Ante-Nicene Fathers/Volume VI/Arnobius/Adversus Gentes/Book IV/Chapter XXIX

by Arnobius

29. And here, indeed, we can show that all those whom you represent to us as and call gods, were but men, by quoting either Euhemerus of Acragas,^[1] whose books were translated by Ennius into Latin that all might be thoroughly acquainted with them; or Nicanor^[2] the Cyprian; or the Pellæan Leon; or Theodorus of Cyrene; or Hippo and Diagoras of Melos; or a thousand other writers, who have minutely, industriously, and carefully^[3] brought secret things to light with noble candour. We may, I repeat, at pleasure, declare both the acts of Jupiter, and the wars of Minerva and the virgin^[4] Diana; by what stratagems Liber strove to make himself master of the Indian empire; what was the condition, the duty, the gain^[5] of Venus; to whom the great mother was bound in marriage; what hope, what joy was aroused in her by the comely Attis; whence came the Egyptian Serapis and Isis, or for what reasons their very names^[6] were formed.

Footnotes

1. Lit., “Euhemerus being opened.”
2. So Elm. and Orelli, reading Nicanore for the ms. Nicagora, retained by all other edd.
3. Lit., “with the care of scrupulous diligence.”
4. Meursius would join virginis to Minerva, thinking it an allusion to her title Παρθένος.
5. These terms are employed of hetæræ.
6. Lit., “the title itself of their names was.”