False hills and the power of the mountains
Then, having condemned our former evils—when we thought the idols great and high, worshiped them, and counted marvelous what we served, though now we know all that was false and amounted to nothing—we say as we turn back: 'Truly the hills were for a lie.' We have condemned those former heights and marvels. And perhaps, if we work the craft carefully, we will find the difference between the hills and mountains among the nations. Those who said, 'Look—here we are; we will be yours, for you are the Lord our God,' left them and accuse both hills and mountains as false.
What, then, is the difference among the nations between mountains and hills, which we condemn when we say, 'Truly the hills were for a lie, and the power of the mountains'? Among the nations some things are worshiped as gods, others as heroes.
They themselves admit about certain ones that they were men first and were deified. They worship Heracles not as a god by birth, but as a man changed into a god. They worship Asclepius as changed from men into a god through virtue. But when they worship the fathers of these, whom they name gods, they worship them not as changed from men into gods, but—as they suppose—as gods from the beginning. So those thought gods from the beginning are the mountains and 'the power of the mountains,' while those now thought gods who were once men are 'the hills.'
Knowing both kinds of worshiped ranks, we say: 'Truly the hills were for a lie, and the power of the mountains.' Those who serve them do not suppose these things false. So they think the oracles and the healings true healings. They do not see the difference between every power and sign and wonder of falsehood in every deceit of injustice among those who are perishing—so that the fullness of the nations might enter, and after that all Israel be saved. Christ Jesus, to whom be the glory and the power forever and ever. Amen.
Therefore, recognizing these things, we who have recognized them say: 'Truly the hills were for a lie, and the power of the mountains.'
Greek
Εἶτα καταγνόντες τῶν προτέρων ἡμῶν κακῶν (ὅτε μεγάλα μὲν ἐνομίζομεν καὶ ὑψηλὰ τὰ εἴδωλα, προσεκυνοῦμεν καὶ θαυμαστὰ ἐνομίζομεν οἷς ἐλατρεύομεν· νυνὶ δὲ κατέγνωμεν ὅτι ἐκεῖνα πάντα ψευδῆ ἦν καὶ οὐδὲν ἐτύγχανεν), λέγομεν ἐπιστρέφοντες· «ὔντως εἰς ψεῦδος ἠσαν οἱ βουνοί«, καὶ ἡμεῖς καταγνόντες τῶν προτέρων ὑψηλῶν καὶ τῶν προτέρων θαυμασίων. καὶ τάχα ἐὰν φιλοτεχνῶμεν, εὑρήσομεν τὴν διαφορὰν τῶν ἐν τοῖς ἔθνεσι βουνῶν καὶ ὀρέων, ἅτινα καταλιπόντες οἱ εἰπόντες· «ἰδοὺ οἵδε ἡμεῖς ἐσόμεθά σοι, ὅτι ὅτι κύριος ὁ θεὸς ἡμῶν εἶ«, κατηγοροῦσιν αὐτῶν ὡς ψευδῶν, καὶ τῶν βουνῶν καὶ τῶν ὀρέων. τίς οὐν ἡ διαφορὰ τῶν ἐν τοῖς ἔθνεσιν ὀρέων καὶ βουνῶν, ὡν κατεγνωκότες λέγομεν· «ὄντως εἰς ψεῦδος ἠσαν οἱ βουνοὶ καὶ ἡ δύναμις τῶν ὀρέων«; τοῦτο λέγομεν ἡμεῖς καταγνόντες τῶν προτέρων. τὰ προσκυνούμενα παρὰ τοῖς ἔθνεσι τὰ μὲν προσκυνεῖται ὡς θεοί, τὰ δὲ ὡς ἥρωες.
ὁμολογοῦσι γὰρ καὶ αὐτοὶ περί τινων, ὅτι ἀνθρωποι πρότερον ἠσαν καὶ ἀπεθεώθησαν. Ἡρακλέα προσκυνοῦσιν οὐχ ὡς γεγεννημένον θεόν, ἀλλ᾿ ὡς ἐξ ἀνθρώπου εἰς θεὸν μεταβληθέντα· Ἀσκληπιὸν προσκυνοῦσιν ὡς ἐξ ἀνθρώπων δι’ ἀρετὴν εἰς θεὸν μεταβεβληκότα. ὅταν δὲ προσκυνῶσι τοὺς πατέρας τούτων ὀνομαζομένους παρ᾿ αὐτοῖς θεούς, προσκυνοῦσιν οὐχ ὡς μεταβαλόν- τας ἐξ ἀνθρώπων εἰς θεούς, ἀλλ’, ὡς ἐκεῖνοι οἴονται, θεοὺς ἀρχῆθεν ὄντας. ἔσονται μὲν οὖν οἱ ἀρχῆθεν μὲν θεοὶ νομιζόμενοι ἔθνεσιν τὰ ὄρη καὶ «ἡ δύναμις τῶν ὀρέων«, οἱ δὲ νομιζόμενοι παρ’ αὐτοῖς νῦν μὲν εἶναι θεοί, πρότερον δ᾿ ἄνθρωποι γεγονέναι, οὑτοί εἰσιν «οἱ βουνοί.
Ἐγνωκότες οὖν ἀμφότερα τὰ προσκυνούμενα τάγματά «ὄντως εἰς ψεῦδος ἠσαν οἱ βουνοὶ καὶ ἡ δύναμις τῶν ὀρέων‘. οὐ γὰρ ὑπολαμβάνουσιν οἱ αὐτοῖς λατρεύοντες, ὅτι ψευδῆ ἐστι ταῦτα. διόπερ οἴονται τοὺς χρησμοὺς καὶ τὰς θεραπείας ἀληθινὰς εἶναι θεραπείας, οὐχ ὁρῶντες διαφορὰν πάσης δυνάμεως καὶ σημείων καὶ τεράτων ψεύδους ἐν πάσῃ ἀπάτῃ ἀδικίας τοῖς ἀπολλυμένοις γινομένωντὸ πλήρωμα τῶν ἐθνῶν εἰσέλθῃ, μετὰ τοῦτο πᾶς Ἰσραλὴ σωθήσεται Χριστὸς Ἰησοῦς, ταῦτα ἦν σημεῖα ἀληθείας, καὶ πρὸ αὐτοῦ δὲ ἃ ἐποίει Μωσῆς, δύναμις ἦν ἀληθείας. ἃ δὲ ἐποίουν οἱ Αἰγύπτιοι σημεῖα μὲν ἦν καὶ τέρατα, ἀλλὰ ψεύδους. οὕτως δὲ καὶ ἃ ἐποίει Σίμων μετὰ τὸν Ἰησοῦν ὁ μάγος, ὥστε ἀποπλανᾶν τὸ ἔθνος τῆς Σαμαρείας καὶ νομίζεσθαι αὐτὸν εἶναι δύναμιν θεοῦ, καὶ αὐτὰ ἦν σημεῖα καὶ τέρατα ψεύδους.
ὅταν οὖν καταγνῶμεν ἐκείνων, λέγομεν οἱ κατεγνωκότες· «ὄντως εἰς ψεῦδος ἦσαν οἱ βουνοὶ καὶ ἡ δύναμις τῶν ὀρέων.