Ante-Nicene Christian library; translations of the writings of the Fathers down to A.D. 325

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d therefore the torture, ut o death, and binis themorshippers of the Mosti h God that is, the righteous nor

hastening missi in greatest speed is, cannot recal themirom that devious at testis and light since the themsolves oppos their Wn aseu; et me hali strenphen hos inobelongo us, hos opinion is no fetueri and Aunde and fixe with solid mola. For many of them,mer, an electassythose ho have any acquaintanc With literatura. For in his respect philosophera, and orator' and poeta re pernicio ,

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292 LACTANTIUS. Boo v. because the are easti able to ensnare unWary ouis by thosweetnes of thei discourae, and of thei poem flo in With delightsul modulation Theso aro weola whicli conceat potion on his account I Wishe to connect Wisdommith religion that that ain system ma notis ali injure thestudious; so that no the knowledge of iterature a notoni be o no injur to religio an righteousness, ut Vevenae of the greatest profit, is he who has learne it houldbe more instructed in virtves an miser in truth. Μomover even though it aliouldae profitable toto oster, it certaint willae so torus the conscience Will deligit iraeis, and

Formoister aro assair in o ad a conditio that there are no

of pleasininess, the bitternes of the harin flavo . For hisis especiali in cause Wis, With the wis and the learnod, and the princes of this morid the sacra Scriptures are Without credit, ecause the propheta spolio in common an simplelanguage, a though the spolie to tho eoplo. An ther fore the are despised by thos who are illincto hear orrea nostin excepi tha whic is polline an eloquent; nor is nythin able to emat fixe in thei minds, exceptinat hic cham their ars is a more a thin Mund. But thos things hic appea humiae are considere anile,

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soolisti, and common. So entiret do the regar nostin astrue, excepi that hicli is leasan to the ear nothin ascredibie excepi that hic can excite plemure no ne estimates a subject is iis truth, but is iis embellishment There- foro thendo no bellevo the sacre Writiogs,aecause the are thout an pretences' ut thendo not even bellave thos Who explain them,aecause the also ars either altogether ignorant, or at an rate possessed o litile learning For it ver raralyhappens that the are Wholly eloquent; and the cause of this is evident. For eloquenco is subservient to the worid, it destres

itself, in much ascit rejoices in publicity, and long for themultitude and celebri . encs it comes lassas that misdomand truth need suitablo heralds. nyi is chanc any of tholearne hau betahe themselves incit, the havo o been sufficient for iis defence. O thos who areanown to me, inucius Felix a o no ignobie an amon pleaders. His book whichaeam tb titioo Octavius, declares o fuit lo a maintainor of tho truth hom hi hau beon, it ho ad inven himself altogether to that purauit. Septimius Tertullianus also was killed in literat sol very hind; ut in eloquenco he had littio readiness, and was no suffcienti polished, and ver obscure No eventhorosors didas find suffcient renown Cyprianus, the fore, Was abovo allisthers distinguished and renowned since he hadsought yeat glor to imsel smintho professioni the artiforatory, and ho rote Ver many things orthyis admirationi thei particular class. Forius,asi a turn o min&whichWas ready copious, agree te, and that hic is in greatest excellene os style plain and open; so that ou cannot dete mine Whether he was more embellisted in speech, or more ready in explanation, o more pomeriui in persuasion dbet horis unable tolle e those who are ignorant of the myster except by

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unpleasant, hat then musto suppos happens to thoso hos disco foris meane and displeasing Who could have had nsither in po eri persuasion, nor subuet in arguing, noran severit at altrior resuting CHAP. II. To fiat an eoeten ta Christianariath has bremassailed by rata men. Thomsorhaecaum there have been anting amongis sui,

refuto public error' and Who mio defend the wholo causo ostruthisit elegance an copiousnes' his very an incited somerio ventum to rite against the truth, Whicli, unknown to them. iam by thos Who in forme times in via assassedit. Whenes mas inchin rhetorica learning in Bithynia, havini an called thither, and i ha happened that at the samo

timo in temple o God Was overthrown there mere livingat the fame laee two men ho insulte tho truth ascit lay prostrato an overthrown I kno no Whether illi greater arrogane or harshness the ono of Whom professe himselfino high pries o philosophy; ut he was m addicte to vice,

that though a teacherii abstinence, he a not les inflamedmissi avarice than it lusu so extravagant in his mannis olliring that though in his schoo he was the maintaine ofvirtus, the miser o parsimon and over , he dine leas sumptuouiamin a palac than at his oWnaouis. Noverthelem

ho helteria his vices is his hala an his clois, and that

Tho mord κοπριας ia applied to sycophanta and lo binoona and jeatera, ho, o tho sine os excit incla liter, made mauu an extravagant

