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The Octavius of Minucius Felix

Minucius Felix

Chapter 22

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 XXII.—Argument: Moreover, These Fables, Which at First Were Invented by Ignorant Men, Were Afterwards Celebrated by Others, and Chiefly by Poets, Who Did No Little Mischief to the Truth by Their Authority. By Fictions of This Kind, and by Falsehoods of a Yet More Attractive Nature, the Minds of Young People are Corrupted, and Thence They Miserably Grow Old in These Beliefs, Although, on the Other Hand, the Truth is Obvious to Them If They Will Only Seek After It.

“These fables and errors we

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both

learn

from

ignorant

parents

,

and

,

what

is

more

serious

still

,

we

elaborate

them

in

our

very

studies

and

instructions

,

especially

in

the

verses

of

the

poets

,

who

as

much

as

possible

have

prejudiced

the

truth

by

their

authority

.

And

for

this

reason

Plato

rightly

expelled

from

the

state

which

he

had

founded

in

his

discourse

,

the

illustrious

Homer

whom

he

had

praised

and

crowned

.

For

it

was

he

especially

who

in

the

Trojan

was

allowed

your

gods

,

although

he

made

jests

of

them

,

still

to

interfere

in

the

affairs

and

doings

of

men

:

he

brought

them

together

in

contest

;

he

wounded

Venus

;

he

bound

,

wounded

,

and

drove

away

Mars

.

He

relates

that

Jupiter

was

set

free

by

Briareus

,

so

as

not

to

be

bound

fast

by

the

rest

of

the

gods

;

and

that

he

bewailed

in

showers

of

blood

his

son

Sarpedon

,

because

he

could

not

snatch

him

from

death

;

and

that

,

enticed

by

the

girdle

of

Venus

,

he

lay

more

eagerly

with

his

wife

Juno

than

he

was

accustomed

to

do

with

his

adulterous

loves

.

Elsewhere

Hercules

threw

out

dung

,

and

Apollo

is

feeding

cattle

for

Admetus

.

Neptune

,

however

,

builds

walls

for

Laomedon

,

and

the

unfortunate

builder

did

not

receive

the

wages

for

his

work

.

Then

Jupiter’s

thunderbolt

is

fabricated

on

the

anvil

with

the

arms

of

Æneas

,

although

there

were

heaven

,

and

thunderbolts

,

and

lightnings

long

before

Jupiter

was

born

in

Crete

;

and

neither

could

the

Cyclops

imitate

,

nor

Jupiter

himself

help

fearing

,

the

flames

of

the

real

thunderbolt

.

Why

should

I

speak

of

the

detected

adultery

of

Mars

and

Venus

,

and

of

the

violence

of

Jupiter

against

Ganymede

,

—

a

deed

consecrated

,

(

as

you

say

,

)

in

heaven

?

And

all

these

things

have

been

put

forward

with

this

view

,

that

a

certain

authority

might

be

gained

for

the

vices

of

men

.

By

these

fictions

,

and

such

as

these

,

and

by

lies

of

a

more

attractive

kind

,

the

minds

of

boys

are

corrupted

;

and

with

the

same

fables

clinging

to

them

,

they

grow

up

even

to

the

strength

of

mature

age

;

and

,

poor

wretches

,

they

grow

old

in

the

same

beliefs

,

although

the

truth

is

plain

,

if

they

will

only

seek

after

it

.

For

all

the

writers

of

antiquity

,

both

Greek

and

Roman

,

have

set

forth

that

Saturn

,

the

beginner

of

this

race

and

multitude

,

was

a

man

.

Nepos

knows

this

,

and

Cassius

in

his

history

;

and

Thallus

and

Diodorus

speak

the

same

thing

.

This

Saturn

then

,

driven

from

Crete

,

by

the

fear

of

his

raging

son

,

had

come

to

Italy

,

and

,

received

by

the

hospitality

of

Janus

,

taught

those

unskilled

and

rustic

men

many

things

,

—

as

,

being

something

of

a

Greek

,

and

polished

,

—

to

print

letters

for

instance

,

to

coin

money

,

to

make

instruments

.

Therefore

he

preferred

that

his

hiding

-

place

,

because

he

had

been

safely

hidden

(

latent

)

there

,

should

be

called

Latium

;

and

he

gave

a

city

,

from

his

own

name

,

the

name

of

Saturnia

,

and

Janus

,

Janiculum

,

so

that

each

of

them

left

their

names

to

the

memory

of

posterity

.

Therefore

it

was

certainly

a

man

that

fled

,

certainly

a

man

who

was

concealed

,

and

the

father

of

a

man

,

and

sprung

from

a

man

.

He

was

declared

,

however

,

to

be

the

son

of

earth

or

of

heaven

,

because

among

the

Italians

he

was

of

unknown

parents

;

as

even

to

this

day

we

call

those

who

appear

unexpectedly

,

sent

from

heaven

,

those

who

are

ignoble

and

unknown

,

sons

of

the

earth

.

His

son

Jupiter

reigned

at

Crete

after

his

father

was

driven

out

.

There

he

died

,

there

he

had

sons

.

To

this

day

the

cave

of

Jupiter

is

visited

,

and

his

sepulchre

is

shown

,

and

he

is

convicted

of

being

human

by

those

very

sacred

rites

of

his

.

Notes

1
Some read, “and it is marvellous how these have prejudiced,” etc.
2
Some read, “the truth itself.”
3
Plat., de Rep., lib. iii.
4
Otherwise, “Then Vulcan fabricates,” etc.
5
Otherwise, “judgments.”