Contra Gentes. (Against the Heathen.)

 Part I

 §2. Evil no part of the essential nature of things. The original creation and constitution of man in grace and in the knowledge of God.

 §3. The decline of man from the above condition, owing to his absorption in material things.

 §4. The gradual abasement of the Soul from Truth to Falsehood by the abuse of her freedom of Choice.

 §5. Evil, then consists essentially in the choice of what is lower in preference to what is higher.

 §6. False views of the nature of evil: viz., that evil is something in the nature of things, and has substantive existence. (a) Heathen thinkers: (evi

 §7. Refutation of dualism from reason. Impossibility of two Gods. The truth as to evil is that which the Church teaches: that it originates, and resid

 §8. The origin of idolatry is similar. The soul, materialised by forgetting God, and engrossed in earthly things, makes them into gods. The race of me

 §9. The various developments of idolatry: worship of the heavenly bodies, the elements, natural objects, fabulous creatures, personified lusts, men li

 §10. Similar human origin of the Greek gods, by decree of Theseus. The process by which mortals became deified.

 §11. The deeds of heathen deities, and particularly of Zeus.

 §12. Other shameful actions ascribed to heathen deities. All prove that they are but men of former times, and not even good men.

 §13. The folly of image worship and its dishonour to art.

 §14. Image worship condemned by Scripture.

 §15. The details about the gods conveyed in the representations of them by poets and artists shew that they are without life, and that they are not go

 §16. Heathen arguments in palliation of the above: and (1) ‘the poets are responsible for these unedifying tales.’ But are the names and existence of

 §17. The truth probably is, that the scandalous tales are true, while the divine attributes ascribed to them are due to the flattery of the poets.

 §18. Heathen defence continued. (2) ‘The gods are worshipped for having invented the Arts of Life.’ But this is a human and natural, not a divine, ach

 §19. The inconsistency of image worship. Arguments in palliation. (1) The divine nature must be expressed in a visible sign. (2) The image a means of

 §20. But where does this supposed virtue of the image reside? in the material, or in the form, or in the maker’s skill? Untenability of all these view

 §21. The idea of communications through angels involves yet wilder inconsistency, nor does it, even if true, justify the worship of the image.

 §22. The image cannot represent the true form of God, else God would be corruptible.

 §23. The variety of idolatrous cults proves that they are false.

 §24. The so-called gods of one place are used as victims in another.

 §25. Human sacrifice. Its absurdity. Its prevalence. Its calamitous results.

 §26. The moral corruptions of Paganism all admittedly originated with the gods.

 §27. The refutation of popular Paganism being taken as conclusive, we come to the higher form of nature-worship. How Nature witnesses to God by the mu

 §28. But neither can the cosmic organism be God. For that would make God consist of dissimilar parts, and subject Him to possible dissolution.

 §29. The balance of powers in Nature shews that it is not God, either collectively, or in parts .

 Part II.

 §31. Proof of the existence of the rational soul. (1) Difference of man from the brutes. (2) Man’s power of objective thought. Thought is to sense as

 §32. (3) The body cannot originate such phenomena and in fact the action of the rational soul is seen in its over-ruling the instincts of the bodily

 §33. The soul immortal. Proved by (1) its being distinct from the body, (2) its being the source of motion, (3) its power to go beyond the body in ima

 §34. The soul, then, if only it get rid of the stains of sin is able to know God directly, its own rational nature imaging back the Word of God, after

 Part III.

 §36. This the more striking, if we consider the opposing forces out of which this order is produced .

 §37. The same subject continued .

 §38. The Unity of God shewn by the Harmony of the order of Nature .

 §39. Impossibility of a plurality of Gods .

 §40. The rationality and order of the Universe proves that it is the work of the Reason or Word of God .

 §41. The Presence of the Word in nature necessary, not only for its original Creation, but also for its permanence .

 §42. This function of the Word described at length .

 §43. Three similes to illustrate the Word’s relation to the Universe .

 §44. The similes applied to the whole Universe, seen and unseen .

 §45. Conclusion. Doctrine of Scripture on the subject of Part I .

 §46. Doctrine of Scripture on the subject of Part 3 .

 §47. Necessity of a return to the Word if our corrupt nature is to be restored .

§17. The truth probably is, that the scandalous tales are true, while the divine attributes ascribed to them are due to the flattery of the poets.

