But as to philosophy, that is the parent of all the arts: what can we call that but, as Plato says, a gift, or, as I express it, an invention, of the Gods? This it was which first taught us the worship of the Gods; and then led us on to justice, which arises from the human race being formed into society; and after that it imbued us with modesty and elevation of soul.
This it was which dispersed darkness from our souls, as it is dispelled from our eyes, enabling us to see all things that are above or below, the beginning, end, and middle of everything. I am convinced entirely that that which could effect so many and such great things must be a divine power.
For what is memory of words and circumstances? What, too, is invention? Surely they are things than which nothing greater can be conceived in a God! For I do not imagine the Gods to be delighted with nectar and ambrosia, or with Juventas presenting them with a cup; nor do I put any faith in Homer, who says that Ganymede was carried away by the Gods on account of his beauty, in order to give Jupiter his wine. Too weak reasons for doing Laomedon such injury! These were mere inventions of Homer, who gave his Gods the imperfections of men. I would rather that he had given men the perfections of the Gods! those perfections, I mean, of uninterrupted health, wisdom, invention, memory.
Therefore the soul (which is, as I say, divine) is, as Euripides more boldly expresses it, a God. And thus, if the divinity be air or fire, the soul of man is the same; for as that celestial nature has nothing earthly or humid about it, in like manner the soul of man is also free from both these qualities: but if it is of that fifth kind of nature, first introduced by Aristotle, then both Gods and souls are of the same.
That divine spark of the soul will reveal itself in all fruitful human endeavors, not only in those that are considered the most lofty and profound. Even when we foolishly abuse our faculties, that noble source continues to shine through, for we can still recognize the shame and the waste in taking something made for good and twisting it to the service of evil. Every person possesses that light, and every word and deed cannot help but reflect it.
Wherever there is insight, estimation, purpose, or creativity, there too will be found work that is godlike. Cicero rightly mentions the poets and the orators, though it can surely also be discerned in any craftsman who takes pride in producing something useful, inspiring, enlightening, or beautiful. Yes, I have seen it in auto mechanics, street musicians, and line cooks, and it is always a joy to behold. Great art can be found most anywhere.
Behind all the arts, however, whatever their subject or scope, there is always philosophy, in the sense that all expression flows from an understanding of meaning and value. The measure need not be academic and formal, and it may well be intuitive and implicit, but the consciousness of a mind is what permits a man to become a maker.
Long before there were lengthy treatises and subtle schools of reasoning, we may have begun with rituals and myths, yet those urgings were already, broadly speaking, philosophical in nature, by seeking to move beyond surface descriptions to deeper explanations. What is the truth in it? Where is the good in it? There will be no doing without a basis in the knowing.
That power can be said to be from God, in that it involves the gift of a higher capacity granted to the nature of a lower creature. It shows itself whenever we ask where we came from and where we are going, and in any thoughts of reverence for our origin and final end. It is evident whenever we look at our neighbors, and arrive at the conclusion that all of us, regardless of our other differences, share in common rights and responsibilities. It guides the way whenever we respect human dignity and attend to the improvement of character.
The body might be made from dust, while the soul that inhabits and informs it presents evidence of so much more. It is by intellect that we can struggle to thrive with significance and purpose, instead of merely surviving to gratify our drives and inclinations. Ultimately, it is never enough for a man to just be a that, and he longs for the idenity of a who. He is not satisfied when he senses a what, and he reaches out to comprehend the why. There is an undertaking that is Divine.
I too have wondered, like Cicero, about the different representations of Divinity in literature, and I have questioned why the gods are sometimes treated as if they were nothing more than spoiled children possessed of immortality and immense power. I am not qualified to blame Homer for any of this, and I can only speculate that it is part of a human attempt to comprehend what is far more perfect and complete than ourselves, while still being bound to a context of distinctly human weaknesses and failings. Sometimes we grasp one aspect of a truth, while overlooking another; our analogies often fall short.
In any case, it would hardly seem ideal to dwell on what the gods eat or drink, or to characterize Zeus as an abductor of handsome young men. Perhaps it would be more fitting to stress how they thrive on wisdom and virtue, and how their presence can elevate us beyond the limitations of the flesh.
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