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The Octavius of Minucius Felix

Minucius Felix

Chapter 27

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 XXVII.—Argument: Recapitulation. Doubtless Here is a Source of Error: Demons Lurk Under the Statues and Images, They Haunt the Fanes, They Animate the Fibres of the Entrails, Direct the Flights of Birds, Govern the Lots, Pour Forth Oracles Involved in False Responses. These Things Not from God; But They are Constrained to Confess When They are Adjured in the Name of the True God, and are Driven from the Possessed Bodies. Hence They Flee Hastily from the Neighbourhood of Christians, and Stir Up a Hatred Against Them in the Minds of the Gentiles Who Begin to Hate Them Before They Know Them.

“These impure spirits, therefore

‹ Chapter 26 Chapter 28 ›

—

the

demons

—

as

is

shown

by

the

Magi

,

by

the

philosophers

,

and

by

Plato

,

consecrated

under

statues

and

images

,

lurk

there

,

and

by

their

afflatus

attain

the

authority

as

of

a

present

deity

;

while

in

the

meantime

they

are

breathed

into

the

prophets

,

while

they

dwell

in

the

shrines

,

while

sometimes

they

animate

the

fibres

of

the

entrails

,

control

the

flights

of

birds

,

direct

the

lots

,

are

the

cause

of

oracles

involved

in

many

falsehoods

.

For

they

are

both

deceived

,

and

they

deceive

;

inasmuch

as

they

are

both

ignorant

of

the

simple

truth

,

and

for

their

own

ruin

they

confess

not

that

which

they

know

.

Thus

they

weigh

men

downwards

from

heaven

,

and

call

them

away

from

the

true

God

to

material

things

:

they

disturb

the

life

,

render

all

men

unquiet

;

creeping

also

secretly

into

human

bodies

,

with

subtlety

,

as

being

spirits

,

they

feign

diseases

,

alarm

the

minds

,

wrench

about

the

limbs

;

that

they

may

constrain

men

to

worship

them

,

being

gorged

with

the

fumes

of

altars

or

the

sacrifices

of

cattle

,

that

,

by

remitting

what

they

had

bound

,

they

may

seem

to

have

cured

it

.

These

raging

maniacs

also

,

whom

you

see

rush

about

in

public

,

are

moreover

themselves

prophets

without

a

temple

;

thus

they

rage

,

thus

they

rave

,

thus

they

are

whirled

around

.

In

them

also

there

is

a

like

instigation

of

the

demon

,

but

there

is

a

dissimilar

occasion

for

their

madness

.

From

the

same

causes

also

arise

those

things

which

were

spoken

of

a

little

time

ago

by

you

,

that

Jupiter

demanded

the

restoration

of

his

games

in

a

dream

,

that

the

Castors

appeared

with

horses

,

and

that

a

small

ship

was

following

the

leading

of

the

matron’s

girdle

.

A

great

many

,

even

some

of

your

own

people

,

know

all

those

things

that

the

demons

themselves

confess

concerning

themselves

,

as

often

as

they

are

driven

by

us

from

bodies

by

the

torments

of

our

words

and

by

the

fires

of

our

prayers

.

Saturn

himself

,

and

Serapis

,

and

Jupiter

,

and

whatever

demons

you

worship

,

overcome

by

pain

,

speak

out

what

they

are

;

and

assuredly

they

do

not

lie

to

their

own

discredit

,

especially

when

any

of

you

are

standing

by

.

Since

they

themselves

are

the

witnesses

that

they

are

demons

,

believe

them

when

they

confess

the

truth

of

themselves

;

for

when

abjured

by

the

only

and

true

God

,

unwillingly

the

wretched

beings

shudder

in

their

bodies

,

and

either

at

once

leap

forth

,

or

vanish

by

degrees

,

as

the

faith

of

the

sufferer

assists

or

the

grace

of

the

healer

inspires

.

Thus

they

fly

from

Christians

when

near

at

hand

,

whom

at

a

distance

they

harassed

by

your

means

in

their

assemblies

.

And

thus

,

introduced

into

the

minds

of

the

ignorant

,

they

secretly

sow

there

a

hatred

of

us

by

means

of

fear

.

For

it

is

natural

both

to

hate

one

whom

you

fear

,

and

to

injure

one

whom

you

have

feared

,

if

you

can

.

Thus

they

take

possession

of

the

minds

and

obstruct

the

hearts

,

that

men

may

begin

to

hate

us

before

they

know

us

;

lest

,

if

known

,

they

should

either

imitate

us

,

or

not

be

able

to

condemn

us

.

Notes

1
Some read “slumbers” for “all men.”
2
“Cling to” is another reading.