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The Octavius of Minucius Felix

Minucius Felix

Chapter 11

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 XI.—Argument: Besides Asserting the Future Conflagration of the Whole World, They Promise Afterwards the Resurrection of Our Bodies: and to the Righteous an Eternity of Most Blessed Life; To the Unrighteous, of Extreme Punishment.

“And, not content with this

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wild

opinion

,

they

add

to

it

and

associate

with

it

old

women’s

fables

:

they

say

that

they

will

rise

again

after

death

,

and

ashes

,

and

dust

;

and

with

I

know

not

what

confidence

,

they

believe

by

turns

in

one

another’s

lies

:

you

would

think

that

they

had

already

lived

again

.

It

is

a

double

evil

and

a

twofold

madness

to

denounce

destruction

to

the

heaven

and

the

stars

,

which

we

leave

just

as

we

find

them

,

and

to

promise

eternity

to

ourselves

,

who

are

dead

and

extinct

—

who

,

as

we

are

born

,

so

also

perish

!

It

is

for

this

cause

,

doubtless

,

also

that

they

execrate

our

funeral

piles

,

and

condemn

our

burials

by

fire

,

as

if

every

body

,

even

although

it

be

withdrawn

from

the

flames

,

were

not

,

nevertheless

,

resolved

into

the

earth

by

lapse

of

years

and

ages

,

and

as

if

it

mattered

not

whether

wild

beasts

tore

the

body

to

pieces

,

or

seas

consumed

it

,

or

the

ground

covered

it

,

or

the

flames

carried

it

away

;

since

for

the

carcases

every

mode

of

sepulture

is

a

penalty

if

they

feel

it

;

if

they

feel

it

not

,

in

the

very

quickness

of

their

destruction

there

is

relief

.

Deceived

by

this

error

,

they

promise

to

themselves

,

as

being

good

,

a

blessed

and

perpetual

life

after

their

death

;

to

others

,

as

being

unrighteous

,

eternal

punishment

.

Many

things

occur

to

me

to

say

in

addition

,

if

the

limits

of

my

discourse

did

not

hasten

me

.

I

have

already

shown

,

and

take

no

more

pains

to

prove

,

that

they

themselves

are

unrighteous

;

although

,

even

if

I

should

allow

them

to

be

righteous

,

yet

your

agreement

also

concurs

with

the

opinions

of

many

,

that

guilt

and

innocence

are

attributed

by

fate

.

For

whatever

we

do

,

as

some

ascribe

it

to

fate

,

so

you

refer

it

to

God

:

thus

it

is

according

to

your

sect

to

believe

that

men

will

,

not

of

their

own

accord

,

but

as

elected

to

will

.

Therefore

you

feign

an

iniquitous

judge

,

who

punishes

in

men

,

not

their

will

,

but

their

destiny

.

Yet

I

should

be

glad

to

be

informed

whether

or

no

you

rise

again

with

bodies

;

and

if

so

,

with

what

bodies

—

whether

with

the

same

or

with

renewed

bodies

?

Without

a

body

?

Then

,

as

far

as

I

know

,

there

will

neither

be

mind

,

nor

soul

,

nor

life

.

With

the

same

body

?

But

this

has

already

been

previously

destroyed

.

With

another

body

?

Then

it

is

a

new

man

who

is

born

,

not

the

former

one

restored

;

and

yet

so

long

a

time

has

passed

away

,

innumerable

ages

have

flowed

by

,

and

what

single

individual

has

returned

from

the

dead

either

by

the

fate

of

Protesilaus

,

with

permission

to

sojourn

even

for

a

few

hours

,

or

that

we

might

believe

it

for

an

example

?

All

such

figments

of

an

unhealthy

belief

,

and

vain

sources

of

comfort

,

with

which

deceiving

poets

have

trifled

in

the

sweetness

of

their

verse

,

have

been

disgracefully

remoulded

by

you

,

believing

undoubtingly

on

your

God

.

Notes

1
[1 Tim. iv. 7.]
2
“And I have already shown, without any trouble,” is another reading.
3
Otherwise, “without a body or with.”
4
Otherwise, “too credulous.”