Initsattempted amalgamationofdeities,syncretism,sofarfromre conciling. The octavius of minucius felix is a defence of christianity demonstrating that the faith is reasonable for and relevant to cultured and educated romans. His only known work, the dialogue octavius, is one of the earliest examples of latin apologetics. Apr 17, 2012 if, on the other hand, tertullian borrowed from minucius, the octavius was written probably about the year 166, and minucius flourished in the reign of marcus aurelius. The harshness and provincialism, with the graecisms, if not the mere tertullianism, of tertullian, deprive him of high claims to be classed among latin writers. Origen, parts first and second settled, perhaps, though the dip of the balance just now sustains my own impressions. Lactantius mentions octavius twice in divinae institutiones. Marcus minucius felix was one of the earliest of the latin apologists for christianity. Assuredly this confederacy ought to be rooted out and execrated.
He wrote octavius, a dialogue between a christian octavius januarius and. Of minucius, an early christian writer of unknown date, we have only octavius, a vigorous and readable debate between an unbeliever and a christian friend of minucius, octavius ianuarius, a lawyer sitting on the seashore at ostia. Minucius felix, marcus article about minucius felix. The later date was the one adopted by earlier critics, and the reasons for it are well given by mr. This short apology, or defense of the christian faith, is the sole surviving work of marcus minucius felix. Either way, minucius felix, an otherwise unknown christian from the 2nd or early 3rd century, ably defends christianity against roman arguments, superstition, and rumors. Jun 28, 2015 but certainly the god whom we worship we neither show nor see. Comparatively little attention has been paid to the terminus ante quem of the octavius. It has long been known that some of the passages in the octavius of minucius felix seem to be related to some in tertullians apologeticum. The octavius by the roman lawyer, marcus minucius felix, is an apology for christianity in the form of a dialogue between the christian octavius and the pagan caecilius on a trip from rome to ostia.
Mar 09, 20 open library is an initiative of the internet archive, a 501c3 nonprofit, building a digital library of internet sites and other cultural artifacts in digital form. Octavius by marcus minucius felix sol i c i t o r a philosophical dialogue qve bec by samizdat year of our lord, mmxvii. The octavius of minucius felix by minucius felix, marcus. It is written in the form of a dialogue between the pagan caecilius natalis and the christian octavius januarius, a provincial lawyer, the friend and fellowstudent of the author. It is couched in the form of a dialogue with two protagonists, caecilius, the pagan, and octavius, the christian, with the author, minucius felix, as an impartial arbiter.
This document pdf may be used for research, teaching and private study purposes. Minucius felix, marcus minucius felix, marcus, 200 fl. In his work octavius the conversation is recorded between two christian converts, octavius and minucius, and the pagan lawyer caecilius. His octavius has numerous points of agreement with the apologeticum of tertullian, similarities that have been explained by the theory of a common source an apology written in latin, and which is supposed to have disappeared without leaving any trace, not even in the name of its author.
Antenicene fathersvolume ivminucius felixthe octavius. Minucius felix, christian apologist, flourished between 160 and 300. Minucius felix internet encyclopedia of philosophy. Polybius, histories, book 3, minucius in difficulties. In the octavius, the christian apologist minucius felix tells the story of the conversion of caecilius, who spends a day at the sea in ostia with two christian friends, minucius and octavius. The date of the former is quite uncertain, as will be seen. Like lactantius, minucius was a convert to christianity. Marcus minucius felix christian apologist britannica.
Polytheism,initscosmopolitandevelop ments,passedsentenceonitself. Minucius felix, marcus, octavius, chapter 8, section 4. A commentary on selected sections of the octavius of. A mu parbeszedes formaban mutatja be a korai keresztenyseg es az ezt tamado pogany gondolkodok fobb erveit.
