Eusebius of Caesarea

Praeparatio Evangelica (Preparation for the Gospel)

Name: Praeparatio Evangelica (Preparation for the Gospel)
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Author: Eusebius of Caesarea

Classic translationAncient Greek original

4th c. · Apologetics & Polemics · English translation, 2026

328,367 words · 27 hr read· Moderate

Source edition: Praeparatio Evangelica (Preparation for the Gospel)

Cover art: Landscape with Moses and the Burning Bush — Domenichino (Italian, 1581–1641) (The Metropolitan Museum of Art, Public domain (CC0))

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Book 1
1. What the treatise on the Gospel promises
2. The charges usually brought against us by those who try to slander our…
3. That we did not adopt the sentiments of the word of salvation without inquiry
4. Our adoption of belief in the greatest blessings is not uncritical as to time
5. We did not forsake the superstitious errors of our fathers without sound…
6. Primitive theology of Phoenicians and Egyptians
7. Character of the cosmogony of the Greeks
8. Philosophers’ opinions concerning the system of the universe
9. The ancients worshipped no other gods than the celestial luminaries, knowing…
Chapter 10. Theology of the Phoenicians
Book 2
Preface
1. Epitome of Egyptian theology, and how it was transmitted to the Greeks; and…
2. Epitome of the mythological tales among the Greeks concerning their gods and…
3. Of the secret initiations and cryptic mysteries of their polytheistic…
4. By what considerations we were led to withdraw from the opinions of the…
5. Summary of the preceding arguments
6. That what they call the temples of their gods are the tombs of dead men
7. What Plato thought of the theology of the ancients
8. Of the theology of the Romans
Book 3
Preface
1. The physical theology of the Greeks
Chapter 2. The Same Subject
3. The allegorical theology of the Egyptians
4. Further consideration of the physical system of the Egyptians, and that they…
5. That this system also was wholly condemnable
6. That we had good reason for withdrawing from their more physical theory of…
7. The systems of causation which the more recent philosophers interwove with…
8. The erection of carved images in old times
9. Further consideration of the allegorical theology of the Greeks and Egyptians
10. Confutation and overthrow of their forced explanation
11. Strong confutation of the Greek doctrines on this point
12. Of the image at Elephantine
13. Of the ox that is sacrificed to the sun in Heliopolis
14. That their gods, by ratifying the legendary narratives concerning gods by…
15. That they also by their oracles confirm the theories of the philosophers by…
16. That it is a natural impossibility for the parts of the cosmos or the…
17. That all such effects are due to daemonic action
Book 4
1. Preface concerning the oracles in various cities, and the most celebrated…
2. That it is easy for any who will to prove the promise of the oracles to be…
3. Extract from Diogenianus, that their soothsaying is inconsistent and full of…
4. That from these great evils we were delivered by the evangelic teaching of…
5. The division of Greek theology
6. That we confirm the testimonies used in our arguments not by our own…
7. Extract from Porphyry on the oracles. His oath of the truth of his statements
8. That his intended statements must not be published to all
9. How the worship of the gods by sacrifice is prescribed by Apollo
10. That they who delight in animal sacrifices cannot be gods
11. That none of the fruits of the earth may be offered to the supreme God…
12. Not even to the divine powers is it right to offer any of the fruits of the…
13. Further concerning the impropriety of offering the fruits of the earth to…
14. To offer animals to the gods is unlawful and injurious and unjust and…
15. That their offerings are made to daemons and not to gods
16. Porphyry on human sacrifice in old time
17. That after the teaching of the Gospel the old custom of human sacrifice was…
18. It is wrong to sacrifice to evil daemons
19. How we ought to be devoted to the supreme God
20. How Apollo enjoins sacrifice to the evil daemon
21. None other than our Lord and Saviour ever delivered the whole human race…
22. The manner of daemoniacal activity
23. Of the evil daemons and the character of their rulers
Book 5
1. Further proof that the prophetic and oracular shrines among the heathen…
