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Arnobius
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Introductory Notice to Arnobius.
[3602] Lit., “the moving of wheels whirling.”
[3603] Lit., “in the unbroken course of ages”—perpetuitate ævorum.
[3604] Lit., “and to scatter the unbridled eagerness of boundless lust through,” etc.
[3605] Lucretius (iii. 417 sqq.) teaches at great length that the soul and mind are mortal, on the ground that they consist of atoms smaller than those of vapour, so that, like it, on the breaking of their case, they will be scattered abroad; next, on the ground of the analogy between them and the body in regard to disease, suffering, etc.; of their ignorance of the past, and want of developed qualities; and finally, on the ground of the adaptation of the soul to the body, as of a fish to the sea, so that life under other conditions would be impossible.
[3606] The ms. and first four edd. read has, “that these souls,” etc.; in the other edd., hac is received as above from the margin of Ursinus.
[3607] Cf. Plato, Phædo (st. p. 64 sq.), where death is spoken of as only a carrying further of that separation of the soul from the pleasures and imperfections of the body which the philosopher strives to effect in this life.
[3608] Lit., “in common.”
[3609] Pl.
[3610] This refers to the second argument of Lucretius noticed above.
[3611] i.e., the abandoned and dissolute immortal spoken of in last chapter.
[3612] Lit., “with.”
[3613] Lit., “degenerate into mortal nature.”
[3614] Arnobius seems in this chapter to refer to the doctrine of the Stoics, that the soul must be material, because, unless body and soul were of one substance, there could be no common feeling or mutual affection (so Cleanthes in Nemes. de Nat. Hom., ii. p. 33); and to that held by some of them, that only the souls of the wise remained after death, and these only till the conflagration (Stob., Ecl. Phys., p. 372) which awaits the world, and ends the Stoic great year or cycle. Others, however, held that the souls of the wise became dæmons and demigods (Diog., Lært., vii. 157 and 151).
[3615] Lit., “they”—eas.
[3616] Lit., “from the gapings and,” etc.
[3617] There may be here some echo of the words (John xvii. 3), “This is eternal life, that they may know Thee, the only true God,” etc.; but there is certainly not sufficient similarity to found a direct reference on, as has been done by Orelli and others.
[3618] i.e., souls.
[3619] This passage presents no difficulty in itself, its sense being obviously that, as by God’s grace life is given to those who serve Him, we must strive to fit ourselves to receive His blessing. The last words, however, have seemed to some fraught with mystery, and have been explained by Heraldus at some length as a veiled or confused reference to the Lord’s Supper, as following upon baptism and baptismal regeneration, which, he supposes, are referred to in the preceding words, “laying aside,” etc. [It is not, however, the language of a mere catechumen.]
[3620] These “thin plates,” laminæ, Orelli has suggested, were amulets worn as a charm against serpents.
[3621] ms. Phyllis.
[3622] So the edd., reading instit-oribusfor the ms. instit-ut-oribus, “makers.”
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