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This man who derived from the tribe of Japheth transmitted the doctrine that those men of long ago who had died and had been courageous be honored either through images or through statues, and that these should be worshipped each year as if they were still alive, and that they finish their monuments and that those be registered in the priestly books and that they consider them as gods, as benefactors. From this polytheism and idolatry were introduced: and this continued among them until the times of Terah the father of Abraham. For he was a sculptor, making likenesses from various woods and saying that they were gods and that they ought to be worshipped as responsible for good things. From this such a notion spread into most tribes of the Gentiles, and especially in Greece. For these [Greeks] had already accepted an error of this kind, and had honored the giant Hellen, who was derived from the tribe of Japheth and became a participant in the tower-building, on account of which the tongues of mankind were divided and they were called me/ropes.[1]

*serou/x: ou(=tos e)k th=s tou= *)ia/feq fulh=s katago/menos do/gma parade/dwke tima=sqai tou\s pa/lai teleuth/santas kai\ a)risteu/santas a)/ndras h)\ dia\ ei)ko/nwn h)\ dia\ a)ndria/ntwn, kai\ tou/tous proskunei=sqai kat' e)/tos w(s e)/ti zw=ntas, kai\ mnh/mas au)tw=n e)ktelei=n kai\ e)n tai=s i(eratikai=s a)nagra/fesqai bi/blois kai\ qeou\s au)tou\s nomi/zein, w(s eu)erge/tas. e)nteu=qen ei)sh/xqh h( poluqei/+a kai\ h( ei)dwlolatri/a: tou=to de\ die/meine par' au)toi=s me/xri tw=n xro/nwn *qa/rra tou= patro\s *)abraa/m. h)=n ga\r a)galmatopoio/s, a)po\ diafo/rwn u(lw=n ei)ko/nas e)rgazo/menos kai\ le/gwn tou/tous ei)=nai qeou\s kai\ o)fei/lein proskunei=sqai w(s ai)ti/ous tw=n a)gaqw=n. e)nteu=qen die/dramen h( toiau/th do/ca ei)s ta\ plei=sta tw=n e)qnw=n ge/nh, ma/lista de\ e)n *(ella/di. h)/dh ga\r h)=san ou(=toi th\n toiau/thn pla/nhn a)nadeca/menoi kai\ timh/santes *(/ellhna to\n gi/ganta, to\n a)po\ th=s fulh=s tou= *)ia/feq katago/menon kai\ th=s purgopoii/+as koinwno\n geno/menon, di' h(\n e)meri/sqhsan ai( glw=ssai tw=n a)nqrw/pwn kai\ e)klh/qhsan me/ropes.

David Whitehead (modified translation at certain points; added x-ref; augmented keywords) on 12 August 2003@08:39:49.
David Whitehead on 23 December 2013@05:13:20.
Catharine Roth (added a note) on 6 February 2022@00:33:09.
Catharine Roth (cross-reference) on 6 February 2022@00:34:43.

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