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The City of God

Chapter 2.--That It is Quite Contrary to the Usage of War, that the Victors Should Spare the Vanquished for the Sake of Their Gods.

There are histories of numberless wars, both before the building of Rome and since its rise and the extension of its dominion; let these be read, and let one instance be cited in which, when a city had been taken by foreigners, the victors spared those who were found to have fled for sanctuary to the temples of their gods; ¹ or one instance in which a barbarian general gave orders that none should be put to the sword who had been found in this or that temple. Did not Aeneas see

"Dying Priam at the shrine,

Staining the hearth he made divine?" ²

Did not Diomede and Ulysses

"Drag with red hands, the sentry slain,

Her fateful image from your fane,

Her chaste locks touch, and stain with gore

The virgin coronal she wore?" ³

Neither is that true which follows, that

"Thenceforth the tide of fortune changed,

And Greece grew weak." ⁴

For after this they conquered and destroyed Troy with fire and sword; after this they beheaded Priam as he fled to the altars. Neither did Troy perish because it lost Minerva. For what had Minerva herself first lost, that she should perish? Her guards perhaps? No doubt; just her guards. For as soon as they were slain, she could be stolen. It was not, in fact, the men who were preserved by the image, but the image by the men. How, then, was she invoked to defend the city and the citizens, she who could not defend her own defenders?

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De civitate Dei (CCSL)

Caput II: Quod nulla umquam bella ita gesta sint, ut uictores propter deos eorum, quos uicerunt, parcerent uictis.

Tot bella gesta conscripta sunt uel ante conditam Romam uel ab eius exortu et imperio: legant et proferant sic ab alienigenis aliquam captam esse ciuitatem, ut hostes, qui ceperant, parcerent eis, quos ad deorum suorum templa confugisse compererant, aut aliquem ducem barbarorum praecepisse, ut inrupto oppido nullus feriretur, qui in illo uel illo templo fuisset inuentus. nonne uidit Aeneas Priamum per aras sanguine foedantem quos ipse sacrauerat ignes? nonne Diomedes et Vlixes caesis summae custodibus arcis corripuere sacram effigiem manibusque cruentis uirgineas ausi diuae contingere uittas? nec tamen quod sequitur uerum est: ex illo fluere ac retro sublapsa referri spes Danaum. postea quippe uicerunt, postea Troiam ferro ignibusque deleuerunt, postea confugientem ad aram Priamum obtruncauerunt. nec ideo Troia periit, quia Mineruam perdidit. quid enim prius ipsa Minerua perdiderat, ut periret? an forte custodes suos? hoc sane uerum est; illis quippe interemptis potuit auferri. neque enim homines a simulacro, sed simulacrum ab hominibus seruabatur. quomodo ergo colebatur, ut patriam custodiret et ciues, quae suos non ualuit custodire custodes?