26. We have now to say a few
words about incense and wine, for these, too, are connected and mixed
up with your ceremonies,4893
| 4893
Lit., “these kinds of ceremonies, too, were coupled and
mixed,” etc. |
and are used largely in your
religious acts. And, first, with respect to that very
incense
which you use, we ask this of you particularly, whence or at what time
you have been able to become acquainted with it, and to know it, so
that you have just reason to think that it is either worthy to be given
to the gods, or most agreeable to their desires. For it is almost
a novelty; and there is no
endless succession of years since it began
to be known in these parts, and won its way into the
shrines of the
gods. For neither in the heroic ages, as it is believed and
declared, was it known what
incense was, as is
proved by the ancient
writers, in whose books is found no mention
4894
| 4894
On this Oehler remarks, that the books of Moses show that it was
certainly used in the East in the most ancient times. But
Arnobius has expressly restricted his statement to the use of incense
“in these parts.” |
of it; nor was Etruria, the
parent
and mother of
superstition, acquainted with its
fame and renown, as the
rites of the chapels
prove; nor was it used by any one in offering
sacrifice during the four
hundred years in which Alba flourished; nor
did even Romulus or Numa, who was skilful in devising new ceremonies,
know either of its existence or growth, as the
sacred grits
4895
show with
which it was customary that the usual sacrifices should be
performed. Whence, therefore, did its use begin to be
adopted? or
what
desire of novelty assailed the old and ancient
custom, so
that that which was not needed for so many ages took the first place in
the ceremonies? For if without
incense the performance of a
religious service is imperfect, and if a quantity of it is necessary to
make the celestials
gentle and propitious to men, the ancients fell
into
sin, nay rather, their whole
life was full of guilt, for they
carelessly neglected to offer that which was most fitted to give
pleasure to the gods. But if in ancient times neither men nor
gods sought for this incense, it is proved that to-day also that is
offered uselessly and in vain which antiquity did not believe
necessary, but modern times desired without any reason.
4896
| 4896
[See p. 519, note 1, supra.] |
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