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The Octavius of Minucius Felix

Minucius Felix

Chapter 35

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 XXXV.—Argument: Righteous and Pious Men Shall Be Rewarded with Never-EndingFelicity, But Unrighteous Men Shall Be Visited with Eternal Punishment. The Morals of Christians are Far More Holy Than Those of the Gentiles.

“And yet men are admonished in

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the

books

and

poems

of

the

most

learned

poets

of

that

fiery

river

,

and

of

the

heat

flowing

in

manifold

turns

from

the

Stygian

marsh

,

—

things

which

,

prepared

for

eternal

torments

,

and

known

to

them

by

the

information

of

demons

and

from

the

oracles

of

their

prophets

,

they

have

delivered

to

us

.

And

therefore

among

them

also

even

king

Jupiter

himself

swears

religiously

by

the

parching

banks

and

the

black

abyss

;

for

,

with

foreknowledge

of

the

punishment

destined

to

him

,

with

his

worshippers

,

he

shudders

.

Nor

is

there

either

measure

or

termination

to

these

torments

.

There

the

intelligent

fire

burns

the

limbs

and

restores

them

,

feeds

on

them

and

nourishes

them

.

As

the

fires

of

the

thunderbolts

strike

upon

the

bodies

,

and

do

not

consume

them

;

as

the

fires

of

Mount

Ætna

and

of

Mount

Vesuvius

,

and

of

burning

lands

everywhere

,

glow

,

but

are

not

wasted

;

so

that

penal

fire

is

not

fed

by

the

waste

of

those

who

burn

,

but

is

nourished

by

the

unexhausted

eating

away

of

their

bodies

.

But

that

they

who

know

not

God

are

deservedly

tormented

as

impious

,

as

unrighteous

persons

,

no

one

except

a

profane

man

hesitates

to

believe

,

since

it

is

not

less

wicked

to

be

ignorant

of

,

than

to

offend

the

Parent

of

all

,

and

the

Lord

of

all

.

And

although

ignorance

of

God

is

sufficient

for

punishment

,

even

as

knowledge

of

Him

is

of

avail

for

pardon

,

yet

if

we

Christians

be

compared

with

you

,

although

in

some

things

our

discipline

is

inferior

,

yet

we

shall

be

found

much

better

than

you

.

For

you

forbid

,

and

yet

commit

,

adulteries

;

we

are

born

men

only

for

our

own

wives

:

you

punish

crimes

when

committed

;

with

us

,

even

to

think

of

crimes

is

to

sin

:

you

are

afraid

of

those

who

are

aware

of

what

you

do

;

we

are

even

afraid

of

our

own

conscience

alone

,

without

which

we

cannot

exist

:

finally

,

from

your

numbers

the

prison

boils

over

;

but

there

is

no

Christian

there

,

unless

he

is

accused

on

account

of

his

religion

,

or

a

deserter

.

Notes

1
πῦρ σωφρονοῦν is an expression of Clemens Alexandrinus, so that there is no need for the emendation of “rapiens” instead of “sapiens,” suggested by one editor.
2
“Are known as” is another reading.