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The Octavius of Minucius Felix

Minucius Felix

Chapter 10

About this work

A polished Latin dialogue in which pagan and Christian friends debate providence, Roman religion, accusations against Christians, resurrection, and the philosophical credibility of Christian monotheism.

Author: Minucius Felix
Date: Late 2nd or early 3rd century
Origin: Rome or North Africa
Genre: Dialogue

The work’s date relative to Tertullian and the author’s geographical setting remain debated.

Chapter X.—Argument: Whatever the Christians Worship, They Strive in Every Way to Conceal: They Have No Altars, No Temples, No Acknowledged Images. Their God, Like that of the Jews, is Said to Be One, Whom, Although They are Neither Able to See Nor to Show, They Think Nevertheless to Be Mischievous, Restless, and Unseasonably Inquisitive.

“I purposely pass over many things

‹ Chapter 9 Chapter 11 ›

,

for

those

that

I

have

mentioned

are

already

too

many

;

and

that

all

these

,

or

the

greater

part

of

them

,

are

true

,

the

obscurity

of

their

vile

religion

declares

.

For

why

do

they

endeavour

with

such

pains

to

conceal

and

to

cloak

whatever

they

worship

,

since

honourable

things

always

rejoice

in

publicity

,

while

crimes

are

kept

secret

?

Why

have

they

no

altars

,

no

temples

,

no

acknowledged

images

?

Why

do

they

never

speak

openly

,

never

congregate

freely

,

unless

for

the

reason

that

what

they

adore

and

conceal

is

either

worthy

of

punishment

,

or

something

to

be

ashamed

of

?

Moreover

,

whence

or

who

is

he

,

or

where

is

the

one

God

,

solitary

,

desolate

,

whom

no

free

people

,

no

kingdoms

,

and

not

even

Roman

superstition

,

have

known

?

The

lonely

and

miserable

nationality

of

the

Jews

worshipped

one

God

,

and

one

peculiar

to

itself

;

but

they

worshipped

him

openly

,

with

temples

,

with

altars

,

with

victims

,

and

with

ceremonies

;

and

he

has

so

little

force

or

power

,

that

he

is

enslaved

,

with

his

own

special

nation

,

to

the

Roman

deities

.

But

the

Christians

,

moreover

,

what

wonders

,

what

monstrosities

do

they

feign

!

—

that

he

who

is

their

God

,

whom

they

can

neither

show

nor

behold

,

inquires

diligently

into

the

character

of

all

,

the

acts

of

all

,

and

,

in

fine

,

into

their

words

and

secret

thoughts

;

that

he

runs

about

everywhere

,

and

is

everywhere

present

:

they

make

him

out

to

be

troublesome

,

restless

,

even

shamelessly

inquisitive

,

since

he

is

present

at

everything

that

is

done

,

wanders

in

and

out

in

all

places

,

although

,

being

occupied

with

the

whole

,

he

cannot

give

attention

to

particulars

,

nor

can

he

be

sufficient

for

the

whole

while

he

is

busied

with

particulars

.

What

!

because

they

threaten

conflagration

to

the

whole

world

,

and

to

the

universe

itself

,

with

all

its

stars

,

are

they

meditating

its

destruction

?

—

as

if

either

the

eternal

order

constituted

by

the

divine

laws

of

nature

would

be

disturbed

,

or

the

league

of

all

the

elements

would

be

broken

up

,

and

the

heavenly

structure

dissolved

,

and

that

fabric

in

which

it

is

contained

and

bound

together

would

be

overthrown

.

Notes

1
Otherwise, “no consecrated images.”
2
Otherwise, “we are contained and bound together.”
3
[These very accusations, reduced back to Christian language, show that much of the Creed was, in fact, known to the heathen at this period.]