In the next place, in answer to the human race, who perceive their own
superiority, which far exceeds that of the irrational animals, he says:
“With respect to your assertion, that God gave you the power to capture
wild beasts, and to make your own use of them, we would say that, in all
probability, before cities were built, and arts invented, and societies
such as now exist were formed, and weapons and nets employed, men were
generally caught and devoured by wild beasts, while wild beasts were
very seldom captured by men.” Now, in reference to this, observe that
although men catch wild beasts, and wild beasts make prey of men, there
is a great difference between the case of such as by means of their
understanding obtain the mastery over those whose superiority consists
in their savage and cruel nature, and that of those who do not make use
of their understanding to secure their safety from injury by wild
beasts. But when Celsus says, “before cities were built, and arts
invented, and societies such as now exist were formed,” he appears to
have forgotten what he had before said, that “the world was uncreated
and incorruptible, and that it was only the things on earth which
underwent deluges and conflagrations, and that all these things did not
happen at the same time.” Now let it be granted that these admissions on
his part are entirely in harmony with our views, though not at all with
him and his statements made above; yet what does it all avail to prove
that in the beginning men were mostly captured and devoured by wild
beasts, while wild beasts were never caught by men? For, since the world
was created in conformity with the will of Providence, and God presided
over the universe of things, it was necessary that the elements[785] of
the human race should at the commencement of its existence be placed
under some protection of the higher powers, so that there might be
formed from the beginning a union of the divine nature with that of men.
And the poet of Ascra, perceiving this, sings:
“For common then were banquets, and common were seats,
Alike to immortal gods and mortal men.”[786]
Footnote 785:
ζώπυρα.
Footnote 786:
Cf. Hesiod, _Fragmenta Incerta_, ed. Goettling, p. 231.