[3811] So the ms.; but all edd. except Hild. and Oehler omit nobis.
[3812] So the ms., reading folgora dilatarit, followed by LB.
[3813] Salsa, corrected from the ms. sola.
[3814] Alites et volucres; i.e., according to Orelli, the birds from whose flight auguries were drawn, as opposed to the others.
[3815] So Heraldus, whose punctuation also is here followed, omitting id est sapor--"that is, taste," which Meursius and LB., followed by Orelli, amend, ut est--"as taste is" in each thing.
[3816] Vel is here inserted in all edd., most of which read, as above, oloris, which is found in the ms., in later writing, for the original, coloris--"colour," retained by Ursinus, LB., and Oehler.
60. Seeing, then, that the origin, the cause, the reason of so many and so important things, escapes you yourselves also, and that you can neither say nor explain what has been made, nor why and wherefore it should not have been otherwise, do you assail and attack our timidity, who confess that we do not know that which cannot be known, and who do not care to seek out and inquire into those things which it is quite clear cannot be understood, although human conjecture should extend and spread itself through a thousand hearts? And therefore Christ the divine,--although you are unwilling to allow it,--Christ the divine, I repeat, for this must be said often, that the ears of unbelievers may burst and be rent asunder, speaking in the form of man by command of the Supreme God, because He knew that men are naturally [3817] blind, and cannot grasp the truth at all, or regard as sure and certain what they might have persuaded themselves as to things set before their eyes, and do not hesitate, for the sake of their [3818] conjectures, to raise and bring up questions that cause much strife,--bade us abandon and disregard all these things of which you speak, and not waste our thoughts upon things which have been removed far from our knowledge, but, as much as possible, seek the Lord of the universe with the whole mind and spirit; be raised above these subjects, and give over to Him our hearts, as yet hesitating whither to turn; [3819] be ever mindful of Him; and although no imagination can set Him forth as He is, [3820] yet form some faint conception of Him. For Christ said that, of all who are comprehended in the vague notion of what is sacred and divine, [3821] He alone is beyond the reach of doubt, alone true, and one about whom only a raving and reckless madman can be in doubt; to know whom is enough, although you have learned nothing besides; and if by knowledge you have indeed been related to [3822] God, the head of the world, you have gained the true and most important knowledge.
[3817] Lit., "that the nature of man is."
[3818] So the ms., according to Crusius, reading nec pro suis; while, according to Hild., the reading is prorsus--"and are utterly without hesitation," adopted in the edd. with the substitution of et for nec--"and that they altogether hesitate," which, besides departing from the ms. runs counter to the sense.
[3819] Lit., "transfer to Him the undecided conversions of the breast."
[3820] Lit., "He can be formed by no imagination."
[3821] Lit., "which the obscurity of sacred divinity contains;" which Orelli interprets, "the most exalted being holds concealed from mortals."
[3822] Lit., "and being fixed on."
61. What business of yours is it, He [3823] says, to examine, to inquire who made man; what is the origin of souls; who devised the causes of ills; whether the sun is larger than the earth, or measures only a foot in breadth: [3824] whether the moon shines with borrowed light, or from her own brightness,--things which there is neither profit in knowing, nor loss in not knowing? Leave these things to God, and allow Him to know what is, wherefore, or whence; whether it must have been or not; whether something always existed, [3825] or whether it was produced at the first; whether it should be annihilated or preserved, consumed, destroyed, or restored in fresh vigour. Your reason is not permitted to involve you in such questions, and to be busied to no purpose about things so much out of reach. Your interests are in jeopardy,--the salvation, I mean, [3826] of your souls; and unless you give yourselves to seek to know the Supreme God, a cruel death awaits you when freed from the bonds of body, not bringing sudden annihilation, but destroying by the bitterness of its grievous and long-protracted punishment.
[3823] i.e., Christ.
[3824] As Heraclitus is reported to have said.
[3825] The ms., first five edd., and Oehler read supernatum, for which the other edd. read, as above, semper natum, from the margin of Ursinus. The soul is referred to.
[3826] So the later edd., following Elmenhorst, who emended dico for the ms. dici, omitted by the first four edd.
62. And be not deceived or deluded with vain hopes by that which is said by some ignorant and most presumptuous pretenders, [3827] that they are born of God, and are not subject to the decrees of fate; that His palace lies open to them if they lead a life of temperance, and that after death as men, they are restored without hindrance, as if to their father's abode; nor by that which the Magi [3828] assert, that they have intercessory prayers, won over by which some powers make the way easy to those who are striving to mount to heaven; nor by that which Etruria holds out in the Acherontic books, [3829] that souls become divine, and are freed from the law [3830] of death, if the blood of certain animals is offered to certain deities. These are empty delusions, and excite vain desires. None but the Almighty God can preserve souls; nor is there any one besides who can give them length of days, and grant to them also a spirit which shall never die, [3831] except He who alone is immortal and everlasting, and restricted by no limit of time. For since all the gods, whether those who are real, or those who are merely said to be from hearsay and conjecture, are immortal and everlasting by His good-will and free gift, how can it be that others [3832] are able to give that which they themselves have, [3833] while they have it as the gift of another, bestowed by a greater power? Let Etruria sacrifice what victims it may, let the wise deny themselves all the pleasures of life, [3834] let the Magi soften and soothe all lesser powers, yet, unless souls have received from the Lord of all things that which reason demands, and does so by His command, it [3835] will hereafter deeply repent having made itself a laughing-stock, [3836] when it begins to feel the approach [3837] of death.