2. The manner of the daemoniacal operation
3. That the superstition of the Greeks concerning the gods consisted of many…
4. That the prophetic and oracular shrines among the heathen belonged to evil…
5. That the mythical narratives related concerning gods contain covert…
6. That their so-called good daemons are agents of death
7. That they minister also to amorous pleasures; and the kind of pleasures in…
8. That they are drawn down by incantations, and compelled against their will…
9. That they cannot withdraw of their own accord
10. The kind of methods by which their wonderful gods are subjected to the…
11. That the daemons whom men have supposed to be gods taught them their own…
12. That they themselves taught men how to array their images for magical rites
13. That they showed the proper forms of their own statues
14. That they encourage the practice of magic
15. That they love the lifeless blocks
16. Of the oracles that have failed
17. That the daemons whom they worship as gods actually die
18. Of the oracles mentioned among the Greeks of old times
19. Apollo charged with commanding twice seven boys and maidens to be sent out…
20. How Apollo has been the cause of death to many by the ambiguity of his…
21. How again by an ambiguous response he caused Croesus to lose his own kingdom
22. How they used to mislead inquirers by deluding them through the responses
23. That by their darkness and obscurity they concealed their own ignorance
24. That, being unable to give any help in the misfortunes of war, they used to…
25. The answers to the Lacedaemonians
26. The like to the people of Cnidos
27. How they incited those who consulted them to war against each other
28. That the treatment of Lycurgus the law-giver of the Lacedaemonians was not…
29. That they failed to give answers about matters of importance
30. That, in advising men what to do, they were guided by ordinary human…
31. That their recommendations were for the most part unphilosophical
32. That they used to take part with the wrongdoers
33. That in accordance with the opinions of the multitude they injudiciously…
34. That they exhorted men to glorify pugilists and athletes with honours equal…
35. That they used to flatter tyrants
36. That they bade men worship lifeless matter
Book 6
Preface
1. The seeming prophecies of the daemons in the oracles are conjectures from…
2. They destroy our free will by asserting that our purposes are set in motion…
3. They were not able even to defend their own consecrated shrines when struck…
4. They say that the decrees of Fate may be annulled by magic
Chapter 5. They Utter Lying Prophecies
6. Refutation of the argument in defence of Fate
7. How their philosophers refuted the opinions even of their gods concerning…
8. On the same subject. From Diogenianus
9. On the same subject. From Alexander Aphrodisiensis
10. How the argument for Fate is refuted from Mathematical science. From…
11. How refuted also from the interpretation and testimony of the Divine…
Book 7
1. Concerning the mode of life of the original Hebrews, and the good reasons…
2. Recapitulation of the theology of other nations, and its evil effects on…
3. Exposition of the character of the Hebrews, and their modes of thought…
4. Their opinions concerning the immortality of the soul, and the substance of…
5. How for their piety they were rewarded with the recorded theophanies and…
6. That apart from Judaism before the time of Moses they were illustrious for…
7. That Moses himself has recorded in his own writings the lives of those…
8. That we showed good judgement and wise consideration in accepting their…
9. Of the doctrinal theories of the Hebrews
10. Of general Providence, and the constitution and construction of the world
11. The opinions of the Hebrews concerning God as the First Cause of the…
12. On the theological doctrine of the Second Cause
13. Philo concerning the Second Cause
Chapter 14. Aristobulus on the Same
15. On the constitution of rational creatures
Chapter 16. On the Adverse Powers
17. On the nature of man
Chapter 18. Philo on the Soul
19. That matter is not uncreated
20. On the same subject from Origen’s Commentaries on Genesis
Chapter 21. Philo on the Same
22. That matter is not uncreated, nor the cause of evil
Book 8
Preface
2. Aristeas on the translation of the Jewish Scriptures
3. Letter of Demetrius Phalereus to Ptolemy, King of Egypt
