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The Epitome of the Divine Institutes

Lactantius

Chapter 26

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. XXVI.—Of the Worship of the Elements and Stars.

Now let us refute those also who regard

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the

elements

of

the

world

as

gods

,

that

is

,

the

heaven

,

the

sun

,

and

the

moon

;

for

being

ignorant

of

the

Maker

of

these

things

,

they

admire

and

adore

the

works

themselves

.

And

this

error

belongs

not

to

the

ignorant

only

,

but

also

to

philosophers

;

since

the

Stoics

are

of

opinion

that

all

the

heavenly

bodies

are

to

be

considered

as

among

the

number

of

the

gods

,

since

they

all

have

fixed

and

regular

motions

,

by

which

they

most

constantly

preserve

the

vicissitudes

of

the

times

which

succeed

them

.

They

do

not

then

possess

voluntary

motion

,

since

they

obey

prescribed

laws

,

and

plainly

not

by

their

own

sense

,

but

by

the

workmanship

of

the

supreme

Creator

,

who

so

ordered

them

that

they

should

complete

unerring

courses

and

fixed

circuits

,

by

which

they

might

vary

the

alternations

of

days

and

nights

,

of

summer

and

winter

.

But

if

men

admire

the

effects

of

these

,

if

they

admire

their

courses

,

their

brightness

,

their

regularity

,

their

beauty

,

they

ought

to

have

understood

how

much

more

beautiful

,

more

illustrious

,

and

more

powerful

than

these

is

the

maker

and

contriver

Himself

,

even

God

.

But

they

estimated

the

Divinity

by

objects

which

fall

under

the

sight

of

men

;

not

knowing

that

objects

which

come

within

the

sight

cannot

be

eternal

,

and

that

those

which

are

eternal

cannot

be

discerned

by

mortal

eyes

.

Notes

1
Inerrabiles. There is another reading, “inenarrabiles,” indescribable.
2
Humanis visibus.