Universal Call and Human Refusal
Methodius of Olympus, On Things Created (De Creatis / Photius) §2
Either these things were set before all the Greeks and the other unbelievers by Christ’s disciples and were proclaimed, and turned them from impiety to faith in Christ — just as we who believe confess — and then “do not throw your pearls before pigs” can no longer be read as it was said;
or, if that saying is taken as it was said, we are forced to claim that faith in Christ and freedom from impiety never came to any of the unbelievers we were comparing — from the apostolic teachings that light the soul like pearls. And that is blasphemous.
Greek
ἢ οὖν πᾶσι τοῖς Ἕλλησι καὶ τοῖς ἄλλοις ἀπίστοις ταῦτα παρεβλήθη παρὰ τῶν τοῦ Χριστοῦ μαθητῶν καὶ ἐκηρύχθη, καὶ ἀπὸ τῆς ἀσεβείας μετέβαλεν αὐτοὺς εἰς τὴν εἰς Χριστὸν πίστιν ὥσπερ οὖν καὶ πιστεύοντες ὁμολογοῦμεν, καὶ οὐκέτι δύναται νοεῖσθαι τό »μὴ βάλητε τοὺς μαργαρίτας ὑμῶν ἔμπροσθεν τῶν χοίρων«, ὡς ἐρρήθη· ἢ τούτου ὡς ἐλέχθη νοουμένου, ἀνάγκη ἡμᾶς λέγειν ὡς οὐδενὶ τῶν ἀπίστων, οὓς ἀπεικάζομεν, ἐκ τῶν ἀποστολικῶν διδαγμάτων, μαργαριτῶν δίκην τὰς ψυχὰς καταυγαζόντων, ἡ εἰς Χριστὸν πίστις καὶ ἡ τῆς ἀσεβείας ἐλευθερία γεγένηται. βλάσφημον δὲ τοῦτο.