“I have cited these words from the divine scriptures for the benefit of the willing. It is also fitting to cite a passage about these things from Zosimus, the philosopher of Panopolis, from his writings on the care of the gods in the ninth Book of Imhotep, which goes as follows:

‘The sacred scriptures, or indeed books, dear lady, say that there is a certain race of demons who sleep with mortal women. Hermes, too, mentioned this in his Physics, and nearly every public and secret discourse mentioned it. The ancient and divine scriptures, then, said that some angels desired mortal women and when they had descended taught them all the works of nature. This is why, they say, once the angels had fallen, they remained outside of heaven: because they taught humankind all that is wicked and of no benefit to the soul. And these same scriptures say it is from them that the giants were born. Theirs is the first tradition concerning these arts of Chemu. It was called the Book of Chemu, which is why the art, too, is called chemeia.’”

Ταῦτά τοι πρὸς ὠφέλειαν τῶν βουλομένων ἐκ τῶν θείων γραφῶν παρατέθεικα. ἄξιον δὲ καὶ Ζωσίμου τοῦ Πανοπολίτου φιλοσόφου χρῆσίν τινα παραθέσθαι περὶ αὐτῶν ἐκ τῶν γεγραμμένων αὐτῷ πρὸς θεοσέβειαν ἐν τῷ θʹ τῆς Ἰμοὺθ βίβλῳ, ἔχουσαν ὧδε·

‘φάσκουσιν αἱ ἱεραὶ γραφαὶ ἤτοι βίβλοι, ὦ γύναι, ὅτι ἔστι τι δαιμόνων γένος ὃ χρῆται γυναιξίν. ἐμνημόνευσε δὲ καὶ Ἑρμῆς ἐν τοῖς φυσικοῖς, καὶ σχεδὸν ἅπας λόγος φανερὸς καὶ ἀπόκρυφος τοῦτο ἐμνημόνευσε. τοῦτο οὖν ἔφασαν αἱ ἀρχαῖαι καὶ θεῖαι γραφαί, ὅτι ἄγγελοί τινες ἐπεθύμησαν τῶν γυναικῶν καὶ κατελθόντες ἐδίδαξαν αὐτὰς πάντα τὰ τῆς φύσεως ἔργα, ὧν χάριν, φησί, προσκρούσαντες ἔξω τοῦ οὐρανοῦ ἔμειναν, ὅτι πάντα τὰ πονηρὰ καὶ μηδὲν ὠφελοῦντα τὴν ψυχὴν ἐδίδαξαν τοὺς ἀνθρώπους. ἐξ αὐτῶν φάσκουσιν αἱ αὐταὶ γραφαὶ καὶ τοὺς γίγαντας γεγενῆσθαι. ἔστιν οὖν αὐτῶν ἡ πρώτη παράδοσις Χημεῦ περὶ τούτων τῶν τεχνῶν. ἐκάλεσε δὲ ταύτην τὴν βίβλον Χημεῦ, ἔνθεν καὶ ἡ τέχνη χημεία καλεῖται’.

Zosimus of Panopolis, ap. Georgius Syncellus, Ecloga chronographica, 14.1–14 Mosshammer