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The Octavius of Minucius Felix

Minucius Felix

Chapter 28

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 XXVIII.—Argument: Nor is It Only Hatred that They Arouse Against the Christians, But They Charge Against Them Horrid Crimes, Which Up to This Time Have Been Proved by Nobody. This is the Work of Demons. For by Them a False Report is Both Set on Foot and Propagated. The Christians are Falsely Accused of Sacrilege, of Incest, of Adultery, of Parricide; And, Moreover, It is Certain and True that the Very Same Crimes, or Crimes Like to or Greater Than These, are in Fact Committed by the Gentiles Themselves.

“But how unjust it is

‹ Chapter 27 Chapter 29 ›

,

to

form

a

judgment

on

things

unknown

and

unexamined

,

as

you

do

!

Believe

us

ourselves

when

penitent

,

for

we

also

were

the

same

as

you

,

and

formerly

,

while

yet

blind

and

obtuse

,

thought

the

same

things

as

you

;

to

wit

,

that

the

Christians

worshipped

monsters

,

devoured

infants

,

mingled

in

incestuous

banquets

.

And

we

did

not

perceive

that

such

fables

as

these

were

always

set

afloat

by

those

(

newsmongers

)

,

and

were

never

either

inquired

into

nor

proved

;

and

that

in

so

long

a

time

no

one

had

appeared

to

betray

(

their

doings

)

,

to

obtain

not

only

pardon

for

their

crime

,

but

also

favour

for

its

discovery

:

moreover

,

that

it

was

to

this

extent

not

evil

,

that

a

Christian

,

when

accused

,

neither

blushed

nor

feared

,

and

that

he

only

repented

that

he

had

not

been

one

before

.

We

,

however

,

when

we

undertook

to

defend

and

protect

some

sacrilegious

and

incestuous

persons

,

and

even

parricides

,

did

not

think

that

these

(

Christians

)

were

to

be

heard

at

all

.

Sometimes

even

,

when

we

affected

to

pity

them

,

we

were

more

cruelly

violent

against

them

,

so

as

to

torture

them

when

they

confessed

,

that

they

might

deny

,

to

wit

,

that

they

might

not

perish

;

making

use

of

a

perverse

inquisition

against

them

,

not

to

elicit

the

truth

,

but

to

compel

a

falsehood

.

And

if

any

one

,

by

reason

of

greater

weakness

,

overcome

with

suffering

,

and

conquered

,

should

deny

that

he

was

a

Christian

,

we

showed

favour

to

him

,

as

if

by

forswearing

that

name

he

had

at

once

atoned

for

all

his

deeds

by

that

simple

denial

.

Do

not

you

acknowledge

that

we

felt

and

did

the

same

as

you

feel

and

do

?

when

,

if

reason

and

not

the

instigation

of

a

demon

were

to

judge

,

they

should

rather

have

been

pressed

not

to

disavow

themselves

Christians

,

but

to

confess

themselves

guilty

of

incests

,

of

abominations

,

of

sacred

rites

polluted

,

of

infants

immolated

.

For

with

these

and

such

as

these

stories

,

did

those

same

demons

fill

up

the

ears

of

the

ignorant

against

us

,

to

the

horror

of

their

execration

.

Nor

yet

was

it

wonderful

,

since

the

common

report

of

men

,

which

is

,

always

fed

by

the

scattering

of

falsehoods

,

is

wasted

away

when

the

truth

is

brought

to

light

.

Thus

this

is

the

business

of

demons

,

for

by

them

false

rumours

are

both

sown

and

cherished

.

Thence

arises

what

you

say

that

you

hear

,

that

an

ass’s

head

is

esteemed

among

us

a

divine

thing

.

Who

is

such

a

fool

as

to

worship

this

?

Who

is

so

much

more

foolish

as

to

believe

that

it

is

an

object

of

worship

?

unless

that

you

even

consecrate

whole

asses

in

your

stables

,

together

with

your

Epona

,

and

religiously

devour

those

same

asses

with

Isis

.

Also

you

offer

up

and

worship

the

heads

of

oxen

and

of

wethers

,

and

you

dedicate

gods

mingled

also

of

a

goat

and

a

man

,

and

gods

with

the

faces

of

dogs

and

lions

.

Do

you

not

adore

and

feed

Apis

the

ox

,

with

the

Egyptians

?

And

you

do

not

condemn

their

sacred

rites

instituted

in

honour

of

serpents

,

and

crocodiles

,

and

other

beasts

,

and

birds

,

and

fishes

,

of

which

if

any

one

were

to

kill

one

of

these

gods

,

he

is

even

punished

with

death

.

These

same

Egyptians

,

together

with

very

many

of

you

,

are

not

more

afraid

of

Isis

than

they

are

of

the

pungency

of

onions

,

nor

of

Serapis

more

than

they

tremble

at

the

basest

noises

produced

by

the

foulness

of

their

bodies

.

He

also

who

fables

against

us

about

our

adoration

of

the

members

of

the

priest

,

tries

to

confer

upon

us

what

belongs

really

to

himself

.

(

Ista

enim

impudicitæ

eorum

forsitan

sacra

sint

,

apud

quos

sexus

omnis

membris

omnibus

prostat

,

apud

quos

iota

impudicitia

vocatur

urbanitas

;

qui

scortorum

licentiæ

invident

,

qui

medios

viros

lambunt

,

libidinoso

ore

inguinibus

inhærescunt

,

homines

malæ

linguæ

etiam

si

tacerent

,

quos

prius

tædescit

impudicitiæ

suæ

quam

pudescit

.

)

Abomination

!

they

suffer

on

themselves

such

evil

deeds

,

as

no

age

is

so

effeminate

as

to

be

able

to

bear

,

and

no

slavery

so

cruel

as

to

be

compelled

to

endure

.

Notes

1
Otherwise read, “But how great a fault it is.”
2
“To urge them” is the reading in some text.
3
“Of all men” is another reading.
4
Otherwise, “Hippona.”
5
Otherwise, “devote,” and other readings.