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Adversus Gentes

Arnobius of Sicca

Book 4 · Chapter 20

About this work

A vigorous Latin defense of Christianity against claims that conversion had angered the gods, combining criticism of Roman mythology and cult with arguments about Christ and the soul.

Author: Arnobius of Sicca
Date: c. AD 300–310
Origin: Sicca, North Africa
Genre: Apology

Section 20

20. But you, on the contrary, forgetting how

‹ Book 4 · Chapter 19 Book 4 · Chapter 21 ›

great

their

dignity

and

grandeur

are

,

associate

with

them

a

birth

,

and

impute

to

them

a

descent

,

which

men

of

at

all

refined

feelings

regard

as

at

once

execrable

and

terrible

.

From

Ops

,

you

say

,

his

mother

,

and

from

his

father

Saturn

,

Diespiter

was

born

with

his

brothers

.

Do

the

gods

,

then

,

have

wives

;

and

,

the

matches

having

been

previously

planned

,

do

they

become

subject

to

the

bonds

of

marriage

?

Do

they

take

upon

themselves

the

engagements

of

the

bridal

couch

by

prescription

,

by

the

cake

of

spelt

,

and

by

a

pretended

sale

?

Have

they

their

mistresses

,

their

promised

wives

,

their

betrothed

brides

,

on

settled

conditions

?

And

what

do

we

say

about

their

marriages

,

too

,

when

indeed

you

say

that

some

celebrated

their

nuptials

,

and

entertained

joyous

throngs

,

and

that

the

goddesses

sported

at

these

;

and

that

some

threw

all

things

into

utter

confusion

with

dissensions

because

they

had

no

share

in

singing

the

Fescennine

verses

,

and

occasioned

danger

and

destruction

to

the

next

generation

of

men

?

Notes

1
Lit., “forgetting the so great majesty and sublimity.”
2
Both plural.
3
Both plural.
4
The ms., first four edd., and Oberthür read conducunt—“unite;” for which the rest read condic-unt, as above.
5
i.e., usu, farre, coemptione.
6
The word here translated mistresses, speratas, is used of maidens loved, but not yet asked in marriage.
7
Lit., “dangers of destructions.”
8
Instead of “occasioned,” sevisse, which the later editions give, the ms. and first four edd. read sævisse—“that danger and destruction raged against,” etc.