59. Of the idols which the Gentiles think to be gods.

In the Wisdom of Solomon: “All the idols of the nations they counted gods, which neither have the use of their eyes for seeing, nor their nostrils to receive breath, nor their ears for hearing, nor the fingers on their hands for handling; but their feet also are slow to walk. For man made them; and he who has borrowed his breath, he fashioned them. But no man will be able to fashion a god like to himself. For since he is mortal, he fashioneth a dead thing with wicked hands. But he himself is better than they whom he worships, since he indeed lived, but they never.”670 Wisd. xv. 15–17. On this same matter: “Neither have they who have regarded the works known who was the artificer, but have thought that either fire, or wind, or the rapid air, or the circle of the stars, or the abundant water, or the sun and moon, were the gods that rule over the world; and if, on account of the beauty of these, they have thought thus, let them know how much more beautiful than these is the Lord; or if they have admired their powers and operations, let them perceive from these very things that He who has established these mighty things is stronger than they.”671 Wisd. xiii. 1–4. Also in the cxxxivth Psalm: “The idols of the nations are silver and gold, the work of men’s hands. They have a mouth, and speak not; they have eyes, and see not; they have ears, and hear not; and neither is there any breath in their mouth. Let them who make them become like unto them, and all those who trust in them.”672 Ps. cxxxv. 16–18. Also in the ninety-fifth Psalm: “All the gods of the nations are demons, but the Lord made the heavens.”673 Ps. xcvi. 5. Also in Exodus: “Ye shall not make unto yourselves gods of silver nor of gold.”674 Ex. xx. 23. And again: “Thou shalt not make to thyself an idol, nor the likeness of any thing.”675 Ex. xx. 4. This section closes here, according to the Oxford text. The Leipzic edition continues as in the above reading. Also in Jeremiah: “Thus saith the Lord, Walk not according to the ways of the heathen; for they fear those things in their own persons, because the lawful things of the heathen are vain. Wood cut out from the forest is made the work of the carpenter, and melted silver and gold are beautifully arranged: they strengthen them with hammers and nails, and they shall not be moved, for they are fixed. The silver is brought from Tharsis, the gold comes from Moab. All things are the works of the artificers; they will clothe it with blue and purple; lifting them, they will carry them, because they will not go forward. Be not afraid of them, because they do no evil, neither is there good in them. Say thus, The gods that have not made the heaven and the earth perish from the earth, and from under this heaven. The heaven hath trembled at this, and hath shuddered much more vehemently, saith the Lord. These evil things hath my people done. They have forsaken the fountain of living water, and have dug out for themselves worn-out wells, which could not hold water. Thy love hath smitten thee, and thy wickedness shall accuse thee. And know and see that it shall be a bitter thing for thee that thou hast forsaken me, saith the Lord thy God, and thou hast not hoped in me, saith thy Lord. Because of old time thou hast resented my yoke, and hast broken thy bonds, and hast said, I will not serve, but I will go upon every lofty mountain, and upon every high hill, and upon every shady tree: there I will be confounded with fornication. To the wood and to the stone they have said, Thou art my father; and to the stone, Thou hast begotten me: and they turned to me their back, and not their face.”676 Jer. x. 2–5, 9, 11; ii. 12, 13, 19, 20, 27. In Isaiah: “The dragon hath fallen or is dissolved; their carved works have become as beasts and cattle. Labouring and hungry, and without strength, ye shall bear them bound upon your neck as a heavy burden.”677 Isa. xlvi. 1, 2, 5. And again: “Gathered together, they shall not be able to be saved from war; but they themselves have been led captive with thee.”678 Migne refers this to Jer. li. 15–18, but there is nothing corresponding to it in the passage. And again: “To whom have ye likened me? See and understand that ye err in