CHAP.12.--CONCERNING THE OPINION OF THOSE WHO HAVE THOUGHT THAT GODIS THE SOUL
OF THE WORLD, AND THE WORLD IS THE BODY OF GOD.
Ought not men of intelligence, and indeed men of every kind, to be stirred up to examine the nature of this opinion? For there is no need of excellent capacity for this task, that putting away the desire of contention, they may observe that if God is the soul of the world, and the world is as a body to Him, who is the soul, He must be one living being consisting of soul and body, and that this same God is a kind of womb of nature containing all things in Himself, so that the lives and souls of all living things are taken, according to the manner of each one's birth, out of His soul which vivifies that whole mass, and therefore nothing at all remains which is not a part of God.And if this is so, who cannot see what impious and irreligious consequences follow, such as that whatever one may trample, he must trample a part of God, and in slaying any living creature, a part of God must be slaughtered? But I am unwilling to utter all that may occur to those who think of it, Vet cannot be spoken without irreverence.
CHAP.13.--CONCERNING THOSE WHO ASSERT THAT ONLY RATIONAL ANIMALS AREPARTS OF
THE ONE GOD.
But if they contend that only rational animals, such as men, are parts of God, I do not really see how, if the whole world is God, they can separate beasts from being parts of Him.But what need is there of striving about that? Concerning the rational animal himself,--that is, man,--what more unhappy belief can be entertained than that a part of God is whipped when a boy is whipped? And who, unless he is quite mad, could bear the thought that parts of God can become lascivious, iniquitous, impious, and altogether damnable? In brief, why is God angry at those who do not worship Him, since these offenders are parts of Himself? It remains, therefore, that they must say that all the gods have their own lives; that each one lives for himself, and none of them is a part of any one; but that all are to be worshipped,--at least as many as can be known and worshipped;for they are so many it is impossible that all can be so.And of all these, I believe that Jupiter, because he presides as king, is thought by them to have both established and extended the Roman empire.
For if he has not done it, what other god do they believe could have attempted so great a work, when they must all be occupied with their own offices and works, nor can one intrude on that of another? Could the kingdom of men then be propagated and increased by the king of the gods?
CHAP.14.--THE ENLARGEMENT OF KINGDOMS IS UNSUITABLY ASCRIBED TO JOVE;FOR IF, AS
THEY WILL HAVE IT, VICTORIA IS A GODDESS, SHE ALONE WOULD SUFFICE FORTHIS BUSINESS.
Here, first of all, I ask, why even the kingdom itself is not some god.
For why should not it also be so, if Victory is a goddess?
Or what need is there of Jove himself in this affair, if Victory favors and is propitious, and always goes to those whom she wishes to be victorious? With this goddess favorable and propitious, even if Jove was idle and did nothing, what nations could remain unsubdued, what kingdom would not yield? But perhaps it is displeasing to good men to fight with most wicked unrighteousness, and provoke with voluntary war neighbors who are peaceable and do no wrong, in order to enlarge a kingdom? If they feel thus, I entirely approve and praise them.
CHAP.15.--WHETHER IT IS SUITABLE FOR GOOD MEN TO WISH TO RULE MOREWIDELY.
Let them ask, then, whether it is quite fitting for good men to rejoice in extended empire.For the iniquity of those with whom just wars are carried on favors the growth of a kingdom, which would certainly have been small if the peace and justice of neighbors had not by any wrong provoked the carrying on of war against them; and human affairs being thus more happy, all kingdoms would have been small, rejoicing in neighborly concord; and thus there would have been very many kingdoms of nations in the world, as there are very many houses of citizens in a city.Therefore, to carry on war and extend a kingdom over wholly subdued nations seems to bad men to be felicity, to good men necessity.But because it would be worse that the injurious should rule over those who are more righteous, therefore even that is not unsuitably called felicity.But beyond doubt it is greater felicity to have a good neighbor at peace, than to conquer a bad one by making war.Your wishes are bad, when you desire that one whom you hate or fear should be in such a condition that you can conquer him.If, therefore, by carrying on wars that were just, not impious or unrighteous, the Romans could have acquired so great an empire, ought they not to worship as a goddess even the injustice of foreigners? For we see that this has cooperated much in extending the empire, by making foreigners so unjust that they became people with whom just wars might be carried on, and the empire increased And why may not injustice, at least that of foreign nations, also be a goddess, if Fear and Dread and Ague have deserved to be Roman gods?
By these two, therefore,--that is, by foreign injustice, and the goddess Victoria, for injustice stirs up causes of wars, and Victoria brings these same wars to a happy termination,--the empire has increased, even although Jove has been idle.For what part could Jove have here, when those things which might be thought to be his benefits are held to be gods, called gods, worshipped as gods, and are themselves invoked for their own parts?
He also might have some part here, if he himself might be called Empire, just as she is called Victory.Or if empire is the gift of ove, why may not victory also be held to be his gift? And it certainly would have been held to be so, had he been recognized and worshipped, not as a stone in the Capitol, but as the true King of kings and Lord of lords.
CHAP.16.--WHAT WAS THE REASON WHY THE ROMANS, IN DETAILING SEPARATEGODS FOR ALL
THINGS AND ALL MOVEMENTS OF THE MIND, CHOSE TO HAVE THE TEMPLE OF QUIETOUTSIDE
THE GATES.
