INTRODUCTION.

to my before-mentioned History of the Restoration of the Platonic Theology; in which latter it is stated:

"A lover of riches is necessarily unjust. But he who is unjust is impious towards God and his parents, and lawless towards others. So that, though he should sacrifice hecatombs term: hecatombs|A great public sacrifice, traditionally of one hundred oxen, and adorn temples with ten thousand gifts, he will be much more unholy, impious, atheistical, and sacrilegious in his deliberate choice. Hence it is necessary to avoid every lover of the body as one who is without God and is defiled."

3. The following passages in the epistle of Porphyry are from Sextus: "The man who is worthy of God, will be himself a god," original Greek: Ο δε αξιος ανθρωπος θεου, θεος αν ειη (page 30). And Sextus says, "A man worthy of God is a god even among men" original Latin: Dignus Deo homo, deus est et in hominibus (page 654).

Porphyry says, "And you will honor God in the best manner when you make your own reasoning power similar to God," original Greek: Και τιμησεις μεν αριστα τον θεον, οταν τη θεω την σαυτης διανοιαν ομοιωσης (page 30). Thus also Sextus says, "He honors God best who makes his mind, as much as possible, similar to God" original Latin: Optime honorat Deum ille, qui mentem suam, quantum fieri potest, similem Deo facit (page 655).

Again, Porphyry says, "God strengthens a man when he performs beautiful deeds; but an evil daemon term: daemon|In Greek philosophy, a 'daemon' is a tutelary spirit or guiding divinity, not necessarily evil like the modern 'demon' is the leader of bad actions," original Greek: Θεος δε ανθρωπον βεβαιοι πρασσοντα καλα· κακων δε πραξεων κακος δαιμων ηγεμων (page 31). And Sextus says, "God confirms the good acts of men. Of bad acts, an evil daemon is the leader" original Latin: Deus bonos actus hominum confirmat. Malorum actuum, malus dæmon dux est (page 653).

Porphyry adds, "The soul of the wise man is adapted to God; it always beholds God, and is always present with God," original Greek: Ψυχη δε σοφου αρμοζεται προς θεον, αει θεον ορα, συνεστιν αει θεω (page 31). Thus, too, Sextus says, "The soul of the wise man hears God, the soul of the wise man is adapted by God, and the soul of the wise man is always with God" original Latin: Sapientis anima audit Deum, sapientis anima aptatur à Deo, sapientis anima semper est cum Deo (page 655). There is, however, some difference between the original Greek and the Latin version, which is most probably owing to the deception of Rufinus note: Rufinus of Aquileia (c. 345–410 AD) was a monk and translator known for taking liberties with his translations of Greek texts into Latin. And in...