Ante-Nicene Fathers/Volume VI/Arnobius/Adversus Gentes/Book VII/Chapter XIV

by Arnobius

14. But all this conceding and ascribing of honour about which we are speaking are met with among men alone, whom their natural weakness and love of standing above their fellows^[1] teach to delight in arrogance, and in being preferred above others. But, I ask, where is there room for honour among the gods, or what greater exaltation is found to be given^[2] to them by piling up^[3] sacrifices? Do they become more venerable, more powerful, when cattle are sacrificed to them? is there anything added to them from this? or do they begin to be more truly gods, their divinity being increased? And yet I consider it almost an insult, nay, an insult altogether, when it is said that a god is honoured by a man, and exalted by the offering of some gift. For if honour increases and augments the grandeur of him to whom it is given, it follows that a deity becomes greater by means of the man from whom he has received the gift, and the honour conferred on him; and thus the matter is brought to this issue, that the god who is exalted by human honours is the inferior, while, on the other hand, the man who increases the power of a deity is his superior.^[4]

Footnotes

1. Lit., “in higher places.”
2. Lit., “what eminences is it found to be added,” addier. So Hild. and Oehler for the reading of ms., first four edd., and Oberthür addere—“to add,” emended in rest from margin of Ursinus accedere, much as above.
3. So the ms., reading conjectionibus, which is retained in no edd., although its primary meaning is exactly what the sense here requires.
4. The last clause was omitted in first four edd. and Elmh., and was inserted from the ms. by Meursius.