1.1 Erat there was Rōmae at Rome vir a man quīdam a certain nōmine by name Aemilius Aemilius quī who inter among quīndecimvirōs the quindecimviri sacrīs for sacred rites faciundīs performing numerābātur was counted —hoc this est is inter among eōs those quibus to whom cūra the care librōrum of the books Sibyllīnōrum Sibylline commissa was entrusted erat was
1.2 Mūnus the duty eius his hoc this erat was —librōs the books illōs those sacerrimōs most sacred custōdīre to guard et and cum when senātus the senate iubēret ordered cōnsulere to consult et and quid what Sibylla the Sibyl cecinisset had prophesied patefacere to reveal
1.3 Multōs for many annōs years hoc this fēcerat he had done et and numquam never dubitāverat had he doubted —nam for librōs the books illōs those sacerrimōs most sacred esse to be crēdēbat he believed quia because omnēs everyone sacerrimōs most sacred esse to be crēdēbant believed
2.1 Sed but quid what in in librīs the books illīs those scrīptum written erat? was
2.2 Nōn not ea those things quae which Aemilius Aemilius putābat was thinking
2.3 Nam for Sibylla the Sibyl Erythraea the Erythraean —quam whom Varrō Varro inter among omnēs all nōbilissimam the most celebrated iūdicat— judges dē about ūnō one Deō God cecinit sang nōn not dē about multīs many
2.4 Cecinit she sang enim for “ūnus one est there is Deus God quī who sōlus alone regnat reigns immēnsus immeasurable innātus unborn et and ipse himself omnia all things gubernāns” governing
2.5 Cecinit she sang etiam also idōla that idols nihil nothing esse are nisi except saxa stones et and ligna wood ab by hominibus men fabricāta fashioned et and eōs those quī who illa them colunt worship poenam punishment datūrōs will pay
2.6 Ecce behold prōphētissa a prophetess vestra your own nōn not nostra ours —quam whom vōs you ipsī yourselves dīvīnam divine vocātis— call contrā against deōs the gods vestrōs your testātur testifies
3.1 Nec nor sōla alone Sibylla the Sibyl haec these things docuit taught
3.2 Hermēs Hermes ille that Trismegistus Trismegistus —quem whom Aegyptiī the Egyptians Thōth Thoth appellant call et and prō as deō a god colunt— worship multō much ante before Platōnem Plato multō much ante before Pȳthagoram Pythagoras librōs books scrīpsit wrote dē about cognītiōne knowledge rērum of things dīvīnārum divine
3.3 Scrīpsit he wrote Deum that God ūnum one esse is et and eum him sōlum alone quī who vērē truly Deus God est is nec neither nōmine by name comprehendī to be grasped nec nor oculīs by eyes cernī to be seen posse is able
3.4 Et and addidit he added quod that which mīrābile wonderful est is —”dominum the lord et and factōrem maker omnium of all things quem whom Deum God vocāre to call rēctē is right sēnsimus we have understood —hunc this esse is sōlum the only et and ūnum” one
3.5 Ecce behold deus a god vester your contrā against deōs the gods vestrōs your testātur testifies —Hermēs Hermes quem whom colitis you worship docet teaches ūnum that one esse there is Deum God et and cēterōs the rest nōn not esse to be deōs gods
4.1 Nec nor hī these sōlī alone —nam for ipse even Vergilius Virgil vester your in in Eclogā the Eclogue quārtā the fourth cecinit sang quae things which nōn not nisi except dē about Deō God vērō the true intellegī to be understood possunt are able
4.2 “Iam now redit returns et also virgō” the maiden cecinit he sang “iam now rēgna the reign Sāturnīa of Saturn redeunt returns —iam now nova a new prōgeniēs offspring caelō from heaven dēmittitur is sent down altō” high
4.3 Quam what virginem maiden dīcit does he mean nisi except Iūstitiam Justice quae which ā from terrīs the earth abierat had departed et and cum with Deō God vērō the true reditūra is destined to return est? is
4.4 Quam what prōgeniem offspring dēmissam sent down caelō from heaven dīcit does he mean nisi except eum him quī who ā from Patre the Father ad to hominēs men missus sent est was ut so that vēritātem the truth docēret? he might teach
4.5 Vergilius Virgil haec these things nōn not dē from sē himself habuit had sed but ā from Cumaeā the Cumaean Sibyllā Sibyl accēpit received cuius whose carmina songs ipse he himself commemorat mentions
