Octavius: WITH Apology AND De Spectaculis

by Tertullian

The African Q. Septimus Florens Tertullianus (ca. 150-222 CE), the great Christian writer, was born a soldier's son at Carthage, educated in Greek and Roman literature, philosophy, and medicine, studied law and became a pleader, remaining a clever and often tortuous arguer. At Rome he became a learned and militant Christian. After a visit to churches in Greece (and Asia Minor?) he returned to Carthage and in his writings there founded a Christian Latin language and literature, toiling to fuse enthusiasm with reason; to unite the demands of the Bible with the practice of the Church; and to continue to vindicate the Church's possession of the true doctrine in the face of unbelievers, Jews, Gnostics, and others. In some of his many works he defended Christianity, in others he attacked heretical people and beliefs; in others he dealt with morals. In this volume we present "Apologeticus" and "De Spectaculis."

Of Minucius, an early Christian writer of unknown date, we have only "Octavius," a vigorous and readable debate between an unbeliever and a Christian friend of Minucius, Octavius Ianuarius, a lawyer sitting on the seashore at Ostia. Minucius himself acts as presiding judge. Octavius wins the argument. The whole work presents a picture of social and religious conditions in Rome, apparently about the end of the second century.

Genres: Classics, Philosophy, Classical Studies, History

473 pages, Hardcover

First published January 1, 200

About the author

Quintus Septimius Florens Tertullianus, anglicised as Tertullian (c. 160 – c. 220 AD), was a prolific early Christian author from Carthage in the Roman province of Africa. He is the first Christian author to produce an extensive corpus of Latin Christian literature. He also was a notable early Christian apologist and a polemicist against heresy. Tertullian has been called "the father of Latin Christianity" and "the founder of Western theology." Though conservative, he did originate and advance new theology to the early Church. He is perhaps most famous for being the oldest extant Latin writer to use the term Trinity (Latin trinitas), and giving the oldest extant formal exposition of a Trinitarian theology. Other Latin formulations that first appear in his work are "three Persons, one Substance" as the Latin "tres Personae, una Substantia" (itself from the Koine Greek "treis Hypostases, Homoousios"). He wrote his trinitarian formula after becoming a Montanist; his ideas were at first rejected as heresy by the church at large, but later accepted as Christian orthodoxy.

Reviews

[Addison Hart · Rating 3 out of 5]

Probably deserves a higher rating, as it's fascinating stuff, well-edited, but Tertullian's personality is so off-putting that even the charms of Minucius Felix, which are not negligible, don't entirely balance the effect of the read. I chose this as a follow-up to Augustine, who I ended up quite liking, in order to deepen my familiarity with early Latin Christianity. All three writers were from Roman Africa and all three drew as much from the Latin literary tradition as from Christian literature - in fact, Tertullian and Minucius Felix draw considerably less from the latter, only occasionally mining it in relation to ethical or moral subjects. The character of Jesus is conspicuous for his absence, along with much of what he taught; what does come through, in the Octavius especially, is an essential belief in fundamental human equality. For the most part, however, it's clear that Christianity in the western half of the empire was already very different in ethos from that of the east. (In some ways to its advantage: it was a more demotic religion in the west, a privileged one by comparison in the Greek world. It made its core beliefs as simple and plain as possible in the west, it esotericized them relentlessly in the east.)

On the surface, Minucius Felix is a vastly more appealing writer than Tertullian, capable of bringing considerable charm to his scene-setting (the book is in the form of a dialogue between pagan and Christian friends) and eager to show off (though not ostentatiously) his deep familiarity with Varro and Cicero and the like. His project, in general, is to synthesize Greek-Roman thought with Christianity, or rather to show that the two traditions are not incompatible and indeed that the latter, blessedly unencumbered by old superstitions (philosophically, it's much like Platonism, he says at one point), is a livelier and more vital choice than the waning paganism of late antiquity. In other words, he's a happy Christian and a happy Roman and he wants to debate on friendly terms. Even so (or perhaps for that reason), his book does not exercise a deep impression on the reader.

