[Plato says] they must have nothing private or their own; but that they may be equal, as the method of justice requires, they must possess all things in common.<\/p>\n
Where, then, is the virtue of chastity? where conjugal fidelity?<\/p>\n
But what motive did he advance for this most degrading advice? The state will be in harmony, and bound together with the bonds of mutual love, if all shall be the husbands, and fathers, and wives, and children of all. What a confusion of the human race is this? How is it possible for affection to be preserved where there is nothing certain to be loved? What man will love a woman, or what woman a man, unless they shall always have lived together,\u2014unless devotedness of mind, and faith mutually preserved, shall have made their love indivisible? But this virtue has no place in that promiscuous pleasure. Moreover, if all are the children of all, who will be able to love children as his own, when he is either ignorant or in doubt whether they are his own? Who will bestow honour upon any one as a father, when he does not know from whom he was born?<\/p>\n
Plato took away above all things frugality, which has no existence when there is no property of one\u2019s own which can be possessed; he took away abstinence, since there will be nothing belonging to another from which one can abstain; he took away temperance and chastity, which are the greatest virtues in each sex; he took away self-respect, shame, and modesty, if those things which are accustomed to be judged base and disgraceful begin to be accounted honourable and lawful. Thus, while he wishes to confer virtue upon all, he takes it away from all. For the ownership of property contains the material both of vices and of virtues, but a community of goods contains nothing else than the licentiousness of vices.<\/p>\n
Give me a man who is passionate, scurrilous, and unrestrained; with a very few words of God, \u201cI will render him as gentle as a sheep.\u201d Give me one who is grasping, covetous, and tenacious; I will presently restore him to you liberal, and freely bestowing his money with full hands. Give me a man who is afraid of pain and death; he shall presently despise crosses, and fires, and the bull of Phalaris. Give me one who is lustful, an adulterer, a glutton; you shall presently see him sober, chaste, and temperate. Give me one who is cruel and bloodthirsty: that fury shall presently be changed into true clemency:… for by one laver all his wickedness shall be taken away. So great is the power of divine wisdom, that, when infused into the breast of man, by one impulse it once for all expels folly, which is the mother of faults, for the effecting of which there is no need of payment, or books, or nightly studies. These results are accomplished gratuitously, easily, and quickly, if only the ears are open and the breast thirsts for wisdom.<\/p>\n
Did any of the philosophers effect these things, or is he able to effect them if he wishes? For though they spend their lives in the study of philosophy, they are neither able to improve any other person nor themselves (if nature has presented any obstacle). Therefore their wisdom, doing its utmost, does not eradicate, but hide vices. But a few precepts of God so entirely change the whole man, and having put off the old man, render him new, that you would not recognise him as the same.<\/p>\n
The Stoics say that it is virtue which can alone produce a happy life. Nothing can be said with greater truth. But what if he shall be tormented, or afflicted with pain? Will it be possible for any one to be happy in the hands of the executioners? But truly pain inflicted upon the body is the material of virtue; Epicurus speaks much more strongly. The wise man, he says, is always happy; and even when shut up in the bull of Phalaris he will utter this speech: \u201cIt is pleasant, and I do not care for it.\u201d … If it is on account of the glory of his endurance, he will not enjoy it, for perchance he will die under the tortures. If it is on account of the recollection of the deed, either he will not perceive it if souls shall perish, or, if he shall perceive it, he will gain nothing from it. What other advantage is there then in virtue? what happiness of life? Is it that a man may die with equanimity? You present to me the advantage of a single hour, or perhaps moment, for the sake of which it may not be expedient to be worn out by miseries and labours throughout the whole of life. But how much time does death occupy? on the arrival of which it now makes no difference whether you shall have undergone it with equanimity or not. Thus it happens that nothing is sought from virtue but glory. But this is either superfluous and short-lived, or it will not follow from the depraved judgments of men. Therefore there is no fruit from virtue where virtue is subject to death and decay. Therefore they who said these things saw a certain shadow of virtue; they did not see virtue itself. For they had their eyes fixed on the earth, nor did they raise their countenances on high that they might behold her \u201cWho showed herself from the quarters of heaven.\u201d<\/p>\n
