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The Divine Institutes

Lactantius

Book 6 · Chapter 1

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. I.—Of the Worship of the True God, and of Innocency, and of the Worship of False Gods.

We have completed that which was the object of

‹ Book 5 · Chapter 24 Book 6 · Chapter 2 ›

our

undertaking

,

through

the

teaching

of

the

Divine

Spirit

,

and

the

aid

of

the

truth

itself

;

the

cause

of

asserting

and

explaining

which

was

imposed

upon

me

both

by

conscience

and

faith

,

and

by

our

Lord

Himself

,

without

whom

nothing

can

be

known

or

clearly

set

forth

.

I

come

now

to

that

which

is

the

chief

and

greatest

part

of

this

work

—

to

teach

in

what

manner

or

by

what

sacrifice

God

must

be

worshipped

.

For

that

is

the

duty

of

man

,

and

in

that

one

object

the

sum

of

all

things

and

the

whole

course

of

a

happy

life

consists

,

since

we

were

fashioned

and

received

the

breath

of

life

from

Him

on

this

account

,

not

that

we

might

behold

the

heaven

and

the

sun

,

as

Anaxagoras

supposed

,

but

that

we

might

with

pure

and

uncorrupted

mind

worship

Him

who

made

the

sun

and

the

heaven

.

But

although

in

the

preceding

books

,

as

far

as

my

moderate

talent

permitted

,

I

defended

the

truth

,

yet

it

may

especially

be

elucidated

by

the

mode

of

worship

itself

.

For

that

sacred

and

surpassing

majesty

requires

from

man

nothing

more

than

innocence

alone

;

and

if

any

one

has

presented

this

to

God

,

he

has

sacrificed

with

sufficient

piety

and

religion

.

But

men

,

neglecting

justice

,

though

they

are

polluted

by

crimes

and

outrages

of

all

kinds

,

think

themselves

religious

if

they

have

stained

the

temples

and

altars

with

the

blood

of

victims

,

if

they

have

moistened

the

hearths

with

a

profusion

of

fragrant

and

old

wine

.

Moreover

,

they

also

prepare

sacred

feasts

and

choice

banquets

,

as

though

they

offered

to

those

who

would

taste

something

from

them

.

Whatever

is

rarely

to

be

viewed

,

whatever

is

precious

in

workmanship

or

in

fragrance

,

that

they

judge

to

be

pleasing

to

their

gods

,

not

by

any

reference

to

their

divinity

,

of

which

they

are

ignorant

,

but

from

their

own

desires

;

nor

do

they

understand

that

God

is

in

no

want

of

earthly

resources

.

For they have no knowledge of anything except the earth, and they estimate good and evil things by the perception and pleasure of the body alone. And as they judge of religion according to its pleasure, so also they arrange the acts of their whole life. And since they have turned away once for all from the contemplation of the heaven, and have made that heavenly faculty the slave of the body, they give the reins to their lusts, as though they were about to bear away pleasure with themselves, which they hasten to enjoy at every moment; whereas the soul ought to employ the service of the body, and not the body to make use of the service of the soul. The same men judge riches to be the greatest good. And if they cannot obtain them by good practices, they endeavour to obtain them by evil practices; they deceive, they carry off by violence, they plunder, they lie in wait, they deny on oath; in short, they have no consideration or regard for anything, if only they can glitter with gold, and shine conspicuous with plate, with jewels, and with garments, can spend riches upon their greedy appetite, and always walk attended with crowds of slaves through the people compelled to give way. Thus devoting themselves to the service of pleasures, they extinguish the force and vigour of the mind; and when they especially think that they are alive, they are hastening with the greatest precipitation to death. For, as we showed in the second book, the soul is concerned with heaven, the body with the earth. They who neglect the goods of the soul, and seek those of the body, are engaged with darkness and death, which belong to the earth and to the body, because life and light are from heaven; and they who are without this, by serving the body, are far removed from the understanding of divine things. The same blindness everywhere oppresses the wretched men; for as they know not who is the true God, so they know not what constitutes true worship.

Notes

1
Elucere potest.
2
Nihil moderati aut pensi habent. The expression is borrowed from Sallust, Catiline, xii.
3
Per dimotum populum.
4
Addicti et servientes voluptatibus.
5
[See book ii. cap. 2, p. 43, supra.]