Tertullian is pretty much his opposite. It's hard to believe anyone was ever convinced by him - or that anyone ever beat him in debate club - and impossible to believe that anyone could ignore him. Although Augustine sometimes gets a shellacking for having supposedly transformed a sunny, tolerant sect into a gloomy exercise in tortuous, close-minded legalism, the much earlier Tertullian indicates that the Christianity of Latin Africa was already inclined in that direction. It's not hard, reading him, to understand why Romans often interpreted Christianity as a joyless, demon-obsessed apocalypse cult; in Tertullian's hands, it certainly appears to be one. But what's more disagreeable still is the impression that he's more about scoring points than winning souls; while obviously an educated man, he doesn't mind misrepresenting various philosophical schools or relying on blinding rhetoric to disguise unsound arguments (unsurprisingly, he was a lawyer). It's also telling that when writing to pagans in the Apology, he says that Christians don't hate people, only the sins they commit, yet when writing to Christians in De Spectaculis, he specifically charges them to regard actors and boxers with, yes, hatred. Not just the sin, in other words, but the sinner. And yet, for all that, his brilliance is obvious. He stays with you. You don't like him, you don't trust him, but you can't shrug him off.

It's interesting to see, also, that Christians and pagans hurled many of the same charges - lasciviousness, bloodthirstiness, atheism - at one another. There's a remarkable moment in the Octavius when the pagan debater accuses Christians of concluding their agape feasts by startling their dogs, thus extinguishing the candles tied to their tails and plunging the dining room into darkness - ideal conditions for the orgy that always caps off the evening! Yet Augustine, in The Confessions, accuses pagans of doing precisely the same thing. It sounds like there was a lot of exaggerated pearl clutching in late antiquity, yet probably few actual dog-candle sex parties.

[Matt Pitts · Rating 5 out of 5]

I love the second century of Christianity and so I found this volume fascinating. Both Tertullian and Minucius Felix provide insight into how Christians were perceived at the time and how they responded to persecution. I made so many notes for later reference and was completely taken in by their dynamic rhetoric even in translation.

That said, there is no question in my mind that Tertullian’s Apology is surpassed by Justin Martyr’s First Apology and that Minucius Felix’s Octavius is surpassed by Justin’s Dialogue with Trypho. They are worthy reads, but there’s a reason why Justin is better known.

[Mehmet · Rating 4 out of 5]

Apology-4.5

This was a deeply impressive, and also surprising work. The translation was superb in rendering Tertullian legible (no mean feat) and meant that a lot of what recommends him as a author is much clearer to appreciation. Tertullian is a deeply sarcastic, ironic author, and has a surprisingly apt sense of comedic timing. The Apology is him at his best, where he combines forensic analysis (you can pin him down as an ex-lawyer from the very first paragraph) and perverse joy in his comprehensive demolishing of the functions and underpinings of classical society. Tertullian writes to hurt. In common with many pre-Augustine western Christian apologies, don’t actually expect much Christian doctrine here, in the few places where it does come in, it is pre-nicene to an extent that makes the head spin (in a good way!)

De Spectaculis-3

Writing this tract against gladiator games, hippodrome races and theater attendance, Tertullian is aiming at convincing a Christian “in” audience that participating or watching in such events is unchristian. This is not a particularly good work of his, and despite the characteristic humour and willingness to engage in spirited debate, a lot of the underpinings of the argument here falls flat. The preoccupation with demons, charming in the apology, grows to obsessive levels in this argument. One thing it is incidentially very good at is preserving a lot of detail about the games and the culture surrounding them as well, which makes it an interesting read.

