When God, Who has authority over all things, was making the human race through His own Word, He saw the weakness of their nature: by itself it was not capable of knowing its Maker or even of forming any conception of God. For God is without origin, while created things came from non-existence; He is incorporeal, while human beings were fashioned below in a body; and in every respect created beings fall far short of comprehending and knowing their Maker. Therefore, because He is good, God again took pity on the human race and did not leave them without the knowledge of Himself, lest even their existence should be without benefit.
For what benefit is there to creatures if they do not know their Maker? How could they be rational if they did not know the Word—and Reason—of the Father, in Whom they came into being? They would differ in no way from irrational animals if they knew nothing beyond earthly things. And why would God have made them if He did not wish to be known by them?
But, in fact, the good God has given them a share in His own Image, that is, in our Lord Jesus Christ, and has made even themselves after the same Image and Likeness. Why? Simply in order that through this gift of Godlikeness in themselves they may be able to perceive the Image Absolute, that is the Word Himself, and through Him to apprehend the Father; which knowledge of their Maker is for men the only really happy and blessed life.
But human beings again acted senselessly. They treated the grace given to them with contempt, turned so far away from God, and so darkened their own soul that they not only forgot the conception of God but also fashioned one invention after another for themselves. They formed idols in place of the truth, preferred things that do not exist to God Who Is, and worshiped the creation rather than the Creator. Worst of all, they transferred the honor due to God to wood, stones, every kind of material thing, and even human beings; and they went still further, as was said in the preceding work.
Their impiety went so far that they worshiped demons and proclaimed them to be gods, satisfying their own desires. As was said before, they offered sacrifices of irrational animals and slaughtered human beings as offerings appropriate to these powers, binding themselves ever more tightly under their maddening influence.
For this reason magic arts were taught among them, and oracles in various places led human beings astray. Everyone attributed the causes of their own birth and existence to the stars and to all the heavenly bodies, considering nothing beyond visible things.
In a word, impiety and lawlessness were everywhere, and neither God nor His Word was known. Yet He had not hidden Himself from the sight of men nor given the knowledge of Himself in one way only; but rather He had unfolded it in many forms and by many ways.