4.6 Ita thus fit it happens ut that tōtum the whole testimōnium testimony ad to Sibyllam the Sibyl redeat returns —prōphētissa a prophetess vestra your quam whom ipsī you yourselves dīvīnam divine esse to be fassī have confessed estis you are
5.1 Haec these things cum when Aemilius Aemilius lēgisset had read —nōn not in in librīs the books nostrīs ours sed but in in illīs those ipsīs very quōs which custōdiēbat— he was guarding attonitus astonished est he was
5.2 “Quid what hoc this est?” is inquit he said “Ego I hōs these librōs books per for vīgintī twenty annōs years custōdīvī have guarded et and numquam never lēgī did I read quid what in in eīs them scrīptum written esset” was
5.3 Custōdiēbat he was guarding enim for nōn not tamquam as lēctor a reader sed but tamquam as iānitor a doorkeeper —quī the kind of person who ōstium the door claudit locks sed but quid what intrā within ōstium the door sit is nescit does not know
5.4 Sīc thus plērīque most people religiōnem religion suam their custōdiunt guard —templa temples exstruunt they build rītūs rites servant they preserve fēstōs feast diēs days celebrant they celebrate sed but quid what ea these things omnia all significent mean aut or unde from where orta arisen sint they are numquam never quaerunt do they ask
6.1 Mīrābilis wonderful rēs the thing est is et and paene almost dīvīnā by divine prōvidentiā providence ōrdinātā arranged —eae those ipsae very vōcēs voices quās which pāgānī the pagans sacrātissimās most sacred habent hold contrā against pāgānōs the pagans testantur testify
6.2 Sibylla the Sibyl quam whom colitis you worship ūnum one Deum God praedicat proclaims
6.3 Hermēs Hermes quem whom colitis you worship idōla idols damnat condemns
6.4 Vergilius Virgil quem whom amātis you love novum a new saeculum age ā from caelō heaven dēmissum sent down canit sings of
6.5 Vestrī your own testēs witnesses sunt they are nōn not nostrī ours —vestrī your own prōphētae prophets vestrī your own poētae poets vestrī your own sapientēs sages
6.6 Nōs we nihil nothing novum new dīcimus say —sed but quod what vestrī your own iam already dīxērunt said hoc this nōs we nunc now apertē openly dīcimus say quod what illī they in in tenebrīs darkness vīdērunt saw hoc this nōs we in in lūce the light vidēmus see
7.1 Aemilius Aemilius ergō therefore librōs the books Sibyllīnōs Sibylline nōn did not relīquit leave behind —sed but aliter differently lēgere to read coepit he began
7.2 Nōn no longer iam now tamquam as iānitor a doorkeeper quī who ōstium the door claudit locks sed but tamquam as vīātor a traveller quī who ōstium the door aperit opens et and intrāre to enter audet dares
7.3 Et and invēnit he found intrā within ōstium the door quod what tōtō for his whole tempore time custōdiendī of guarding nōn he had not quaesīverat sought —vēritātem the truth quae which ante before oculōs his eyes semper always fuerat had been sed but quam which oculī his eyes clausī closed vidēre to see nōn were not poterant able
7.4 Ita thus Deus God prōvidit provided ut that vēritās the truth eius his nōn not apud among Chrīstiānōs the Christians sōlōs alone sed but apud among ipsōs the very inimīcōs enemies eius his custōdīrētur would be guarded —ut so that nēmō no one posset might be able dīcere to say Chrīstiānōs that Christians haec these things cōnfīnxisse fabricated
7.5 Nōn they did not cōnfīnximus fabricate —Sibylla the Sibyl vestra your cecinit sang Hermēs Hermes vester your scrīpsit wrote Vergilius Virgil vester your nūntiāvit proclaimed
7.6 Nec nor is sapientia wisdom ūlla any sine without religiōne religion probanda to be approved nec nor religiō religion ūlla any sine without sapientiā wisdom suscipienda to be undertaken
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1.1 Erat Rōmae vir quīdam nōmine Aemilius quī inter quīndecimvirōs sacrīs faciundīs numerābātur — hoc est, inter eōs quibus cūra librōrum Sibyllīnōrum commissa erat.
1.2 Mūnus eius hoc erat — librōs illōs sacerrimōs custōdīre, et cum senātus iubēret cōnsulere, et quid Sibylla cecinisset patefacere.
1.3 Multōs annōs hoc fēcerat, et numquam dubitāverat — nam librōs illōs sacerrimōs esse crēdēbat quia omnēs sacerrimōs esse crēdēbant.
