The Folly of Idolatry
Chapter 13
Dazzled by the World’s Beauty
1 For all men were inherently foolish who remained in ignorance of God,
and did not come to know him who is, even while observing the good things around them,
nor recognize the artisan while studying his works.
2 To their way of thinking, either fire or wind or the swift air,
or the periphery of the stars, or tempestuous water,
or the luminaries of heaven were the gods that govern the world.
3 If they have been deluded by the beauty of these things into believing that these were gods,
let them come to understand how far superior to these is their Lord,
since he was the source of beauty that fashioned them.
4 And if they were astonished at their power and energy,
let them realize from observing these things how much more powerful is he who made them.
5 For from the grandeur and the beauty of created things
is derived a corresponding perception of the Creator.
6 Yet these people incur minimal blame,
for they may have gone astray
while seeking God and eagerly desiring to find him.
7 For while diligently searching among his works,
they are distracted by the beauty of these things.
8 But even so, they cannot be completely absolved of guilt.
9 For if they achieved a sufficient degree of knowledge to investigate the world,
how did they fail to find its Lord more quickly?
Dead Gods
10 But the truly wretched ones are those who place their hopes in dead things,
and give the title of gods to the work of human hands:
gold and silver skillfully fashioned,
likenesses of animals,
or useless stone sculpted by some ancient artisan.
11 Consider, for example, a skilled woodworker who cuts down a suitable tree,
carefully strips it of all its bark,
and then, with admirable artistry,
produces some article suitable for daily use.
12 The small pieces of wood left over from his work
he burns so that he may cook his food and eat his fill.
13 However, left over among these remnants is a useless piece of wood,
crooked and full of knots,
which he puts aside to whittle at his leisure.
He carves it skillfully during his spare time,
forming it into the likeness of a man,
or makes it resemble some worthless animal,
14 giving it a coat of vermilion and covering its surface with red paint
while smearing over every blemish in it.
15 Then he provides for it a suitable shrine
and places it on the wall, fastening it there with nails.
16 In this way, he takes precautions so that it will not fall,
since he realizes that it cannot help itself,
for, being merely an image, it requires help.
17 But when he prays regarding his possessions or his marriage or his children,
he feels no shame in addressing this lifeless object.
18 In asking for health he petitions something that is weak,
and for life he entreats the dead;
for aid he prays to something totally inept,
and for a prosperous journey he beseeches something that is unable to walk.
19 And for profits, work, and success in affairs,
he asks the assistance of something whose hands are completely immobile.
Footnotes
- Wisdom 13:1
- Wisdom 13:1
- Wisdom 13:1
- Wisdom 13:2
- Wisdom 13:6
- Wisdom 13:10
- Wisdom 13:11
