35. Come now: as the
discussion has been prolonged and led to these points, let us, bringing
forward what each has to say,4939
| 4939
Lit., “by opposition of the parts of each.”
Considerable difficulty has been felt as to the abrupt way in which the
book ends as it is arranged in the ms.
Orelli has therefore adopted the suggestion of an anonymous critic, and
transposed cc. 35, 36, 37 to the end. This does not, however,
meet the difficulty; for the same objection still holds good, that
there is a want of connection and harmony in these concluding chapters,
and that, even when thus arranged, they do not form a fitting
conclusion to the whole work. |
decide by a brief comparison whether
your ideas of the gods above are the better, or our thoughts
preferable, and much more honourable and just, and such as to give and
assign its own
dignity to the
divine nature. And, first, you
declare that the gods, whom you either think or believe to exist, of
whom you have set up images and statues in all the
temples, were
born
and produced from the germs of males and
females, under the necessary
condition of sexual embraces. But we, on the contrary, if they
are indeed true gods, and have the
authority,
power,
dignity of this
name, consider that they must either be unbegotten, for it is pious to
believe this, or, if they have a beginning in
4940
birth, it
belongs to the
supreme God to
know by what methods He made them, or how many ages there are since He
granted to them to enter upon the
eternal being of His own
divine
nature. You consider that the deities have sexes, and that some
of them are male, others
female; we utterly deny that the powers of
heaven have been distinguished by sexes, since this distinction has
been given to the creatures of
earth which the
Author of the universe
willed should embrace and generate, to
provide, by their
carnal
desires, one generation of
offspring after another. You think
that they are like men, and have been fashioned with the countenances
of
mortals; we think that the images of them are wide of the
mark,
4941
| 4941
Lit., “that effigies have been far removed from
them.” This may be understood, either as meaning that the
gods had not visible form at all, or, as above, that their likenesses
made by men showed no resemblance. |
as form
belongs to a
mortal body; and if they have any, we
swear with the
utmost earnestness and
confidence that no man can comprehend it.
By you they are said to have each his trade, like artisans; we laugh
when we hear you say such things, as we hold and think that professions
are not necessary to gods, and it is certain and evident that these
have been provided to assist poverty.
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