Chap. i.—that forgetfulness of reason makes men ignorant of the true god, whom they worship in adversity and despise in prosperity.

Although I have shown in the first book that the religious ceremonies of the gods are false, because those in whose honour the general consent of men throughout the world by a foolish persuasion undertook various and dissimilar rites were mortals, and when they had completed their term of life, yielded to a divinely appointed necessity and died, yet, lest any doubt should be left, this second book shall lay open the very fountain of errors, and shall explain all the causes by which men were deceived, so that at first they believed that they were gods, and afterwards with an inveterate persuasion persevered in the religious observances which they had most perversely undertaken. For I desire, O Emperor Constantine, now that I have proved the emptiness of these things, and brought to light the impious vanity of men, to assert the majesty of the one God, undertaking the more useful and greater duty of recalling men from crooked paths, and of bringing them back into favour with themselves, that they may not, as some philosophers do, so greatly despise themselves, nor think that they are weak and useless, and of no account, and altogether born in vain. For this notion drives many to vicious pursuits. For while they imagine that we are a care to no God, or that we are about to have no existence after death, they altogether give themselves to the indulgence of their passions; and while they think that it is allowed them, they eagerly apply themselves to the enjoyment of pleasures, by which they unconsciously run into the snares of death; for they are ignorant as to what is reasonable conduct on the part of man: for if they wished to understand this, in the first place they would acknowledge their Lord, and would follow after virtue and justice; they would not subject their souls to the influence of earth-born fictions, nor would they seek the deadly fascinations of their lusts; in short, they would value themselves highly, and would understand that there is more in man than appears; and that they cannot retain their power and standing unless men lay aside depravity, and undertake the worship of their true Parent. I indeed, as I ought, often reflecting on the sum of affairs, am accustomed to wonder that the majesty of the one God, which keeps together and rules all things, has come to be so forgotten, that the only befitting object of worship is, above all others, the one which is especially neglected; and that men have sunk to such blindness, that they prefer the dead to the true and living God, and those who are of the earth, and buried in the earth, to Him who was the Creator of the earth itself.  

And yet this impiety of men might meet with some indulgence if the error entirely arose from ignorance of the divine name. But since we often see that the worshippers of other gods themselves confess and acknowledge the Supreme God, what pardon can they hope for their impiety, who do not acknowledge the worship of Him whom man cannot altogether be ignorant of? For both in swearing, and in expressing a wish, and in giving thanks, they do not name Jupiter, or a number of gods, but God;92    [It thrills me to compare this modest tribute of Christian confidence, with Justin’s unheeded appeal to the Stoical Antonine.]      [See Tertullian, vol. iii. p. 176, this series.]   so entirely does the truth of its own accord break forth by the force of nature even from unwilling breasts. And this, indeed, is not the case with men in their prosperity. For then most of all does God escape the memory of men, when in the enjoyment of His benefits they ought to honour His divine beneficence. But if any weighty necessity shall press them, then they remember God. If the terror of war shall have resounded, if the pestilential force of diseases shall have overhung them, if long-continued drought shall have denied nourishment to the crops, if a violent tempest or hail shall have assailed them, they betake themselves to God, aid is implored from God, God is entreated to succour them. If any one is tossed about on the sea, the wind being furious, it is this God whom he invokes. If any one is harassed by any violence, he implores His aid. If any one, reduced to the last extremity of poverty, begs for food, he appeals to God alone, and by His divine and matchless name93    [Pilate is answered at last out of the Roman court itself .]      Nomen. Another reading is numen, deity.   alone he seeks to gain the compassion of men. Thus they never remember God, unless it be while they are in trouble. When fear has left them, and the dangers have withdrawn, then in truth they quickly hasten to the temples of the gods: they pour libations to them, they sacrifice to them, they crown94 [“How charming is divine philosophy! Not harsh and crabbed, as dull fools suppose.”—Milton, Comus.]     It was a custom among the heathen nations to crown the images of the gods with garlands of flowers.   them with garlands. But to God, whom they called upon in their necessity itself, they do not give thanks even in word. Thus from prosperity arises luxury; and from luxury, together with all other vices, there arises impiety towards God.  

