Ad Nationes, Book II

Book II

• Ad Nationes II.1 — Chapter I.—The Heathen Gods from Heathen Authorities. Varro Has Written a Work on the Subject. His Threefold Classification. The Changeable Character of that Which Ought to Be Fixed and Certain. Our defence requires…vatican.va
• Ad Nationes II.2 — Philosophers Had Not Succeeded in Discovering God. The Uncertainty and Confusion of Their Speculations. Chapter II.—Philosophers Had Not Succeeded in Discovering God. The Uncertainty and Confusion of Their…vatican.va
• Ad Nationes II.3 — The Physical Philosophers Maintained the Divinity of the Elements; The Absurdity of the Tenet Exposed. Chapter III.—The Physical Philosophers Maintained the Divinity of the Elements; The Absurdity of the Tenet…vatican.va
• Ad Nationes II.4 — Wrong Derivation of the Word Qeός. The Name Indicative of the True Deity. God Without Shape and Immaterial. Anecdote of Thales. Chapter IV.—Wrong Derivation of the Word Θεός. The Name Indicative of the True Deity.…vatican.va
• Ad Nationes II.5 — The Physical Theory Continued. Further Reasons Advanced Against the Divinity of the Elements. Chapter V.—The Physical Theory Continued. Further Reasons Advanced Against the Divinity of the Elements. Why, then, do we…vatican.va
• Ad Nationes II.6 — The Changes of the Heavenly Bodies, Proof that They are Not Divine. Transition from the Physical to the Mythic Class of Gods. Chapter VI.—The Changes of the Heavenly Bodies, Proof that They are Not Divine. Transition…vatican.va
• Ad Nationes II.7 — The Gods of the Mythic Class. The Poets a Very Poor Authority in Such Matters. Homer and the Mythic Poets. Why Irreligious. Chapter VII.—The Gods of the Mythic Class. The Poets a Very Poor Authority in Such Matters.…vatican.va
• Ad Nationes II.8 — Chapter VIII.—The Gods of the Different Nations. Varro’s Gentile Class. Their Inferiority. A Good Deal of This Perverse Theology Taken from Scripture. Serapis a Perversion of Joseph. There remains the gentile class…vatican.va
• Ad Nationes II.9 — Chapter IX.—The Power of Rome. Romanized Aspect of All the Heathen Mythology. Varro’s Threefold Distribution Criticised. Roman Heroes (Æneas Included,) Unfavourably Reviewed. Such are the more obvious or more…vatican.va
• Ad Nationes II.10 — A Disgraceful Feature of the Roman Mythology. It Honours Such Infamous Characters as Larentina. Chapter X.—A Disgraceful Feature of the Roman Mythology. It Honours Such Infamous Characters as Larentina. I hasten to…vatican.va
• Ad Nationes II.11 — The Romans Provided Gods for Birth, Nay, Even Before Birth, to Death. Much Indelicacy in This System. Chapter XI.—The Romans Provided Gods for Birth, Nay, Even Before Birth, to Death. Much Indelicacy in This System.…vatican.va
• Ad Nationes II.12 — Chapter XII.—The Original Deities Were Human—With Some Very Questionable Characteristics. Saturn or Time Was Human. Inconsistencies of Opinion About Him. Now, how much further need I go in recounting your…vatican.va
• Ad Nationes II.13 — The Gods Human at First. Who Had the Authority to Make Them Divine? Jupiter Not Only Human, But Immoral. Chapter XIII.—The Gods Human at First. Who Had the Authority to Make Them Divine? Jupiter Not Only Human, But…vatican.va
• Ad Nationes II.14 — Chapter XIV.—Gods, Those Which Were Confessedly Elevated to the Divine Condition, What Pre-Eminent Right Had They to Such Honour? Hercules an Inferior Character. But since they will have it that those who have been…vatican.va
• Ad Nationes II.15 — Chapter XV.—The Constellations and the Genii Very Indifferent Gods. The Roman Monopoly of Gods Unsatisfactory. Other Nations Require Deities Quite as Much. It would be tedious to take a survey of all those, too, whom…vatican.va
• Ad Nationes II.16 — Chapter XVI.—Inventors of Useful Arts Unworthy of Deification. They Would Be the First to Acknowledge a Creator. The Arts Changeable from Time to Time, and Some Become Obsolete. Well, but certain men have discovered…vatican.va
• Ad Nationes II.17 — Conclusion, the Romans Owe Not Their Imperial Power to Their Gods. The Great God Alone Dispenses Kingdoms, He is the God of the Christians. Chapter XVII.—Conclusion, the Romans Owe Not Their Imperial Power to Their…vatican.va