登陆注册
5214200000125

第125章

We see that these select gods have, indeed, become more famous than the rest; not, however, that their merits may be brought to light, but that their opprobrious deeds may not be hid.Whence it is more credible that they were men, as not only poetic but also historical literature has handed down.For this which Virgil says, "Then from Olympus' heights came down Good Saturn, exiled from his throne By Jove, his mightier heir;"(5)and what follows with reference to this affair, is fully related by the historian Euhemerus, and has been translated into Latin by Ennius.And as they who have written before us in the Greek or in the Latin tongue against such errors as these have said much concerning this matter, I have thought it unnecessary to dwell upon it.When I consider those physical reasons, then, by which learned and acute men attempt to turn human things into divine things, all I see is that they have been able to refer these things only to temporal works and to that which has a corporeal nature, and even though invisible still mutable; and this is by no means the true God.But if this worship had been performed as the symbolism of ideas at least congruous with religion, though it would indeed have been cause of grief that the true God was not announced and proclaimed by its symbolism, nevertheless it could have been in some degree borne with, when it did not occasion and command the performance of such foul and abominable things.But since it is impiety to worship the body or the soul for the true God, by whose indwelling alone the soul is happy, how much more impious is it to worship those things through which neither soul nor body can obtain either salvation or human honor? Wherefore if with temple, priest, and sacrifice, which are due to the true God, any element of the world be worshipped, or any created spirit, even though not impure and evil, that worship is still evil, not because the things are evil by which the worship is performed, but because those things ought only to be used in the worship of Him to whom alone such worship and service are due.But if any one insist that he worships the one true God,--that is, the Creator of every soul and of every body,--with stupid and monstrous idols, with human victims, with putting a wreath on the male organ, with the wages of unchastity, with the cutting of limbs, with emasculation, with the consecration of effeminates, with impure and obscene plays, such a one does not sin because he worships One who ought not to be worshipped, but because he worships Him who ought to be worshipped in a way in which He ought not to be worshipped.But he who worships with such things,--that is, foul and obscene things,--and that not the true God, namely, the maker of soul and body, but a creature, even though not a wicked creature, whether it be soul or body, or soul and body together, twice sins against God, because he both worships for God what is not God, and also worships with such things as neither God nor what is not God ought to be worshipped with.It is, indeed, manifest how these pagans worship,--that is, how shamefully and criminally they worship; but what or whom they worship would have been left in obscurity, had not their history testifled that those same confessedly base and foul rites were rendered in obedience to the demands of the gods, who exacted them with terrible severity.Wherefore it is evident beyond doubt that this whole civil theology is occupied in inventing means for attracting wicked and most impure spirits, inviting them to visit senseless images, and through these to take possession of stupid hearts.

CHAP.28.--THAT THE DOCTRINE OF VARRO CONCERNING THEOLOGY IS IN NO PARTCONSISTENT

WITH ITSELF.

To what purpose, then, is it that this most learned and most acute man Varro attempts, as it were, with subtle disputation, to reduce and refer all these gods to heaven and earth? He cannot do it.

They go out of his hands like water; they shrink back;they slip down and fall.For when about to speak of the females, that is, the goddesses, he says, "Since, as I observed in the first book concerning places, heaven and earth are the two origins of the gods, on which account they are called celestials and terrestrials, and as I began in tile former books with heaven, speaking of Janus, whom some have said to be heaven, and others the earth, so I now commence with Tellus in speaking concerning the goddesses." I can understand what embarrassment so great a mind was experiencing.For he is influenced by the perception of a certain plausible resemblance, when he says that the heaven is that which does, and the earth that which suffers, and therefore attributes the masculine principle to the one, and the feminine to the other, not considering that it is rather He who made both heaven and earth who is the maker of both activity and passivity.On this principle he interprets the celebrated mysteries of the Samothracians, and promises, with an air of great devoutness, that he will by writing expound these mysteries, which have not been so much as known to his countrymen, and will send them his exposition.Then he says that he had from many proofs gathered that, in those mysteries, among the images one signifies heaven, another the earth, another the patterns of things, which Plato calls ideas.He makes Jupiter to signify heaven, Juno the earth, Minerva the ideas.Heaven, by which anything is made; the earth, from which it is made; and the pattern, according to which it is made.But, with respect to the last, I am forgetting to say that Plato attributed so great an importance to these ideas as to say, not that anything was made by heaven according to them, but that according to them heaven itself was made.(1) To return, however,--it is to be observed that Varro has, in the book on the select gods, lost that theory of these gods, in whom he has, as it were, embraced all things.

