Opening the library…

Home Bible Corpus Discover You

Search the Bible

Ad Nationes

Tertullian

Book 2 · Chapter 1

About this work

Author: Tertullian

Chapter I.—The Heathen Gods from Heathen Authorities. Varro Has Written a Work on the Subject. His Threefold Classification. The Changeable Character of that Which Ought to Be Fixed and Certain.

Our defence requires that we should at this point discuss with

‹ Book 1 · Chapter 7 Book 2 · Chapter 2 ›

you

the

character

of

your

gods

,

O

ye

heathen

,

fit

objects

of

our

pity

,

appealing

even

to

your

own

conscience

to

determine

whether

they

be

truly

gods

,

as

you

would

have

it

supposed

,

or

falsely

,

as

you

are

unwilling

to

have

proved

.

Now

this

is

the

material

part

of

human

error

,

owing

to

the

wiles

of

its

author

,

that

it

is

never

free

from

the

ignorance

of

error

,

whence

your

guilt

is

all

the

greater

.

Your

eyes

are

open

,

yet

they

see

not

;

your

ears

are

unstopped

,

yet

they

hear

not

;

though

your

heart

beats

,

it

is

yet

dull

,

nor

does

your

mind

understand

that

of

which

it

is

cognizant

.

If

indeed

the

enormous

perverseness

(

of

your

worship

)

could

be

broken

up

by

a

single

demurrer

,

we

should

have

our

objection

ready

to

hand

in

the

declaration

that

,

as

we

know

all

those

gods

of

yours

to

have

been

instituted

by

men

,

all

belief

in

the

true

Deity

is

by

this

very

circumstance

brought

to

nought

;

because

,

of

course

,

nothing

which

some

time

or

other

had

a

beginning

can

rightly

seem

to

be

divine

.

But

the

fact

is

,

there

are

many

things

by

which

tenderness

of

conscience

is

hardened

into

the

callousness

of

wilful

error

.

Truth

is

beleaguered

with

the

vast

force

(

of

the

enemy

)

,

and

yet

how

secure

she

is

in

her

own

inherent

strength

!

And

naturally

enough

when

from

her

very

adversaries

she

gains

to

her

side

whomsoever

she

will

,

as

her

friends

and

protectors

,

and

prostrates

the

entire

host

of

her

assailants

.

It

is

therefore

against

these

things

that

our

contest

lies

—

against

the

institutions

of

our

ancestors

,

against

the

authority

of

tradition

,

the

laws

of

our

governors

,

and

the

reasonings

of

the

wise

;

against

antiquity

,

custom

,

submission

;

against

precedents

,

prodigies

,

miracles

,

—

all

which

things

have

had

their

part

in

consolidating

that

spurious

system

of

your

gods

.

Wishing

,

then

,

to

follow

step

by

step

your

own

commentaries

which

you

have

drawn

out

of

your

theology

of

every

sort

(

because

the

authority

of

learned

men

goes

further

with

you

in

matters

of

this

kind

than

the

testimony

of

facts

)

,

I

have

taken

and

abridged

the

works

of

Varro

;

for

he

in

his

treatise

Concerning

Divine

Things

,

collected

out

of

ancient

digests

,

has

shown

himself

a

serviceable

guide

for

us

.

Now

,

if

I

inquire

of

him

who

were

the

subtle

inventors

of

the

gods

,

he

points

to

either

the

philosophers

,

the

peoples

,

or

the

poets

.

For

he

has

made

a

threefold

distinction

in

classifying

the

gods

:

one

being

the

physical

class

,

of

which

the

philosophers

treat

;

another

the

mythic

class

,

which

is

the

constant

burden

of

the

poets

;

the

third

,

the

gentile

class

,

which

the

nations

have

adopted

each

one

for

itself

.

When

,

therefore

,

the

philosophers

have

ingeniously

composed

their

physical

(

theology

)

out

of

their

own

conjectures

,

when

the

poets

have

drawn

their

mythical

from

fables

,

and

the

(

several

)

nations

have

forged

their

gentile

(

polytheism

)

according

to

their

own

will

,

where

in

the

world

must

truth

be

placed

?

In

the

conjectures

?

Well

,

but

these

are

only

a

doubtful

conception

.

In

the

fables

?

But

they

are

at

best

an

absurd

story

.

In

the

popular

accounts

?

This

sort

of

opinion

,

however

,

is

only

promiscuous

and

municipal

.

Now

all

things

with

the

philosophers

are

uncertain

,

because

of

their

variation

with

the

poets

all

is

worthless

,

because

immoral

;

with

the

nations

all

is

irregular

and

confused

,

because

dependent

on

their

mere

choice

.

The

nature

of

God

,

however

,

if

it

be

the

true

one

with

which

you

are

concerned

,

is

of

so

definite

a

character

as

not

to

be

derived

from

uncertain

speculations

,

nor

contaminated

with

worthless

fables

,

nor

determined

by

promiscuous

conceits

.

It

ought

indeed

to

be

regarded

,

as

it

really

is

,

as

certain

,

entire

,

universal

,

because

it

is

in

truth

the

property

of

all

.

Now

,

what

god

shall

I

believe

?

One

that

has

been

gauged

by

vague

suspicion

?

One

that

history

has

divulged

?

One

that

a

community

has

invented

?

It

would

be

a

far

worthier

thing

if

I

believed

no

god

,

than

one

which

is

open

to

doubt

,

or

full

of

shame

,

or

the

object

of

arbitrary

selection

.

Notes

2
Miserandæ.
3
Literally, “unwilling to know.”
4
i.e., it does not know that it is error.
5
Nescit.
6
Agnoscit.
7
Liceret.
8
Discuti, or, in the logical sense, “be tested.”
9
Nunciatio (legally, this is “an information lodged against a wrong.”)
10
Excidere, “falls through.”
11
Sed enim.
12
Quidni?
13
Receptorum.
14
Necessitatem, answering to the “leges dominantium.”
15
Adulterinam.
16
St. Augustine, in his de Civit. Dei, makes similar use of Varro’s work on the heathen gods, Liber Divinarum.
17
Scopum, perhaps “mark.”
18
Insinuatores.
19
Volutetur.
20
Adoptionibus.
21
Adoptatio.
22
Passiva, “a jumble.”
23
Argumentationibus.
24
Historia. This word seems to refer to the class of mythical divinity above mentioned. It therefore means “fable” or “absurd story” (see above).
25
Adoptivum.