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The Octavius of Minucius Felix

Minucius Felix

Chapter 40

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 XL.—Argument: Then Cæcilius Exclaims that He is Vanquished by Octavius; And That, Being Now Conqueror Over Error, He Professes the Christian Religion. He Postpones, However, Till the Morrow His Training in the Fuller Belief of Its Mysteries.

While, therefore, I was silently

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turning

over

these

things

in

my

own

mind

,

Cæcilius

broke

forth

:

“

I

congratulate

as

well

my

Octavius

as

myself

,

as

much

as

possible

on

that

tranquillity

in

which

we

live

,

and

I

do

not

wait

for

the

decision

.

Even

thus

we

have

conquered

:

not

unjustly

do

I

assume

to

myself

the

victory

.

For

even

as

he

is

my

conqueror

,

so

I

am

triumphant

over

error

.

Therefore

,

in

what

belongs

to

the

substance

of

the

question

,

I

both

confess

concerning

providence

,

and

I

yield

to

God

;

and

I

agree

concerning

the

sincerity

of

the

way

of

life

which

is

now

mine

.

Yet

even

still

some

things

remain

in

my

mind

,

not

as

resisting

the

truth

,

but

as

necessary

to

a

perfect

training

of

which

on

the

morrow

,

as

the

sun

is

already

sloping

to

his

setting

,

we

shall

inquire

at

length

in

a

more

fitting

and

ready

manner

.

”

Notes

1
Otherwise read, “and I believe concerning God.”
2
[i.e., he will become a catechumen on the morrow.]