12. Thus far of sex.
Now let us come to the appearance and shapes by which you believe that
the gods above have been represented, with which, indeed, you fashion,
and set them up in their most splendid abodes, your temples. And
let no one here bring up against us Jewish fables and those of the sect
of the Sadducees,
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as though
we, too, attribute to the Deity forms;
3963
for this is supposed to be taught in
their writings, and asserted as if with assurance and authority.
For these stories either do not concern us, and have nothing at all in
common with us, or if they are shared in
by us
, as you believe,
you must seek out teachers of greater wisdom, through whom you may be
able to learn how best to overcome the dark and recondite sayings of
those writings. Our opinion on the subject is as
follows:—that the whole divine nature, since it neither came into
existence at any time, nor will ever come to an end of life, is devoid
of bodily features, and does not have anything like the forms with
which the termination of the several members usually. completes the
union of parts.
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For
whatever is of this character, we think mortal and perishable; nor do
we believe that that can endure for ever which an inevitable end shuts
in, though the boundaries enclosing it be the
remotest.
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It
is evident that Arnobius here confuses the sceptical Sadducees with
their opponents the Pharisees, and the Talmudists.
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The
ms.
reads
tribuant et
nos
unintelligibly, for which LB. and Hild. read
et
os
—“as though they attribute form and face;” the
other edd, as above,
tribuamus et nos.
3964
Lit., “the joinings of the members.”