''Octavius'' is an early writing in defense of Christianity by Marcus Minucius Felix. It is written in the form of a

dialogue Dialogue (sometimes spelled dialog in American English) is a written or spoken conversational exchange between two or more people, and a literary and theatrical form that depicts such an exchange. As a philosophical or didactic device, it is ...

between the pagan Caecilius Natalis and the

Christian Christians () are people who follow or adhere to Christianity, a monotheistic Abrahamic religion based on the life and teachings of Jesus Christ. The words '' Christ'' and ''Christian'' derive from the Koine Greek title ''Christós'' (Χρ ...

Octavius Januarius, a provincial lawyer, the friend and fellow-student of the author.

Summary

The scene is pleasantly and graphically laid on the beach at

Ostia Ostia may refer to: Places *Ostia (Rome), a municipio (also called ''Ostia Lido'' or ''Lido di Ostia'') of Rome *Ostia Antica, a township and port of ancient Rome *Ostia Antica (district), a district of the commune of Rome Arts and entertainment ...

on a holiday afternoon, and the discussion is represented as arising out of the homage paid by Caecilius, in passing, to the

Cult image In the practice of religion, a cult image is a human-made object that is venerated or worshipped for the deity, spirit or daemon that it embodies or represents. In several traditions, including the ancient religions of Egypt, Greece and R ...

Serapis Serapis or Sarapis is a Graeco-Egyptian deity. The cult of Serapis was promoted during the third century BC on the orders of Greek Pharaoh Ptolemy I Soter of the Ptolemaic Kingdom in Egypt as a means to unify the Greeks and Egyptians in his r ...

. His arguments for paganism (possibly modelled on those of

Celsus Celsus (; grc-x-hellen, Κέλσος, ''Kélsos''; ) was a 2nd-century Greek philosopher and opponent of early Christianity. His literary work, '' The True Word'' (also ''Account'', ''Doctrine'' or ''Discourse''; Greek: grc-x-hellen, Λό� ...

) are taken up one at a time by Octavius, with the result that the assailant is convinced. Minucius himself plays the part of umpire. The form of the dialogue is modelled on the '' De natura deorum'' and '' De divinatione'' of

Cicero Marcus Tullius Cicero ( ; ; 3 January 106 BC – 7 December 43 BC) was a Roman statesman, lawyer, scholar, philosopher, and academic skeptic, who tried to uphold optimate principles during the political crises that led to the est ...

and its style is both vigorous and elegant if at times not exempt from something of the affectation of the age.

Analysis

Its Latinity is not of the specifically Christian type. If the

doctrine Doctrine (from la, Wikt:doctrina, doctrina, meaning "teaching, instruction") is a codification (law), codification of beliefs or a body of teacher, teachings or instructions, taught principles or positions, as the essence of teachings in a given ...

s of the Divine unity, the

resurrection Resurrection or anastasis is the concept of coming back to life after death. In a number of religions, a dying-and-rising god is a deity which dies and is resurrected. Reincarnation is a similar process hypothesized by other religions, whic ...

, and future rewards and punishments are left out of the account, the work has less the character of an exposition of Christianity than of a

philosophical Philosophy (from , ) is the systematized study of general and fundamental questions, such as those about existence, reason, knowledge, values, mind, and language. Such questions are often posed as problems to be studied or resolved. Som ...

and

ethical Ethics or moral philosophy is a branch of philosophy that "involves systematizing, defending, and recommending concepts of morality, right and wrong action (philosophy), behavior".''Internet Encyclopedia of Philosophy'' The field of ethics, alo ...

polemic Polemic () is contentious rhetoric intended to support a specific position by forthright claims and to undermine the opposing position. The practice of such argumentation is called ''polemics'', which are seen in arguments on controversial topics ...

against the absurdities of

polytheism Polytheism is the belief in multiple deities, which are usually assembled into a pantheon of gods and goddesses, along with their own religious sects and rituals. Polytheism is a type of theism. Within theism, it contrasts with monotheism, ...

. While it thus has much in common with the Greek Apologies it is full of the strong common sense that marks the Latin mind. Its ultimate appeal is to the fruits of faith.

Manuscript

Arnobius of Sicca's ''Adversus nationes'' survived in a single ninth-century manuscript in Paris (and a bad copy of it in Brussels). The French manuscript also contains the ''Octavius'' of Marcus Minucius Felix.

Legacy

This work was referenced in 1751 by

Pope Benedict XIV Pope Benedict XIV ( la, Benedictus XIV; it, Benedetto XIV; 31 March 1675 – 3 May 1758), born Prospero Lorenzo Lambertini, was head of the Catholic Church and ruler of the Papal States from 17 August 1740 to his death in May 1758. Pope Be ...

in his apostolic constitution 'Providas' against freemasonry by quoting Caecilius Natalis: 'Honest things always rejoice in the public, crimes are secret'. Bendict XIV, Providas

Editions and Translations

Editions

*Minucius Felix. ''Octavius''. Texte établi et traduit par . Paris: Société d'Édition «Les belles lettres», 1964. *M. Minucii Felicis Octavius. Edidit . Leipzig: Teubner, 1982. 2. Auflage: Stuttgart, Teubner, 1992, ISBN 3-8154-1539-X.

English Translations

*''The Octavius of Marcus Minucius Felix'', translated and annotated by ), 1974 (

Ancient Christian Writers Ancient Christian Writers: the works of the Fathers in translation (abbreviated as ACW) is a book series with English translations of works by early Christian writers. The translations are made from Latin and Greek.Vol. 16 is translated from Classi ...

, 39).

References

External links

''Octavius'' in English translation''Octavius'' with Latin, English, and analysis at ''Open Library'', various formats
*

of the ''Octavius'' as ''liber octavus'' of Arnobius' ''Disputationes adversus gentes'', Rome 1542. (Online at the

Bavarian State Library The Bavarian State Library (german: Bayerische Staatsbibliothek, abbreviated BSB, called ''Bibliotheca Regia Monacensis'' before 1919) in Munich is the central " Landesbibliothek", i. e. the state library of the Free State of Bavaria, the bi ...

) {{Authority control 2nd-century Christian texts 2nd-century Latin books Dialogues