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1 Again, one preparing himself to sail, and about to pass through the raging waves, calleth upon a piece of wood more rotten than the vessel that carrieth him. 2 For verily desire of gain devised that, and the workman built it by his skill. 3 But thy providence, O Father, governeth it: for thou hast made a way in the sea, and a safe path in the waves; 4 Shewing that thou canst save from all danger: yea, though a man went to sea without art. 5 Nevertheless thou wouldest not that the works of thy wisdom should be idle, and therefore do men commit their lives to a small piece of wood, and passing the rough sea in a weak vessel are saved. 6 For in the old time also, when the proud giants perished, the hope of the world governed by thy hand escaped in a weak vessel, and left to all ages a seed of generation. 7 For blessed is the wood whereby righteousness cometh. 8 But that which is made with hands is cursed, as well it, as he that made it: he, because he made it; and it, because, being corruptible, it was called god. 9 For the ungodly and his ungodliness are both alike hateful unto God. 10 For that which is made shall be punished together with him that made it. 11 Therefore even upon the idols of the Gentiles shall there be a visitation: because in the creature of God they are become an abomination, and stumblingblocks to the souls of men, and a snare to the feet of the unwise. 12 For the devising of idols was the beginning of spiritual fornication, and the invention of them the corruption of life. 13 For neither were they from the beginning, neither shall they be for ever. 14 For by the vain glory of men they entered into the world, and therefore shall they come shortly to an end. 15 For a father afflicted with untimely mourning, when he hath made an image of his child soon taken away, now honoured him as a god, which was then a dead man, and delivered to those that were under him ceremonies and sacrifices. 16 Thus in process of time an ungodly custom grown strong was kept as a law, and graven images were worshipped by the commandments of kings. 17 Whom men could not honour in presence, because they dwelt far off, they took the counterfeit of his visage from far, and made an express image of a king whom they honoured, to the end that by this their forwardness they might flatter him that was absent, as if he were present. 18 Also the singular diligence of the artificer did help to set forward the ignorant to more superstition. 19 For he, peradventure willing to please one in authority, forced all his skill to make the resemblance of the best fashion. 20 And so the multitude, allured by the grace of the work, took him now for a god, which a little before was but honoured. 21 And this was an occasion to deceive the world: for men, serving either calamity or tyranny, did ascribe unto stones and stocks the incommunicable name. 22 Moreover this was not enough for them, that they erred in the knowledge of God; but whereas they lived in the great war of ignorance, those so great plagues called they peace. 23 For whilst they slew their children in sacrifices, or used secret ceremonies, or made revellings of strange rites; 24 They kept neither lives nor marriages any longer undefiled: but either one slew another traiterously, or grieved him by adultery. 25 So that there reigned in all men without exception blood, manslaughter, theft, and dissimulation, corruption, unfaithfulness, tumults, perjury, 26 Disquieting of good men, forgetfulness of good turns, defiling of souls, changing of kind, disorder in marriages, adultery, and shameless uncleanness. 27 For the worshipping of idols not to be named is the beginning, the cause, and the end, of all evil. 28 For either they are mad when they be merry, or prophesy lies, or live unjustly, or else lightly forswear themselves. 29 For insomuch as their trust is in idols, which have no life; though they swear falsely, yet they look not to be hurt. 30 Howbeit for both causes shall they be justly punished: both because they thought not well of God, giving heed unto idols, and also unjustly swore in deceit, despising holiness. 31 For it is not the power of them by whom they swear: but it is the just vengeance of sinners, that punisheth always the offence of the ungodly.
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[AD 749] John Damascene on Wisdom 14:7
If the bones of the righteous are impure, how is it that the bones of Jacob and Joseph were carried out of Egypt with every honor? Or how is it that a dead man was raised after coming in contact with the bones of Elisha? If God works miracles through bones, it is clear that he can also do so through images, stones and many other things. This also happened with Elisha, who gave his staff to his servant and ordered him to go and raise the son of the Shunammite woman with it. Moses too, with a staff, not only punished Pharaoh4 but also divided the sea, sweetened waters6 and opened the rock and made water flow out. Solomon says, “Blessed is the wood from which salvation comes.” Elisha made a piece of iron float after throwing a stick in the Jordan, and it is also written that “the tree of life” and “the plant of Sabek” lead to forgiveness. Moses lifted up the serpent on a stick, saving the lives of the people, and confirmed the priesthood in the tent with a blooming branch.

Source: THREE TREATISES ON DIVINE IMAGES 1:56
[AD 253] Origen of Alexandria on Wisdom 14:8
By the disposition of the universe you find an angel appointed for the earth and another appointed for the waters, another appointed for the air and a fourth appointed for fire. Arise, then—I beg of you—with your reason, and consider the disposition of the animals, the plants and the stars of heaven. There is an angel appointed for the sun, another of the moon and others of the stars. These angels, who accompany us during our time on earth, either rejoice or mourn over us when we sin. “Grieve,” it says, “over the earth because of its inhabitants.” It calls the angel for the earth using the same name as the earth itself, “earth,” as when it says, “The work of human hands and the one who has done it are accursed.” It is not that the inanimate thing itself is accursed, but what resides in the inanimate statue is indicated by the expression “human hands,” and from this it receives its name. In this way I would say that the angel appointed for the earth is designated also by the name “earth,” and the angel appointed for the water is designated by the name “water,” as when it is said, “The waters saw you, O God, the waters saw you and feared. The abyss trembled, a great crash of waters, and the clouds sent out their voice. Behold, your arrows pass.”

