If the precept only bans absolute god-cult, it never touched the wise Gentiles’ relative simulacrum-cult

Narrow the precept to absolute god-cult and pagan sages walk free—they already distinguished sign from god.

Their relative referral is the same structure Rome now claims.

Latin

XLVII. Denique, si praecepto quo prohibemur facere & colere similitudinem ullam eorum quae sunt in coelo, vel in terra, vetamur solummodo imagines pro Diis habere, easque cultu absoluto, tanquam Deos colere, inde sequetur hoc praecepto non fuisse vetitum cultum simulachrorum a sapientibus gentium institutum. Ut enim jam indicavimus, disputationis hujus initio, distinguebant imagines a numinibus ipsis, nec eas colebant cultu absoluto, sed qui, ex colentium mente, referebatur ad numina, quorum ipsae simulachra erant.

About this text

Louis Le Blanc de Beaulieu - Sedan Theological Theses, newly rendered from the 1675 London Latin. Covers De Theologia through Angelorum & Hominum Sanctorum Cultu Romana I-LXXVII and Pars Secunda (Reformata) I-XL. Not the collected folio.

English follows locked Pitt Latin through Imaginum CLOSED + Sanctorum Cultu Romana CLOSED + Pars Secunda Reformata I-XL. 1675 PDF ~384-390 (book ~370-376); Vision OCR + pdftotext + tess. No modern English. This slice densifies Sanctorum Pars Secunda I-XL. Next: Pars Secunda XLI–fin (~CI). Claim stays claimed (book densify not done).

Catalogue & scope

ESTC R17887; Wing L802. IA bub_gb_eOkHAW4G0-wC (+ EEBO 1675 for gap leaves). Densify through Sanctorum Cultu Romana I-LXXVII + Pars Secunda Reformata I-XL (Pars Secunda not closed; not whole folio).

Witnesses

Copy-text Locked Latin, De Theologia I-XLIII (Pitt 1675) (Latin)
Checked print Internet Archive PDF of the 1675 Pitt folio (Latin)
Checked print pdftotext of De Theologia pages (Latin)
Checked print Internet Archive DjVu OCR of the 1675 Pitt folio (Latin)
Copy-text Locked Latin, De Fide I-XXII (Pitt 1675) (Latin)
Copy-text Locked Latin, De Authoritate Scripturae Pars I I-XLVII + Pars II I-XXXV + Pars III I-VIII (Pitt 1675) (Latin)
Copy-text Locked Latin, De Scripturae plenitudine densify (Pitt 1675) (Latin)

This is an AI-assisted study translation. Source fidelity and completeness have not been independently certified. Open Latin on each section (or the Latin source witness link) for the source text. This is not a complete critical edition.