This is the reason why no one obeys their precepts; inasmuch as they either train men to vices, if they defend pleasure; or if they uphold virtue, they neither threaten sin with any punishment, except that of disgrace only, nor do they promise any reward to virtue, except that of honour and praise only, since they say that virtue is to be sought for its own sake, and not on account of any other object. … For it is God alone who can honour virtue, the reward of which is immortality alone. And they who do not seek this, nor possess religion, with which eternal life is connected, assuredly do not know the power of virtue, the reward of which they are ignorant;<\/p>\n
By a similar error [Philosophers] believe in the existence of fortune, as a god(dess) mocking the affairs of then with various casualties, because they know not from what source things good and evil happen to them. They think that they are brought together to do battle with her; nor do they assign any reason by whom and on what account they are thus matched; but they only boast that they are every moment carrying on a contest for life and death with fortune. [Cicero says], \u201cWho can be ignorant that the power of fortune is great on either side? For both when we meet with a prosperous breeze from her we gain the issues which we desire, and when she has breathed contrary to us we are dashed on the rocks.\u201d<\/p>\n
We know that fortune is nothing, also that there is a wicked and crafty spirit who is unfriendly to the good, and the enemy of righteousness, who acts in opposition to God;.. He therefore lays plots against all; but those who are ignorant of God he hinders by error, he overwhelms with folly, he overspreads with darkness, that no one may be able to attain to the knowledge of the divine name, in which alone are contained both wisdom and everlasting life. Those, on the other hand, who know God, he assails with wiles and craft, that he may ensnare them with desire and lust, and when they are corrupted by the blandishments of sin, may impel them to death; or, if he shall have not succeeded by stratagem, he attempts to cast them down by force and violence.<\/p>\n
For on this account he was not at once thrust down by God to punishment at the original transgression, that by his malice he may exercise man to virtue: for unless this is in constant agitation, unless it is strengthened by continual harassing, it cannot be perfect, inasmuch as virtue is dauntless and unconquered patience in enduring evils. From which it comes to pass that there is no virtue if an adversary is wanting.<\/p>\n
When, therefore, [Philosophers] perceived the force of this perverse power opposed to virtue, and were ignorant of its name, they invented for themselves the senseless name of fortune; and how far this is removed from wisdom, Juvenal declares in these verses: \u201cNo divine power is absent if there is prudence; but we make you a goddess, O Fortune, and place you in heaven.\u201d It was folly, therefore, and error, and blindness, and, as Cicero says, ignorance of facts and causes, which introduced the names of Nature and Fortune. But as they are ignorant of their adversary, so also they do not indeed know virtue the knowledge of which is derived from the idea of an adversary. And if this is joined with wisdom, or, as they say, is itself also wisdom, they must be ignorant in what subjects it is contained. For no one can possibly be furnished with true arms if he is ignorant of the enemy against whom he must be armed; nor can he overcome his adversary, who in fighting does not attack his real enemy, but a shadow.
\n— Lactantius. The Divine Institutes. Book III.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
Critique of Plato’s Republic [Plato says] they must have nothing private or their own; but that they may be equal, as the method of justice requires, they must possess all things in common. Where, then, is the virtue of chastity? where conjugal fidelity? But what motive did he advance for this most degrading advice? The state will be in harmony, and bound together with the bonds of mutual love, if […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"advanced_seo_description":"","jetpack_seo_html_title":"","jetpack_seo_noindex":false,"_jetpack_newsletter_access":"","_jetpack_dont_email_post_to_subs":false,"_jetpack_newsletter_tier_id":0,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paywalled_content":false,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"footnotes":"","jetpack_publicize_message":"","jetpack_publicize_feature_enabled":true,"jetpack_social_post_already_shared":false,"jetpack_social_options":{"image_generator_settings":{"template":"highway","default_image_id":0,"font":"","enabled":false},"version":2},"jetpack_post_was_ever_published":false},"categories":[19],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-1288","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-lactantius"],"jetpack_publicize_connections":[],"jetpack_featured_media_url":"","jetpack-related-posts":[{"id":1301,"url":"https:\/\/nemoslibrary.com\/patristics\/lactantius-on-the-incarnation\/","url_meta":{"origin":1288,"position":0},"title":"Lactantius On the Incarnation","author":"Nemo","date":"January 2, 2022","format":false,"excerpt":"The Two Advents of Christ \u201cI saw,\u201d [Daniel] said, \u201cin a vision of the night, and, behold, one like the Son of man coming with the clouds of heaven, and He came even to the Ancient of days. 