From what cause can we suppose this to arise? Unless we imagine that there is some perverse power which is always hostile to the truth, which rejoices in the errors of men, whose one and only task it is perpetually to scatter darkness, and to blind the minds of men, lest they should see the light,—lest, in short, they should look to heaven, and observe the nature95    The allusion is to the upright attitude of man, as compared with other created beings. The argument is often used by Lactantius.   of their own body, the origin96    This sentence is omitted in some editions.   of which we shall relate at the proper place; but now let us refute fallacies. For since other animals look down to the ground, with bodies bending forward, because they have not received reason and wisdom, whereas an upright position and an elevated countenance have been given to us by the Creator God, it is evident that these ceremonies paid to the gods are not in accordance with the reason of man, because they bend down the heaven-sprung being to the worship of earthly objects. For that one and only Parent of ours, when He created man,—that is, an animal intelligent and capable of exercising reason,—raised him from the ground, and elevated him to the contemplation of his Creator. As an ingenious poet97    Ovid, Metamorphosis [book i. 85.   Os homini sublime dedit: cœlumque tueri Jussit, et erectos ad sidera tollere vultus]. has well represented it:—  

From this circumstance the Greeks plainly derived the name ἄνθρωπος,98    The allusion is to the supposed derivation of the word ἄνθρωπος, from ἀνὰ, τρέπω, ὤψ, to turn the face upwards.   because he looks upward. They therefore deny themselves, and renounce the name of man, who do not look up, but downward: unless they think that the fact of our being upright is assigned to man without any cause. God willed that we should look up to heaven, and undoubtedly not without reason. For both the birds and almost all of the dumb creation see the heaven, but it is given to us in a peculiar manner to behold the heaven as we stand erect, that we may seek religion there; that since we cannot see God with our eyes, we may with our mind contemplate Him, whose throne is there: and this cannot assuredly be done by him who worships brass and stone, which are earthly things. But it is most incorrect that the nature of the body, which is temporary, should be upright, but that the soul itself, which is eternal, should be abject; whereas the figure and position have no other signification, except that the mind of man ought to look in the same direction as his countenance, and that his soul ought to be as upright as his body, so that it may imitate that which it ought to rule. But men, forgetful both of their name and nature, cast down their eyes from the heaven, and fix them upon the ground, and fear the works of their own hands, as though anything could be greater than its own artificer.  

CAPUT PRIMUM. Quod rationis oblivio faciat homines ignorantes veri 0253C Dei, qui colitur in adversis, et in prosperis contemnitur.

Quamquam primo libro religiones deorum falsas esse monstraverim; quod ii, quorum varios dissimilesque cultus per universam terram consensus hominum stulta persuasione suscepit, mortales fuerint, functique vita, divinae necessitati morte concesserint; tamen ne qua dubitatio relinquatur, hic secundus liber fontem ipsum patefaciet errorum, causasque omnes explicabit, quibus decepti homines, et primitus 0254B deos esse crediderint, et postmodum inveterata persuasione in susceptis pravissime Religionibus perseveraverint. Gestio enim, Constantine Imperator, 0254A 0254C convictis inanibus, et hominum impia vanitate detecta, singularis Dei asserere majestatem, suscipiens utilius et majus officium revocandi homines a pravis itineribus, et in gratiam secum ipsos reducendi, ne se (ut quidam philosophi faciunt) tantopere despiciant, neve se infirmos, et supervacuos, et nihil, et frustra omnino natos putent. Quae opinio plerosque ad vitia compellit. Nam dum existimant, nulli Deo nos esse curae, aut post mortem nihil futuros, totos se libidinibus addicunt, et dum licere sibi putant, 0255A hauriendis voluptatibus sitienter incumbunt, 0255A per quas imprudentes in laqueos mortis incurrunt; ignorant enim quae sit hominis ratio. Quam si tenere vellent, in primis Dominum suum agnoscerent, virtutem justitiamque sequerentur, terrenis figmentis animas suas non substernerent, mortiferas libidinum suavitates non appeterent: denique seipsos magni aestimarent, atque intelligerent plus esse in homine, quam videtur, cujus vim conditionemque non aliter possent retinere, nisi cultum veri parentis sui, deposita pravitate, susceperint. Equidem, sicut oportet, de summa rerum saepenumero cogitans, admirari soleo majestatem Dei singularis, quae continet regitque omnia, in tantam venisse oblivionem, ut quae sola coli debeat, sola potissimum negligatur; homines 0255B autem ipsos ad tantam caecitatem esse deductos ut vero ac vivo Deo mortuos praeferant, terrenos autem sepultosque in terra ei qui fundator ipsius terrae fuit.

