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The Epitome of the Divine Institutes

Lactantius

Chapter 30

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. XXX.—Of False Wisdom.

I have taught, as I imagine, that

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the

honours

paid

to

gods

are

not

only

impious

,

but

also

vain

,

either

because

they

were

men

whose

memory

was

consecrated

after

death

;

or

because

the

images

themselves

are

insensible

and

deaf

,

inasmuch

as

they

are

formed

of

earth

,

and

that

it

is

not

right

for

man

,

who

ought

to

look

up

to

heavenly

things

,

to

subject

himself

to

earthly

things

;

or

because

the

spirits

who

claim

to

themselves

those

acts

of

religious

service

are

unholy

and

impure

,

and

on

this

account

,

being

condemned

by

the

sentence

of

God

,

fell

to

the

earth

,

and

that

it

is

not

lawful

to

submit

to

the

power

of

those

to

whom

you

are

superior

,

if

you

wish

to

be

a

follower

of

the

true

God

.

It

remains

that

,

as

we

have

spoken

of

false

religion

,

we

should

also

discuss

the

subject

of

false

wisdom

,

which

the

philosophers

profess

,

—

men

endued

with

the

greatest

learning

and

eloquence

,

but

far

removed

from

the

truth

,

because

they

neither

know

God

nor

the

wisdom

of

God

.

And

although

they

are

clever

and

learned

,

yet

,

because

their

wisdom

is

human

,

I

shall

not

fear

to

contend

with

them

,

that

it

may

be

evident

that

falsehood

can

be

easily

overcome

by

truth

,

and

earthly

things

by

heavenly

.

They thus define the nature of philosophy. Philosophy is the love or pursuit of wisdom. Therefore it is not wisdom itself; for that which loves must be different from that which is loved. If it is the pursuit of wisdom, not even thus is philosophy identical with wisdom. For wisdom is the object itself which is sought, but the pursuit is that which seeks it. Therefore the very definition or meaning of the word plainly shows that philosophy is not wisdom itself. I will say that it is not even the pursuit of wisdom, in which wisdom is not comprised. For who can be said to devote himself to the pursuit of that to which he can by no means attain? He who gives himself to the pursuit of medicine, or grammar, or oratory, may be said to be studious of that art which he is learning; but when he has learned, he is now said to be a physician, a grammarian, or an orator. Thus also those who are studious of wisdom, after they had learned it, ought to have been called wise. But since they are called students of wisdom as long as they live, it is manifest that that is not the pursuit, because it is impossible to arrive at the object itself which is sought for in the pursuit, unless by chance they who pursue wisdom even to the end of life are about to be wise in another world. Now every pursuit is connected with some end. That, therefore, is not a right pursuit which has no end.

Notes

1
Philosophy.