12. Thus far of sex.
Now let us come to the appearance and shapes by which you believe that
the gods above have been represented, with which, indeed, you fashion,
and set them up in their most splendid abodes, your temples. And
let no one here bring up against us Jewish fables and those of the sect
of the Sadducees,3962
| 3962 It
is evident that Arnobius here confuses the sceptical Sadducees with
their opponents the Pharisees, and the Talmudists. |
as though
we, too, attribute to the
Deity forms;
3963
| 3963
The ms. reads tribuant et
nos unintelligibly, for which LB. and Hild. read et
os—“as though they attribute form and face;” the
other edd, as above, tribuamus et nos. |
for this is supposed to be taught in
their writings, and asserted as if with assurance and
authority.
For these
stories either do not concern us, and have nothing at all in
common with us, or if they are shared in
by us, as you believe,
you must
seek out
teachers of greater
wisdom, through whom you may be
able to
learn how
best to overcome the
dark and recondite sayings of
those writings. Our opinion on the subject is as
follows:—that the whole
divine nature, since it neither came into
existence at any time, nor will ever come to an end of life, is devoid
of bodily features, and does not have anything like the forms with
which the termination of the several members usually. completes the
union of parts.
3964
| 3964
Lit., “the joinings of the members.” |
For
whatever is of this character, we think mortal and perishable; nor do
we believe that that can endure for ever which an inevitable end shuts
in, though the boundaries enclosing it be the
remotest.
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