4. Letter of King Ptolemy, to Eleazar the High Priest of the Jews
5. Letter of Eleazar the High Priest to King Ptolemy
6. Philo on the journey of the Israelites out of Egypt
7. The same concerning the religious polity of Moses
8. Josephus on the polity of Moses
9. Eleazar the High Priest’s sketch of the thought allegorically expressed in…
10. Aristobulus on the mention of limbs as belonging to God
11. Philo on the virtuous life of those Jews who of old time studied…
12. On the same, from the treatise That every good man is free
13. Philo concerning God, and that the earth was created
14. The same author on The government of the world by God’s Providence
Book 9
1. The Greek historians who mentioned the Jewish nation
2. Theophrastus concerning the Jews, from Porphyry On Abstinence from Animal…
3. Porphyry on the illustrious philosophy of the Jews in ancient times
Chapter 4. Hecataeus Concerning the Jews
5. Clearchus on the same, from Bk. i, On Sleep
6. Clement, Strom. i, concerning those who have mentioned the Jewish nation
7. Numenius the Pythagorean philosopher concerning the Jews, from Bk. i, On the…
8. The same concerning Moses and the Jews, from Bk. iii, On the Good
9. Choerilus the poet concerning the Jews
10. Oracles of Apollo concerning the Hebrews, from the works of our…
11. The foreign historians who mentioned the Flood described by Moses, from…
12. Concerning the Flood, from the writings of Abydenus
13. The long life of the ancients mentioned by many authors, from Josephus…
14. On the building of the Tower, from Abydenus
15. Mention of the same by many others, from Josephus, Antiquities
16. On Abraham the forefather of all the Hebrews, from the same
17. Eupolemus concerning Abraham, from the work of Alexander Polyhistor On the…
18. Artapanus on the same, from the same work of Polyhistor
19. Molon on the same, from the same work
Chapter 20. Philo on the Same
Chapter 21. Demetrius Concerning Jacob
Chapter 22. Theodotus Concerning the Same
Chapter 23. Artapanus Concerning Joseph
Chapter 24. Philo Concerning Joseph
Chapter 25. Aristeas Concerning Job
Chapter 26. Eupolemus Concerning Moses
Chapter 27. Artapanus Concerning the Same
Chapter 28. Ezekiel Concerning the Same
Chapter 29. Demetrius Concerning the Same
30. Eupolemus concerning David and Solomon and Jerusalem
31. Letter of Solomon to Vaphres, King of Egypt
33. Letter of Solomon to Suron (Hiram), King of Phoenicia
Chapter 35. Timochares Concerning Jerusalem
36. The Author of The Metrical Survey of Syria on the same
37. Philo concerning the waters of Jerusalem
Chapter 38. Aristeas Concerning the Same
39. Eupolemus concerning the prophet Jeremiah
40. Berossus on the Captivity of the Jews by Nabuchodonosor
Chapter 41. Abydenus Concerning Nabuchodonosor
42. Josephus concerning the authors who have mentioned the Jewish nation
Book 10
1. How the serious branches of learning passed from Barbarians to Greeks: also…
2. Of the plagiarism of the Greek writers, from Clement
3. That the Greeks were plagiarists. From Porphyry, The Lecture on Literature…
4. That, not unreasonably, we have preferred the theology of the Hebrews to the…
5. That in all things the Greeks have profited by the Barbarians
6. On the same subject, from Clement
7. On the same subject, from Josephus
8. Diodorus, the author of the Bibliotheca, on the same subject
9. On the antiquity of Moses and the Hebrew Prophets
Chapter 10. From Africanus
Chapter 11. From Tatian
Chapter 12. From Clement
Chapter 13. From Josephus
14. That the times of the Greek Philosophers are more recent than the whole…
Book 11
Introduction
1. How the philosophy of Plato followed that of the Hebrews in the most…
2. Atticus on the threefold division, of Plato’s philosophy
3. Aristocles on the philosophy of Plato
4. On the ethical doctrines of the Hebrews
5. On the logical method of the Hebrews
6. On the correctness of Hebrew names
7. On the natural philosophy of the Hebrews
8. On the philosophy of the intelligible world
9. Moses and Plato on true being
10. Extract from Numenius, the Pythagorean, Concerning the good, Bk. ii
11. From Plutarch’s treatise entitled On the Εἶ at Delphi
12. That the divine nature is ineffable
13. That God is One only
Chapter 14. On the Second Cause
15. Philo on the Second Cause
16. Plato on the Second Cause
Chapter 17. Plotinus on the Same
18. Numenius on the Second Cause
19. Amelius on the theology of our Evangelist John
20. On the three primary Hypostases
