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The Epitome of the Divine Institutes

Lactantius

Chapter 3

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. III.—The Testimonies of the Poets Concerning the One God.

There is, then, one God, perfect

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,

eternal

,

incorruptible

,

incapable

of

suffering

,

subject

to

no

circumstance

or

power

,

Himself

possessing

all

things

,

ruling

all

things

,

whom

the

human

mind

can

neither

estimate

in

thought

nor

mortal

tongue

describe

in

speech

.

For

He

is

too

elevated

and

great

to

be

conceived

by

the

thought

,

or

expressed

by

the

language

of

man

.

In

short

,

not

to

speak

of

the

prophets

,

the

preachers

of

the

one

God

,

poets

also

,

and

philosophers

,

and

inspired

women

,

utter

their

testimony

to

the

unity

of

God

.

Orpheus

speaks

of

the

surpassing

God

who

made

the

heaven

and

the

sun

,

with

the

other

heavenly

bodies

;

who

made

the

earth

and

the

seas

.

Also

our

own

Maro

calls

the

Supreme

God

at

one

time

a

spirit

,

at

another

time

a

mind

,

and

says

that

it

,

as

though

infused

into

limbs

,

puts

in

motion

the

body

of

the

whole

world

;

also

,

that

God

permeates

the

heights

of

heaven

,

the

tracts

of

the

sea

and

lands

,

and

that

all

living

creatures

derive

their

life

from

Him

.

Even

Ovid

was

not

ignorant

that

the

world

was

prepared

by

God

,

whom

he

sometimes

calls

the

framer

of

all

things

,

sometimes

the

fabricator

of

the

world

.

Notes

1
Vates, i.e., the Sibyls.
2
[I shall not multiply references to the seven books, which are so readily compared by turning back to the pages here epitomized.]