your heart, who lavish gold out of the bag, and weigh silver in the balance, bringing it up to the weight. The workmen have made with their hand the things made; and, bowing themselves, they have adored it, and have raised it on their shoulders: and thus they walked. But if they should place them down, they will abide in their place, and will not be moved; and they will not hear those who cry unto them: they will not save them from evils.”679 Isa. xlvi. 6, 7. Also in Jeremiah: “The Lord, who made heaven and earth, in strength hath ordered the world, in His wisdom hath stretched forth the heaven, and the multitude of the waters in the heaven. He hath brought out the clouds from the end of the earth, the lightnings in the clouds; and He hath brought forth the winds from His treasures. Every man is made foolish by his knowledge, every artificer is confounded by his graven images; because he hath molten a falsehood: there is no breath in them. The works shut up in them are made vain; in the time of their consideration they shall perish.”680 Jer. li. 16–19. And in the Apocalypse: “And the sixth angel sounded with his trumpet. And I heard one of the four corners of the golden ark, which is in the presence of God, saying to the sixth angel who had the trumpet, Loose the four angels which are bound upon the great river Euphrates. And the four angels were loosed, which were prepared for an hour, and a day, and a month, and a year, to slay the third part of men; and the number of the army of the horsemen was two hundred thousand of thousand: I heard the number of them. And then I saw the horses in the vision, and those that sate upon them, having breastplates of fire, and of hyacinth, and of sulphur: and the heads of the horses (as the heads of lions); and out of their mouth went fire, and smoke, and sulphur. By these three plagues the third part of men was slain, by the fire, and the smoke, and the sulphur which went forth from their mouth, and is in their tails: for their tails were like unto eels; for they had heads, and with them they do mischief. And the rest of the men who were not slain by these plagues, nor repented of the works of the deeds of their hands, that they should not worship demons and idols, that is, images of gold, and of silver, and of brass, and of stone, and of wood, which can neither see nor walk, repented not also of their murders.”681 Rev. ix. 1, 13–21. Also in the same place: “And the third angel followed them, saying with a loud voice, If any man worship the beast and his image, and hath received his mark in his forehead or upon his hand, the same shall drink of the wine of His wrath, and shall be punished with fire and sulphur, under the eyes of the holy angels, and under the eyes of the Lamb; and the smoke of their torments shall ascend up for ever and ever.”682 Rev. xiv. 9–11.

CAP. LIX.---DE IDOLIS QUAE GENTILES DEOS PUTANT.

In Sapientia Salomonis: Omnia idola nationum aestimaverunt deos, quibus neque oculorum usus est ad videndum, 0763D neque nares ad percipiendum spiritum, neque aures ad audiendum, neque digiti in manibus ad contrectandum , sed et pedes eorum pigri ad ambulandum. 0764A Homo enim fecit illos, et qui spiritum mutuatus est, is finxit illos. Nemo autem sibi similem homo poterit deum fingere. Cum sit enim mortalis, mortuum fingit manibus iniquis. Melior est autem ipse iis quos colit; quoniam ipse quidem vixit, illi numquam (Sap. XV, 15-17). De hoc ipso: Neque opera attendentes cognoverunt quis esset artifex, sed aut ignem, aut spiritum, aut citatum aerem, aut gyrum stellarum, aut nimiam aquam, aut solem et lunam, rectores orbis terrae deos putaverunt: quorum si propter speciem hoc aestimaverunt, sciant quanto his Dominus sit speciosior: aut si virtutes et opera eorum mirati sunt, intelligant ab ipsis quoniam qui haec constituit fortia fortior est illis (Sap. XIII, 1-4). Item in Psalmo CXXXIV: Idola gentium argentum et aurum, 0764B opus manuum hominum. Os habent, et non loquuntur, oculos habent, et non vident, aures habent, et non audiunt . Neque enim est spiritus in ore eorum. Similes fiant illis qui faciunt ea et omnes qui confidunt in illis (Ps. CXXXIV, 15-18). Item in Psalmo XCV: Omnes dii gentium daemonia, Dominus autem coelos fecit (Ps. XCV, 5). Item