장음표시 사용
21쪽
INTRODUCTOR U NOTICE. ACTANTIUS has always held a very high placo
among tho Christian Fathera, not only on account of the subject-matter of his mestings, but also onaccount of the varied erudition, tho gweetness of
expression, and tho grace and eleganos of suis, is Which
ablo that so littio is knoum With certainty respecting his personat histo . - ars unablo to fix With precision sither thoplaco or time of his blath, and even his namo has been the subject of much discussion. It is known that he Was a pupilos Arnobius, who gavo lectures in rhetoric at Sicca in Africa. Henco it has been supposed that Lactantius mas a nativo of Africa, While othors have maintained that ho Was born in Italy, and that his blathplaco probably Was Firmium, on ths Adriatic. Hs was probably born about the middis of tho third contu , sinco ho is spolien os as sar advancod in liso a ut A.D. 315. IIo is usualty denominated μ Lucius Caelius Firmianus La tantius; but tho namo Caecilius is somelimes substituted sor Caelius, and it is uncertain Whethor Firmianus is a familyname or a locat designation. Somo have even supposed thatho received the name of Lactantius iram tho milis sosin s othis style. ΗΘ attained to great eminenco as a inachor os rhetoric, and
his fame far ouisuipped the reputation of his master Hobius. Such, indesd, mas his celebrity, that ho mas invited by tho Emperor Diocletian is mille at Nicomedia, and there practiso
his art. ΗΘ appeare, hoWever, to hais mei With so litile successin that es , as to have been reduced in extremo indigence.
22쪽
LACTANTIUS. Mandoning his profession as a pleader, he devoted himself toliteram composition. Ιt Was probabb at this period that hoombraced the Christian salth, and ws may perhaps bs justitisdin supposing somo connection belWeen his poveru and his change of religion. ΗΘ Was aftemards called to settio in Saul, probably about A.D. 315, and the Emperor Constantinoontrusted to him ths education of his son Crispus. Ηe is balisvin to have died at Treves about A.D. 325. His principat Woa is an Intro otion to True Religion, orna Christian Institutions, in seven books, designed to supersedetho less completo treatises of Minucius Felix, Tertullian, and Cyprian. In these book' each of Whicli has a distinct titis,
and constitutes a separate essu, he demonstrates tho falsehood
of the pagan religion, shoWs tho vanity of the heathen phil sophy, and underlahes the defence of the Christian religionagainst ira adversaries. Ho also seis sortii tho nature of right- eousneSS, giVes instructions concerning the truo Worship of God, and treais of the punishment of the wiched, and theremard of the righteous in eVertasting happiness. To tho Institutions is appendod an epitomo dodieatod toPentadius. The authorship of this abridment has been questioned in modern times; but it is expressty assignod toLactantius by Hieronymus. The meater part of tho mork Wasmanting in tho earlier editions, and it Was not untii tho bogin- ning of tho Oighteenth centu that it was discovered nearlyentire in an ancient Μ8. at Turin.
The troatiso on the Angor of God is directed mainly againstilis tenere of tho Epicureans and Stoics, Who maintainEd thattho desds of men could produco no emotions os pleasurct oranger in the Dei . Lactantius holds that the love of tho good necessarily implies tho hatred of evit; and that tho tenets of
theso philosophera, as tending to overthrow tho doctrino offuturo reWards and punishmenta, are subversive of the principies of truo religion. In the treatiso on tho Workmanship os God, or thes Formationos Man, the author dWelis upon the Wonderfui construction os the human frame, and the adaptation os means in Ends theroin
displayed, as proose of tho Wisdom and goodness os God. Tholaiter part of tho book contains speculations concerning the
23쪽
In ths troatim on the Deaths in os Persecutore, an argument for tho truth of tho Christian religion is derived hom tho fac that those emperora Who had Men most distinguished as persecutors of the Christians, mors special objecta os divino
To these treasses ars usualty appended somo poetical Woris Which havo boon attributed to Lactantius, but it is very questionabis Whethor any of them Wem reatly writton is him. Tho poem on the Phoenix appears to be of a comparativelymodern date. That on Easter da P ehαὶ is belleuod is havo been composed by Vonantius Honorianus Clementianus Fortunatus in the fixth centuo. The poem on the Passion of the Lord, though much admirod both in iis langvago and style of thought, bears the impress ota later age. There is also a collection os 100 Enigmas,' Which havo been attributod to Lactantius; but there is good reason to supposo that they ars not tho production of his pen. Tho titio protaedio thom in tho ΜM. is Firmianus Symposius Writtan also Symphosius Caelius. Heumann endeamured to provo that Symposium is the litis of the wota, and that no auch person asSymposius ever existed. But this opinion is unienabie. It is truo that Hieronymus speaha ot Lactantius as tha author os a Symposium, but there ars no gmunds ior supposing that tho. k was os a light and tristing character: it Was probably a serious dialogue. The stylo os Lactantius has been deservedly praised for thodigni , elegance, and clearnem os expression by Whicli it is characteriged, and Which have gained for him ius appellation ottho Christian Cicero. His Writings everyWhero gius erideneo othis variod and extensius erudition, and contain much valvabis information respecting tho systems of the ancient philosophera. But his claima as a theologian are open to question; for he
H Hasses' translation has been adopted in the preMnt edition. Iι has an allusion to the adoration of tho crom. δ ris En mas have nos Men included in the present tranatation, for the
24쪽
xii LACTANNUS holds peculiar opinions on many potnis, and ho appears more successsul as an opponent of error than as a maintainer os tho truth. Lactantius has been charyd With a leaning to Manicheism,y but the charge appears to bo unlaunded. Tho translation has been mado from Migne's edition, from .hich most of the notes have been talion. The quotations immVirgil havo been given in the motas of Conington's translation, and thoso from Lucretius in the morda os Munm. Thia queation is fully diae sed by m. Lar er in his Credibili* of tae
25쪽