Protegebat. It Wactae customi in philosophera to,ear a beard to,hichira

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property. his an in truth, Who Veritae his oW am ments by his character, o censured hi on character is his arguments a eight censor an mos Men accuser againsthimself, at the ver sam time in hic a righteous eopte mero impioves assailed vomite fori three Mori against tho Christia religio an name professing above ali inings, stati nas in ossice of a philosopherri remeis in error of men, and to recal them to the trus Way that is to tho morini of the gods by Whosesso e and majestri asa satri tho, id isgovemed and notrio permit that inexperienced menishould Menticed by tho haud o any lest thei simplicit shouldae a

Theroforo h said that he had underiisen his ossice, mortis o philosophy, statas mio nols ut to thos Who domo seoste light of Wisdom, nolint that thermarreturn to a healthyatate os mind, haring underi e the worshimo the goo, butatio that havinclaidisside thei pertinacious obstina , theyma moid tortures of the o. nor is in vain is endum eruet lacerations os thei limbs. ut that it miotae evidento .hat account he had laboriousi Workod ut that ash, hobrino out profusely into presses of the princes, hos piet and fores hi, as he himself indeed said, ad Men distinguished both in other matters and speciali in defending tho religio rites of the gods that he had inrahori, consulted tho interesis of men, in orde that implous and seolis superstition haring been restrained ali men tot have lolaum for lawful incredrites, and might experience the god propitious to them Butwhenae Wisheda mea n the ground of that religio against Whic he was leading, ho appeare senselms, ain, and ridiati moraco alludea, Sem. Era, Sapientem Macere harbam,' in nouriis a philosophicaeard.

Velamentum.

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296 LACTANTIUS. B00 V. culous; ecause that eight adviser of the advantage fothera mas ignorantiso only What to oppose, ut even halto speah. Orci an os ur religion ere present, althoughthe were silentis account of the time, neveriheles in theirmind tho deride him; sinco thensam man professing thathe would enlighten others, whenae himself,asilind that homould recallithera frem error, hen' himself Was ignorant whero to plant his feet that he would instruct thors to thotruth, of hichas himself ad neve seen evenis spar at any time in much ache who was a prosessor of isdom, endea-voured in overthrowWisdom. Ali, hoWever, censured this thatho undertoo this or at that timo in particular in hichodious metu aged. o philosopher, a flatterer, and a time- serveest ut his man was despised, as his vanit deserved;

foras did nodigat the populari 'hichae liope for, and thegio 'hicli ho ageri sought for a change into censureandalame. Another Wroto the fame subject with more bitterness, homas the of the number of the judges, and who Was,speciallythe adviser of enacting persecution andio contentes illi this crime, he also pursued with writing thos Whom he had pers cuted. Forae composed two books, not againat the Christians,lestae might appea to assai them in a hostile manner,aut tollio Christians that ho might e thought to consul ior homwith humanit an hindnem. An in theso writings heendeavoured sorio prove the salsehood o sacred Scripture, asthough it mere altogether contradictor to itself sor o , pounde somo chaptera hic seeme to e at variance Withthemselves, enumeratin s many and suci secret things, that he somelimes appears to have been ne of tho fame feci.

