The Fourth Book of Their Idolatry
Chap. I The Beginnings of Idolatry
The Infiniteness of Gods Majesty far transcendeth the capacity of created Natures; and if we consult not with Gods own Oracles, though the sense of a Deity may be imprinted even in an Atheists heart, yet so far shall he be from all right understanding of God, that he will adore the creature instead of the Creator: and when he hath multiplied the number of his gods, according to the number of the Stars in heaven, and creeping things on earth; yet still his heart will be doubtful, whether he hath worshipped the true God, nay whether the true God be not utterly unknown. For this reason the Marriners in Jonahs ship cried every man unto his God, Jonah 1. 5. Every man to his own God; and lest they might all mistake the true God, they awaken Jonah to call upon his God. This uncertainty383 attending Idolatry, caused the Heathens to close their Petitions with that general, Dii deæque omnes.384 The Arabians perceiving the insufficiency of their known Gods, dedicated their Altars, Ignoto Deo, To the unknown God. At Athens, Saint Paul found an Altar with the same inscription, Acts 17. 23. Hence other Neighbour-Countries were wont to swear385 by him that was unknown at Athens. From this doubt and distrust among the Athenians, what God was, and who he was, sprang another uncertainty amongst them, as dangerous as the other, dividing and sharing that undividable Unity of the Godhead, between I know not what Compeers and Equals, so that they had other Altars mentioning a plurality of gods:386 the inscription being θεῶν ἀγνώστων, the Altar of the unknown Gods, yea, the compleat and entire inscription of that Altar which Saint Paul saw, is thought to have been thus,387 To the gods of Asia, Europe, and Africa; to the unknown and strange, God. Which observation implieth their practice to have symbolized with other Heathens in that forementioned closure; Dii Deæque omnes, O all ye Gods and Godesses, help. This distrust I think to be the chief reason why they worshipped the unknown God; though I deny not but the Altars might bear this Title, to conceal the name of their Tutelar God, unto whose protection they had committed themselves: because the Heathen people generally conceited,388 that if the gods name, to whom they dedicated a City, were known, then the Enemies might by some magical incantation or charm, call him forth, and cause him to foresake the City: For the better preventing of which manner of evocations, the Tyrians, the Lacedemonians, and other Nations389 fettered and chained their gods, that they might not depart. Again, it might be done in imitation of the Jews, who about the time of our Saviour his Incarnation, held it unlawful to pronounce that Essential Name of God, Jehovah, and instead thereof would read Adonai. The occasion of this concealment of the name Jehovah, I take to have been originally, to prevent the blaspheming of that holy Name among the Heathens, who had learned from that name to denominate their Idols, Jove Ἰαὼ Iaoth, Ἰαώια, &c.390 Hence afterward the forbearing the Name became superstitious, and so far prevailed, that they corrupted the Text for the defence thereof, Ex. 3. 15. This is my name לעולם legnolam, for ever: they read לעלם legnalem, to be concealed.391 Though I deny not but that name was always in some sense ineffable: namely, as Pliny saith,392 the names of the African people and Towns were ineffable, that is, such as other Languages could not express without circumlocutions.
As those forementioned Idolatrous names were nothing else but so many depravations of the name Jehovah: so the Original of many other ensuing kinds of Idolatry proceeded at first from a misconstruction of Scripture. They have learned by Tradition, that the Sun, Moon, and Stars, had a kind of Lordship and rule over day and night, times and seasons: Hence the superstitious ignorance of those people Deified those lights of Heaven, and worshipped them as gods. Afterward corruption prevailing, their Apotheosis, or god-making Ceremonies, were extended to sublunary creatures, partly as Symbola, or representative signs of those greater and more glorious lights; for this reason the Chaldeans worship fire: אור, and Ur, of the Chaldeans, mentioned, Gen. 11. which signifieth fire or light, is thought to be the very god of the Chaldeans, though in that place the name Ur be applyed to some chief City, from the name of the Idol. Yea, the god of Nahor, Gen. 31. 53. is thought to be no other; partly, also the inferiour creatures were canonized for gods, in way of thankfulness for the benefits received from them, for which reason the Sea, the Winds, the Air, the Earth, and fruits of the earth, became deified. At last, well deserving men; nay, Crocodiles, Serpents, Rats, Cats, Dogs, Garlick, and Onions, were reputed gods.
Notes
383 Serv. in Georgic. lib. 1.
384 Gyrald. Syntagm. 17.
385 Νὴ τὸν ἐν Ἀθήναις ἀγνώστον. Lucian in Philopatride.
386 Pausanias in Atticis.
387 Θεοῖς Ἀσίας, καὶ Εὐρώπης, καὶ Λιβύης, θεῷ ἀγνώστῳ καὶ ξένῳ. Theophyl. in Act. Apost. 17. 23. It. Hieron. Tit. 1. 12.
388 Alex. ab. Alex. lib. 6. cap. 4. Tyraquel. in illum locum.
389 Macrob. Saturn. l. 3. c. 9.
390 Vid. Macrob. Satur. l. 1. c. 18. It. Irenæum, lib. 2. cap. ult. Item, Origen. contra Celsum. l. 6. fol. 76. col. 3.
391 Vid. P. Galatin. lib. 2. c. 10.
392 Plin. in Proem. lib. 5. Hist. Natur.