Page:Ante-Nicene Christian Library Vol 2.djvu/412

398 resembles that of cattle, and they themselves have the form of brutes, and are ugly to behold?

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: