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The Divine Institutes

Lactantius

Book 1 · Chapter 16

About this work

A large Latin presentation of Christian teaching that criticizes pagan religion and philosophy while treating justice, God, creation, Christ, worship, ethics, and the final destiny of humanity.

Author: Lactantius
Date: c. AD 303–311
Origin: North Africa and Nicomedia
Genre: Apology

Chap. xvi.— by what argument it is proved that those who are distinguished by a difference of sex cannot be gods.

I might be content with those things which I

‹ Book 1 · Chapter 15 Book 1 · Chapter 17 ›

have

but

there

still

remain

many

things

which

are

necessary

for

the

work

which

I

have

undertaken

.

For

although

,

by

destroying

the

principal

part

of

superstitions

,

I

have

taken

away

the

whole

,

yet

it

pleases

me

to

follow

up

the

remaining

parts

,

and

more

fully

to

refute

so

inveterate

a

persuasion

,

that

men

may

at

length

be

ashamed

and

repent

of

their

errors

.

This

is

a

great

undertaking

,

and

worthy

of

a

man

.

“

I

proceed

to

release

the

minds

of

men

from

the

ties

of

superstitions

,

”

as

Lucretius

says

;

and

he

indeed

was

unable

to

effect

this

,

because

he

brought

forward

nothing

true

.

This

is

our

duty

,

who

both

assert

the

existence

of

the

true

God

and

refute

false

deities

.

They

,

therefore

,

who

entertain

the

opinion

that

the

poets

have

invented

fables

about

the

gods

,

and

yet

believe

in

the

existence

of

female

deities

,

and

worship

them

,

are

unconsciously

brought

back

to

that

which

they

had

denied

—

that

they

have

sexual

intercourse

,

and

bring

forth

.

For

it

is

impossible

that

the

two

sexes

can

have

been

instituted

except

for

the

sake

of

generation

.

But

a

difference

of

sex

being

admitted

,

they

do

not

perceive

that

conception

follows

as

a

consequence

.

And

this

cannot

be

the

case

with

a

God

.

But

let

the

matter

be

as

they

imagine

;

for

they

say

that

there

are

sons

of

Jupiter

and

of

the

other

gods

.

Therefore

new

gods

are

born

,

and

that

indeed

daily

,

for

gods

are

not

surpassed

in

fruitfulness

by

men

.

It

follows

that

all

things

are

full

of

gods

without

number

,

since

forsooth

none

of

them

dies

.

For

since

the

multitude

of

men

is

incredible

,

and

their

number

not

to

be

estimated

—

though

,

as

they

are

born

,

they

must

of

necessity

die

—

what

must

we

suppose

to

be

the

case

with

the

gods

who

have

been

born

through

so

many

ages

,

and

have

remained

immortal

?

How

is

it

,

then

,

that

so

few

are

worshipped

?

Unless

we

think

by

any

means

that

there

are

two

sexes

of

the

gods

,

not

for

the

sake

of

generation

,

but

for

mere

gratification

,

and

that

the

gods

practise

those

things

which

men

are

ashamed

to

do

,

and

to

submit

to

.

But

when

any

are

said

to

be

born

from

any

,

it

follows

that

they

always

continue

to

be

born

,

if

they

are

born

at

any

time

;

or

if

they

ceased

at

any

time

to

be

born

,

it

is

befitting

that

we

should

know

why

or

at

what

time

they

so

ceased

.

Seneca

,

in

his

books

of

moral

philosophy

,

not

without

some

pleasantry

,

asks

,

“

What

is

the

reason

why

Jupiter

,

who

is

represented

by

the

poets

as

most

addicted

to

lust

,

ceased

to

beget

children

?

Was

it

that

he

was

become

a

sexagenarian

,

and

was

restrained

by

the

Papian

law

?

Or

did

he

obtain

the

privileges

conferred

by

having

three

children

?

Or

did

the

sentiment

at

length

occur

to

him

,

‘

What

you

have

done

to

another

,

you

may

expect

from

another

;

’

and

does

he

fear

lest

any

one

should

act

towards

him

as

he

himself

did

to

Saturn

?

”

But

let

those

who

maintain

that

they

are

gods

,

see

in

what

manner

they

can

answer

this

argument

which

I

shall

bring

forward

.

If

there

are

two

sexes

of

the

gods

,

conjugal

intercourse

follows

;

and

if

this

takes

place

,

they

must

have

houses

,

for

they

are

not

without

virtue

and

a

sense

of

shame

,

so

as

to

do

this

openly

and

promiscuously

,

as

we

see

that

the

brute

animals

do

.

If

they

have

houses

,

it

follows

that

they

also

have

cities

;

and

for

this

we

have

the

authority

of

Ovid

,

who

says

,

“

The

multitude

of

gods

occupy

separate

places

;

in

this

front

the

powerful

and

illustrious

inhabitants

of

heaven

have

placed

their

dwellings

.

”

If

they

have

cities

,

they

will

also

have

fields

.

Now

who

cannot

see

the

consequence

,

—

namely

,

that

they

plough

and

cultivate

their

lands

?

And

this

is

done

for

the

sake

of

food

.

Therefore

they

are

mortal

.

And

this

argument

is

of

the

same

weight

when

reversed

.

For

if

they

have

no

lands

,

they

have

no

cities

;

and

if

they

have

no

cities

,

they

are

also

without

houses

.

And

if

they

have

no

houses

,

they

have

no

conjugal

intercourse

;

and

if

they

are

without

this

,

they

have

no

female

sex

.

But

we

see

that

there

are

females

among

the

gods

also

.

Therefore

there

are

not

gods

.

If

any

one

is

able

,

let

him

do

away

with

this

argument

.

For

one

thing

so

follows

the

other

,

that

it

is

impossible

not

to

admit

these

last

things

.

But

no

one

will

refute

even

the

former

argument

.

Of

the

two

sexes

the

one

is

stronger

,

the

other

weaker

.

For

the

males

are

more

robust

,

the

females

more

feeble

.

But

a

god

is

not

liable

to

feebleness

;

therefore

there

is

no

female

sex

.

To

this

is

added

that

last

conclusion

of

the

former

argument

,

that

there

are

no

gods

,

since

there

are

females

also

among

the

gods

.

Notes

2
i. 931. [i.e., De Rerum Natura, lib. i. verse 931.]
3
[Cicero, De Officiis, lib. iii. 11.]