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οWn advantage ' And ho Who begela a son has it not in his poner to effect that he inali bo conceived, or born, or live; frem .hicli it is ovident that he is not the iather, but only the instrumenty of generation. of What punishmenis, theres e, is lis deseruing, Who forsalios Him Who is both the truo Masterand Fastor, but in s whicli God Himself has appo ted whohas prepared evertasting fire sor tho miched spirita; and this ΗΟ Ηimself threatens is His propheta to the implous and tho
CHAP. XX.- of the vanity and erimes of implous superstitions, and of the tortures of the Christiana. Therelare, let those Who destroy their own fouis and thesouis of othera learn What an inexpiabie crime they commit; in the fidit place, becauso they cause their oWn death by servingmost abandoned demons, Whom God has condemned to eve lasting punishmenta; in tho nexi place, because they do notpermit God to be Worshipped by others, but endeaVour in turn men aside in deadly rites, and strive With the greatest diligenco that no lito may bo Without injury ou earth, Which looks tohemon Mith ita condition secured. What elso shali I callinem but miserabio men, Who obey the instigations of their
neither know the condition, nor origin, nor names, nor nature;
Praedonum.' Somo reser this to the primis; oiners, With greater probabilitn to the demona alluded in in the aentenos.
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this very ignoraneo causes them in bo so cruel in persecutingthe Wise; and they pretend that they ars promoting theirmelsare, that they Wish to recati them to a good mind. Do thoy then strius to effect this by conversation, or is ving some reason ' ' no means; but they endeavour in effect it is forco and tortures. O Wondectes and bliud insatu tion l It is thought that there is a bad miud in thom Whoendemour in preservo their saith, but a good one in executionem. Is there, then, a bad mind in those Who, against everylan os humani , against every principie os justice, are tortured, or milier, in those Who inflict on the bodies of tho innocent
aci by the uso os reason and exhortations.
Let their prissis como fortii into tho midst, Whether thoinferior ones or the greatest; thela flamens, augura, and also sacrificing hings, and the priesis and ministers of thela supe stitions. Lot them cali us together to an assembly; let them exhori us to underlaho the worship of their Mia; let them persuade us that there are many beings by Whose deity and providence ali things are govemed; let them ah- hoW theor ins and beginnings os their sacred rites and gods wershandod down to mortals; let them explain What is their so co
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them, it they aro blessed: and let them confirm ali these iningsnot by their -n assertion for tho authori of a mortia manis of no Weight , but is somo divino testimontes, as me do. Thero is no occasion for violence and injurn tor religion cannot be imposed by force; tho matter must be carried in is morti rather than by blom, that tho mill may bo affected. Let them unsheain the weapon of their intolloci; it thoirsystem is true, let it be asserted. are prepared in hear, ii they teach; While they are silent, We certainj pay no credit tostem, as me do not yield to them suen in their rage. Letinem imitate us in setting sortii the system of the whole matter: for Wo do not entice, as they say; but We Mach, We P Ve, Weshom And thus no one is detesnod by us against his Will, for he is ungerviceabio in God Who is destituto of faith and devotednem; and yet no one deparis from us, since the truthilaeis dotains him. Let them teach in this manner, is theyhavo any confidence in tho truth; let them speis, let themove ulterinco; let them venture, I say, to discuss With us sommining of this natum; and then assuredly their error and follymill be ridiculed by the old Women, Whom they despis' and by
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to ba defended vitii tho whole of our po er; but M they aredeceived in the matter os religion itself, so also are they in themanner of iis delanco. For religion is to bo defended, not byputting to death, but is hing; not is crueiu, but is patientendurance; not by guili, but by good faith: for the formorbelong to erils, but tho lalter to goods; and it is necessary forthat whicli is mod is have place in religion, and not that whichis evit. For is Du Wish to defend religion by bloodsbed, andis tortures, and is Milt, it Will no longer bo defended, but mill bo polluted and profaned. For nothing is so much amalter os De Will as religion; in which, it tho mind of thomorshipper is disinclined to it, religion is at once talien aWay, and ceases to exist. The right method thereiore is, that you defend religion is patient endurance or by death; in Whichthe preservation of tho faith is both pleasing to God Ηimself, and adds authori to religion. For it he who in this earthlywariare preserves his salth to his hing in some illustrious action, is he shali continus to live, becomes more beloved and accept- able, and is hs inali sali, obtains the highest glory, because holias undergono death sor his leader; hoπ much mors is fatilito be hept toWarti God, the Ruler os ali, Who is abis to pay
