--- title: "On the Confusion of Languages" author: "Philo of Alexandria" translator: "C. D. Yonge" languages: [en] shelf: "Second Temple" section: 12 of 16 url: https://scriptura.si/works/philo-tlg013-yonge-ogl/12/ cite: "Philo of Alexandria, tr. C. D. Yonge, On the Confusion of Languages, section 12. Scriptura (scriptura.si), https://scriptura.si/works/philo-tlg013-yonge-ogl/12/" --- # On the Confusion of Languages *Philo of Alexandria, tr. C. D. Yonge* ## 12. Section 143 Source: https://scriptura.si/works/philo-tlg013-yonge-ogl/12/ · cite a paragraph as https://scriptura.si/works/philo-tlg013-yonge-ogl/12/#p-N [¶0] But we must not suppose that such a plain and unquestionable fact as that, is what is intended to be conveyed by the mention of it in the holy scriptures, but rather there is some hidden meaning concealed under these apparently plain words which we must trace out. ### Section 144 [¶2] What then is this hidden meaning? Those who, as it were, attribute many fathers to existing things, and who represent the company of the gods as numerous, displaying great ignorance of the nature of things and causing great confusion, and making pleasure the proper object of the soul, are those who are, if we must tell the plain truth, spoken of as the builders of the aforesaid city, and of the citadel in it; having increased the efficient causes of the desired end, building them up like houses, being, as I imagine, in no respect different from the children of the harlot whom the law expels from the assembly of God, where it says, "The offspring of a harlot shall not come into the assembly of the Lord." Deuteronomy xxiii. 2. Because, like archers shooting at random at many objects, and not aiming skilfully or successfully at any one mark, so these men, putting forward ten thousand principles and causes for the creation of the universe, every one of which is false, display a perfect ignorance of the one Creator and Father of Exodus xxiii. 1. Deuteronomy xxiii. 2. all things; ### Section 145 [¶4] but they who have real knowledge, are properly addressed as the sons of the one God, as Moses also entitles them, where he says, "Ye are the sons of the Lord God." Deuteronomy xiv. 1. And again, "God who begot thee;" Deuteronomy xxxii. 18. and in another place, "Is not he thy father?" Accordingly, it is natural for those who have this disposition of soul to look upon nothing as beautiful except what is good, which is the citadel erected by those who are experienced in this kind of warfare as a defence against the end of pleasure, and as a means of defeating and destroying it. ### Section 146 [¶6] And even if there be not as yet any one who is worthy to be called a son of God, nevertheless let him labour earnestly to be adorned according to his first-born word, the eldest of his angels, as the great archangel of many names; for he is called, the authority, and the name of God, and the Word, and man according to God’s image, and he who sees Israel. ### Section 147 [¶8] For which reason I was induced a little while ago to praise the principles of those who said, "We are all one man’s sons." Genesis xlii. 11. For even if we are not yet suitable to be called the sons of God, still we may deserve to be called the children of his eternal image, of his most sacred word; for the image of God is his most ancient word. ### Section 148 [¶10] And, indeed, in many passages of the law, the children of Israel are called hearers of him that seeth, since hearing is honoured with the second rank next after the sense of sight, and since that which is in need of instruction is at all times second to that which can receive clear impressions of the subjects submitted to it without any such information. ### Section 149 [¶12] And I also admire the things which are spoken under divine inspiration in the books of Kings, according to which those who flourished many generations afterwards and lived in a blameless manner, are spoken of as the sons of David who wrote hymns to God; 2 Ezr. viii. 2. though, during his lifetime, even their great grandfathers had not yet been born. The truth is, that the birth here spoken of is that of souls made immortal by their virtues, not of perishable bodies, and this birth is naturally referred to the leaders of virtue, as its parents and progenitors. ### Section 150 [¶14] But against those who pride themselves on injustice, Deuteronomy xiv. 1. Deuteronomy xxxii. 18. Genesis xlii. 11. 2 Ezr. viii. 2. the Lord said, "Behold, there is one race and one language among them all," an expression equivalent to, Behold, there is one family and one bond of relationship, and also, one harmony and agreement among them all together, no one being in his mind at all alienated from or disconnected with his neighbour, as is the case with illiterate men. For at times, the organ of speech among them is, in all its tones, out of tune and inharmonious in no slight degree, being in fact carefully arranged so as to produce inharmoniousness, and having only such a concert as will cause a want of melody. ### Section 151 [¶16] And in the case of fevers, I have translated Mangey’s Latin translation. He pronounces the whole passage in the original text corrupt and unintelligible. The word translated fever is πολιτίδος, a word manifestly corrupt. one may see very similar effects; for they are periodical changes, in some recurring every day, in others every third or every fourth day, as the sons of the physicians say; and they have also stated hours, both by day and night, at which important crises may be expected, and they at all times keep nearly the same order. ### Section 152 [¶18] And the expression, "And they began to do this," is said with no moderate indignation, because it has not been sufficient for wicked men to confuse all the principles of justice which affect those of the same country as themselves, but they have ventured to transgress even the laws of Heaven, sowing injustice and reaping impiety. But these wretched men derive no advantage, ### Section 153 [¶20] for though those who seek to inflict mutual injuries on one another, succeed in many of the objects which they have at heart, bringing to their accomplishment in action what they have decided on in their unwise minds, yet . the case is not the same with the impious. For all things belonging to the Deity are incapable of receiving either damage or injury, and the unclean can only find out the beginnings of sinning in respect of them, but can never arrive at the end which they propose to themselves; ### Section 154 [¶22] on which account this expression also occurs, "They began to do." Men full of an insatiable desire of doing wrong, not being content with the crimes which they can perpetrate on earth, by sea, and in the air, inasmuch as they are of a perishable nature, have determined to array themselves against the divine natures existing in heaven; which, as they are not reckoned I have translated Mangey’s Latin translation. He pronounces the whole passage in the original text corrupt and unintelligible. The word translated fever is πολιτίδος, a word manifestly corrupt. among existing creatures are also out of all reach of injury. This passage again in the text is unintelligible, and pronounced by Mangey to be in a state of hopeless corruption. Even calumny itself can inflict no injury on those things if it ventures to speak ill of them, inasmuch as they are never moved from their everlasting and eternal natures, but it inflicts incurable calamity on those who accuse it. ### Section 155 [¶24] Are they not to be blamed, since indeed they have only begun, being unable to arrive at the end of the impiety they propose to themselves, are they not, I say, to be blamed just as much as if they had accomplished all the objects that they had in view? On this account also, Moses speaks of them as having finished the tower, though in fact they had not yet completed it, where he says, "The Lord went down to see the city and the tower," not which the sons of men were going to build, but which they had built.