Arnobius

“ What kind of honour is it to invite a god to a banquet of blood, which you see him take and share in with dogs? What kind of honour is it, having set on fire piles of wood, to hide the heavens with smoke, and darken with gloomy blackness the images of the gods? ”

“ What then! some one will say, do you think that no honour should be given to the gods at all? If you propose to us gods such as they should be if they do exist, and such as [1] we feel that we all mean when we mention [2] that name, how can we but give them even the greatest honour, since we have been taught by the commands which have especial power over us, [3] to pay honour to all men even, of whatever rank, of whatever condition they may be? What, pray, you ask, is this very great honour? ”

“ Tell, us, you say, in the first place, what is an opinion worthy of the gods, right and honourable, and not blameworthy from its being made unseemly by something infamous? We reply, one such that you believe that they neither have any likeness to man, nor look for anything which is outside of them and comes from without ”