In lieu of an abstract, here is a brief excerpt of the content:

sidered a distinguished rhetorician from Africa. When he was in Sicca [in Africa] instructing young men in declamation he was converted to true belief by his dreams; a pagan up to then, he did not receive the faith, that which he had always fought against, from the bishop. He spent his nights composing the most authoritative books against his former religion. Finally he obtained the covenant through certain pledges of faith, as it were.” M. B. Simmons, Arnobius of Sicca: religious conflict (Oxford, 1995), takes this at face value, with interesting results. 2. Diocletian reigned, 284–305. 3. Adversus nationes: CPL 93. Text: C. Marchesi (Turin, 1953). Trans.: G. E. McCracken, Arnobius of Sicca, The Case Against the Pagans, ACW 7–8 (Westminster , Maryland, 1949). See also G. Gierlich, Arnobius von Sicca. Kommentar zu den ersten beiden Büchern (Mainz, 1985); O. P. Nicholson, “The date of Arnobius’ Adversus gentes,” StudPat 15 (1984): 100–107; R. MacMullen, Christianity and Paganism in the Fourth to Eighth Centuries (New Haven: Yale University Press, 1997), 87 and 206. In the latter location, MacMullen characterizes Adv. nat. 2.10 as “dismissing all non-Christian religious thought as so much argy-bargy and quarrelous obfuscation” (n. 29). references Q 2, 383–92 — CPL 93 — EEC 12 , 119–20, M. P. McHugh — EECh 1,82, P. Siniscalco — LThK 13 , 1020, R. Kany — HLL 5, 365–75, A. Wlosok — R. M. Grant, Greek Apologists, 193–94 LXXX. FIRMIANUS THE RHETORICIAN, SURNAMED LACTANTIUS irmianus, also called Lactantius,1 a disciple of Arnobius, summoned to Nicomedia under Diocletian, along with the grammarian Flavius,2 whose verse compositions On Medicinal Matters are extant, taught rhetoric there; but because of the scarcity of pupils, in that it was a Greek city, he switched to writing. 2. We have surviving his Symposium,3 which he wrote as a young man in Africa; an JOdoiporikovn, Travel Guide,4 from Africa to Nicomedia, composed in hexameters; another book entitled, The Grammarian;5 ON ILLUSTRIOUS MEN 111 another fine work, On the Anger of God;6 seven books, Divine Institutes against the Pagans;7 and an jEpitomhvn, Epitome,8 of the same work in a book ajkefavlw /, without a heading; and To Asclepiades,9 two books; On Persecution,10 one book; To Probus,11 four books of letters; To Severus,12 two books of letters; To Demetrianus, his disciple, two books of letters;13 and to the same, On the Workmanship of God, or On the Formation of Man,14 one book. 3. In extreme old age he became the teacher in Gaul of Caesar Crispus, son of Constantine, who was later put to death by his father.15 notes 1. E. Heck, HLL 8, 5, 375–404. See also M. Perrin, “Jérôme lecteur de Lactance,” in Jérôme entre l’Occident et l’Orient, ed. Duval, 99–114. 2. Nicomedia: in Bithynia, a district, later a Roman province on the northwest coast of Asia Minor. See R. MacMullen, Christianity and Paganism in the Fourth to Eighth Centuries (New Haven: Yale University Press, 1997), 85–87 and 205 nn. 23–25. On the appointments, see Jerome, Chron., a.d. 230; P. F. Beatrice, “ ‘Antistes philosophiae.’ Ein christenfeindlicher Propagandist am Hofe Diocletians nach dem Zeugnis des Laktanz,” AugR 33 (1993): 31–48. The grammaticus Flavius is identified in PL 23, 687, note q, as Fabius Flavius Clemens. Flavius is also mentioned in Jerome, Adv. Iovinianum 2.6. 3. Not extant. 4. JOdoiporikov": W. Berschin, Greek Letters, 47, cites this entry as an example of Jerome ornamenting his Latin style with Greek elements. 5. Not extant. 6. De ira Dei: Q 2, 399; CPL 88. Text: CSEL 27, 65–132. 7. CPL 85. Text: CSEL 19, 1–672. Trans. M. F. McDonald, FOTC 49. 8. jEpitomhv: CPL 86. Text: CSEL 19, 673–761. See I. Opelt, art., “Epitome ,” RAC 5 (1962): 944–72; A. Wlosok, “Lactance lecteur d’Arnobe dans l’Epitome des Institutions?” REA 30 (1984): 36–41. In ep. 70.5 (CSEL 54, 707) we read: “Septem libros adversus gentes Arnobius edidit totidemque discipulus eius Lactantius, qui de ira quoque et de opificio dei duo volumina condidit; quos si legere volueris, dialogorum Ciceronis [var.: in eis] ejpitomh;n repperies.” This judgment, no doubt, prompted Pico della Mirandola and the Humanists to dub him “the Christian Cicero.” But despite the undoubted Ciceronian overtones, Jerome also thought him short on theol112 ST. JEROME ...

Share