Original Douay–Rheims AnnotationsPsalms 113

The Idols of the Gentiles are silver and gold.

All Catholic Divines agree in this authentical definition of Idolatry, ^[1] that is divine honour given to any creature, as to God. Of the diverse sorts also of Idolatry the ancient learned Doctors have written much. ^[2] Namely Justinus Martyr in his Orations against the Gentiles, Tertullian in Apologetico, Arnobius Orat. ad Gentes. Lactantius, lib. 2. c. 17. Divinar. Instit. and many others. But mostly copiously and profoundly S. Augustine, especially in his ten first books de Civitate Dei. Into which error & crime the Platonists fell, holding that spiritual invisible created substances, to wit, Angels good and evil, ^[3] whom they called Intelligentias separatas, had divine power, & so gave to them divine honour. Others honour dead men, and some before their death, as gods, for their notable acts achieved in this life, as Saturn, Jupiter, Hercules, and the like. Some yield divine honour to mere corporal creatures, ^[4] living or without life, as to beasts, and serpents, the sun, the moon, fire, water, earth, the whole machine of the world, as if it were animate, and that with divine spirit or soul. Again all these have been worshipped as gods, ^[5] not only in themselves but also in their images. But to omit other diversities, the most gross sort of all, is the Idolatry which the Psalmist here describeth, when Images made by men's hands are immediately honoured as gods in themselves. ^[6] For such gods the Gentiles had, and of them the Prophet here speaketh. Comparing these visible senseless imagined gods ^[7], with the one eternal invisible God; who is made notorious by his divine conspicuous works, whereas these idols, by how much they are more visible, so much more they are contemptible: because being fashioned with mouth, eyes, ears, nose, hands, feet, throat, and other members, they are altogether senseless, not able to speak with their mouth, and therein more base in nature than the men that made them; nor able to see, hear, smell, taste, feel, to walk, to move, nor to cry, all which beasts can do. And therefore those that make them, or have confidence in them (as the Prophet here signifieth that some have, v. 16.) are most absurd: becoming like to the same idols, in their understanding and internal cogitations, as these idols are void of external sense. ^[8] And all Idolaters are most wicked, giving divine honour to any creature, & are therein servants of devils: ^[9] Whether they immediately honour devils, as when sorcerers and witches, making pact with the devil, adore him, and he for the same doth something which they demand: or that they honour some other creature, wherein by the devil's false persuasion, they think there is divine power. Both which ways devils usurp God's honour: and therefore the same Prophet said in another Psalm: ^[10] All the gods of Gentiles are devils.

• 1 The definition of Idolatry.
• 2 Diverse sorts of Idolatry.
• 3 Angels honoured as gods.
• 4 Corporal creatures sensible and without sense.
• 5 Men living or dead.
• 6 Images of false gods.
• 7 Images themselves reputed gods.
• 8 Idolaters are void of reason.
• 9 And servants of devils.
• 10 Psa. 95. v. 5.