Antonii van Dale Poliatri Harlemensis De Oraculis Veterum Ethnicorum dissertationes duæ, Quarum nunc prior agit de eorum Origine atque Auctoribus; secunda de ipsorum Duratione & Interitu. Editio secunda plurimum adaucta […]

Full title: Antonii van Dale Poliatri Harlemensis De Oraculis Veterum Ethnicorum dissertationes duæ, Quarum nunc prior agit de eorum Origine atque Auctoribus; secunda de ipsorum Duratione & Interitu. Editio secunda plurimum adaucta; cui de novo accedunt dissertatiunculae I. De Statua Simoni Mago, ut praetenditur, erecta: quâ occasione agitur de Chresto Suetonii. II. De Actis Pilati disseritur; illaque occasione, cur Augustus Cæsar Dominus appellari renuerit. III. Schediasma de Consecrationibus, plusquam dimidia parte auctius. Cum Figuris Æneis.

4to-form 8vo (24 cm). f. [1] (blank), pp. [24], 694, [14], 8 folded leaves of plates, 8 illustrations (folded engraved plates). Signatures: *-3*⁴ A-4T⁴ 4V². Contemporary paper binding. Originally published in 1683 under the title: De oraculis ethnicorum dissertationes duae. Title printed in red and black ink. Engraved initials, tailpiece. Printed footnotes. Printed in Roman and Italic characters. Includes index. In Latin, with some Greek. Plate of Graf von Wintzingeroda. Stamp “A.J.F.” on title page. Stamp “Fideicommis Bodenstein. Manuscript spine title.

The present work states that oracles are primarily man-made and treats inter alia the Sibylline oracles and the Acta Pilati. On the Dutch philosopher and classicist Antonius van Dale (1638-1708), best known for his dedicated exposure of Aristeas, see J. Leclerc, who describes van Dale in his Bibliothèque choisie, pour servir de suite à la Bibliothèque universelle (Amsterdam, 1703, v. III, p.115 and v. XVII, pp. 309-312) as an ‘ennemi juré de toute superstition.’ De Oraculis, first published in 1683, is also the direct source of Bernard le Bovier de Fontenelle’s Histoire des oracles (Paris, 1687).

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