§53χρὴ ἐν πανηγύρεσί τε καὶ πάσαις ἡμέραις κηδεμόνα καὶ σωτῆρα πάντων ἀνθρώπων αὐτάρκη θεόν;
...ought one not to proclaim this god, at festivals and on all days, as the protector and savior of all humans, a self-sufficient god?
καὶ μὴν καὶ τὰ ὅλα γε τοῦ βίου μέτρα συνέχων ἀνθρώποις καὶ ταμίας ὢν τοῦ βιωσίμου, κατὰ τοῦτʼ ἂν δικαίως ἅπαντα περιειληφέναι νομίζοιτο καὶ πάντα οἷον κυβερνᾶν ἡμῶν τὸν βίον.
And indeed, sustaining the whole measure of life for humans and being the steward of existence, in this respect he would justly be thought to have embraced all things and to govern our life, as it were, entirely.
οἱ μὲν δὴ τῆς μεγάλης πρὸς Αἰγύπτῳ πόλεως πολῖται καὶ ἕνα τοῦτον ἀνακαλοῦσι Δία, ὅτι οὐκ ἀπολέλειπται δυνάμει περιττῇ, ἀλλὰ διὰ πάντων ἥκει καὶ τὸ πᾶν πεπλήρωκε.
Indeed, the citizens of the great city near Egypt call this one god Zeus, because he is not left behind with a superfluous power, but has gone through all things and filled the universe.
τῶν μὲν γὰρ ἄλλων θεῶν διῄρηνται αἱ δυνάμεις τε καὶ αἱ τιμαὶ, καὶ ἄλλους ἐπʼ ἄλλα ἄνθρωποι καλοῦσιν, ὁ δὲ ὥσπερ κορυφαῖος πάντων ἀρχὰς καὶ πέρατα ἔχει.
For the powers and honors of the other gods have been divided, and humans call upon different gods for different things, but he, like the leader of them all, holds the beginnings and the ends.
μόνος δὲ καὶ ἕτοιμος τῷ τινὸς δεομένῳ τοῦτον καλεῖν· ὥστε καὶ ἄνθρωποι περὶ μὲν τῶν ἄλλων οὐ κατὰ τὰ αὐτὰ φέρονται, ἀλλὰ τιμῶσιν ἄλλοι ἄλλους θεοὺς, τοῦτον δὲ μόνον πάντες ὁμοίως τοῖς σφετέροις νομίζουσι.
And he alone is ready for one who is in need to call upon him; so that indeed humans do not behave in the same way toward the other gods, but some honor some gods and others others, while this god alone all humans equally regard as their own.
διὰ γὰρ τὸ τὰς πάντων ἔχειν δυνάμεις οἱ μὲν ἀντὶ πάντων τοῦτον θεραπεύουσιν, οἱ δὲ οἷς νομίζουσιν ἐφʼ ὁτῳοῦν καὶ τοῦτον προσνομίζουσιν ὡς κοινὸν ἁπάσης ὄντα τῆς γῆς ἐξαίρετον.
For because of his having the powers of all, some worship him in place of all, while others add him to those whom they worship for whatever purpose, as one who is uniquely common to the whole earth.
οὐ μόνον δὲ τὰς ἐν τῇ γῇ πάσας ἔχει δυνάμεις οὗτος εἷς ὢν καθʼ ἑκάστην, οὐδʼ ὥσπερ ἄλλος ἄλλῃ τέτακται θεὸς, οὐδὲ κατὰ τὸν Ὁμήρου κλῆρον τριῶν μοῖραν ἔλαχε λαβὼν, ὡς τὸν Δία καὶ τὸν Ποσειδῶ καὶ τὸν Πλούτωνα ἐκεῖνος ἔφη διαλαχεῖν, ἀλλὰ καὶ ἐν θαλάττῃ μέγας οὗτος ὁ θεὸς καὶ ὁλκάδες καὶ τριήρεις ὑπὸ τούτῳ κυβερνῶνται καὶ ἐν αἰθέρι καὶ νεφέλαις, ἐκείνῳ μέλειν γῆς καὶ θαλάττης ἀνάγκης λόγος αἱρεῖ.
And not only does he, being one, have all the powers on earth in each case, nor is he stationed like another god in another place, nor did he receive a portion of three according to the lot of Homer—as he said that Zeus, Poseidon, and Pluto shared by lot—but this god is great also in the sea, and merchant ships and triremes are governed under him, and in the ether and clouds; the argument of necessity shows that the care of land and sea belongs to him.
Ὅμηρος μὲν οὖν ἔφη τὴν γῆν ἐπίκοινον λελεῖφθαι καὶ τὸν Ὄλυμπον τοῖς θεοῖς, ὁ δὲ γῆς τε κληροῦχος αὐτὸς διαφέρων καὶ τῶν ἰδίων αὖ τῶν ἄλλων μερῶν κοινωνὸς ἑκάστῳ προσφαίνεται, πάντα αὐτὸς εἷς ὢν ἅπασιν, εἷς ταυτὸν δυνάμενος, πάσας πράξεις καὶ πάσας εὐπορίας §54ἐν ἅπασι καιροῖς καὶ τόποις συγκατεργαζόμενος, γῆς καὶ θαλάττης, φαῖεν ἂν ποιηταὶ, κλῇδας ἔχων, ἐπεὶ καὶ μετὰ τὴν ἀναγκαίαν τοῦ βίου τελευτὴν ἔτι οὗτος ἄρχων ἀνθρώποις μένει.
