---
title: On the Stoics (from On Faith)
title_greek: Περὶ τῶν Στωϊκῶν
author: Epiphanius of Salamis
eul_wid: sqg-bo
eul_aid: sqg
canonical: "https://eulogikon.org/works/epiphanius-salamis-on-the-stoics-sqg-bo"
period: Late Antique
domain: Theology
format: Treatise
license: "https://creativecommons.org/publicdomain/mark/1.0/"
---

# On the Stoics (from On Faith)

*Περὶ τῶν Στωϊκῶν*

**Author:** Epiphanius of Salamis

**eul_wid:** `sqg-bo` · [HTML page](https://eulogikon.org/works/epiphanius-salamis-on-the-stoics-sqg-bo)

## Text

### 36

Ζήνων ὁ Κιτιεὺς ὁ Στωϊκὸς ἔφη μὴ δεῖν θεοῖς οἰκοδομεῖν ἱερά, ἀλλ’ ἔχειν τὸ θεῖον ἐν μόνῳ τῷ νῷ, μᾶλλον δὲ θεὸν ἡγεῖσθαι τὸν νοῦν· ἔστι γὰρ ἀθάνατος. τοὺς δὲ τελευτῶντας ζῴοις παραβάλλειν χρῆναι, ἢ πυρί. καὶ τοῖς παιδικοῖς χρῆσθαι ἀκωλύτως. ἔλεγε δὲ πάντα διήκειν τὸ θεῖον. τὰς δὲ αἰτίας τῶν πραγμάτων πῆ μὲν ἐφ’ ἡμῖν, πῆ δὲ οὐκ ἐφ’ ἡμῖν, τουτέστι τὰ μὲν τῶν πραγμάτων ἐφ’ ἡμῖν, τὰ δὲ οὐκ ἐφ’ ἡμῖν. ἔλεγε δὲ καὶ μετὰ χωρισμὸν τοῦ σώματος * καὶ ἐκάλει τὴν ψυχὴν πολυχρόνιον πνεῦμα, οὐ μὴν δὲ ἄφθαρτον δι’ ὅλου ἔλεγεν αὐτὴν εἶναι· ἐκδαπανᾶται γὰρ ὑπὸ τοῦ πολλοῦ χρόνου εἰς τὸ ἀφανές, ὥς φησι.

### 37

Κλεάνθης τὸ ἀγαθὸν καὶ καλὸν λέγει εἶναι τὰς ἡδονάς, καὶ ἄνθρωπον ἐκάλει μόνην τὴν ψυχήν, καὶ τοὺς θεοὺς μυστικὰ σχήματα ἔλεγεν εἶναι καὶ κλήσεις ἱερὰς καὶ δᾳδοῦχον ἔφασκεν εἶναι τὸν ἥλιον καὶ τὸν κόσμον * μύστας καὶ τοὺς κατόχους τῶν θείων τελεστὰς ἔλεγε.

### 38

Περσαῖος τὰ αὐτὰ Ζήνωνι ἐδογμάτισε.

### 39

Χρύσιππος ὁ Σολεὺς νόμους ἔγραψεν οὐ θεμιτούς. ἔλεγε γὰρ δεῖν μίγνυσθαι ταῖς μητράσι τοὺς παῖδας, τοῖς δὲ πατράσι τὰς θυγατέρας. εἰς δὲ τὰ ἄλλα συνεφώνησε Ζήνωνι τῷ Κιτιεῖ. πρὸς τούτοις δὲ ἔλεγε καὶ ἀνθρωποβορεῖν. ἔλεγε δὲ τὸ τέλος πάντων τὸ ἡδυπαθὲς εἶναι.

### 40

Διογένης ὁ Βαβυλώνιος ἔλεγε τὰ σύμπαντα συνίστασθαι ἐξ ἡδονῆς.

## License and provenance

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