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The Divine Institutes

Lactantius

Book 1 · Chapter 18

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. xviii.—on the consecration of gods, on account of the benefits which they conferred upon men.

In this place also they are to be refuted

‹ Book 1 · Chapter 17 Book 1 · Chapter 19 ›

,

who

not

only

admit

that

gods

have

been

made

from

men

,

but

even

boast

of

it

as

a

subject

of

praise

,

either

on

account

of

their

valour

,

as

Hercules

,

or

of

their

gifts

,

as

Ceres

and

Liber

,

or

of

the

arts

which

they

discovered

,

as

Æsculapius

or

Minerva

.

But

how

foolish

these

things

are

,

and

how

unworthy

of

being

the

causes

why

men

should

contaminate

themselves

with

inexpiable

guilt

,

and

become

enemies

to

God

,

in

contempt

of

whom

they

undertake

offerings

to

the

dead

,

I

will

show

from

particular

instances

.

They

say

that

it

is

virtue

which

exalts

man

to

heaven

,

—

not

,

however

,

that

concerning

which

philosophers

discuss

,

which

consists

in

goods

of

the

soul

,

but

this

connected

with

the

body

,

which

is

called

fortitude

;

and

since

this

was

pre

-

eminent

in

Hercules

,

it

is

believed

to

have

deserved

immortality

.

Who

is

so

foolishly

senseless

as

to

judge

strength

of

body

to

be

a

divine

or

even

a

human

good

,

when

it

has

been

assigned

in

greater

measure

to

cattle

,

and

it

is

often

impaired

by

one

disease

,

or

is

lessened

by

old

age

itself

,

and

altogether

fails

?

And

so

Hercules

,

when

he

perceived

that

his

muscles

were

disfigured

by

ulcers

,

neither

wished

to

be

healed

nor

to

grow

old

,

that

he

might

not

at

any

time

appear

to

have

less

strength

or

comeliness

than

he

once

had

.

They

supposed

that

he

ascended

into

heaven

from

the

funeral

pile

on

which

he

had

burnt

himself

alive

;

and

those

very

qualities

which

they

most

foolishly

admired

,

they

expressed

by

statues

and

images

,

and

consecrated

,

so

that

they

might

for

ever

remain

as

memorials

of

the

folly

of

those

who

had

believed

that

gods

owed

their

origin

to

the

slaughter

of

beasts

.

But

this

,

perchance

,

may

be

the

fault

of

the

Greeks

,

who

always

esteemed

most

trifling

things

as

of

the

greatest

consequence

.

What

is

the

case

of

our

own

countrymen

?

Are

they

more

wise

?

For

they

despise

valour

in

an

athlete

,

because

it

produces

no

injury

;

but

in

the

case

of

a

king

,

because

it

occasions

widely

-

spread

disasters

,

they

so

admire

it

as

to

imagine

that

brave

and

warlike

generals

are

admitted

to

the

assembly

of

the

gods

,

and

that

there

is

no

other

way

to

immortality

than

to

lead

armies

,

to

lay

waste

the

territory

of

others

,

to

destroy

cities

,

to

overthrow

towns

,

to

put

to

death

or

enslave

free

peoples

.

Truly

the

greater

number

of

men

they

have

cast

down

,

plundered

,

and

slain

,

so

much

the

more

noble

and

distinguished

do

they

think

themselves

;

and

ensnared

by

the

show

of

empty

glory

,

they

give

to

their

crimes

the

name

of

virtue

.

I

would

rather

that

they

should

make

to

themselves

gods

from

the

slaughter

of

wild

beasts

,

than

approve

of

an

immortality

so

stained

with

blood

.

If

any

one

has

slain

a

single

man

,

he

is

regarded

as

contaminated

and

wicked

,

nor

do

they

think

it

lawful

for

him

to

be

admitted

to

this

earthly

abode

of

the

gods

.

But

he

who

has

slaughtered

countless

thousands

of

men

,

has

inundated

plains

with

blood

,

and

infected

rivers

,

is

not

only

admitted

into

the

temple

,

but

even

into

heaven

.

