The Divine Institutes, Books I–VII

Book I: On False Religion

BOOK ONE ON FALSE RELIGION Chapter 1 m4HENEVER MEN OF GREAT AND EXCELLENT character gave themselves completely to a doctrine, they bore whatever labor could be expended in despising all things, even private and public concerns, for the pursuit of searching after truth. It was their belief that to investigate and learn the reason of things human and divine was much more splendid than to cling to the amassing of wealth and the accumulation of honors; for by these things, since they are fragile and earthly and pertain solely to the cultivation of the body, no one can be made better; no one can become more just. Those men truly were most worthy of a knowledge of truth, since they desired to know a thing of such great worth and in such a fashion that they might prefer it to all things-for it is known that certain of them despised their personal concerns and renounced all pleasures in order that naked and unimpeded they might pursue virtue alone and uncloaked. And with them the name and authority of virtue had such great avail that they judged the reward of the highest good to be in virtue itself, but they never arrived at that which they wished. At the same time they spent labor and industry, because truth, that is, the secret of the supreme God who made all things, is not able to be comprehended by [human] ability and its proper senses. Otherwise, there would be no distance between God and man if human thought could attain to the counsels 15 16 LACTANTIUS and dispositions of that eternal majesty. But, since it could not be that the divine plan should become known to man of himself, God did not allow man seeking the light of wisdom to be in error any longer and to wander without any effect of his labor through inextricable darkness. He opened his eyes then and made the knowledge of truth His gift, so that He might show that even human wisdom was nothing, and He pointed out the way of gaining immortality to the erring and wandering one. Since few, however, make use of this heavenly benefit and gift because truth is hidden, wrapped in obscurity, and it is either despised by the learned because it is in need of suitable defenders or it is hated by the unlearned because of the austerity innate in it, which the nature of men, prone to vice, is not able to endure-for, since bitterness is mingled with virtues , whereas vices are steeped in pleasure, blocked by the former and beguiled by the latter they are borne headlong, and deceived by the appearance of good they embrace evils in place of goods-I thought aid ought to be at hand for these errors, so that the learned might be directed to true wisdom and the unlearned to true religion. And this profession ought to be considered much better, much more useful, more glorious than that oratory in which we engaged for a long time, and in which we instructed youth not toward virtue but plainly toward 'argued' evil. Now we will speak with eloquence much more rightly about the heavenly precepts with which we may be able to instruct the minds of men for the worship of the true majesty, for he does not merit so much from human affairs who imparts the science of speaking well as he who teaches to live reverently and innocently. For this reason, philosophers were held in greater glory among the Greeks than orators. For they were considered teachers of living rightly, which is far the more excellent, since to speak well pertains to the few, but to live well to all. However, that exercise in imaginary lawsuits did much for us that with greater eloquence and ease of speaking we now BOOK ONE 17 might plead the cause of truth.1 And although this may be defended without eloquence, as it has often been defended by many, it ought to be illustrated and in a certain way asserted by clarity and splendor of speech so that, both equipped with its force and adorned by the light of oratory, it may more potently seep into minds.2 And so, for this reason we have arranged this disputation about religion and about divine things. For, if certain of the great orators-veterans, as it were, of their profession-have at...