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The Divine Institutes

Lactantius

Book 5 · Chapter 24

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. XXIV.—Of the Divine Vengeance Inflicted on the Torturers of the Christians.

Whatever, therefore, wicked princes plan against us

‹ Book 5 · Chapter 23 Book 6 · Chapter 1 ›

,

God

Himself

permits

to

be

done

.

And

yet

most

unjust

persecutors

,

to

whom

the

name

of

God

was

a

subject

of

reproach

and

mockery

,

must

not

think

that

they

will

escape

with

impunity

,

because

they

have

been

,

as

it

were

,

the

ministers

of

His

indignation

against

us

.

For

they

will

be

punished

with

the

judgment

of

God

,

who

,

having

received

power

,

have

abused

it

to

an

inhuman

degree

,

and

have

even

insulted

God

in

their

arrogance

,

and

placed

His

eternal

name

beneath

their

feet

,

to

be

impiously

and

wickedly

trampled

upon

.

On

this

account

He

promises

that

He

will

quickly

take

vengeance

upon

them

,

and

exterminate

the

evil

monsters

from

the

earth

.

But

He

also

,

although

He

is

accustomed

to

avenge

the

persecutions

of

His

people

even

in

the

present

world

,

commands

us

,

however

,

to

await

patiently

that

day

of

heavenly

judgment

,

in

which

He

Himself

will

honour

or

punish

every

man

according

to

his

deserts

.

Therefore

let

not

the

souls

of

the

sacrilegious

expect

that

those

whom

they

thus

trample

upon

will

be

despised

and

unavenged

.

Those

ravenous

and

voracious

wolves

who

have

tormented

just

and

innocent

souls

,

without

the

commission

of

any

crimes

,

will

surely

meet

with

their

reward

.

Only

let

us

labour

,

that

nothing

else

in

us

may

be

punished

by

men

but

righteousness

alone

:

let

us

strive

with

all

our

power

that

we

may

at

once

deserve

at

the

hands

of

God

the

avenging

of

our

suffering

and

a

reward

.

Notes

1
Bestias malas. Lactantius in several passages applies this expression to the persecutors of the Christians. [A quotation from the Cretian poet cited by St. Paul. “Cretenses semper mendaces malæ bestiæ, ventres pigri.” Tit. ii. 12.]
2
“Vexationes.”