Theophanies of the Ancients

"Who indeed could see a God against his will, going here or there?"
original Greek: τίς ἂν θεὸν οὐκ ἐθέλοντα ὀφθαλμοῖσιν ἴδοιτ’, ἢ ἔνθ’ ἢ ἔνθα κιόντα; — Homer, Odyssey, Book 10, lines 573–574. The Latin translation provided in the text is: Quisnam uero Deum nolentem oculis uideret aut huc aut illuc euntem? From this, it is not something we should wonder at—that the Gods, even while others were present, appeared only to this person or that one, but not to the rest in the same way. Thus Homer, in Odyssey 16, line 161, affirms regarding Minerva Athena that she appeared only to Ulysses Odysseus, but was not seen by his companion Telemachus; the reason for which he immediately adds:

"For the Gods do not appear clearly to everyone."
original Greek: Οὐ γάρ πω πάντεσσι Θεοὶ φαίνονται ἐνάργεις. Latin: Non omnibus Dii apparent manifeſti. Many examples of this matter are found here and there, which it would be too tedious to bring forward individually in this place; however, I shall produce one or two. Thus the Poet of Smyrna A traditional epithet for Homer records that Pallas appeared to Achilles alone, remaining invisible to the others, even though they were present:

"Appearing to him alone, and none of the others saw her."
original Greek: οἴῳ φαινομένη, τῶν δ’ ἄλλων ὄτις ὁρᾶτο. This verse, though cited as Odyssey 16, actually refers to the famous scene in Iliad 1.198 where Athena stops Achilles from drawing his sword. Not foreign to this is that passage by Apollonius of Rhodes, who writes thus concerning Thetis, seen only by Peleus:

"Nor was anyone able to look upon her directly, but to him alone she appeared before his eyes."
original Greek: Οὐδέ τις εἰσιδέειν δύνατ’ ἔμπεδον ἀλλ’ ἄρα τῷ γε οἴῳ ἐν ὀφθαλμοῖσιν ἐείσατο. — Argonautica, Book 4, line 853. Nor is the passage by Callimachus dissimilar, where he affirms especially of Apollo "that he does not appear to everyone."
original Greek: ὅτι οὐ παντὶ φαίνεται. — Hymn to Apollo, line 9.

Specifically, because the Gods are Divine Powers Latin: Numina; refers to the spiritual force or divine presence of a deity. who are, according to the opinion of the ancients, as pure as they are most holy, they shun the impious and the im-