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| Of the idols which the Gentiles think to be gods.
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59. Of the idols which the Gentiles think
to be gods.
In the Wisdom of Solomon: “All the idols of
the nations they counted gods, which neither have the use of their eyes
for seeing, nor their nostrils to receive breath, nor their ears for
hearing, nor the fingers on their hands for handling; but their feet
also are slow to walk. For man made them; and he who has borrowed
his breath, he fashioned them. But no man will be able to fashion
a god like to himself. For since he is mortal, he fashioneth a
dead thing with wicked hands. But he himself is better than they
whom he worships, since he indeed lived, but they never.”4482
On this same matter:
“Neither have they who have regarded the works known who was the
artificer, but have thought that either fire, or wind, or the rapid
air, or the circle of the stars, or the abundant water, or the sun and
moon, were the gods that rule over the world; and if, on account of the
beauty of these, they have thought thus, let them know how much more
beautiful than these is the Lord; or if they have admired their powers
and operations, let them perceive from these very things that He who
has established these mighty things is stronger than
they.”4483
Also
in the cxxxivth Psalm: “The idols of the nations are silver
and gold, the work of men’s hands. They have a mouth, and
speak not; they have eyes, and see not; they have ears, and hear not;
and neither is there any breath in their mouth. Let them who make
them become like unto them, and all those who trust in
them.”4484
Also
in the ninety-fifth Psalm: “All the gods of the nations are
demons, but the Lord made the heavens.”4485
Also in Exodus:
“Ye shall not make unto yourselves gods of silver nor of
gold.”4486
And
again: “Thou shalt not make to thyself an idol, nor the
likeness of any thing.”4487
| 4487
Ex. xx. 4. This section closes here,
according to the Oxford text. The Leipzic edition continues as in
the above reading. | Also in Jeremiah:
“Thus saith the Lord, Walk not according to the ways of the
heathen; for they fear those things in their own persons, because the
lawful things of the heathen are vain. Wood cut out from the
forest is made the work of the carpenter, and melted silver and gold
are beautifully arranged: they strengthen them with hammers and
nails, and they shall not be moved, for they are fixed. The
silver is brought from Tharsis, the gold comes from Moab. All
things are the works of the artificers; they will clothe it with blue
and purple; lifting them, they will carry them, because they will not
go forward. Be not afraid of them, because they do no evil,
neither is there good in them. Say thus, The gods that have not
made the heaven and the earth perish from the earth, and from under
this heaven. The heaven hath trembled at this, and hath shuddered
much more vehemently, saith the Lord. These evil things hath my
people done. They have forsaken the fountain of living water, and
have dug out for themselves worn-out wells, which could not hold
water. Thy love hath smitten thee, and thy wickedness shall
accuse thee. And know and see that it shall be a bitter thing for
thee that thou hast forsaken me, saith the Lord thy God, and thou hast
not hoped in me, saith thy Lord. Because of old time thou hast
resented my yoke, and hast broken thy bonds, and hast said, I will not
serve, but I will go upon every lofty mountain, and upon every high
hill, and upon every shady tree: there I will be confounded with
fornication. To the wood and to the stone they have said, Thou
art my father; and to the stone, Thou hast begotten me: and they
turned to me their back, and not their face.”4488
| 4488 Bible:Jer.2.19 Bible:Jer.2.20 Bible:Jer.2.27"> Jer. x. 2–5, 9, 11; ii. 12, 13, 19,
20, 27. | In Isaiah: “The
dragon hath fallen or is dissolved; their carved works have become as
beasts and cattle. Labouring and hungry, and without strength, ye
shall bear them bound upon your neck as a heavy burden.”4489
And
again: “Gathered together, they shall not be able to be
saved from war; but they themselves have been led captive with
thee.”4490
| 4490
Migne refers this to Jer. li.
15–18, but there is
nothing corresponding to it in the passage. | And
again: “To whom have ye likened me? See and
understand that ye err in your heart, who lavish gold out of the bag,
and weigh silver in the balance, bringing it up to the weight.
The workmen have made with their hand the things made; and, bowing
themselves, they have adored it, and have raised it on their
shoulders: and thus they walked. But if they should place
them down, they will abide in their place, and will not be moved; and
they will not hear those who cry unto them: they will not save
them from evils.”4491
Also in Jeremiah: “The
Lord, who made heaven and earth, in strength hath ordered the world, in
His wisdom hath stretched forth the heaven, and the multitude of the
waters in the heaven. He hath brought out the clouds from the end
of the earth, the lightnings in the clouds; and He hath brought forth
the winds from His treasures. Every man is made foolish by his
knowledge, every artificer is confounded by his graven images; because
he hath molten a falsehood: there is no breath in them. The
works shut up in them are made vain; in the time of their consideration
they shall perish.”4492
And in the Apocalypse:
“And the sixth angel sounded with his trumpet. And I heard
one of the four corners of the golden ark, which is in the presence of
God, saying to the sixth angel who had the trumpet, Loose the four
angels which are bound upon the great river Euphrates. And the
four angels were loosed, which were prepared for an hour, and a day,
and a month, and a year, to slay the third part of men; and the number
of the army of the horsemen was two hundred thousand of thousand:
I heard the number of them. And then I saw the horses in the
vision, and those that sate upon them, having breastplates of fire, and
of hyacinth, and of sulphur: and the heads of the horses (as the
heads of lions); and out of their mouth went fire, and
smoke, and sulphur. By
these three plagues the third part of men was slain, by the fire, and
the smoke, and the sulphur which went forth from their mouth, and is in
their tails: for their tails were like unto eels; for they had
heads, and with them they do mischief. And the rest of the men
who were not slain by these plagues, nor repented of the works of the
deeds of their hands, that they should not worship demons and idols,
that is, images of gold, and of silver, and of brass, and of stone, and
of wood, which can neither see nor walk, repented not also of their
murders.”4493
Also
in the same place: “And the third angel followed them,
saying with a loud voice, If any man worship the beast and his image,
and hath received his mark in his forehead or upon his hand, the same
shall drink of the wine of His wrath, and shall be punished with fire
and sulphur, under the eyes of the holy angels, and under the eyes of
the Lamb; and the smoke of their torments shall ascend up for ever and
ever.”4494
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