Opening the library…

Search the Bible

The Epitome of the Divine Institutes

Lactantius

Chapter 11

About this work

A condensed presentation of Lactantius’s apologetic project, summarizing his case against pagan worship and his account of divine providence, true religion, justice, and Christian hope.

Author: Lactantius
Date: Early 4th century
Origin: Nicomedia or Gaul
Genre: Apology

Chap. XI.—The Various Emblems Under Which the Poets Veiled the Turpitude of Jupiter.

But some one will say that these things

‹ Chapter 10 Chapter 12 ›

are

feigned

by

the

poets

.

This

is

not

the

usage

of

the

poets

,

to

feign

in

such

a

manner

that

you

fabricate

the

whole

,

but

so

that

you

cover

the

actions

themselves

with

a

figure

,

and

,

as

it

were

,

with

a

variegated

veil

.

Poetic

licence

has

this

limit

,

not

that

it

may

invent

the

whole

,

which

is

the

part

of

one

who

is

false

and

senseless

,

but

that

it

may

change

something

consistently

with

reason

.

They

said

that

Jupiter

changed

himself

into

a

shower

of

gold

,

that

he

might

deceive

Danae

.

What

is

a

shower

of

gold

?

Plainly

golden

coins

,

by

offering

a

great

quantity

of

which

,

and

pouring

them

into

her

bosom

,

he

corrupted

the

frailty

of

her

virgin

soul

by

this

bribe

.

Thus

also

they

speak

of

a

shower

of

iron

,

when

they

wish

to

signify

a

multitude

of

javelins

.

He

carried

off

his

catamite

upon

an

eagle

.

What

is

the

eagle

?

Truly

a

legion

,

since

the

figure

of

this

animal

is

the

standard

of

the

legion

.

He

carried

Europa

across

the

sea

on

a

bull

.

What

is

the

bull

?

Clearly

a

ship

,

which

had

its

tutelary

image

fashioned

in

the

shape

of

a

bull

.

So

assuredly

the

daughter

of

Inachus

was

not

turned

into

a

cow

,

nor

as

such

did

she

swim

across

,

but

she

escaped

the

anger

of

Juno

in

a

ship

which

had

the

form

of

a

cow

.

Lastly

,

when

she

had

been

conveyed

to

Egypt

,

she

became

Isis

,

whose

voyage

is

celebrated

on

a

fixed

day

,

in

memory

of

her

flight

.

Notes

1
Tutela. The image of some deity, supposed to be the tutelary guardian of the ship, was usually painted on the stern.