Let the seeds of all things have been in the beginning condensed by a nature combining them in itself what god is the author here. Az ostiaban jatszodo parbeszed resztvevoi caecilius natalis pogany ugyved, octavius januarius kereszteny ugyved, valamint e ketto vitajaban dontobirokent eljaro, szinten kereszteny minucius felix. Octavius with his companion consents, and minucius sits in the middle between c. The author, marcus minucius felix, we are told by jerome ep. Minucius relates how delightful to him is the recollection of the things that had happened to him with octavius while he was associated with him at rome, and especially of this disputation. The irrationality of the resurrection is also thematised in the dialogue octavius of minucius. Antenicene fathersvolume ivminucius felixintroductory note. Oct 03, 2003 isidore of sevilles taxonomy of magicians and diviners isidore of sevilles taxonomy of magicians and diviners klingshirn, william e. Introduction to the apologetic dialogue octavius octavius is the main character in a short christian apologetic work in latin by minucius felix. Jun 01, 2008 when the earliest postapostolic christians discussed the issue of cannibalism or responded to the charge of cannibalism brought against christians for example, athenagoras, on the resurrection of the dead, 8. A commentary on selected sections of the octavius of minucius.
Very little is known about the christian author minucius felix. Octavius had just arrived from a foreign country where he had left his family. What is known about minucius felix and the preservation of the octavius the existence of minucius felix as an author and his work were. Minucius felix was a roman advocate, rhetorician, and christian apologist. By mark turner the movie the matrix was certainly a sciencefictionaction thriller. Minucius felix, the octavius, 30, they denied that christians ever eat any human.
Minucius felix 3rd century ad there are some women who, by drinking medical preparations, extinguish the source of the future man in their very bowels, and thus commit a parricide before they bring forth. The octavius takes the form of a threesided debate. And thus, while we were all engaged in the enjoyment of this spectacle, c. The octavius gives an account of a debate, apparently mediated by minucius felix, between octavius januarius, a christian convert, and q. It is written in the form of a dialogue between the pagan caecilius natalis and the. Liinuciusfelix,marcusofthedialogue,isfirstmentioned bylactantiusinstit. Christians can partly be seen as joining and hijacking the existing. Minucius recalls a conversation of his lately deceased friend octavius which resulted in the conversion to christianity of their common friend caecilius. Though tertullian is the founder of latin christianity, his contemporary minucius felix gives to christian thought its earliest clothing in latinity. Jerome mentions minucius felix sporadically six times.
Of the literary character of the dialogue, it is sufficient to quote the testimony of the late dean milman. Antenicene fathersvolume ivminucius felixthe octavius of minucius felixchapter 10. You punish crimes committed, with us the thought of crime is a sin. The name minucius felix has been found on inscriptions at tebessa and carthage cor. The conversation takes place on the beach of ostia, and a.
Like justin martyr, marcus minucius felix did not have a leadership role in the church. The decision to announce the fundamentals of the christian faith through the argument was based on minuciuss belief that the christian truth was able to understand and to be understood the choice of argument then is to agree to deal with each other, catch the provocation that could have come from the pagan world. Caecilius natalis, a pagan there was a magistrate of this name at cirta, in north africa, in around 210 ce, where minucius felix is thought to have come from originally. Christianity, if he had fully dedicated himself to the task.
In it a pagan and a christian discuss the merits of christian life. Christian apologist, flourished between 160 and 300. He is now exclusively known by his octavius, a dialogue on christianity between the. Adolf ebert in his paper, tertullians verhaltniss zu minucius felix, leipzig, 1868. Marcus minucius felix, one of the earliest christian apologists to write in latin. The octavius by minucius felix is an apology for the christian religion. Minucius felix serves as moderator and narrator of the dialogue. Written roughly around the year 200, the essay is framed around two friendsofafriend arguing the relative merits of paganism and christianity while they sit by the sea. Octavius is an early writing in defense of christianity by marcus minucius felix. Sic nos denique non notaculo corporis, ut putatis, sed innocentiae ac modestiae signo facile dinoscimus. Isidore of sevilles taxonomy of magicians and diviners. Minucius felix, marcus, author of the dialogue octavius, which, in spite of its lack of originality, and profound theological intuition, occupies a prominent place among the ancient apologies of the latin church, both on account of its genuine enthusiasm and elegant form, and on account of the clear and pointed manner in which it presents and refutes all the various objections to.