But is this a so, What Demosthenes ill e ablorio defendiromine chargo os impiet him .ho ecam the euayer of the religion to hichae had givon his assent, and of the faith

Hieroclearia referre io, ho Wa a great perseeutor of tho Christians in tho Miniungit therio in centuo. o ma tho chiel promoter of the persecution hichahe Christians suffered unde Diocletian. Intima, 4.e es an eaoterio character known oesyriori a Mihin the

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he had received unlescit happened by chanc stat the sacredwritings soli into his hand. What ainnes Was it theretare, to dare in destroy that whichio one explaineda him i t Waswel that he either earne nothin or underatoo nothing. For contradictio is a far remove from tho sacred Writingsas ho mas removed hom faith and truth. o chiev ho evenassailed aut an riter, and the oster discipies, a dissemunatorem decet 'homini the fame timete testified to have been unshilled and uniearned. Fora sus that some of them madegain by the crastis fishermen, a though ho oo i ii that somo Aristophanes oraristarchus didio deviso that subjeci. CHAP. III.-O the truth of the Christia doctrine, and thavanis of ita adve saries and that Christ a noto magistan. The destrem inventing, theresere, and crastiness,ere absentfrom these men since the wereranshiliui. O What unlearnedman could invent things adapteda one noster, and coherent,

When the mos learned of tho philosophera, Plato and Aristolle,

and Epicurus and Zeno, themselves spolis things a Variancemith ono another, an contrar, For this is tho natur offalsehoods that the cannotae coherent. But thei inachinnbemus it is true, every hero agrees, an is altogether consistent it itsoli an oti his account i effecta persuasion,

hecaum it is based on a consistent plan. They did not here- foro devis that religio for the salis of gain and adontage, in much a both by thei precepta and in realit thensollowod that coursei lite hic is Without leasuros, and despised allthings hic ars rechone among good things, and since theyno Ont indured deat for thei faith, but also both hnefandioretoid that the were about o die, and aftematas that allwho ollowed their system mouid suffer me an implous

Induerat. Sacramenti. Fingendi. Undique quadrat.' - r.e Hierocles, referrea in in m in ter.

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298 LACTANNUS BOOK V. somo Apollo announce icto hi in his lumbers. So manyrobbers havo at ali times perlahed, and do peris datly, and youyourset have certaini condemned many Whic of them after his crucifixion a called, I Williso sa a God, ut a mai But o perchance bellevia it Domino circumstance of o havin consecrate tho homicide Marsos a god though oumoni no have done this it the Areopagite had crucified him.

monderies de s and di not homeus den inem, Wished toinon stat Apollonius performe equalis even greater deeta. It is strango that he omitte is mention Apuleius, of hommany and wonderies things are accustomeda be related. hythereiare, o sensetem ne does no ne moralii Apollonius intho placo os God untes by chance ouisione domo, ho am orth formoth of that od missi Whom tho me God illpunishoo evertastingly. I Christ is a magician ecauso Η performe Wonderita de s it is lain that Apollonius, Who accordis to ou description , he Domitian ishedio punishaim, suddent disappeared on his triat, mas more assies thanmo Who was both arreste an crucifi . ut e hapsas .ished iram inis very thinxto prove in arrogance of Christ, in that he made himself God that the other may appearto have been more modest, ho though he performe greater actions acinis one thinis, novertheles di not claim that sorhimself. Domit at presen to compare the works themselves, Minus in the secon an precedin book I avo paenrespecting tho haud an tricis of tho magi art. I say that there iam ono ho ould not Wis that that hould especiallybotali him aster deat whic even in greates hinga desim. For,hydo me prepare for themselves magnificent sepulchres Wh statues an images Wh by omo illustriona Meti orovena deat undergone in behali of their countrymen, do invenMavour in deserve the good opinio mi men i Wis, in inore,

Apolloniis a eelebratea Pythagorean philosopher es dana his, haan doctrinis are recordod is Philoauatua, hom -- Lactantina a maesto have derive hi account. The pagana compare his Ille an actio mith thos o Christ. Apuleius a native es Maura, a cit omino hordera es tho provinos MAfrica; ho prolemod the Platonio phil opis. reputed a magician the Christiam riter .

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Boo v. THE DIONE INSTITUTES. 299

bullt wit this dotestabie folly, as i With mud excepi that ouhoperior immortali cirem the remembrance of Dur name totis seolish, the fore, in imagine that Apollonius id not desim that whic he would plaint wis for i ha were ablorio attatato it; ecause there is no ne ho refusis immortali , andespeciali When o say that he was both adored by sommas agod, and that his imago Was set up nnder stomammos Hercules, the averteris evit, and is Evenio honoured by the Ephesians.

Affectavit divinitatem. Mater. δ' Sacramentum. With one viri uno spiritu.

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neither o Apollonius, nor in Apuleius, nor to any of the magicians nor an it happen at an time. When, theresore,