Theophilus of Antioch, To Autolycus 1.10
Why should I bother recounting the countless things Egyptians worship—reptiles, beasts, wild animals, birds, aquatic creatures, even footbaths and shameful noises? If you turn to the Greeks and other nations, they worship stones, wood, and every kind of matter, mere images of dead men, as we have already said. Phidias, for instance, was found in Pisa making the Olympian Zeus for the Eleans, and the Athena on the Acropolis for the Athenians. Let me ask you, then: how many Zeuses are there? Zeus is called Olympian, Latean, Casius, Ceraunius, Forefather, All-Night, Guardian of the City, Capitoline. The Zeus who is Cronus’ son, once king of the Cretans, has a tomb in Crete; the others perhaps were not even deemed worthy of burial. If you mention the mother of the so-called gods, may I never have to recount her deeds (it is unlawful for us even to name them), or the deeds of her attendants who serve her, or the taxes and tributes she and her sons pay to the king. They are not gods but idols, as we have said—works of human hands and unclean demons. May those who make them and those who trust in them become like them.
Greek
Τί μοι λοπὸν καταλέγειν τὸ πλῆθος ὦν σέβονται ζώων Αἰγύπτιοι, ἑρπετῶν τε καὶ κτηνῶν καὶ θηρίων καὶ πετεινῶν καὶ ἐνύδρων νηκτῶν, ἔτι δὲ καὶ ποδόνιπτρα καὶ ἤχους αἰσχύνης; Εἰ δὲ καὶ Ἕλληνας εἴποις καὶ τὰ λοιπὰ ἔθνη, σέβονται λίθους καὶ ξύλα καὶ τὴν λοιπὴν ὕλην, ὡς ἔφθημεν εἰρηκέναι, ἀπεικονίσματα νεκρῶν ἀνθρώπων. Φειδίας μὲν γὰρ εὑρίσκεται ἐν Πείσῃ ποιῶν Ἠλείοις τὸν Ὀλύμπιον Δία, καὶ Ἀθηναίοις ἐν ἀκροπόλει τὴν Ἀθηνᾶν. Πεύσομαι δέ σου κἀγώ, ὦ ἄνθρωπε, πόσοι Ζῆνες εὑρίσκονται· Ζεὺς μὲν γὰρ ἐν πρώτοις προσαγορεύεται Ὀλύμπιος καὶ Ζεὺς Λατεάριος καὶ Ζεὺς Κάσιος καὶ Ζεὺς Κεραύνιος καὶ Ζεὺς Προπάτωρ καὶ Ζεὺς Παννύχιος καὶ Ζεὺς Πολιοῦχος καὶ Ζεὺς Καπετώλιος. Καὶ ὁ μὲν Ζεὺς παῖς Κρόνου, βασιλεὺς Κρητῶν γενόμενος, ἔχει τάφον ἐν Κρήτῃ· οἱ δὲ λοιποὶ ἴσως οὐδὲ ταφῆς κατηξιώθησαν. Εἰ δὲ καὶ εἴποις τὴν μητέρα τῶν λεγομένων θεῶν, μή μοι γένοιτο διὰ στόματος τὰς πράξεις αὐτῆς ἐξειπεῖν (ἀθέμιτον γὰρ ἡμῖν τὰ τοιαῦτα καὶ ὀνομάζειν), ἢ τῶν θεραπόντων αὐτῆς τὰς πράξεις ὑφ᾿ ὧν θεραπεύεται, ὁπόσα τε τέλη καὶ εἰσφορὰς παρέχει τῷ βασιλεῖ αὐτή τε καὶ οἱ υἱοὶ αὐτῆς. Οὐ γάρ εἰσιν θεοί, ἀλλὰ εἴδωλα, καθὼς προειρήκαμεν. ἔργα χειρῶν ἀνθρώπων καὶ δαιμόνια ἀκάθαρτα. Γένοιντο δὲ τοιοῦτοι οἱ ποιοῦντες αὐτὰ καὶ οἱ ἐλπίζοντες ἐπ᾿ αὐτοῖς.