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The Epitome of the Divine Institutes

Lactantius

Chapter 28

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. XXVIII.—Of the Demons, and Their Evil Practices.

These are the demons, of whom the

‹ Chapter 27 Chapter 29 ›

poets

often

speak

in

their

poems

,

whom

Hesiod

calls

the

guardians

of

men

.

For

they

so

persuaded

men

by

their

enticements

and

deceits

,

that

they

believed

that

the

same

were

gods

.

In

fine

,

Socrates

used

to

give

out

that

he

had

a

demon

as

the

guardian

and

director

of

his

life

from

his

first

childhood

,

and

that

he

could

do

nothing

without

his

assent

and

command

.

They

attach

themselves

,

therefore

,

to

individuals

,

and

occupy

houses

under

the

name

of

Genii

or

Penates

.

To

these

temples

are

built

,

to

these

libations

are

daily

offered

as

to

the

Lares

,

to

these

honour

is

paid

as

to

the

averters

of

evils

.

These

from

the

beginning

,

that

they

might

turn

away

men

from

the

knowledge

of

the

true

God

,

introduced

new

superstitions

and

worship

of

gods

.

These

taught

that

the

memory

of

dead

kings

should

be

consecrated

,

temples

be

built

,

and

images

made

,

not

that

they

might

lessen

the

honour

of

God

,

or

increase

their

own

,

which

they

lost

by

sinning

,

but

that

they

might

take

away

life

from

men

,

deprive

them

of

the

hope

of

true

light

,

lest

men

should

arrive

at

that

heavenly

reward

of

immortality

from

which

they

fell

.

They

also

brought

to

light

astrology

,

and

augury

,

and

divination

;

and

though

these

things

are

in

themselves

false

,

yet

they

themselves

,

the

authors

of

evils

,

so

govern

and

regulate

them

that

they

are

believed

to

be

true

.

They

also

invented

the

tricks

of

the

magic

art

,

to

deceive

the

eyes

.

By

their

aid

it

comes

to

pass

,

that

which

is

appears

not

to

be

,

and

that

which

is

not

appears

to

be

.

They

themselves

invented

necromancies

,

responses

,

and

oracles

,

to

delude

the

minds

of

men

with

lying

divination

by

means

of

ambiguous

issues

.

They

are

present

in

the

temples

and

at

all

sacrifices

;

and

by

the

exhibition

of

some

deceitful

prodigies

,

to

the

surprise

of

those

who

are

present

,

they

so

deceive

men

,

that

they

believe

that

a

divine

power

is

present

in

images

and

statues

.

They

even

enter

secretly

into

bodies

,

as

being

slight

spirits

;

and

they

excite

diseases

in

the

vitiated

limbs

,

which

when

appeased

with

sacrifices

and

vows

they

may

again

remove

.

They

send

dreams

either

full

of

terror

,

that

they

themselves

may

be

invoked

,

or

the

issues

of

which

may

correspond

with

the

truth

,

that

they

may

increase

the

veneration

paid

to

themselves

.

Sometimes

also

they

put

forth

something

of

vengeance

against

the

sacrilegious

,

that

whoever

sees

it

may

become

more

timid

and

superstitious

.

Thus

by

their

frauds

they

have

drawn

darkness

over

the

human

race

,

that

truth

might

be

oppressed

,

and

the

name

of

the

supreme

and

matchless

God

might

be

forgotten

.

Notes

1
Plena terroris. Another reading is, “aut plane terrores.”