21. On the essence of the good
Chapter 22. Numenius on the Good
23. On the Ideas in Plato
24. Philo on the Ideas in Moses
Chapter 25. Clement on the Same
26. The Hebrews and Plato on the adverse powers
27. The Hebrews and Plato on the immortality of the soul
Chapter 28. Porphyry on the Same
29. That the world is created
30. On the luminaries in heaven
31. That all the works of God are good
32. On the alteration and change of the world
33. On the return of the dead to life, from the same
34. Again concerning the end of the world
35. That Plato records that dead have been raised in accordance with the…
36. Plutarch on the like matter
37. That Plato describes the so-called celestial earth in like manner as the…
38. That Plato agrees with the Hebrews in believing that there will be the…
Book 12
1. That the Hebrews, according to Plato, were right in imparting to beginners…
2. That faith, according even to Plato, is the greatest of virtues
3. That we ought to believe what is said concerning the soul, and the other…
4. That it will be necessary to deliver the first introductory lessons to…
5. That no hurtful fables must be recited to children, but only those that are…
6. That Plato accepted the Faith not only in word, but also confessed that with…
7. That it would not be right to publish the solemn doctrines of the truth to…
8. What kind of rulers Plato says should be appointed: simple and illiterate…
9. That one should decline offices. From the first Book of The Republic
10. On Plato’s idea of Justice
11. On the Paradise described by Moses
12. How the woman is said to have been taken out of the man
13. On the mode of life of mankind at first
14. That they associated even with irrational animals
15. How they mention the Flood
16. That the course of doctrine rightly begins with things divine and ends with…
17. That it is good to train children from a still early age in habits of…
18. That we should regard as education only that which leads to virtue, not…
19. That Plato agreed with the Hebrews in thinking that this world is an image…
20. That the young should be prepared for the acquirement of virtue by learning…
21. What kind of thoughts the odes should contain
22. That it is not every one that can compose the proper odes and songs, but…
23. Concerning those who are capable of judging the odes composed according to…
24. That even in banquets the odes should be adopted for laws as it Were of the…
25. That drinking of wine is not to be permitted to all
26. That Plato was not ignorant that his enactments were in use among certain…
27. That our warfare is against ourselves and our inward passions
Chapter 28
29. Of the pure philosopher. From the Theaetetus
30. Of all the sophistry in man
31. That it will be necessary sometimes to use falsehood as a remedy for the…
32. That not men only, but also women and every race of mankind, ought to be…
33. That it is not right to accuse the whole nation from the cases of those who…
34. How Plato changed the oracles in Proverbs into a more Hellenic form
Chapter 35. Of Riches and Poverty
Chapter 36. Of Honour to Parents
Chapter 37. Of Purchasing Slaves
38. How he altered the saying, ‘Remove not ancient landmarks which were set by…
39. A saying like, Visiting the sins of the fathers upon the children unto the…
Chapter 40. Of Thieves
Chapter 41. Of Slaying a Thief
42. Of a beast of burden
43. That Plato uses the same examples as the Hebrew Scriptures
44. Further concerning the like examples
Chapter 45. Further Concerning the Same
Chapter 46. Further Concerning the Same
47. That Plato also enacts that the citizens should be divided into twelve…
48. In what kind of place Plato enacts that the city should be founded : he…
49. How Plato deprecates the preparatory teaching of the Greeks as being…
50. On the opinion of the Atheists, from the tenth Book of The Laws
51. How Plato arranges the argument concerning God
52. How he discourses on God’s universal providence. In the tenth Book of The…
Book 13
Preface
1. How Plato exposed the absurdity of the Greek theology. From the Timaeus
2. Further on the same subject from the dialogue Epinomis
3. Further on the same subject from the second Book of the Republic; also that…
4. That nothing else than indecent fables were contained in the narratives…
5. Numenius on the same subject, from The Secrets in Plato
6. That one must not heed the opinions of the multitude, nor depart from one’s…