Et tamen huic impietati hominum posset venia concedi, si omnino ab ignorantia divini nominis veniret hic error. Cum vero ipsos deorum cultores saepe videamus Deum summum et confiteri et praedicare, quam sibi veniam sperare possunt impietatis suae? qui non agnoscunt cultum ejus, quem prorsus ignorari ab homine fas non est. Nam et cum jurant, et cum optant, et cum gratias agunt, non Jovem aut deos multos, sed Deum nominant: adeo ipsa veritas, 0256A cogente natura, etiam ab invitis pectoribus erumpit; quod quidem non faciunt in prosperis rebus. Nam tum maxime Deus ex memoria hominum elabitur, cum beneficiis ejus fruentes, honorem dare divinae indulgentiae debent. At vero si qua necessitas gravis presserit, tunc Deum recordantur. Si belli terror infremuerit, si morborum pestifera vis incubuerit, si alimenta frugibus longa siccitas denegaverit, si saeva tempestas, si grando ingruerit, ad Deum confugitur, a Deo petitur auxilium, Deus, ut subveniat, oratur. Si quis in mari, vento saeviente, jactatur, hunc invocat. Si quis aliqua vi afflictatur, hunc potius implorat. Si quis ad extremam mendicandi necessitatem deductus, victum precibus exposcit, Deum solum obtestatur, et per ejus divinum atque unicum nomen 0256B hominum sibi misericordiam quaerit. Numquam igitur Dei meminerunt, nisi dum in malis sunt. Postquam metus deseruit et pericula recesserunt, tum vero alacres ad deorum templa concurrunt; his libant, his sacrificant, hos coronant. Deo autem, quem in ipsa necessitate imploraverant, ne verbo quidem gratias agunt: adeo ex rerum prosperitate luxuria, ex luxuria vero, ut vitia omnia, sic impietas adversus Deum nascitur.

Quanam istud ex causa fieri putemus? nisi esse aliquam perversam potestatem, quae veritatis sit semper inimica, quae humanis erroribus gaudeat, cui unicum ac perpetuum sit opus offundere tenebras, 0257A et hominum caecare mentes, ne lucem videant, ne denique in coelum aspiciant, ac naturam corporis sui 0257A servent, cujus originem suo loco narrabimus; nunc fallacias arguamus. Nam cum caeterae animantes pronis corporibus in humum spectent, quia rationem ac sapientiam non acceperunt, nobis autem status rectus, sublimis vultus ab artifice Deo datus sit, apparet istas religiones deorum non esse rationis humanae, quia curvant coeleste animal ad veneranda terrena. Parens enim noster ille unus et solus, et cum fingeret hominem, id est animal intelligens et rationis capax, eum vero ex humo sublevatum ad contemplationem sui artificis erexit. Quod optime ingeniosus poeta (Ovid. I Metam.) signavit: Pronaque cum spectent animalia caetera terram; Os homini sublime dedit, coelumque tueri 0257B Jussit, et erectos ad sidera tollere vultus.Hinc utique ἀνθρωπον Graeci appellarunt, quod sursum spectet. Ipsi ergo sibi renuntiant, seque hominum nomine abdicant, qui non sursum aspiciunt, sed deorsum: nisi forte id ipsum, quod recti sumus, sine causa homini attributum putant. Spectare nos coelum Deus voluit, utique non frustra. Nam et aves, et ex mutis pene omnia coelum vident; sed nobis proprie datum est, coelum rigidis ac stantibus intueri, ut religionem ibi quaeramus, ut Deum, cujus sedes illa, quoniam oculis non possumus, animo contemplemur: 0258A quod profecto non facit, qui aes, aut lapidem, quae sunt terrena, veneratur. Est autem pravissimum, cum ratio corporis recta sit, quod est temporale, ipsum vero animum, qui sit aeternus, humilem fieri; cum figura et status nihil aliud significent, nisi mentem hominis eo spectare oportere, quo vultum et animum tam rectum esse debere, quam corpus, ut id, cui dominari debet, imitetur. Verum homines, et nominis sui, et rationis obliti, oculos suos ab alto dejiciunt, soloque defigunt, atque timent opera digitorum suorum, quasi vero quidquam esse possit artifice suo majus.