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Adversus Gentes

Arnobius of Sicca

Book 5 · Chapter 4

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 4

4. But you will perhaps say that the king was

‹ Book 5 · Chapter 3 Book 5 · Chapter 5 ›

a

diviner

.

Could

he

be

more

so

than

Jupiter

himself

?

But

for

a

mortal’s

anticipating

what

Jupiter

—

whom

he

overreached

—

was

going

to

say

,

could

the

god

not

know

in

what

ways

a

man

was

preparing

to

overreach

him

?

Is

it

not

,

then

,

clear

and

manifest

that

these

are

puerile

and

fanciful

inventions

,

by

which

,

while

a

lively

wit

is

assigned

to

Numa

,

the

greatest

want

of

foresight

is

imputed

to

Jupiter

?

For

what

shows

so

little

foresight

as

to

confess

that

you

have

been

ensnared

by

the

subtlety

of

a

man’s

intellect

,

and

while

you

are

vexed

at

being

deceived

,

to

give

way

to

the

wishes

of

him

who

has

overcome

you

,

and

to

lay

aside

the

means

which

you

had

proposed

?

For

if

there

was

reason

and

some

natural

fitness

that

expiatory

sacrifice

for

that

which

was

struck

with

lightning

should

have

been

made

with

a

man’s

head

,

I

do

not

see

why

the

proposal

of

an

onion’s

was

made

by

the

king

;

but

if

it

could

be

performed

with

an

onion

also

,

there

was

a

greedy

lust

for

human

blood

.

And

both

parts

are

made

to

contradict

themselves

:

so

that

,

on

the

one

hand

,

Numa

is

shown

not

to

have

wished

to

know

what

he

did

wish

;

and

,

on

the

other

,

Jupiter

is

shown

to

have

been

merciless

,

because

he

said

that

he

wished

expiation

to

be

made

with

the

heads

of

men

,

which

could

have

been

done

by

Numa

with

an

onion’s

head

Notes

1
Lit., “unless a mortal anticipated”—præsumeret, the ms. reading.
2
So Oehler, supplying quem.
3
Lit., “liveliness of heart is procured.”
4
Lit., “why.”