In

Ennius

Africanus

thus

speaks

:

“

If

it

is

permitted

any

one

to

ascend

to

the

regions

of

the

gods

above

,

the

greatest

gate

of

heaven

is

open

to

me

alone

.

”

Because

,

in

truth

,

he

extinguished

and

destroyed

a

great

part

of

the

human

race

.

Oh

how

great

the

darkness

in

which

you

were

involved

,

O

Africanus

,

or

rather

O

poet

,

in

that

you

imagined

the

ascent

to

heaven

to

be

open

to

men

through

slaughters

and

bloodshed

!

And

Cicero

also

assented

to

this

delusion

.

It

is

so

in

truth

,

he

said

,

O

Africanus

,

for

the

same

gate

was

open

to

Hercules

;

as

though

he

himself

had

been

doorkeeper

in

heaven

at

the

time

when

this

took

place

.

I

indeed

cannot

determine

whether

I

should

think

it

a

subject

of

grief

or

of

ridicule

,

when

I

see

grave

and

learned

,

and

,

as

they

appear

to

themselves

,

wise

men

,

involved

in

such

miserable

waves

of

errors

.

If

this

is

the

virtue

which

renders

us

immortal

,

I

for

my

part

should

prefer

to

die

,

rather

than

to

be

the

cause

of

destruction

to

as

many

as

possible

.

If

immortality

can

be

obtained

in

no

other

way

than

by

bloodshed

,

what

will

be

the

result

if

all

shall

agree

to

live

in

harmony

?

And

this

may

undoubtedly

be

realized

,

if

men

would

cast

aside

their

pernicious

and

impious

madness

,

and

live

in

innocence

and

justice

.

Shall

no

one

,

then

,

be

worthy

of

heaven

?

Shall

virtue

perish

,

because

it

will

not

be

permitted

men

to

rage

against

their

fellow

-

men

?

But

they

who

reckon

the

overthrow

of

cities

and

people

as

the

greatest

glory

will

not

endure

public

tranquillity

:

they

will

plunder

and

rage

;

and

by

the

infliction

of

outrageous

injuries

will

disturb

the

compact

of

human

society

,

that

they

may

have

an

enemy

whom

they

may

destroy

with

greater

wickedness

than

that

with

which

they

attacked

.

Now let us proceed to the remaining subjects. The conferring of benefits gave the name of gods to Ceres and Liber. I am able to prove from the sacred writings that wine and corn were used by men before the offspring of Cœlus and Saturnus. But let us suppose that they were introduced by these. Can it appear to be a greater thing to have collected corn, and having bruised it, to have taught men to make bread; or to have pressed grapes gathered from the vine, and to have made wine, than to have produced and brought forth from the earth corn itself, or the vine? God, indeed, may have left these things to be drawn out by the ingenuity of man; yet all things must belong to Him, who gave to man both wisdom to discover, and those very things which might be discovered. The arts also are said to have gained immortality for their inventors, as medicine for Æsculapius, the craft of the smith for Vulcan. Therefore let us worship those also who taught the art of the fuller and of the shoemaker. But why is not honour paid to the discoverer of the potter’s art? Is it that those rich men despise Samian vessels? There are also other arts, the inventors of which greatly profited the life of man. Why have not temples been assigned to them also? But doubtless it is Minerva who discovered all, and therefore workmen offer prayers to her. Such, then, was the low condition from which Minerva ascended to heaven. Is there truly any reason why any one should leave the worship of Him who created the earth with its living creatures, and the heaven with its stars, for the adoration of her who taught men to set up the woof? What place does he hold who taught the healing of wounds in the body? Can he be more excellent than Him who formed the body itself, and the power of sensibility and of life? Finally, did he contrive and bring to light the herbs themselves, and the other things in which the healing art consists?

Notes

1
Virtus in its first meaning denotes valour, the property of a man (vir); then it is used to signify moral excellence.
2
Lit., than himself.
3
Ab his sordibus.
4
Exorsus est. The word properly denotes to begin a web, to lay the warp; hence the use of “ordiri” In the following clause.