What inference then is left to us, save that while the panegyrics are false and flattering, the actions told of them are true? And the truth of this one can ascertain by common practice. For nobody who pronounces a panegyric upon anyone accuses his conduct at the same time, but rather, if men’s actions are disgraceful, they praise them up with panegyrics, on account of the scandal they cause, so that by extravagant praise they may impose upon their hearers, and hide the misconduct of the others. 2. Just as if a man who has to pronounce a panegyric upon someone cannot find material for it in their conduct or in any personal qualities, on account of the scandal attaching to these, he praises them up in another manner, flattering them with what does not belong to them, so have their marvellous poets, put out of countenance by the scandalous actions of their so-called gods, attached to them the superhuman title, not knowing that they cannot by their superhuman fancies veil their human actions, but that they will rather succeed in shewing, by their human shortcomings, that the attributes of God do not fit them. 3. And I am disposed to think that they have recounted the passions and the actions of the gods even in spite of themselves. For since they were endeavouring to invest with what Scripture calls the incommunicable name and honour of31    Wisd. xiv. 21. Cf. Isa. xlii. 8, and xlviii. 11 God them that are no gods but mortal men, and since this venture of theirs was great and impious, for this reason even against their will they were forced by truth to set forth the passions of these persons, so that their passions recorded in the writings concerning them might be in evidence for all posterity as a proof that they were no gods.

17 Τί οὖν ὑπολείπεται νοεῖν, ἢ ὅτι τὰ μὲν ἐγκώμια ψευδῆ καὶ κεχαρισμένα τυγχάνει, αἱ δὲ πράξεις ἀληθεύονται κατ' αὐτῶν; καὶ τοῦτο ἀληθὲς ἐκ τῆς συνηθείας ἄν τις ἐπιγνώσεται. οὐδεὶς γὰρ ἐγκωμιάζων τινά, καὶ κατηγορεῖ τῆς τούτου πολιτείας· ἀλλὰ μᾶλλον οἷς εἰσιν αἱ πράξεις αἰσχραί, τούτους διὰ τὸν ἐκ τούτων ψόγον ἐπαίρουσι τοῖς ἐγκωμίοις, ἵνα τῇ τούτων ὑπερβολῇ τοὺς ἀκούοντας ἀπατήσαντες ἐπικρύψωσι τὴν ἐκείνων παρανομίαν. ὥσπερ οὖν εἴ τις, ἐγκωμιάσαι τινὰ προθέμενος, μὴ εὑρίσκοι μὲν ἐκ πολιτείας μηδὲ ἐξ ἀρετῆς τῆς ψυχῆς τὴν πρόφασιν τῶν ἐγκωμίων διὰ τὴν ἐν τούτοις αἰσχύνην, ἄλλως δὲ αὐτοὺς ἐπαίροι, τὰ ὑπὲρ αὐτοὺς αὐτοῖς χαριζό μενος· οὕτω καὶ οἱ παρ' αὐτοῖς θαυμαστοὶ ποιηταί, δυσωπούμενοι ἐπὶ ταῖς αἰσχραῖς πράξεσι τῶν λεγομένων παρ' αὐτοῖς θεῶν, τὸ ὑπὲρ ἄνθρωπον αὐτοῖς προσῆψαν ὄνομα, οὐκ εἰδότες ὅτι οὐ ταῖς ὑπὲρ ἄνθρωπον ὑπονοίαις ἐπισκιάσουσιν αὐτῶν τὰ ἀνθρώπινα, ἀλλὰ μᾶλ λον τοῖς ἀνθρωπίνοις αὐτῶν ἐλαττώμασι τὰς Θεοῦ ἐννοίας μὴ ἁρμό ζειν αὐτοῖς διελέγξουσι. καὶ ἔγωγε νομίζω καὶ παρὰ γνώμην αὐτοῖς εἰρῆσθαι τὰ τούτων πάθη καὶ τὰς τούτων πράξεις. ἐπειδὴ γὰρ τὴν τοῦ Θεοῦ ἀκοινώνητον, ὡς εἶπεν ἡ γραφή, προσηγορίαν καὶ τιμὴν τοῖς οὐκ οὖσι θεοῖς, ἀλλ' ἀνθρώποις θνητοῖς ἐσπούδαζον ἀναθεῖναι, καὶ μέγα καὶ δυσσεβὲς ἦν τὸ ὑπ' αὐτῶν τολμώμενον, τούτου ἕνεκεν καὶ ἄκοντες ὑπὸ τῆς ἀληθείας ἠναγκάσθησαν τὰ τούτων ἐκθέσθαι πάθη, ἵνα τοῖς μετὰ ταῦτα τὰ τούτων πάθη πρὸς ἔλεγχον τοῦ μὴ εἶναι τούτους θεοὺς ἐν ταῖς περὶ αὐτῶν γραφαῖς κείμενα πᾶσι φαίνηται.