Christians do not revile the statues
Then after this, having heard either no Christian at all or some lawless and uneducated one from among the many, he says that Christians say: “Look, I stand beside the statue of Zeus or Apollo or any god you please, and I revile it and strike it, and it does nothing to avenge itself on me.”
He does not see that in the divine law it is also commanded, “You shall not revile gods” (Exodus 22:28), so that our mouths may not grow used to reviling anyone at all; for we hear, “Bless, and do not curse” (Romans 12:14), and we are taught that “revilers” will not “inherit the kingdom of God” (1 Corinthians 6:10). Who among us is so foolish as to say such things, and not see that a thing of this kind does nothing to overthrow the belief in the reputed gods? For even those who are wholly godless, who have done away with providence and by their wicked and impious doctrines have founded a school of so-called philosophers, have not themselves suffered any of the things that the many regard as evils, nor have those who embraced their doctrines; on the contrary, they are rich and healthy in body.
But if anyone looks for harm in them, let him see that they are the ones truly harmed. For what greater harm is there than not to perceive the Maker from the order of the world? And what misery is worse than to have one’s mind blinded and not to see the Creator and Father of every mind?
Greek
Εἶτα μετὰ ταῦτα ἤτοι μηδενὸς ἀκούσας Χριστιανοῦ ἤ τινος ἀπὸ τῶν πολλῶν παρανόμου καὶ ἀπαιδεύτου φησὶ τοὺς Χριστιανοὺς λέγειν· ἰδοὺ παραστὰς τῷ ἀγάλματι τοῦ Διὸς ἢ Ἀπόλλωνος ἢ ὅτου δὴ θεοῦ βλασφημῶ καὶ ῥαπίζω, καὶ οὐδέν με ἀμύνεται. οὐχ ὁρῶν ὅτι ἐν τῇ θείᾳ νομοθεσίᾳ προστέτακται καὶ τὸ „θεοὺς οὐ κακολογήσεις,“ ἵνα μὴ ἐθίζηται ἡμῶν τὸ στόμα ὁντινοῦν κακολογεῖν, ἀκουόντων· „εὐλογεῖτε καὶ μὴ καταρᾶσθε“ καὶ διδασκομένων ὅτι „οἱ λοίδοροι“ „βασιλείαν θεοῦ“ οὐ „κληρονομήσουσι.“ τίς δ᾿ οὕτως ἐν ἡμῖν ἠλίθιος. ὡς ταῦτα λέγειν καὶ μὴ ὁρᾶν ὅτι οὐδὲν δύναται τὸ τοιοῦτο πρὸς καθαίρεσιν τῆς περὶ τῶν νομιζομένων θεῶν ὑπολήψεως; ὅπου γε καὶ οἱ πάντῃ ἄθεοι καὶ τὴν πρόνοιαν ἀνελόντες καὶ σύστημα νομιζομένων φιλοσόφων διὰ τῶν μοχθηρῶν δογμάτων καὶ ἀσεβῶν γεννήσαντες οὔτ᾿ αὐτοί (τι) πεπόνθασιν ὧν οἱ πολλοὶ νομίζουσι κακῶν οὔθ᾿ οἱ τὰ ἐκείνων ἀσπασάμενοι δόγματα, ἀλλὰ γὰρ καὶ πλουτοῦσι καὶ ὑγιαίνουσι τὰ σώματα. εἰ δὲ βλάβην τις ζητεῖ ἐν ἐκείνοις, ὁράτω ὅτι ἀληθῶς εἰσιν οἱ βεβλαμμένοι. ποία γὰρ μείζων βλάβη τοῦ μὴ νοεῖν ἀπὸ τῆς τάξεως τοῦ κόσμου τὸν πεποιηκότα; ποία δὲ χείρων ταλαιπωρία τοῦ τετυφλῶσθαι τὸν νοῦν καὶ μὴ βλέπειν τὸν παντὸς νοῦ δημιουργὸν καὶ πατέρα;