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The Octavius of Minucius Felix

Minucius Felix

Chapter 24

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 XXIV.—Argument: He Briefly Shows, Moreover, What Ridiculous, Obscene, and Cruel Rites Were Observed in Celebrating the Mysteries of Certain Gods.

“How much more truly do dumb animals

‹ Chapter 23 Chapter 25 ›

naturally

judge

concerning

your

gods

?

Mice

,

swallows

,

kites

,

know

that

they

have

no

feeling

:

they

gnaw

them

,

they

trample

on

them

,

they

sit

upon

them

;

and

unless

you

drive

them

off

,

they

build

their

nests

in

the

very

mouth

of

your

god

.

Spiders

,

indeed

,

weave

their

webs

over

his

face

,

and

suspend

their

threads

from

his

very

head

.

You

wipe

,

cleanse

,

scrape

,

and

you

protect

and

fear

those

whom

you

make

;

while

not

one

of

you

thinks

that

he

ought

to

know

God

before

he

worships

Him

;

desiring

without

consideration

to

obey

their

ancestors

,

choosing

rather

to

become

an

addition

to

the

error

of

others

,

than

to

trust

themselves

;

in

that

they

know

nothing

of

what

they

fear

.

Thus

avarice

has

been

consecrated

in

gold

and

silver

;

thus

the

form

of

empty

statues

has

been

established

;

thus

has

arisen

Roman

superstition

.

And

if

you

reconsider

the

rites

of

these

gods

,

how

many

things

are

laughable

,

and

how

many

also

pitiable

!

Naked

people

run

about

in

the

raw

winter

;

some

walk

bonneted

,

and

carry

around

old

bucklers

,

or

beat

drums

,

or

lead

their

gods

a

-

begging

through

the

streets

.

Some

fanes

it

is

permitted

to

approach

once

a

year

,

some

it

is

forbidden

to

visit

at

all

.

There

is

one

place

where

a

man

may

not

go

,

and

there

are

some

that

are

sacred

from

women

:

it

is

a

crime

needing

atonement

for

a

slave

even

to

be

present

at

some

ceremonies

.

Some

sacred

places

are

crowned

by

a

woman

having

one

husband

,

some

by

a

woman

with

many

;

and

she

who

can

reckon

up

most

adulteries

is

sought

after

with

most

religious

zeal

.

What

!

would

not

a

man

who

makes

libations

of

his

own

blood

,

and

supplicates

(

his

god

)

by

his

own

wounds

,

be

better

if

he

were

altogether

profane

,

than

religious

in

such

a

way

is

this

?

And

he

whose

shameful

parts

are

cut

off

,

how

greatly

does

he

wrong

God

in

seeking

to

propitiate

Him

in

this

manner

!

since

,

if

God

wished

for

eunuchs

,

He

could

bring

them

as

such

into

existence

,

and

would

not

make

them

so

afterwards

.

Who

does

not

perceive

that

people

of

unsound

mind

,

and

of

weak

and

degraded

apprehension

,

are

foolish

in

these

things

,

and

that

the

very

multitude

of

those

who

err

affords

to

each

of

them

mutual

patronage

?

Here

the

defence

of

the

general

madness

is

the

multitude

of

the

mad

people

.