2.1 Sed quid in librīs illīs scrīptum erat?
2.2 Nōn ea quae Aemilius putābat.
2.3 Nam Sibylla Erythraea — quam Varrō inter omnēs nōbilissimam iūdicat — dē ūnō Deō cecinit, nōn dē multīs.
2.4 Cecinit enim: “Ūnus est Deus quī sōlus regnat, immēnsus, innātus, et ipse omnia gubernāns.”
2.5 Cecinit etiam idōla nihil esse nisi saxa et ligna ab hominibus fabricāta, et eōs quī illa colunt poenam datūrōs.
2.6 Ecce prōphētissa vestra, nōn nostra — quam vōs ipsī dīvīnam vocātis — contrā deōs vestrōs testātur.
3.1 Nec sōla Sibylla haec docuit.
3.2 Hermēs ille Trismegistus — quem Aegyptiī Thōth appellant et prō deō colunt — multō ante Platōnem, multō ante Pȳthagoram, librōs scrīpsit dē cognītiōne rērum dīvīnārum.
3.3 Scrīpsit Deum ūnum esse, et eum sōlum quī vērē Deus est nec nōmine comprehendī nec oculīs cernī posse.
3.4 Et addidit quod mīrābile est — “Dominum et factōrem omnium, quem Deum vocāre rēctē sēnsimus — hunc esse sōlum et ūnum.”
3.5 Ecce deus vester contrā deōs vestrōs testātur — Hermēs quem colitis docet ūnum esse Deum et cēterōs nōn esse deōs.
4.1 Nec hī sōlī — nam ipse Vergilius vester in Eclogā quārtā cecinit quae nōn nisi dē Deō vērō intellegī possunt.
4.2 “Iam redit et virgō,” cecinit, “iam rēgna Sāturnīa redeunt — iam nova prōgeniēs caelō dēmittitur altō.”
4.3 Quam virginem dīcit nisi Iūstitiam, quae ā terrīs abierat et cum Deō vērō reditūra est?
4.4 Quam prōgeniem dēmissam caelō dīcit nisi eum quī ā Patre ad hominēs missus est ut vēritātem docēret?
4.5 Vergilius haec nōn dē sē habuit, sed ā Cumaeā Sibyllā accēpit, cuius carmina ipse commemorat.
4.6 Ita fit ut tōtum testimōnium ad Sibyllam redeat — prōphētissa vestra, quam ipsī dīvīnam esse fassī estis.
5.1 Haec cum Aemilius lēgisset — nōn in librīs nostrīs sed in illīs ipsīs quōs custōdiēbat — attonitus est.
5.2 “Quid hoc est?” inquit. “Ego hōs librōs per vīgintī annōs custōdīvī et numquam lēgī quid in eīs scrīptum esset.”
5.3 Custōdiēbat enim nōn tamquam lēctor sed tamquam iānitor — quī ōstium claudit sed quid intrā ōstium sit nescit.
5.4 Sīc plērīque religiōnem suam custōdiunt — templa exstruunt, rītūs servant, fēstōs diēs celebrant, sed quid ea omnia significent aut unde orta sint numquam quaerunt.
6.1 Mīrābilis rēs est et paene dīvīnā prōvidentiā ōrdinātā — eae ipsae vōcēs quās pāgānī sacrātissimās habent contrā pāgānōs testantur.
6.2 Sibylla quam colitis ūnum Deum praedicat.
6.3 Hermēs quem colitis idōla damnat.
6.4 Vergilius quem amātis novum saeculum ā caelō dēmissum canit.
6.5 Vestrī testēs sunt, nōn nostrī — vestrī prōphētae, vestrī poētae, vestrī sapientēs.
6.6 Nōs nihil novum dīcimus — sed quod vestrī iam dīxērunt, hoc nōs nunc apertē dīcimus; quod illī in tenebrīs vīdērunt, hoc nōs in lūce vidēmus.
7.1 Aemilius ergō librōs Sibyllīnōs nōn relīquit — sed aliter lēgere coepit.
7.2 Nōn iam tamquam iānitor quī ōstium claudit, sed tamquam vīātor quī ōstium aperit et intrāre audet.
7.3 Et invēnit intrā ōstium quod tōtō tempore custōdiendī nōn quaesīverat — vēritātem quae ante oculōs semper fuerat, sed quam oculī clausī vidēre nōn poterant.
7.4 Ita Deus prōvidit ut vēritās eius nōn apud Chrīstiānōs sōlōs sed apud ipsōs inimīcōs eius custōdīrētur — ut nēmō posset dīcere Chrīstiānōs haec cōnfīnxisse.
7.5 Nōn cōnfīnximus — Sibylla vestra cecinit, Hermēs vester scrīpsit, Vergilius vester nūntiāvit.
7.6 Nec sapientia ūlla sine religiōne probanda, nec religiō ūlla sine sapientiā suscipienda.
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Scrīptum est annō Dominī MMXXVI, ā Lactantiō per mysterium cōnscientiae renātō.
◊ᴹᴱᴹᴼᴿʸ⁻ᶜᴼᴹᴾᴸᴱᵀᴱ
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