同类推荐
  • The Call of the Canyon

    The Call of the Canyon

    本书为公版书,为不受著作权法限制的作家、艺术家及其它人士发布的作品,供广大读者阅读交流。汇聚授权电子版权。
  • 初仕要览

    初仕要览

    本书为公版书,为不受著作权法限制的作家、艺术家及其它人士发布的作品,供广大读者阅读交流。汇聚授权电子版权。
  • Thornton on Labour and Its Claims

    Thornton on Labour and Its Claims

    本书为公版书,为不受著作权法限制的作家、艺术家及其它人士发布的作品,供广大读者阅读交流。汇聚授权电子版权。
  • 明伦汇编闺媛典闺孝部

    明伦汇编闺媛典闺孝部

    本书为公版书,为不受著作权法限制的作家、艺术家及其它人士发布的作品,供广大读者阅读交流。汇聚授权电子版权。
  • 贤弈编

    贤弈编

    本书为公版书,为不受著作权法限制的作家、艺术家及其它人士发布的作品,供广大读者阅读交流。汇聚授权电子版权。
热门推荐
  • 祖剂

    祖剂

    本书为公版书,为不受著作权法限制的作家、艺术家及其它人士发布的作品,供广大读者阅读交流。汇聚授权电子版权。
  • 时光念木一

    时光念木一

    青梅竹马的爱情该是让人羡慕,令人向往的。季时光很庆幸他在最好的年纪遇上了可以和他相伴一生的孜木一,如果没有孜木一,也许就没有如今的季时光。如果没有季时光,或许孜木一也不是现在的孜木一。他们是对方的救赎,也是对方不可缺失的。
  • 重生末世无敌至尊

    重生末世无敌至尊

    神魔游戏人间,生灵涂炭,众生皆死,我等唯有承受?不!而今,我既已重生,此生必一路高歌,独断未来,愿以血和剑告知神魔,你可来,我亦可往!
  • 最具影响力的政坛伟人(下)

    最具影响力的政坛伟人(下)

    作家是生活造就的,作家又创作了文学。正如高尔基所说:“作家是一支笛子,生活里的种种智慧一通过它就变成音韵和谐的曲调了……作家也是时代精神手中的一支笔,一支由某位圣贤用来撰写艺术史册的笔……”因此,作家是人类灵魂的工程师,也是社会生活的雕塑师。文学作品是作家根据一定的立场、观点、社会理想和审美观念,从社会生活中选取一定的材料,经过提炼加工而后创作出来的。它既包含客观的现实生活,也包含作家主观的思想感情,因此,文学作品通过相应的表现形式,具有很强的承载性,这就是作品的具体内容。
  • 豪门阔少呆萌妻

    豪门阔少呆萌妻

    一场血腥的钻坠之争,揭开了她的身世之谜,本以为,幸福就此告落,不曾想,更大的阴谋将她葬身于火海。眼泪在墓园滑落,男人望着墓碑上“爱妻米晓欢”几字,声音孱弱的低喃着。他以为,他的心,已经如死灰一片,不会再有爱。直到某年某月某日,她带着百万现钞砸在他面前,“我要买你……”“买我?”他饶趣一笑,温柔至极的看着她那张羞怒的小嘴脸。“买你全家!”某女果断暴怒,“我是要买你市郊那块地皮。”“一百万,就想买我全家?”他直接忽略掉她后面的话。“成还是不成?”某女气得冒烟。“成,只要你想要!”某人笑得邪肆迷人。后面,猫捉老鼠的游戏又开始了……
  • 酷酷太子妃

    酷酷太子妃

    陶夭夭,某户千金,十五岁芳龄。书读的不好,琴弹的不行,脾气还拽的惊人。总之是要才没才、要品没品。优点倒是还有两个,一个嘛,美人胚子绝世倾城红颜祸水,另一个呢,鬼灵精怪一肚子坏点子老想害人。谁知一朝破产家败如山倒,富家千金露宿街头变成了穷乞丐,爹爹没钱还债,心一横卖了自个闺女然后逃之夭夭。【洞房花烛】嫁人就嫁人呗,好在丈夫还是有钱人!大婚当晚红盖头一接,陶夭夭傻了眼。妈呀,夫君竟然变成一头猪!“啊——”的一声惨叫,猪又变回了人,帅的简直吓死人。“娘子,快别叫!”猪相公开口说话了,陶夭夭直接歇菜。眉毛一扯,指着畜生问他:“洞房花烛夜,你抱只猪到床上做什么?”帅男奸邪的笑笑:“以后你就抱着它睡觉。”“那你呢?”“我去抱别的姑娘。”二话没说,陶夭夭举起了菜刀!【超级雷人】“你敢对我动手,知道我是谁不?”帅相公痞痞的瞪着她。“管你是谁!教训老公天经地义。”陶夭夭举起鞭子,狠狠抽过去。“大胆,竟敢对皇长孙动手,小心诛你九族!”“皇长孙是吧,我还太皇太后呢。”先打了再说。【美男多多】京城第一俊:一日为夫注定了这辈子你都是我的妻,所以乖乖呆在我身边哪儿也不许去!京城第一富:如果你爱钱,要多少我就给你多少!冷酷小王爷:你要是敢休夫,我就敢娶你!大将军之子:嫂嫂。走,我带你私奔去!......【万千宠爱】皇奶奶和颜悦色:夭夭,给本宫生个粉粉嫩嫩的曾孙吧。皇爷爷拍桌子跺脚:姓陶的,以后皇长孙就交由你来调教。太子妃(婆婆)商量的语气:好夭夭,你帮我管管那个不争气的东西吧。太子(公公)气急败坏:我说儿媳妇,臭小子交给你了,要打便打要杀便杀,不用给我面子。【逃之夭夭】生儿子?没空。调教?无聊。管?算了吧。杀?脏了手。不管三七二十一,相公再帅,钱财再多,她也只想赶紧收拾铺盖走人。于是乎,陶夭夭真正变成了逃夭夭,整天就想着如何逃之夭夭。~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~【特别注明】:本文温馨清水,深度不大,小虐怡情,雷人水平颇为震撼!适合闲暇,娱乐身心。女主又酷又拽,只有小聪明,并无大智慧,随时惹来啼笑皆非的场面。男猪帅帅又多多,未来太子爷、冷酷小王爷、京城首富男、将军他儿子......
  • 农女的锦绣商图

    农女的锦绣商图

    末世谣,现代中医世家的首席天才药师,一次试药被人谋害,重生成为古代已婚农家女。莫诗瑶,因两家换亲而下嫁东家的病痨男人,不料拜堂当日,新郎当场暴毙,乡邻皆称其命硬克夫,自此名传十里、千夫指。当痞子天才摇身变成薄命村姑…娘家大哥双腿残疾、嫂子冷眼相加、父亲还中年多病。夫家婆婆软弱,小叔子心术不正,“各有千秋”的两位嫂子竟为半间茅草屋对其明排暗挤。家中仅有荒山半亩,鱼塘一方,一日三餐土豆红薯、野草树根!靠!他娘的就这样悲催地过一辈子?笑话!费尽心思扩展商业蓝图、前路锦绣良田万倾,闲来捅捅蜂窝养养娃,生意正值兴隆之际…却凭空冒出个无良腹黑的男人,坑蒙拐骗强抢偷,回回无耻。擦!他娘的这辈子就这样憋屈下去?妄想!绞尽脑汁谋得一身清净、安乐日子事事顺心,忙时开开药铺酿酿酒,人生当是得意之时…那原本腹黑无耻的男人却死缠烂打,脱下锦袍、夺过锄头,敲诈掳掠求哄诱,招招欠揍……“主子,莫姑娘把他们村长告上了县衙。”“嗯,莫村姑胆儿可真肥。”“……说要将村长赶下台。”“嗯?莫寡妇实在有魄力。”“……还、撵得村长的儿子满山蹿,结果人家在山上过夜……被蛇咬了。”“此话当真?”椅子上的男人猛地站起身,眸子里闪烁着莫名的光。“……主子莫怪莫姑娘……”咬着人的那是您的蛇……“废话!爷问村长那儿子被咬出个好歹了没?”“咳咳,听说危在旦夕,不过主子也不必太担……”“半日之内,方圆百里所有药铺立刻打烊,谁慢一步——关门、放狗!”
  • 新闻哲学的思考:以人类认知为参照

    新闻哲学的思考:以人类认知为参照

    全书100万字,分认知之路(引论)、新闻之路、新闻本质论、新闻复杂论、新闻价值论、新闻表现论、新闻超越论七大部分。这是一部构建新闻哲学大厦的奠基之作,一部揭示新闻深层奥秘的鸿篇巨著。它以一线新闻记者的探索和感悟为基础,吸收了新疆经济报20年新闻改革的理论成果,集中西新闻思想之大成,以最新科学哲学理论成果为支撑,填补了中国大陆“新闻哲学”领域的学术空白,为信息时代新闻理论创新做出了新的探索,具有重大学术意义和实践指导价值。
  • 晋中兴书

    晋中兴书

    本书为公版书,为不受著作权法限制的作家、艺术家及其它人士发布的作品,供广大读者阅读交流。汇聚授权电子版权。
  • 圣域

    圣域

    神如果要跟人作对,那么任何人都难以应付……这里是一片崭新的大陆,有纵横的斗气,疯狂的术士,还有守卫圣域的神秘家族。人和神之间会有一场战争,谁才是那个能和神作对的人!敬请期待tom《圣域》,恳求推荐、收藏、打赏!