Ante-Nicene Fathers, Vol II:
ATHENAGORAS: Chapter XXI.—Impure Loves Ascribed to the Gods.

Chapter XXI.—Impure Loves Ascribed to the Gods.

But should it be said that they only had fleshly forms, and possess blood and seed, and the affections of anger and sexual desire, even then we must regard such assertions as nonsensical and ridiculous; for there is neither anger, nor desire and appetite, nor procreative seed, in gods. Let them, then, have fleshly forms, but let them be superior to wrath and anger, that Athênâ may not be seen

nor Hera appear thus:—

And let them be superior to grief:—

For I call even men rude and stupid who give way to anger and grief. But when the “father of men and gods” mourns for his son,—

and is not able while he mourns to rescue him from his peril:—

who would not blame the folly of those who, with tales like these, are lovers of the gods, or rather, live without any god? Let them have fleshly forms, but let not Aphrodité be wounded by Diomedes in her body:—

or by Arês in her soul:—

He who was terrible in battle, the ally of Zeus against the Titans, is shown to be weaker than Diomedes:—

Hush! Homer, a god never rages. But you describe the god to me as blood-stained, and the bane of mortals:—

and you tell of his adultery and his bonds:—

Do they not pour forth impious stuff of this sort in abundance concerning the gods? Ouranos is mutilated; Kronos is bound, and thrust down to Tartarus; the Titans revolt; Styx dies in battle: yea, they even represent them as mortal; they are in love with one another; they are in love with human beings:—

Are they not in love? Do they not suffer? Nay, verily, they are gods, and desire cannot touch them! Even though a god assume flesh in pursuance of a divine purpose, 777 he is therefore the slave of desire.

He is created, he is perishable, with no trace of a god in him. Nay, they are even the hired servants of men:—

And they tend cattle:—

Admetus, therefore, was superior to the god. prophet and wise one, and who canst foresee for others the things that shall be, thou didst not divine the slaughter of thy beloved, but didst even kill him with thine own hand, dear as he was:—

(Æschylus is reproaching Apollo for being a false prophet:)—

Footnotes

Hom., Il., iv. 23.

Ibid., iv. 24.

Ibid., xxii. 168 sq.

Ibid., xvi. 433 sq.

Ibid., xvi. 522.

Ibid., v. 376.

Hom., Od., viii. 308 sq., Pope’s transl.

Hom., Il., v. 858.

Hom., Il., xv. 605.

Hom., Il., v. 31, 455.

Hom., Od., viii. 296–298, Pope’s transl.

Hom., Il., ii. 820.

[οἰκονομίαν. Kaye, p. 174. And see Paris ed., 1615.]

Hom., Il., xiv. 315 sqq.

Eurip., Alcest., 1 sq.

Ibid., 8 sq.

From an unknown play of Æschylus.