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Adversus Gentes

Arnobius of Sicca

Book 1 · Chapter 46

About this work

A vigorous Latin defense of Christianity against claims that conversion had angered the gods, combining criticism of Roman mythology and cult with arguments about Christ and the soul.

Author: Arnobius of Sicca
Date: c. AD 300–310
Origin: Sicca, North Africa
Genre: Apology

Section 46

46. Was He one of us, I say,

‹ Book 1 · Chapter 45 Book 1 · Chapter 47 ›

who

by

one

act

of

intervention

at

once

healed

a

hundred

or

more

afflicted

with

various

infirmities

and

diseases

;

at

whose

word

only

the

raging

and

maddened

seas

were

still

,

the

whirlwinds

and

tempests

were

lulled

;

who

walked

over

the

deepest

pools

with

unwet

foot

;

who

trod

the

ridges

of

the

deep

,

the

very

waves

being

astonished

,

and

nature

coming

under

bondage

;

who

with

five

loaves

satisfied

five

thousand

of

His

followers

:

and

who

,

lest

it

might

appear

to

the

unbelieving

and

hard

of

heart

to

be

an

illusion

,

filled

twelve

capacious

baskets

with

the

fragments

that

remained

?

Was

He

one

of

us

,

who

ordered

the

breath

that

had

departed

to

return

to

the

body

,

persons

buried

to

come

forth

from

the

tomb

,

and

after

three

days

to

be

loosed

from

the

swathings

of

the

undertaker

?

Was

He

one

of

us

,

who

saw

clearly

in

the

hearts

of

the

silent

what

each

was

pondering

,

what

each

had

in

his

secret

thoughts

?

Was

He

one

of

us

,

who

,

when

He

uttered

a

single

word

,

was

thought

by

nations

far

removed

from

one

another

and

of

different

speech

to

be

using

well

-

known

sounds

,

and

the

peculiar

language

of

each

?

Was

He

one

of

us

,

who

,

when

He

was

teaching

His

followers

the

duties

of

a

religion

that

could

not

be

gainsaid

,

suddenly

filled

the

whole

world

,

and

showed

how

great

He

was

and

who

He

was

,

by

unveiling

the

boundlessness

of

His

authority

?

Was

He

one

of

us

,

who

,

after

His

body

had

been

laid

in

the

tomb

,

manifested

Himself

in

open

day

to

countless

numbers

of

men

;

who

spoke

to

them

,

and

listened

to

them

;

who

taught

them

,

reproved

and

admonished

them

;

who

,

lest

they

should

imagine

that

they

were

deceived

by

unsubstantial

fancies

,

showed

Himself

once

,

a

second

time

,

aye

frequently

,

in

familiar

conversation

;

who

appears

even

now

to

righteous

men

of

unpolluted

mind

who

love

Him

,

not

in

airy

dreams

,

but

in

a

form

of

pure

simplicity

;

whose

name

,

when

heard

,

puts

to

flight

evil

spirits

,

imposes

silence

on

soothsayers

,

prevents

men

from

consulting

the

augurs

,

causes

the

efforts

of

arrogant

magicians

to

be

frustrated

,

not

by

the

dread

of

His

name

,

as

you

allege

,

but

by

the

free

exercise

of

a

greater

power

?

Notes

1
Cf. John ii. 25. [He often replies to thoughts not uttered.]
2
No such miracle is recorded of Christ, and Oehler suggests with some probability that Arnobius may have here fallen into confusion as to what is recorded of the apostles on the day of Pentecost.
3
The Latin is, per puræ speciem simplicitatis, which is not easily understood, and is less easily expressed.