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And there\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "Lactantius"","block_context":{"text":"Lactantius","link":"https:\/\/nemoslibrary.com\/patristics\/category\/lactantius\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"","width":0,"height":0},"classes":[]},{"id":1344,"url":"https:\/\/nemoslibrary.com\/patristics\/lactantius-on-the-immortality-of-the-soul\/","url_meta":{"origin":1288,"position":1},"title":"Lactantius on the Immortality of the Soul","author":"Nemo","date":"January 11, 2022","format":false,"excerpt":"Plato says that that which always moves by itself, and has no beginning of motion, also has no end; but that the soul of man always moves by itself, and because it is flexible for reflection, subtle for discovery, easy of perception, adapted to learning, and because it retains the\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "Lactantius"","block_context":{"text":"Lactantius","link":"https:\/\/nemoslibrary.com\/patristics\/category\/lactantius\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"","width":0,"height":0},"classes":[]},{"id":1317,"url":"https:\/\/nemoslibrary.com\/patristics\/lactantius-on-the-spiritual-significance-of-the-works-and-sufferings-of-christ\/","url_meta":{"origin":1288,"position":2},"title":"Lactantius On the Spiritual Significance of the Works and Sufferings of Christ","author":"Nemo","date":"January 3, 2022","format":false,"excerpt":"The Works of Christ [Those divine works which He performed] had a figurative meaning and great significance, and power, which had weight both for the present, but also for the future. [Christ] opened the eyes of the blind, and gave light to those who did not see; and by this\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "Lactantius"","block_context":{"text":"Lactantius","link":"https:\/\/nemoslibrary.com\/patristics\/category\/lactantius\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"","width":0,"height":0},"classes":[]},{"id":1280,"url":"https:\/\/nemoslibrary.com\/patristics\/creatio-ex-nihilo\/","url_meta":{"origin":1288,"position":3},"title":"Creatio Ex Nihilo","author":"Nemo","date":"December 27, 2021","format":false,"excerpt":"Man produces his works out of that which already exists, because through his mortality he is weak, and through his weakness his power is limited and moderate; but God produces His works out of that which has no existence, because through His eternity He is strong, and through His strength\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "Lactantius"","block_context":{"text":"Lactantius","link":"https:\/\/nemoslibrary.com\/patristics\/category\/lactantius\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"","width":0,"height":0},"classes":[]},{"id":21792,"url":"https:\/\/nemoslibrary.com\/patristics\/on-anger-human-and-divine\/","url_meta":{"origin":1288,"position":4},"title":"On Anger, Human and Divine","author":"Nemo","date":"January 16, 2022","format":false,"excerpt":"Anger arises from offences against oneself, enmity may arise even without that; we may hate people merely because of what we take to be their character. Anger is always concerned with individuals... whereas hatred is directed also against classes...Anger can be cured by time, but hatred cannot...the angry man wants\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "Lactantius"","block_context":{"text":"Lactantius","link":"https:\/\/nemoslibrary.com\/patristics\/category\/lactantius\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"The Parting of the Red Sea","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/nemoslibrary.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/01\/Moses_at_the_Red_Sea-1024x511.jpg?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1","width":350,"height":200,"srcset":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/nemoslibrary.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/01\/Moses_at_the_Red_Sea-1024x511.jpg?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1 1x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/nemoslibrary.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/01\/Moses_at_the_Red_Sea-1024x511.jpg?resize=525%2C300&ssl=1 1.5x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/nemoslibrary.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/01\/Moses_at_the_Red_Sea-1024x511.jpg?resize=700%2C400&ssl=1 2x"},"classes":[]},{"id":390,"url":"https:\/\/nemoslibrary.com\/patristics\/clement-of-alexandria-true-virtue-by-grace\/","url_meta":{"origin":1288,"position":5},"title":"Clement Of Alexandria: True Virtue By Grace","author":"Nemo","date":"March 6, 2017","format":false,"excerpt":"The human ideal of continence, I mean that which is set forth by Greek philosophers, teaches that one should fight desire and not be subservient to it so as to bring it to practical effect. 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