7. That we must not retaliate on those who have endeavoured to injure us. From…
8. That we must not set aside what has once been rightly determined, not even…
9. What will be the disposition of the man who through fear of death renounces…
10. That one ought not to shrink from death in defence of the truth. From the…
11. How we ought to honour the death of those who have nobly resigned their…
12. How Aristobulus the Peripatetic, who was a Hebrew before our time…
13. How Clement in like proves that the noble sayings of the Greeks are in…
14. That Plato has not stated all things correctly: wherefore it is not without…
15. That Plato was not altogether right in his conduct of the argument…
Chapter 17
18. That Plato was not altogether right in his opinions concerning heaven and…
19. What kind of laws concerning women were not rightly ordained by Plato
21. Concerning the laws of murder in Plato, which were not worthy of his great…
Book 14
1. PREFACE CONCERNING THE SUBJECT OF THE BOOK
2. On the mutual contradiction and conflict of the philosophers
3. On the harmony of the Hebrew writers
4. How Plato has accused his predecessors. From the Theaetetus
5. On the first successors of Plato. From Numenius the Pythagorean
6. On Arcesilaus, the founder of the second Academy. From the same
7. Of Lacydes, the successor of Arcesilaus. From the same
8. Of Carneades, the founder of the third Academy. From the same
9. Of Philo, who succeeded Cleitomachus, the successor of Carneades. From the…
10. That among the Greek philosophers there are conjectures, and logomachies…
11. Concerning geometry, and astronomy, and syllogisms. From Xenophon’s…
12. Concerning the professors of Natural Science. From the same, in the Epistle…
13. On gymnastic and music. From Plato’s Republic
14. Opinions of philosophers on First Principles. From Plutarch
15. On the doctrine of Anaxagoras. From Plato
16. Opinions of philosophers concerning gods. From Plutarch
17. Against the School of Xenophanes and Parmenides, who rejected the senses…
18. Against the followers of Pyrrhon, called Sceptics or Ephectics, who…
19. Against the philosophers of the School of Aristippus, who say that only…
20. Against the School of Metrodorus and Protagoras, who say that the senses…
21. Against the Epicureans, who define the good as pleasure. From the same
22. Further against those who define the good as pleasure. From the Philebus of…
23. Against the Epicureans, who deny a Providence, and refer the universe to…
24. From human examples. From the same
25. From the constitution of the universe. From the same
26. From the nature of man. From the same
27. That to God there is no toil in working. From the same
Book 15
Introduction
2. On the philosophy of Aristotle, and his personal history. From Aristocles…
3. On the doctrines of Aristotle, who was at variance with the Hebrews and…
4. Atticus the Platonist against Aristotle, as at variance with Moses and…
5. The same against the same, as at variance with Moses and Plato; in the…
6. The same against the same, as at variance with Moses and Plato; in the…
7. The same against the same, as assuming a fifth corporeal essence, which…
8. The same against the same, as at variance with Plato also in his theories as…
9. The same against the same, as at variance with Plato and the Hebrew…
10. Plotinus, from the second Book On the immortality of the soul, against…
11. Porphyry on the same, from the answer to Boëthus On the soul
12. Against the same, as at variance with Plato in the argument Concerning the…
13. Against, the same; for ridiculing the Platonic Ideas, of which the Hebrew…
14. On the Stoic philosophy, and the account of First Principles as rendered by…
15. What kind of opinion the Stoics profess concerning God, and concerning the…
16. Porphyry, against the opinion of the Stoics concerning God, from the answer…
17. That true Being cannot be body, as the Stoics teach. From the first Book of…
18. What the Stoics think concerning the conflagration of the universe
19. What the Stoics think concerning the regeneration of the universe
20. What the same sect think concerning the soul
21. The disputation of Longinus against the opinion of the Stoics concerning…
22. In answer to the Stoics, that the soul cannot possibly be corporeal From…
62. That even Socrates, the wisest of the Greeks, used to declare that those…

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