Chapter

 1 II    |     every crime, an enemy of the gods, of the emperor, of the
 2 IV    |     guilty of crimes against the gods, against the Caesars; why
 3 V     |          of human beings. Unless gods give satisfaction to men,
 4 VI    |      enacted concerning the very gods themselves, you their most
 5 VI    |       zeal in the worship of the gods, the point in which antiquity
 6 IX    | eradicated, nor does any of your gods reform his ways. When Saturn
 7 X     |           You do not worship the gods," you say; " and you do
 8 X     |    ourselves,--namely, that your gods are not at all the objects
 9 X     |           We do not worship your gods, because we know that there
10 X     |      adoration; for only if your gods were truly so, would there
11 X     |    divine. But you say, They are gods. We protest and appeal from
12 X     |          can deny that all these gods of yours were but men. If
13 X     |       about them. No one of your gods is earlier than Saturn:
14 X     |          day men of culture make gods of those whom, a day or
15 XI    |       assert that they were made gods after their decease, let
16 XI    |        in divinity, who has made gods of men. For they could neither
17 XI    |         there was no one to make gods, it is vain to, dream of
18 XI    |          it is vain to, dream of gods being made when thus you
19 XI    |          one who is able to make gods, I turn back to an examination
20 XI    |          there may be for making gods at all; and I find no other
21 XI    |         in the footsteps of your gods, not one of whom you can
22 XI    |    believing that they were made gods afterwards. For if you rule
23 XI    |         if you would please your gods. You honour them by giving
24 XI    |        eloquence. Which of these gods of yours is more remarkable
25 XII   |          going to show what your gods are not, by showing what
26 XII   |         do because of these same gods, that in their making they
27 XII   |          in the case of your own gods, axes, and planes, and rasps
28 XII   |       the mines; from these your gods originate. We are banished
29 XII   |          a common thing for your gods to have their birth or die.
30 XIII  |              XIII.~"But they are gods to us," you say. And how
31 XIII  |          you disgrace your state gods, putting them in the auction-catalogue,
32 XIII  |    servitude. In the case of the gods, on the other hand, the
33 XIII  |      Jupiter? or the bowl of the gods from the ladle of the manes?
34 XIII  |        worship them in life. The gods will count themselves indebted
35 XIV   |       for Trojans and Greeks the gods fought among themselves
36 XIV   |        at the hands of the other gods; that he now laments the
37 XIV   |         to be a disgracer of the gods? One gives Apollo to king
38 XIV   |    shrink from setting forth the gods as the origin of all family
39 XIV   |          who, in contempt of the gods, was in the habit of swearing
40 XIV   |     overthrew the worship of the gods. Plainly, at one time as
41 XV    |       pleasures by vilifying the gods. Examine those charming
42 XV    |         all the vileness of your gods. The Sun mourns his offspring
43 XV    |          not the majesty of your gods insulted, and their deity
44 XV    |       and actually play the very gods. We have seen in our day
45 XV    |        the contempt in which the gods are held, alike by those
46 XV    |           I am not sure but your gods have more reason to complain
47 XVI   |          the standards above all gods. Well, as those images decking
48 XVI   |       for they have acknowledged gods dog-headed and lion-headed,
49 XVII  |       though in slavery to false gods; yet, whenever the soul
50 XIX   |      within the mark), your very gods themselves, your very temples
51 XXI   |         prove that even your own gods are effective witnesses
52 XXI   |       the dread of multitudinous gods, whose favour must be won
53 XXIII |         demons do just what your gods do, where in that case is
54 XXIII |          spirits make themselves gods, giving as they do the very
55 XXIII |          proofs which raise your gods to godhead, than that the
56 XXIII |        to godhead, than that the gods are the equals of angels
57 XXIII |          I suppose, regarding as gods in their temple those whose
58 XXIII |        one hand, they are really gods, why do they pretend to
59 XXIII |       forth as acting the pan of gods? For as beings who put themselves
60 XXIII |        who put themselves out as gods would never willingly call
61 XXIII |  themselves demons, if they were gods indeed, that they might
62 XXIII |         would not dare to act as gods, if those whose names they
63 XXIII |        it would not be denied by gods. But since on beth sides
64 XXIII | acknowledgment that they are not gods, gather from this that there
65 XXIII |       search, then, now be after gods; for those whom you had
66 XXIII |          only shown from our own gods that neither themselves
67 XXIII |        in Christ. Yes, your very gods kindle up faith in our Scriptures,
68 XXIV  |        declare that they are not gods, and in which they tell
69 XXIV  |         For if it is certain the gods have no existence, there
70 XXIV  |   religion, because there are no gods, we are assuredly not guilty
71 XXIV  |          your worship are really gods, is it not generally held
72 XXIV  |    superstition, liberty to make gods of birds and beasts, nay,
73 XXIV  |        yet I have not said their gods are Roman; for they are
74 XXIV  |    because we do not worship the gods of Rome. It is well that
75 XXV   |      beings whom you believe are gods, so that the point needs
76 XXV   |       forsooth, is the wages the gods have paid the Romans for
77 XXV   |        hardly think that foreign gods would have been disposed
78 XXV   | undoubted that not a few of your gods have reigned on earth as
79 XXV   |          were kings before these gods had their names on the roll
80 XXV   |        for their devotion to the gods before they attained to
81 XXV   |          is a thing in which the gods have their share of calamity.
82 XXV   |        as many triumphs over the gods as over the nations; as
83 XXV   |    captive deities. And the poor gods submit to be adored by their
84 XXVI  |        is older than some of her gods; she reigned before her
85 XXVIII|      another to do honour to the gods, when he ought ever voluntarily,
86 XXVIII|     convicted of impiety to your gods, inasmuch as you show a
87 XXVIII|      oath in the name of all the gods, than in the name of the
88 XXIX  |     Caesar's will. Yes, and many gods have felt the displeasure
89 XXX   |         before and above all the gods. Why not, since they are
90 XXXVII|          but the temples of your gods. For what wars should we
91 XL    |        gods--but where were your gods themselves in those days,
92 XL    |       pecks of Roman rings. Your gods were all objects of adoration,
93 XL    |         was not the doing of the gods, seeing it also overtook
94 XL    |          but even invented other gods of its own to worship; and
95 XLI   |          inflicted on you by the gods you worship out of spite
96 XLII  |         in the fumigating of the gods. At any rate, you say, the
97 XLVI  |       they openly overthrow your gods, and in their writings they
98 XLVI  |         count demons inferior to gods. Socrates used to say, "