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lemo their religion altogethor in tho templo, and with tho temple, as they had found it; and netther bring With themanything of it, nor inho anything bach. Hencs it is that
religious observances of this hind aro notther abis to mahe mengood, nor to be firm and unchangeable. And thus men aro
account firm, and solid, and unchangeable, causo it te hos justice, be me it is alWays With us, becauso it has ita existenco altogether in the foui of the worshippe' becauso it has thomind itsolf for a sacrifice. In that religion nothing elso is required but tho Nood os animais, and the smohs of incense, and the sensetess pouring out os libations; but in this of our' a good mind, a pure breast, an innocent lisse thoso rites amfrequented by unchaste adulteresses mithout any discrimination,
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What the thies, but that he may commit mors peculations But in Our religion there is no place even for a stight and
ordinary offence; and is any ono shali come to a sacrifice Wit, out a found conscienco, ho heam What threata God denounc
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are dοing a service in compelling them in sacrifice against thola Will, Is it to those Whom they compei But that is not a Linia ness Whicli is done to ono who resuses it. But mo must consulttheir interesis, even against their Will, since thv know not What
to havo been led to that Which is good by good, and not by evit;
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mimicy representations of them to bo aeted mith langliter an dpleasure. What hind of a religion is this, or hoW great must that majesty bo considered, Whicli is adored in temples and mocked in theatres d they Who havo done these things do not suffer the vengeanco of the injured dei , but even go aWay hono edand pralaed. Do me destroy them in a morso manner than certain philosophers, Who say that there are no gods at all, butthat ali things are spontaneousty produced, and that ali thingswhich ars dono happen by chance ' Do Wo destroy them in amorae manner than the Epicureans, Who admit the existenco of
CHAP. XXII Of the rage of the dormons against Christians, and the error of unbellevera. They do not theresoro rago against us on this account,
undiasonable furn Which We we, but of Whicli they are ignorant. For it is not the men themselves Who persecute, sor they have no cause of anger against the innocent; but those contaminatedand abandoned spiriti by Whom the truth is both known and haled, insinuato themselves into their minds, and goad them in their ignorance to fury. For these, as long as there is peaco among the peopis os God, flee imm the righteous, and Darthem; and when they seias upon the bodies of men, and harasstheir fouis, they are adjured by them, and at tho name of tholmo God ars put to flight. For When they hear this namo
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remain. For this is especialty the cause Why it is thought that religion has not the po er os God, be me men ars influenced by the appearance of earthly and present goods, which in noway have reserance to the cars of the mind; and because theyaeo that tho righteous aro Without these goods, and that thounrighteous abound in them, they both judgo that tho morshipos God is Worthims, in Which they do not seo these things contained, and they imagine that the rites of other gods are true, since their Worshippers enly riches and honoum and Engdoma. But they Who ars of this opinion do not attentioly considerine poWer and method of man, Which consista altogether in themiud, and not in the body. For they ses nothing more thanis seen, namely the boo; and because this is to be men and
i Exsulantur.' Other readinga ars, exsolantur, expelluntur,' exultantur. Eoa ipsos, e. Christiana. Quia oculis manuque tractabile est.
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But the foui, in Whicli Hono man consista, since it is not exposed
are placed in virtus Only, must thereiam M as fim, and con
stant, and lasting as virtuo itself, in Which tho good of the mulconsisti.
great and leading virtus, Whicli the public voices of the pmpleand philosophers and oratore althe extol Min the hi est pruises. But is it' cannot be dented that this is a virtus of the highesthind, it is necessary that tho just and wiso man inould bo in the pomer of the unjust, for obtaining patienco; for patience is the Maring missi equanimi of the evila which aro etther inflictedor happen to tali upon M. There oro tho just and Wise man, cause he exercises virtus, has patienco in himself; but ho millbo altogether sese fram this it he shali suffer no adversi . Ontho other hand, tho man who livos in prosperi is impatient, and is Without tho greatest virtus. I cali him impatient, because