EN of great and distinguished talent, When they hadentirely devoted themselves to learning, holding in contempt ali actions both private and public, appliedio the purauit os investigating tho truth Whateverlabour eould bo bestoWed upon it; thinhing it much more excelulent to investigato and know the method of human and divinothings, than in bo entirely occupied With the heaping up os riches
or the accumulation os honoura. For no one can bo mado beller
or more just by thres things, sinco they ars irail and earthinand pertain to tho adorning of the body onj. Thoso monwero indeod most deseruing of the knowledgo of tho truth, which they so greatly destred to kno' that thv even preferredit to ali things. For it is plain that somo gaVε up their property, and altogether abandoned the purauit os pleasures, that, beingdisongagad and without impediment, they might follow tho simplo truth, and it alone. And so greatly did the nams and auctori of the trulli prevail With them, that they proclaimed that the reWard of the greatest good Was contained in it. Butthsy did not obtain the object of their Wish, and at tho famotimo tost their labour and industry; because tho truth, thatis the secret of tho Most Ηigh God, Who created ali things, cannot bo attained by our οWn abili and perceptions. Othe wiso there Would bo no differencs bet sen God and man, is human thought could reach to ths counseis and arrangementa of that eternat majesty. And becauso it Was impossibis thatths divino method os procedure inould becomo known in man
26쪽
by his own inoris, God did not suffer man any longer in errin March of tho light of Wisdom, and to mander through inextricabie darkness Without any result os his labour, but at lengthopened his eyes, and mado the investigation os the truth Hiso n gist, so that He might shon tho nothin ess of humanwisdom, and potnt out to man wandering in error the way olobtaining immortality. But sinco se mahe uso of this heavenly benefit and gist, causo the truth lies hidden velled in obscuri ; and it iseither an object os contempt to the learned because it has notauitable defendere, or is haled by the uniearned on account of ita natural severity, whicli the nature os men inclined to vices cannot endure for because there is a bitteraess mingled mitti Viriues, whilo vices are seasoned With pleasure, offended by the former and scothed by the lalter, they are borne headlong, and deceived by the appearance of good things, they embrace eviis for goods ,-I have belleved that these errore ahould bo en- countered, that both the learned may bo directed to true misdom, and the uniearned in truo religion. And this profession is tobo thought much betier, more usesul and glorious, than that oforatory, in Which being long engaged, Ws trained yοung mennot in viriue, but altogether to cunning Wichedness. Certainlymo fhali nom much moro rightly discum respecting the heavenlyprecepta, by Whicli me may be able to instruct tho minds Wmen to the worship of the truo majesty. Nor does he deserve someli respecting tho affairs of men, Who imparis the knowledge of speaking meli, as he Who Daches men to live in pie and innocence; on Which account the philosophera mero in greater glory among tho Greeks than ins orators. For they thophilosophers) mero considered reachers of right living, Whichis sar more excellent, since to spein Weli belongs only to a seW, but to livo weli belongs to all. Yet stat practico in fictilioussulis has been os meat aduantam to us, so that WΘ am no able to plead the cause of truth With greater copiousness andabiliu of spe ing; for although tho truth may bo defendodwithout eloquence, as it osten has been defended by many, yetit needs to be explained, and in a measuro discussed, with distincinem and elegance of speech, in order that it may floW with
27쪽
of their profession, having completin tho moris of their ple-ings, at last gme themselves up in philosophy, and regataed
and contentions os discordant citigens, hoW muta beller and
28쪽
Τhereiore, leaving the authors of this earthly philosophy, who bring for ard nothing certain, let us approach the right path; for is I considered these in bo suffciently suitabis guidesto a Mod illa, I Would both follow them myself, and exhortothera in sollo them. But sinco they disagree among one another With great contention, and am sor the most pari atvariance mitti themselves, it is evident that their path is is nopaeans straighis Ward; since they have severatly marhed ont distinct ways for themselves according to their own Will, and have lest great confusion to those Who are seehing for the truth. But since the truth is revealed from heaven to us Who havs received the mystery os true religion, and since κε folion God, tho teacheros Misdom and the guide to truth, me cali together ali, Without any distinction eister of sex or of age, to heaVenly pasture. For thero is no more pleasant food for tho foui thaci tho knowledgs of truth, to the maintaining and explaining of Which wohave destined seven books, although tho subject is one os almost boundless and immeasurabis labour; so that is any one aliould wish to dilato upon and follo up theso things to their fuit extent, ho mould have sucii an exuberant supply of subjecis, that notther books nould finii any limit, nor speech any end. Buton this account ne mill put together ait things briefly, becausothoso things whicli me aro about to bring sor ard are so plain and lucid, stat it seems to bo more Wondersul that the truth
29쪽
themselves against in manifest truth, not so much deseruing
30쪽
and himself addneing many ne. ones; and this ho does both in ali the books of his own philosophy, and especialty in thoss.hieli treat of tho nature of the gods. And it was no dissiculi tash, indeed, to refuto tho falsehoodsot a se men Who entertained perverse sentiments by the te timony os communities and tribes, who on this ono mini had nodisagreement. For there is no Ono so uncivilised, and of suchan uncultivaled disposition, Who, When he raises his ves toheaven, although he knows not by tho providence of What Godiat this visibis universo is governed, does not underatand smm thevery magnitude of tho objecis, from their motion, arrangement, constancy, usesuiness, beauty, and temperament, that there is some providence, and that that which exista mitti mondersulmethod must have been prepared by somo greater intelligence.
since individually, mithout the aid os the othera, they Would bo