The Instructions of Commodianus.

 The Instructions of Commodianus

 II.—God’s Indignation.

 III.—The Worship of Demons.

 IV.—Saturn.

 V.—Jupiter.

 VI.—Of the Same Jupiter’s Thunderbolt.

 VII.—Of the Septizonium and the Stars.

 VIII.—Of the Sun and Moon.

 IX.—Mercury.

 X.—Neptune.

 XI.—Apollo the Soothsaying and False.

 XII.—Father Liber—Bacchus.

 XIII.—The Unconquered One.

 XIV.—Sylvanus.

 XV.—Hercules.

 XVI.—Of the Gods and Goddesses.

 XVII.—Of Their Images.

 XVIII.—Of Ammydates and the Great God.

 XIX.—Of the Vain Nemesiaci.

 XX.—The Titans.

 XXI.—The Montesiani.

 XXII.—The Dulness of the Age.

 XXIII.—Of Those Who are Everywhere Ready.

 XXIV.—Of Those Who Live Between the Two.

 XXV.—They Who Fear and Will Not Believe.

 XXVI.—To Those Who Resist the Law of Christ the Living God.

 XXVII.—O Fool, Thou Dost Not Die to God.

 XXVIII.—The Righteous Rise Again.

 XXIX.—To the Wicked and Unbelieving Rich Man.

 XXX.—Rich Men, Be Humble.

 XXXI.—To Judges.

 XXXII.—To Self-Pleasers.

 XXXIII.—To the Gentiles.

 XXXIV.—Moreover, to Ignorant Gentiles.

 XXXV.—Of the Tree of Life and Death.

 XXXVI.—Of the Foolishness of the Cross.

 XXXVII.—The Fanatics Who Judaize.

 XXXVIII.—To the Jews.

 XXXIX.—Also to the Jews.

 XL.—Again to the Same.

 Isaiah said:  This is the man who moveth the world and so many kings, and under whom the land shall become desert.  Hear ye how the prophet foretold c

 XLII.—Of the Hidden and Holy People of the Almighty Christ, the Living God.

 XLIII.—Of the End of This Age.

 XLIV.—Of the First Resurrection.

 XLV.—Of the Day of Judgment.

 XLVI.—To Catechumens.

 XLVII.—To the Faithful.

 XLVIII.—O Faithful, Beware of Evil.

 XLIX.—To Penitents.

 L.—Who Have Apostatized from God.

 LI.—Of Infants.

 LII.—Deserters.

 LIII.—To the Soldiers of Christ.

 LIV.—Of Fugitives.

 LV.—Of the Seed of the Tares.

 LVI.—To the Dissembler.

 LVII.—That Worldly Things are Absolutely to Be Avoided.

 LVIII.—That the Christian Should Be Such.

 LIX.—To the Matrons of the Church of the Living God.

 LX.—To the Same Again.

 LXI.—In the Church to All the People of God.

 LXII.—To Him Who Wishes for Martyrdom.

 LXIII.—The Daily War.

 LXIV.—Of the Zeal of Concupiscence.

 LXV.—They Who Give from Evil.

 LXVI.—Of a Deceitful Peace.

 LXVII.—To Readers. I warn certain readers only to consider, and to give material to others by an example of life, to avoid strife, and to shun so many

 LXVIII.—To Ministers.

 LXIX.—To God’s Shepherds.

 LXX.—I Speak to the Elder-Born.

 LXXI.—To Visit the Sick.

 LXXII.—To the Poor in Health.

 LXXIII.—That Sons are Not to Be Bewailed.

 LXXIV.—Of Funeral Pomp.

 LXXV.—To the Clerks.

 LXXVI.—Of Those Who Gossip, and of Silence.

 LXXVII.—To the Drunkards.

 LXXVIII.—To the Pastors.

 LXXIX.—To the Petitioners.

 LXXX.—The Name of the Man of Gaza.

II.—God’s Indignation.

In the law, the Lord of heaven, and earth, and sea has commanded, saying, Worship not vain gods made by your own hands out of wood or gold, lest my wrath destroy you for such things.  The people before Moses, unskilled, abiding without law, and ignorant of God, prayed to gods that perished, after the likenesses of which they fashioned vain idols.  The Lord having brought the Jews out of the land of Egypt, subsequently imposed on them a law; and the Omnipotent enjoined these things, that they should serve Him alone, and not those idols.  Moreover, in that law is taught concerning the resurrection, and the hope of living in happiness again in the world, if vain idols be forsaken and not worshipped.

II.---INDIGNATIO DEI.

0203A In lege praecepit Dominus coeli terrae marisque: Nolite, inquit, adorare deos inanes, De manibus vestris factos ex ligno vel auro; Indignatio mea nevos disperdat ob ista. Gens ante Mosen rudis, sine lege morata, Nesciensque Deum, morientes deos orabant, Ad quorum effigies faciebant idola vana. Translatis Judaeis Dominus de terra Aegypti, Imposuit legem postmodum, et ista praecepit Omnipotens, sibi soli deservire, non illis. De resurrectione quoque docetur in ipsa, Et spe, fortunatum rursum in aevo vivendi, Idola si vana relinqantur, neque colantur.