Minucius, felix octavius, text ebook pdf text ebook pdf. Publication date 1919 topics apologetics history early church, ca. A roman lawyer, he wrote the octavius, a dialogue on providence and christianity in general, between the skeptic pagan caecilius natalis and the christian octavius januarius, minucius friend. Marcus minucius felix war ein romischer christlicher apologet wahrscheinlich des spateren 2. Pdf the routledge companion to early christian thought. Jahrhunderts1 mit dem octavius eine stilistisch wie inhaltlich besonders unterhaltsame variation christlicher apologetik geschaffen. A commentary on selected sections of the octavius of minucius felix the purpose of this study is to consider, in lemmatic commentary form, some of the objections to christian belief raised by the pagan, caecilius and the corresponding responses and counterarguments adduced by octavius, the christian, in the octavius of minucius felix. Perhaps no late work, either pagan or christian, reminds us of the golden days of latin prose so much as the octavius of minucius felix. The action by the latter of reverencing a statue of. Bible living so busy that i must pray stephen altrogge.
And these things assuredly come done from the teaching of your gods. Nothing is known of his personal history, and even the date at which he wrote can be only approximately ascertained as between ad 150 and 270. Why, you ask, would i put such a squib online, considering that the eb1911 entry was copied by wikipedia and updated, and from there it spread. Marcus minucius felix quotes quotes of marcus minucius. Beaujiiu, minucius felix, octavius, paris, cuf, sd. Roman lawyer, he wrote the octavius, a dialogue on providence and christianity in general, between the skeptic pagan caecilius natalis and the christian octavius januarius, minucius friend. His octavius has numerous points of agreement with the apologeticum of tertullian, similarities that have been explained by the theory of a common source an apology written in latin, and which is supposed to have disappeared without leaving any trace, not. Minucio felice recato in lingua italiana e con opportune annotazioni illustrato da d.
Octavius and now, as wickeder things advance more fruitfully, and abandoned manners creep on day by day, those abominable shrines of an impious assembly are maturing themselves throughout the whole world. Minucius felix the catholic encyclopedia religionfacts. Carver arizona state university studies in the octavius of minucius felix have concentrated mainly on the relationship between it and the apologeticum of tertullian. Antenicene fathersvolume ivminucius felixthe octavius of. The octavius of minucius felix chapter 1 155888 antenicene fathers vol. The ritual cannibalism charge against christians from minucius felix.
There being then an elevation between his camp and that of minucius, which might prove dangerous to either, he resolved to occupy it. Cogitanti mihi et cum animo meo octavi boni et fidelissimi contubernalis memoriam recensenti tanta dulcedo et adfectio hominis inhaesit, ut ipse quodammodo mihi viderer in praeterita redire, non ea quae iam transacta et decursa sunt, recordatione revocare. Caecilius natalis, on the validity and merits of pagan and christian beliefs. Iv, minucius felix the octavius of minucius felix minucius felix robert ernest wallis. After minucius is chided by octavius for failing to rescue caecilius from inperitiae vulgaris caecitas, caecilius is offended. Two characters of his, mutually diverse in two several ways, you will not be able to blend. No one knows whether the octavius is fiction or nonfiction. Either tertullian dependend on this apology, making it perhaps the earliest piece of extant christian latin literature, or the author of this apology depended on tertullian. However, many of us also found it to be deeply profound, carrying meaningful threads of thought and truth on the most intense philosophical and spiritual levels. Minucius felix was a very early christian apologist.
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