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A Treatise on the Anger of God Addressed to Donatus

Lactantius

Chapter 1

About this work

A philosophical and theological argument that divine anger is compatible with divine goodness because providence, moral law, reward, and punishment require God’s active concern for human conduct.

Author: Lactantius
Date: Early 4th century
Origin: North Africa or Nicomedia
Genre: Theological Treatise

Chap. I.—Of Divine and Human Wisdom.

I have often observed, Donatus,

Chapter 2 ›

that

many

persons

hold

this

opinion

,

which

some

philosophers

also

have

maintained

,

that

God

is

not

subject

to

anger

;

since

the

divine

nature

is

either

altogether

beneficent

,

and

that

it

is

inconsistent

with

His

surpassing

and

excellent

power

to

do

injury

to

any

one

;

or

,

at

any

rate

,

He

takes

no

notice

of

us

at

all

,

so

that

no

advantage

comes

to

us

from

His

goodness

,

and

no

evil

from

His

ill

-

will

.

But

the

error

of

these

men

,

because

it

is

very

great

,

and

tends

to

overthrow

the

condition

of

human

life

,

must

be

refuted

by

us

,

lest

you

yourself

also

should

be

deceived

,

being

incited

by

the

authority

of

men

who

deem

themselves

wise

.

Nor

,

however

,

are

we

so

arrogant

as

to

boast

that

the

truth

is

comprehended

by

our

intellect

;

but

we

follow

the

teaching

of

God

,

who

alone

is

able

to

know

and

to

reveal

secret

things

.

But

the

philosophers

,

being

destitute

of

this

teaching

,

have

imagined

that

the

nature

of

things

can

be

ascertained

by

conjecture

.

But

this

is

impossible

;

because

the

mind

of

man

,

enclosed

in

the

dark

abode

of

the

body

,

is

far

removed

from

the

perception

of

truth

:

and

in

this

the

divine

nature

differs

from

the

human

,

that

ignorance

is

the

property

of

the

human

,

knowledge

of

the

divine

nature

.

On which account we have need of some light to dispel the darkness by which the reflection of man is overspread, since, while we live in mortal flesh, we are unable to divine by our senses. But the light of the human mind is God, and he who has known and admitted Him into his breast will acknowledge the mystery of the truth with an enlightened heart; but when God and heavenly instruction are removed, all things are full of errors. And Socrates, though he was the most learned of all the philosophers, yet, that he might prove the ignorance of the others, who thought that they possessed something, rightly said that he knew nothing, except one thing—that he knew nothing. For he understood that that learning had nothing certain, nothing true in itself; nor, as some imagine, did he pretend to learning that he might refute others, but he saw the truth in some measure. And he testified even on his trial (as is related by Plato) that there was no human wisdom. He so despised, derided, and cast aside the learning in which the philosophers then boasted, that he professed that very thing as the greatest learning, that he had learnt that he knew nothing. If, therefore, there is no human wisdom, as Socrates taught, as Plato handed down, it is evident that the knowledge of the truth is divine, and belongs to no other than to God. Therefore God must be known, in whom alone is the truth. He is the Parent of the world, and the Framer of all things; who is not seen with the eyes, and is scarcely distinguished by the mind; whose religion is accustomed to be attacked in many ways by those who have neither been able to attain true wisdom, nor to comprehend the system of the great and heavenly secret.

Notes

1
Simulavit: others read “dissimulavit,” concealed his knowledge.