Octavius-3.5

Octavius by Minucius Felix is a rather amicable adaptation of Tertullians apology in a ciceronian dialogue in a seaside holiday destination. The frame narrative as a whole is very charming, and actually adds a lot to the atmosphere. In terms of content, it again has a lot in common with other early Christian apologia, and reshashes a lot of Tertullian in a more civil, tasteful way. Funnily enough, I think I enjoyed Tertullians take more, as the sheer irreverence, anger, humour and passion deployed there makes that work soar. Another note is that there is even less Christian doctrine here then the Apology, as the presentation of Christianity mostly takes place in a communal, and classical way. What is much more throughly discussed is the vagaries of pagan life, and the issues inherent in it.

[Bennett Rogers · Rating 4 out of 5]

This volume of the Loeb Classical Library contains three works: two by Tertullian, the father of Latin Christianity, and one by Minucius Felix.

In his Apology, Tertullian, the classically trained lawyer, makes a vigorous defense of the persecuted Church, who were accused of blasphemy, treason, and a whole host of moral crimes (canabalism, infanticide, incest, and idolatry). He skillfully dismantles these false charges and then turns the tables on his accusers by charging them with injustice and inconsistency. Tertullian concludes his argument with a timeless observation - the blood of Christians is seed. This is truly a gem. There are other treasures for those willing to read it.

De Spectaculis is addressed to Christians, not their persecutors. I this treatise, Tertullian makes a case for Christian non-attendance at the Roman spectacles - the arena, circus, and theater. And it provides valuable insight into early Christian ethics, as well as Roman society.

Minucius Felix’s Octavius is a dialogue that took place between three friends: Minucius, Octavius, and Caecilius. Caecilius, a pagan, makes a case against Christianity; Octavius offers a defense; and Minucius plays the role of judge. Caecilius makes essentially the same case against Christianity that Tertullian is responding to, and Octavius’ makes a similar reply. Ultimately, Caecilius is won over by Octavius’ argument and embraces the faith. The substance of the Apology and Octavius are essentially the same, but the style is definitely different. Both are excellent and unusually timely.

My only complaint with this work is with the editors. The introduction to Tertullian is hardly sympathetic. He is presented as a late second century Puritan, which, to the editor, is obviously a bad thing. I found this to be wholly unjustified and even contrary to the facts. And the editor seems to intentionally dishonor the Third Person of the Holy Trinity by refusing to capitalize “spirit.”

In short, these are 5-star works with 3-star editing.

[jon · Rating 5 out of 5]

A great read in its own right and the purpose for which Tertullian wrote, but the bonus is the late 2nd and early 3rd c. window on the empire from a Christian apologist. Many takes on early Christian and Roman antipathy and antithesis. It’s an artifact in itself.

[Colin · Rating 5 out of 5]

Early Christian apologists and writers who shed some interesting light on ancient pagan practices through their criticisms of such practices. Kind of cool . . .

[Evy Ryan · Rating 3 out of 5]

Yeah Idk exactly what it sounds like. Really great read if you care about Christian defense of martyrdoom.

[Cooper Renner · Rating 3 out of 5]

This volume contains three shortish works from early Christianity. I've now finished the Octavius (not Octavia, despite what the Amazon feed says) of Minucius Felix (the reason I bought the book), and it offers an insight into the sort of argumentation educated Christians might have used, about 200 years after Christ's life, to justify their beliefs and to undercut the dominant paganism. The work is presented as a sort of debate--a pagan presenting his attack on Christianity, then a Christian defending his religion and attacking that of his colleague. Because Minucius was a Christian, the outcome is not in doubt, but the book is useful nonetheless. An apparently unintended effect of the debate is that one series of attacks on paganism apply to Christianity as well: that is, to Octavius' mockery of the idea of dying gods or of men becoming gods.

On to Tertullian. Or not as the case may be. Tertullian's Apology is pretty tedious stuff--fairly typical apologetics of the period, I would imagine, with not even the possibly fictional 'drama' of the dialogue that aids the Octavius. I bought this edition of the Octavius; I've read the Octavius; so for the time being I am passing on Tertullian.