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Gegen die Heiden (BKV)
Nr. 11
Was sprecht ihr Väter neuer Religionen, neuer Gottheiten? Schreit ihr nicht, diese Götter würden von uns verletzt und frevelhaft vernachlässigt; klagt ihr nicht, wir verachteten den Genius der Kamine, Lateranus; den Vorsteher der Thürschwellen, Limentinus; die Pertunda, die Perfica, den Nodotus, die Terensis? und weil wir nicht flehend vor dem Mutunus und Tutunus niederstürzen, so behauptet ihr, die Welt gehe ihrem Verderben entgegen und habe ihre Gesetze und Einrichtungen geändert. Allein seht zu, nehmt wahr, daß ihr nur nicht, solche Ungethüme aussinnend und umtreibend, die ganz gewissen Götter beleidigt; wenn anders irgend welche sind, die dieses Namens Würde zu behaupten und inne zu haben verdienen; und daß sie um keiner anderen Ursache willen diese Uebel, welche ihr aussagt, hereinbrechen und durch tägliche Mehrung anwachsen lassen. Warum also, mag etwa Einer von euch fragen, streitest du, diese Götter seyen eine Unwahrheit? Angerufen von den Haruspices willfahren sie, bei ihren Namen genannt kommen sie und ertheilen den Fragenden glaubwürdige Antworten. Wir können behaupten, das Gesagte sey eine Unwahrheit; theils weil die ganze Sache voll Vermuthungen ist; theils weil wir eine Menge der Vorhersagungen täglich entweder anders erfüllt oder in entgegengesetzte Ausgänge durch getäuschte Erwartung gezerrt erblicken.
Übersetzung
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The Seven Books of Arnobius Against the Heathen
11.
What say you, O fathers of new religions, and powers? 1 Do you cry out, and complain that these gods are dishonoured by us, and neglected with profane contempt, viz., Lateranus, the genius of hearths; Limentinus, who presides over thresholds; Pertunda, 2 Perfica, Noduterensis: 3 and do you say that things have sunk into ruin, and that the world itself has changed its laws and constitution, because we do not bow humbly in supplication to Mutunus 4 and Tutunus? But now look and see, lest while you imagine such monstrous things, and form such conceptions, you may have offended the gods who most assuredly exist, if only there are any who are worthy to bear and hold that most exalted title; and it be for no other reason that those evils, of which you speak, rage, and increase by accessions every day. 5 Why, then, some one of you will perhaps say, do you maintain 6 that it is not true that these gods exist? And, when invoked by the diviners, do they obey the call, and come when summoned by their own names, and give answers which may be relied on, to those who consult them? We can show that what is said is false, either because in the whole matter there is the greatest room for distrust, or because we, every day, see many of their predictions either prove untrue or wrested with baffled expectation to suit the opposite issues.
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i.e., deities. So LB. and Orelli, reading quid potestatum?--"what, O fathers of powers." The ms. gives qui--"what say you, O fathers of new religions, who cry out, and complain that gods of powers are indecently dishonoured by us, and neglected with impious contempt," etc. Heraldus emends thus: "...fathers of great religions and powers? Do you, then, cry out," etc. "Fathers," i.e., those who discovered, and introduced, unknown deities and forms of worship. ↩
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The ms. reads pertus quae- (marked as spurious) dam; and, according to Hild., naeniam is written over the latter word. ↩
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So the ms. Cf. ch. 7 [note 10, p. 478, supra]. ↩
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The ms. is here very corrupt and imperfect,--supplices hoc est uno procumbimus atque est utuno (Orelli omits ut-), emended by Gelenius, with most edd., supp. Mut-uno proc. atque Tutuno, as above; Elm. and LB. merely insert humi--"on the ground," after supp. [See p. 478, note 6, supra.] ↩
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Meursius is of opinion that some words have slipped out of the text here, and that some arguments had been introduced about augury and divination. ↩
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Contendis, not found in the ms. ↩