Source: HOMILIES ON JEREMIAH 10:6
[AD 430] Augustine of Hippo on Wisdom 14:11
In the book of Wisdom it is written, “For this reason there will also be an inquiry into the idols of the peoples.” It could seem as though for a long time God did not consider that idols were worshiped and sacrifices offered to them. Then he who always watches finally made inquiry. He watched in tolerance, he inquired so as to punish. “Into the idols of the peoples,” the book says, “there will be an inquiry, because God’s creatures have become detestable.” The pagans in fact provoke God through his creatures. How do they provoke God through his creatures? Because the carpenter shaped an idol, whereas God had created the wood. The goldsmith shaped an idol, whereas God had created the gold. From an object of yours, do you form something that he might detest? Why, from a creature of God, do you wickedly mold something that he should find detestable? You must form yourself well, so that he will love you. You want to impress your image in wood. Rather, receive within you the image of God. What do you destroy inwardly, and what do you sculpt outwardly? “God’s creatures,” the book says, “have become detestable. They have become a scandal for the souls of human beings and a snare for the feet of fools. Indeed, the beginning of fornication is the love of idols.” If a woman who has many husbands were to merit praise, then let someone who worships many gods also be praised. If a woman who offers herself to men is an adulteress, how much more a soul that worships gods that do not exist? “The beginning of fornication is the love of idols, and their invention a corruption of life.”

Source: NEWLY DISCOVERED SERMONS 24:6
[AD 403] Epiphanius of Salamis on Wisdom 14:12
Condemn idols, openly denouncing their error. Indeed, do not even consider them to be dead, because they were never alive. Teach clearly everywhere and to all that these are vain and foolish things. Not existing and never having existed, there is no possibility of their being what they are said to be. They are the products of wicked demons and of the human mind full of impulses to pleasure, since each of us is led to make his own passion an an object of veneration. Thus in the beginning idolatry was born of the wicked work of demons and by human conception, through a commingling that was called “the first fornication.” At first they designed the figures of the idols, then they began to give gods to their own children as objects of veneration, made of various materials according to the art that each one possessed for providing for his needs with his own hands: the potter with clay, the carpenter with wood, the goldsmith with gold, the silversmith with silver.

Source: ANCORATUS 102:5-7
[AD 430] Augustine of Hippo on Wisdom 14:20
Human beings seek purification, but the devil, proud spirit, seeing that they sought this out of pride and boasted of it, anticipated them and presented himself as a mediator, capable of giving a semblance of purity to their souls. In this, hinting at his pride, he led people to think that he was necessary, that is, to show them that a soul desirous to reach God could purify itself through recourse to magic arts. He thus instituted in the temples those sacrilegious rites that assure purification to those who perform them. Many of those images were in fact suggested, as the Scripture says, by the desire to honor certain people held to be great, people not present or dead people.

Source: SERMONS 26:28
[AD 253] Origen of Alexandria on Wisdom 14:29-30
Unquestionably, at the time when the early Israelites fell into sin, religion languished. Judah made for themselves “statues in Jerusalem,” as well as in that part that came to be called Israel, “in Samaria.” But even now, if one considers the mass of sinners taken together, it would not be hard to say that everyone who, serving sin, makes a god out of what seems good to him—making a statue, casting the work of an artisan, setting it up in secret—is under the curse. It is precisely in the secret of the heart that we fabricate many idols when we sin. Therefore the Word admonishes us to do penance and to “cry out in lamentation over the statues” and the idols that are “in Jerusalem and in Samaria.” Truly, if we who desire to be of the church commit sin, we fabricate “statues in Jerusalem.” If those who are outside of the church sin, as heretics, they make “idols in Samaria.” Nevertheless God, in conformity with his goodness, calls all to repentance, saying, “Cry out in lamentation, statues, in Jerusalem and in Samaria, since as I have acted toward Samaria and the works of their hands, so also will I act toward Jerusalem and its idols.” The threat will be carried out toward those who are in the church just as it was with the Samaritans.

Source: HOMILIES ON ISAIAH 8:1
[AD 430] Augustine of Hippo on Wisdom 14:29-30
Some attempt to apply to incorporeal and spiritual beings what they have perceived of corporeal beings through sensible experience or what they have learned about them thanks to the very nature of human intelligence, to keen reflection and with the aid of science. They want to measure and represent the former based on the latter. Others have an idea about God, if you can call this having an idea, consistent with the nature and affections of the human soul. From this error it follows that they discuss God based on incorrect and false principles. There are still others who attempt to transcend the created universe, which is obviously changeable, and to raise their vision to that unchanging being that is God. But, weighed down by their mortal nature and wanting to appear wise in what they do not know, and incapable of knowing what they want to know, they insist too boldly on conjectures. They thus preclude the ways of understanding, preferring to persist in their mistaken opinions rather than changing the opinion they once defended. This is the true evil of the three categories of persons we have just spoken of: those who think of God after the manner of bodily beings, those who conceive of him in a way consistent with spiritual creatures, like the soul, and finally those who, though keeping well away from corporeal and spiritual things, “thought erroneously about God,” distancing themselves even more from the truth in that their idea of God is drawn neither from sensible experience, nor from spiritual creatures nor from the Creator himself.

Source: ON THE TRINITY 1:1.1