶ στρατεύεταί γε καϑ᾽ ἑκάστης ἀρετῆς ἤτοι „To τῆς σαρκὸς φρόνημα“ (ἢν καὶ τὰ πολλὰ τῶν ἐκτός" περὶ δὲ εὐσεβείας μόνον „To ἐκλεχτὸν" ἀγωνίζεται „YEvos, τὸ βασίλειον ἱεράτευμα, τὸ ἔϑνος τὸ ἅγιον, 6 λαὸς ὁ εἰς περιποίησιν “ οὐδὲ μέχρι τοῦ δοκεῖν δεικνύντων 25 τῶν λοιπῶν ἀνθρώπων ὅτι, εἰ ἔστε τὰ ἀνταγωνιζόμενα τοῖς εὐσε- βέσι, προτίϑενται ὑπὲρ εὐσεβείας ἀποϑνήσκειν προτιμῶντες τὸν μετ᾽ εὐσεβείας ϑάνατον τοῦ μετὰ ἀσεβείας ζῆν. καὶ ἕκαστός γε τῶν ἀπὸ τοῦ ἐκλεχτοῦ γένους εἶναι ϑελόντων ἀχούειν πείϑεται ϑεοῦ παντὶ καιρῷ λέγοντος, καὶ ὅτε ἐπιβουλεύουσιν αὐτῷ οἱ προφάσει τοῦ εἶναι 80 πολύϑεοι ὄντες ἄϑεοι, τό" ,οὐκ ἔσονταί σοι ϑεοὶ ἕτεροι πλὴν ἐμοῦ" καὶ τὸ (ὄνομα ϑεῶν ἑτέρων οὐκ ἀναμνησϑήσεσϑε ἐν ταῖς καρδίαις ὑμῶν, οὐδὲ ὀνομασϑήσεται ἐκ τοῦ στόματος ὑμῶν". διόπερ καρδίᾳ" μὲν ὁ ϑεὸς τοῖς τοιούτοις ,πιστεύεται εἰς δικαιοσύνην, στόματι δὲ ὁμολογεῖται" τοῖς τοιούτοις εἰς σωτηρίαν", καταλαμβάνουσιν ὅτι οὔτε δικαιωϑήσονται, ἐὰν μὴ οὕτω πισ