Arnobius
Arnobius | |
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Roman philosophy | |
Region | Western philosophy |
Main interests | |
Notable ideas | Early form of the Pascal's Wager |
Arnobius[a] (died c. 330) was an early Christian apologist of Berber origin[1] during the reign of Diocletian (284–305).
According to
According to Jerome, to overcome the doubts of the local bishop as to the earnestness of his Christian belief he wrote (c. 303, from evidence in IV:36) an apologetic work in seven books, which St. Jerome calls[3] Adversus gentes but which is entitled Adversus nationes in the only (9th-century) manuscript that has survived. Jerome's reference, his remark that Lactantius was a pupil of Arnobius[4] and the surviving treatise are all the surviving facts about Arnobius.
Adversus nationes
Adversus nationes (Against the Pagans) was composed in response to arguments justifying Diocletian's persecution of Christians by claiming that Christians had brought the wrath of the gods on Ancient Rome.[5]
Arnobius, whom Revilo P. Oliver describes as "a practitioner of the turgid and coarse style that is called African",
Never specifically identifying his pagan adversaries, some of whom may be
In order to argue against
In book 2 section 4 of Adversus nationes, Arnobius gives the first known version of the argument later called
Since, then, the nature of the future is such that it cannot be grasped and comprehended by any anticipation, is it not more rational, of two things uncertain and hanging in doubtful suspense, rather to believe that which carries with it some hopes, than that which brings none at all? For in the one case there is no danger, if that which is said to be at hand should prove vain and groundless; in the other there is the greatest loss, even the loss of salvation, if, when the time has come, it be shown that there was nothing false in what was declared.
The work of Arnobius appears to have been written when he was a recent convert, for he does not possess a very extensive knowledge of Scripture. He knows nothing of the Old Testament, and only the life of Christ in the New, while he does not quote directly from the Gospels. He was much influenced by Lucretius and had read Plato. His statements concerning Greek and Roman mythology are based respectively on the Protrepticus of Clement of Alexandria, and on Cornelius Labeo, who belonged to the preceding generation and attempted to restore Neoplatonism.[2]
Adversus nationes survived in a single ninth-century manuscript in Paris (and a bad copy of it in Brussels).[9] The French manuscript also contains the Octavius of Marcus Minucius Felix.[10]
Notes
- ^ To distinguish him from a later Arnobius (Arnobius the Younger), of the fifth century, he is sometimes called Arnobius the Elder, Arnobius Afer, or Arnobius of Sicca.
Citations
- ^ Pellegrin, Arthur (1944-01-01). Histoire de la Tunisie: depuis les origines jusqu'a nos jours (in French). La Rapide. p. 69.
- ^ a b c d public domain: Chisholm, Hugh, ed. (1911). "Arnobius". Encyclopædia Britannica. Vol. 2 (11th ed.). Cambridge University Press. p. 632. One or more of the preceding sentences incorporates text from a publication now in the
- ^ De Viris Illustribus, lxxix.
- ^ Jerome, Epistle 70.5. Arnobius' and Lactantius' readings of the classical pagan authors are compared in G. L. Ellspermann, The Attitude of the Early Christian Writers to Pagan Literature and Learning (Washington) 1949:56-50, 72-77.
- ISBN 978-90-429-1882-5. Retrieved 11 March 2013.
- ^ Revilo P. Oliver, reviewing George E. McCracken (tr.), Arnobius of Sicca: The Case Against the Pagans (Westminster, Maryland: Newman Press) 1949, in The Classical Journal 46.4 (January 1951:201).
- ^ "Arnobius Adversus Genera: 'Arnobius on the Genders'" The Classical Journal 42.8 (May 1947:474-476) p. 474.
- ^ J. Franklin, The Science of Conjecture: Evidence and Probability Before Pascal, Baltimore 2001, pp. 249-50.
- ^ Codex Parisinus, lat. 1661. Concetto Marchesi, Arnobii adversus nationes libri vii (Corpus Scriptorum Latinorum Paravianum) Turin, 1953.
- ^ Internet Encyclopedia of Philosophy: "Modern translations of the Octavius come from a 9th century manuscript in the Bibliotheque Nationale in Paris which contains the seven books of Arnobius’ (284-305) Adversus Nationes along with an 8th book—the Octavius."--http://www.iep.utm.edu/minucius/
References
- Borgeaud, Philippe (2005). Mother of the Gods: from Cybele to the Virgin Mary. Translated by Hochroth, Lysa. ISBN 0-8018-7985-X. (draws extensively on Arnobius)
- This article incorporates text from a publication now in the public domain: Herbermann, Charles, ed. (1913). "Arnobius". Catholic Encyclopedia. New York: Robert Appleton Company.
- Shahan, Thomas J. (1913). Catholic Encyclopedia. New York: Robert Appleton Company. . In Herbermann, Charles (ed.).
- ISBN 0-19-814913-1. The only modern study.
External links
- Latin Wikisource has original text related to this article: Arnobius
- Arnobii (2002). Blasii Amata (ed.). Adversus Nationes Libri VII (Latin ed.). The Latin Library.
- Arnobius (2003). Seven Books Against the Heathens. Trans. Christian Classics Ethereal Library (English ed.). IntraText Digital Library.
- Opera Omnia by Migne Patrologia Latina with analytical indexes
- Editio princeps: Disputationum adversus gentes libri VIII : Nunc primum in lucem editi, Rome, 1542, Online at the Minucius Felixas liber octavus .