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Adversus Gentes

Arnobius of Sicca

Book 6 · Chapter 24

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 24

24. Here also the advocates of images are wont to

‹ Book 6 · Chapter 23 Book 6 · Chapter 25 ›

say

this

also

,

that

the

ancients

knew

well

that

images

have

no

divine

nature

,

and

that

there

is

no

sense

in

them

,

but

that

they

formed

them

profitably

and

wisely

,

for

the

sake

of

the

unmanageable

and

ignorant

mob

,

which

is

the

majority

in

nations

and

in

states

,

in

order

that

a

kind

of

appearance

,

as

it

were

,

of

deities

being

presented

to

them

,

from

fear

they

might

shake

off

their

rude

natures

,

and

,

supposing

that

they

were

acting

in

the

presence

of

the

gods

,

put

away

their

impious

deeds

,

and

,

changing

their

manners

,

learn

to

act

as

men

;

and

that

august

forms

of

gold

and

silver

were

sought

for

them

,

for

no

other

reason

than

that

some

power

was

believed

to

reside

in

their

splendour

,

such

as

not

only

to

dazzle

the

eyes

,

but

even

to

strike

terror

into

the

mind

itself

at

the

majestic

beaming

lustre

.

Now

this

might

perhaps

seem

to

be

said

with

some

reason

,

if

,

after

the

temples

of

the

gods

were

founded

,

and

their

images

set

up

,

there

were

no

wicked

man

in

the

world

,

no

villany

at

all

,

if

justice

,

peace

,

good

faith

,

possessed

the

hearts

of

men

,

and

no

one

on

earth

were

called

guilty

and

guiltless

,

all

being

ignorant

of

wicked

deeds

.

But

now

when

,

on

the

contrary

,

all

things

are

full

of

wicked

men

,

the

name

of

innocence

has

almost

perished

,

and

every

moment

,

every

second

,

evil

deeds

,

till

now

unheard

of

,

spring

to

light

in

myriads

from

the

wickedness

of

wrongdoers

,

how

is

it

right

to

say

that

images

have

been

set

up

for

the

purpose

of

striking

terror

into

the

mob

,

while

,

besides

innumerable

forms

of

crime

and

wickedness

,

we

see

that

even

the

temples

themselves

are

attacked

by

tyrants

,

by

kings

,

by

robbers

,

and

by

nocturnal

thieves

,

and

that

these

very

gods

whom

antiquity

fashioned

and

consecrated

to

cause

terror

,

are

carried

away

into

the

caves

of

robbers

,

in

spite

even

of

the

terrible

splendour

of

the

gold

?

Notes

1
Lit., “lop away,” deputarent, the reading of the ms., Hild., and Oehler; the rest reading deponerent—“lay aside.” [The same plausible defences are used to this day by professed Christians. See Jesuits at Rome, by Hobart Seymour, p. 38, ed. New York, 1849.]
2
Lit., “pass to human offices.”
3
Lit., “crimes and wickednesses.”
4
Lit., “go,” vadere.
5
Lit., “with their golden and to-be-feared splendours themselves.”