[3827] So most edd., reading sciolis, from the emendation of Gelenius; but the ms., first five edd., Hild., and Oehler read scholis--"by some schools, and (these) arrogating very much to themselves."
[3828] Cf. ch. 13, p. 439; Plato, Rep., ii. st. p. 364, where Glaucon speaks of certain fortune-telling vagrant seers, who persuade the rich that they have power with the gods, by means of charms and sacrifices, to cleanse from guilt; and also Origen, contra Cels., i. 69, where the Magi are spoken of as being on familiar terms with evil powers, and thus able to accomplish whatever is within these spirits' power.
[3829] Mentioned by Servius (on Æn., viii. 399) as composed by Tages, cap. 69 [p. 460, supra], and seemingly containing directions as to expiatory sacrifices.
[3830] Pl.
[3831] Lit., "a spirit of perpetuity."
[3832] i.e., than the Supreme God.
[3833] Lit., "are."
[3834] Lit., "all human things."
[3835] i.e., reason.
[3836] The ms. reads fuisse me risui, which has no meaning; corrected, fuisse irrisui in most edd., and derisui by Meursius, Hild., and Oehler,--the sense being in either case as above.
[3837] Lit., "when it begins to approach to the feeling," cum ad sensum; so read by Gelenius for the unintelligible ms. cum absens cum.
63. But if, my opponents say, Christ was sent by God for this end, that He might deliver unhappy souls from ruin and destruction, of what crime were former ages guilty which were cut off in their mortal state before He came? Can you, then, know what has become of these souls [3838] of men who lived long ago? [3839] whether they, too, have not been aided, provided, and cared for in some way? Can you, I say, know that which could have been learned through Christ's teaching; whether the ages are unlimited in number or not since the human race began to be on the earth; when souls were first bound to bodies; who contrived that binding, [3840] nay, rather, who formed man himself; whither the souls of men who lived before us have gone; in what parts or regions of the world they were; whether they were corruptible or not; whether they could have encountered the danger of death, if Christ had not come forward as their preserver at their time of need? Lay aside these cares, and abandon questions to which you can find no answer. [3841] The Lord's compassion has been shown to them, too, and the divine kindness [3842] has been extended to [3843] all alike; they have been preserved, have been delivered, and have laid aside the lot and condition of mortality. Of what kind, my opponents ask, what, when? If you were free from presumption, arrogance, and conceit, you might have learned long ago from this teacher.
[3838] So the edd., reading quid sit cum eis animis actum for the ms. cum ejus nimis.
[3839] Lit., "of ancient and very old men."
[3840] So the ms., LB., Hild., and Oehler, reading vinctionis; the other edd. junctionis--"union."
[3841] Lit., "unknown questions."
[3842] Pl.
[3843] Lit., "has run over."
64. But, my opponents ask, if Christ came as the Saviour of men, as [3844] you say, why [3845] does He not, with uniform benevolence, free all without exception? I reply, does not He free all alike who invites all alike? or does He thrust back or repel any one from the kindness of the Supreme who gives to all alike the power of coming to Him,--to men of high rank, to the meanest slaves, to women, to boys? To all, He says, the fountain of life is open, [3846] and no one is hindered or kept back from drinking. [3847] If you are so fastidious as to spurn the kindly [3848] offered gift, nay, more, if your wisdom is so great that you term those things which are offered by Christ ridiculous and absurd, why should He keep on inviting [3849] you, while His only duty is to make the enjoyment of His bounty depend upon your own free choice? [3850] God, Plato says, does not cause any one to choose his lot in life; [3851] nor can another's choice be rightly attributed to any one, since freedom of choice was put in His power who made it. Must you be even implored to deign to accept the gift of salvation from God; and must God's gracious mercy be poured into your bosom while you reject it with disdain, and flee very far from it? Do you choose to take what is offered, and turn it to your own advantage? You will in that case have consulted your own interests. Do you reject with disdain, lightly esteem, and despise it? You will in this case have robbed yourself of the benefit of the gift. [3852] God compels no one, terrifies no one with overpowering fear. For our salvation is not necessary to Him, so that He would gain anything or suffer any loss, if He either made us divine, [3853] or allowed us to be annihilated and destroyed by corruption.
[3844] So the ms. and Oehler, reading ut, which is omitted in all other edd.; in this case, the words in italics are unnecessary.
[3845] So Orelli, reading cur (quur in most edd.) for the ms. quos. Instead of non--"not," which follows, the ms., according to Oehler, reads nos, and he therefore changes quos into quæso--"I ask, does He free all of us altogether?"
[3846] There is clearly no reference here to a particular passage of Scripture, but to the general tone of Christ's teaching: "Him that cometh unto me, I will in nowise cast out." Orelli, however with his usual infelicity, wishes to see a direct reference, either to Christ's words to the woman of Samaria (John iv. 13-15), or, which is rather extraordinary, to John vi. 35-37: "I am the bread of life," etc. Cf. n. 9, p. 459.
[3847] Lit., "the right of drinking."
[3848] Lit., "the kindness of."
[3849] Lit., "what waits He for, inviting," quid invitans expectat; the reading of the ms., both Roman edd. and Oehler. Gelenius, followed by Canterus and Elmenhorst, changed the last word into peccat--"in what does He sin," adopted by the other edd., with the addition of in te--"against you."