Lactantius — Divine Institutes 5.4
When those of whom I spoke had unfolded their sacrilegious letters in my presence and to my grief, stimulated by their proud impiety and by conscience of the truth itself and, as I think, by God, I took on this task—to refute the accusers of justice with all the powers of my talent—not to write against these who could be crushed in a few words, but to overthrow at one blow all who everywhere do or have done the same work.
Although Tertullian fully pleaded the same cause in the book called Apologeticum, yet it is one thing to answer accusers (placed in defense or denial alone) and another to institute, which we do, in which the substance of the whole teaching must be contained.
I did not flee this labor, to fill the matter which Cyprian did not finish in that speech by which, as he himself says, he tries to refute Demetrianus barking and shouting against the truth.
He did not use that matter as he ought: for the man who thought Scripture empty, invented, and fabricated had to be refuted not by Scripture’s testimonies but by arguments and reason.
Since he was dealing with a man ignorant of the truth, he ought for a while to have set divine readings aside and form him from the beginning as a raw learner, offering human testimonies first—philosophers and historians—lest the whole light cast at once make him grow dark; because he did not, God inspiring I set myself to do it and prepare a way for others to imitate.
Latin
Hi ergo de quibus dixi cum praesente me ac dolente sacrilegas suas litteras explicassent, et illorum superba inpietate stimulatus et ueritatis ipsius conscientia et, ut ego arbitror, deo, suscepi hoc munus, ut omnibus ingenii mei uiribus accusatores iustitiae refutarem, non ut contra hos scriberem qui paucis uerbis obteri poterant, sed ut omnes qui ubique idem operis efficiunt aut effecerunt, uno semel inpetu profligarem. non dubito enim quin et alii plurimi et multis in locis et non modo Graecis, sed etiam Latinis litteris monumentum iniustitiae suae struxerint. quibus singulis quoniam respondere non poteram, sic agendam mihi hanc causam putaui, ut et priores cum suis omnibus scriptis peruerterem et futuris omnem facultatem scribendi aut respondendi amputarem. praebeant modo aures : efficiam profecto ut quicumque ista cognouerit, aut suscipiat quod ante damnauit aut, quod est proximum, deridere aliquando desistat. quamquam Tertullianus eandem causam plene perorauerit in eo libro cui Apologeticum nomen est, tamen quoniam aliut est accusantibus respondere, quod in defensione aut negatione sola positum est, aliut instituere, quod nos facimus, in quo necesse est doctrinae totius substantiam contineri, non defugi hunc laborem, ut inplerem materiam, quam Cyprianus non est exsecutus in ea oratione, qua Demetrianum sicut ipse ait oblatrantem atque obstrepentem ueritati redarguere conatur. qua materia non est usus ut debuit: non enim scripturae testimoniis, quam ille utique uanam fictam commenticiam putabat, sed argumentis et ratione fuerat refellendus. nam cum ageret contra hominem ueritatis ignarum, dilatis paulisper diuinis lectionibus formare hunc a principio tamquam rudem debuit eique paulatim lucis principia monstrare, ne toto lumine obiecto caligaret. nam sicut infans solidi ac fortis cibi capere uim non potest ob stomachi teneritudinem, sed liquore lactis ac mollitudine alitur, donec firmatis uiribus uesci fortioribus possit, ita et huic oportebat, quia nondum poterat capere diuina, prius humana testimonia offerri id est philosophorum et historicorum, ut suis potissimum refutaretur auctoribus. quod quia ille non fecit raptus eximia eruditione diuinarum litterarum, ut iis solis contentus esset quibus fides constat, accessi deo inspirante, ut ego facerem et simul ut uiam ceteris ad imitandum pararem. ac si hortatu nostro docti homines ac diserti huc se conferre coeperint et ingenia sua uimque dicendi in hoc ueritatis campo iactare maluerint, euanituras breui religiones falsas et occasuram esse omnem philosophiam nemo dubitauerit, si fuerit omnibus persuasum cum hanc solam religionem, tum etiam solam ueram esse sapientiam. sed euagatus sum longius quam uolebam.