Ante-Nicene Fathers/Volume VIII/Pseudo-Clementine Literature/The Clementine Homilies/Homily IV/Chapter 12

Chapter XII.&#8212;Genesis.

&#8220;Therefore I say that the whole learning of the Greeks is a most dreadful fabrication of a wicked demon.&#160; For they have introduced many gods of their own, and these wicked, and subject to all kinds of passion; so that he who wishes to do the like things may not be ashamed, which belongs to a man, having as an example the wicked and unquiet lives of the mythological gods.&#160; And through his not being ashamed, such an one affords no hope of his repenting.&#160; And others have introduced fate, which is called genesis, contrary to which no one can suffer or do anything.&#160; This, therefore, also is like to the first.&#160; For any one who thinks that no one has aught to do or suffer contrary to genesis easily falls into sin; and having sinned, he does not repent of his impiety, holding it as his apology that he was borne on by genesis to do these things.&#160; And as he cannot rectify genesis, he has no reason to be ashamed of the sins he commits.