in Exodo: Non facietis vobis deos argenteos neque aureos (Exod. XX, 23). Et iterum: Non facies tibi idolum nec cujusquam similitudinem (Ibid. XX, 4). Item in Hieremia: Haec dicit Dominus: Secundum vias gentium nolite incedere, quia timent illa in personis suis, quia legitima gentium vacua sunt. Lignum de saltu excisum opus fabri, et conflatum aurum et argentum speciose composita sunt, in martulis et in clavis confirmaverunt illa, et non movebuntur, quia 0764C confixibilia sunt. Argentum appositum est a Tharsis. Venit aurum Moab. Opera artificum omnia. Hyacinthum et purpura vestient eam. Tollentes tollent ea, quia non prodient. Nolite timere ea, quia malum non faciunt, et bonum non est in illis. Sic dicite: Dii qui coelum et terram non fecerunt intereunt a terra et de sub coelo isto. Exhorruit coelum in hoc et abhorruit multum magis vehementer, dicit Dominus. Haec maligna fecit plebs mea. Dereliquerunt fontem aquae vivae, et effoderunt sibi laqueos detritos qui non poterant aquam continere. Verberavit te dilectio tua, et nequitia tua accusabit te. Et scito et vide quia amarum tibi erit quod dereliqueris me, dicit Dominus Deus tuus, et non speraveris 0764D in me, dicit Dominus Deus tuus, quia in saeculum contribulasti jugum meum et dirupisti vincula tua, et 0765A dixisti: Non serviam, sed ibo super omnem montem excelsum et super omnem collem altum et super omne lignum umbrosum. Ibi confundar in fornicatione. Ligno et lapidi dixerunt quia pater meus es tu, et lapidi, Tu genuisti me. Et converterunt ad me dorsum, et non faciem suam (Hier. X, 2-5, 9, 11; II, 12, 13, 19 20, 27). In Esaia: Cecidit vel dissolutus est draco. Facta sunt sculptilia eorum ut bestiae et pecora. Auferetis illa collo ligata quasi sarcinam laborantes et esurientes et non valentes (Isai. XLVI, 1, 2, 5). Et iterum: Collecti simul non poterunt salvari de bello. Ipsi autem captivi ducti sunt tecum (Hier. LI, 15-18). Et iterum: Cui me assimilastis? Videte et intelligite quia erratis corde, qui committitis aurum de sacculo et argentum in statera ponderatis in pondera conducentes. Artifices 0765B fecerunt manu facta, et inclinantes se adoraverunt illud et levaverunt in humeris, et sic ambulabant. Si autem posuerint illa, loco manebunt, et non movebuntur; et qui clamaverint ad illa non audient, a malis non salvabunt eos. Item in Hieremia: Dominus, qui fecit coelum et terram, in virtute correxit orbem terrae, in sua prudentia extendit coelum, et multitudinem aquarum in coelo, perduxit nubes ab extremo terrae, fulgura in nubibus. Et ejecit ventos de thesauris suis. Infatuatus est omnis homo ab scientia sua, confusus est omnis artifex in sculptilibus suis, quia falsum conflavit. Non est spiritus in illis. Vacuata sunt opera inclusa, in tempore conspectionis illorum peribunt. Et in Apocalypsi: Et sextus Angelus tuba cecinit. Et audivi unum ex quatuor angulis arcae aureae quae est in conspectu Dei dicentem 0765C sexto Angelo qui habebat tubam: Solve quatuor Angelos ligatos super flumen magnum Euphratem. Et soluti sunt quatuor Angeli qui erant parati in horam et diem et mensem et annum, ut occiderent tertiam partem hominum, et numerus exercituum equestrium dismiriades myriadon. Audivi numerum eorum. Et sic vidi equos in visu et sedentes super eos habentes loricas igneas et hyacinthinas et sulphureas, et capita equorum, et ex ore eorum exiit ignis et fumus et sulphur. A tribus plagis istis occisa est tertia pars hominum ex igne et fumo et sulphure quod exiit de ore eorum, est et in caudis eorum. Caudae enim eorum similes anguillis, habentes enim capita, et in eis nocent. Et reliqui hominum qui non sunt occisi in istis plagis, nec poenitentiam egerunt opera factorum manuum suarum, ut non adorent daemonia 0765D et idola, id est simulacra aurea et argentea et aerea et lapidea et lignea, quae neque videre possunt neque ambulare, et non egerunt poenitentiam homicidiorum 0766A suorum. Item illic: Et tertius Angelus secutus est eos dicens in voce magna: Si quis adorat bestiam et simulacrum ejus, et accepit inscriptionem in fronte sua aut super manum suam, hic bibet de vino irae ejus et punietur igne et sulphure sub oculis Angelorum sanctorum et sub oculis Agni, et fumus tormentorum eorum in saecula saeculorum ascendet (Apoc. IX, 1, 13-21; XIV, 9-14).