Homer indeed said that the earth and Olympus were left common to the gods, but he himself appears to each as the preeminent portion-holder of the earth and in turn the partner in the private parts of the other gods, being himself one and everything to all, having the same power as one, and co-working all actions and all abundances in all times and places, having, as poets would say, the keys of land and sea, since even after the necessary end of life, this god still remains as ruler for humans.
καὶ παρὰ τοῦτον δεῖ βαδίζειν παρʼ αὐτοῦ, τοῦτο δὴ τὸ λεγόμενον οἴκοθεν οἴκαδε, ὡς αὐτόν.
And one must walk from him to him, this indeed which is said "from home to home," as to him.
χώρους τε ὁ διαιρῶν ἑκάστοις οὗτός ἐστι πρὸς ἀξίαν τῆς ἐν τῇ γῇ διαίτης καὶ δίκης τῆς τῶν ὕστερον γιγνομένων, ἡμέρας μὲν τὰ ὑπὲρ γῆς ἐπιὼν, νυκτὸς δὲ τὰς ἀθεάτους ζῶσι κρίσεις ποιούμενος, σωτὴρ αὐτὸς καὶ ψυχοπομπὸς, ἄγων εἰς φῶς καὶ πάλιν δεχόμενος, πανταχῆ πάντας περιέχων.
And he is the one who distributes places to each according to the worth of their dwelling on earth and the judgment of what happens afterward, traversing the regions above the earth by day, and by night holding judgments invisible to the living, being himself savior and guide of souls, leading into light and receiving back again, encompassing all in every way.
εἰ δέ του θεῶν, καὶ Σαράπιδος μνησθεὶς ἀνὴρ εὐθυμίας ἅμα καὶ δέους ἐμπίπλαται.
And if someone remembers any of the gods, and indeed Sarapis, he is filled at once with good cheer and dread.
φιλανθρωπότατος γὰρ θεῶν καὶ φοβερώτατος αὐτὸς, τὸν λυσιτελῆ φόβον ἀνθρώποις ἔχων, ὅπως μήτε ποιήσουσι μήτε πείσονται κακῶς ἀλλήλους μηδʼ ὑπʼ ἀλλήλων.
For he is the most philanthropic of the gods and himself the most fearsome, holding a beneficial fear for humans, so that they may neither do nor suffer harm to or from one another.
πρὸς δʼ οὖν τὸν ἔλεον μᾶλλον τέτραπται καὶ ὅπερ εἶπε περὶ πάντων τῶν θεῶν Ὅμηρος, στρεπτοὺς εἶναι καὶ παραιτητοὺς, μάλιστα οὗτος βεβαιοῖ, τοσαύτας στρέφεται στροφὰς ἐπὶ σωτηρίᾳ τῶν ἀεὶ δεομένων.
At any rate, he is turned rather toward mercy, and what Homer said about all the gods, that they are turnable and placable, this god most of all confirms, making so many turnings for the salvation of those who are always in need.
καὶ τοίνυν καὶ θυσιῶν μόνῳ τούτῳ θεῷ διαφερόντως κοινωνοῦσιν ἄνθρωποι τὴν ἀκριβῆ κοινωνίαν, καλοῦντές τε ἐφʼ ἑστίαν καὶ προϊστάμενοι δαιτυμόνα αὐτὸν καὶ ἑστιάτορα, ὥστε ἄλλων ἄλλους ἐράνους πληρούντων κοινὸς ἁπάντων ἐράνων οὗτός ἐστι πληρωτὴς, συμποσιάρχου τάξιν ἔχων τοῖς ἀεὶ κατὰ ταυτὸν συλλεγομένοις.
And indeed, with this god alone humans share the exact communion of sacrifices in an outstanding way, calling him to the hearth and setting him at the head as guest and host, so that while others fulfill other collective banquets, he is the common fulfiller of all banquets, holding the post of symposium-master for those who always gather in the same place.
ὥσπερ Ὅμηρος ἔφη τὴν Ἀθηνᾶν αὐτὴν ἅμα σπένδειν τε καὶ τελεῖν ἕκαστα, αὐτὸς ὢν ὁμόσπονδός τε καὶ ὁ τὰς σπονδὰς δεχόμενος, ἐπὶ κῶμόν τε ἀφικνούμενος καὶ καλῶν ὡς αὑτὸν κωμαστὰς, οἳ χορεύοντες ὑπʼ αὐτῷ τὴν ἀδεᾶ κακῶν χορείαν, ἅμα τοῖς στεφάνοις τὴν ἀγαθὴν εὐθυμίαν οἴκαδε εἰσενεγκάμενοι, τὴν δευτέραν ἀποδιδόασιν ἐπικαλεσάμενοι.
Just as Homer said that Athena herself at once poured libations and accomplished each thing, he himself is both the partner in libations and the receiver of libations, arriving at the revel and calling the revelers to himself, who, dancing under him the dance free from evils, bringing home good cheer along with their wreaths, pay back the second libation, having called upon him.
παραπλησία δὲ καὶ ἡ κατὰ τὰ ἄλλα πρὸς αὐτὸν κοινωνία ὁμότιμος, οὐ πρὸς ὁμότιμον, οἷον
And similar also is the communion with him in other things, being of equal honor, though not toward one of equal honor, as...