Persians: Lactantius on Magians’ expertise on lower spirits and on their lack of true wisdom (early third century CE)

Ancient author: Lactantius (early fourth century CE), Divine Institutes 2.14, 2.16, and 4.2 (link; link to Latin). Comments: I have already discussed the centrality of ethnographic examples of false and distorted customs, including human sacrifice, in the opening book of Lactantius Divine Institutions (link). In these passages below from book two and four, Lactantius turns to [ ]