Octavius 21.1

Minucius Felix · Octavius · ca. 197–250 · Rome · Read in context

Summary: Euhemerus showed that the gods were once men, with known birthplaces and tombs.

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Latin text · CSEL 2:29

Lege historicorum scripta uel scripta sapientium: eadem mecum recognosces. ob merita uirtutis aut muneris deos habitos Euhemerus exsequitur, et eorum natales, patrias, sepulcra dinumerat et per prouincias monstrat, Dictaei Iouis et Apollinis Delphici et Phariae Isidis et Cereris Eleusiniae.

English · Claude translation

"Read the writings of the historians or the writings of the wise: you will recognize the same things with me. Euhemerus sets out that men were counted gods for the merit of their valour or their gifts; and he lists their birthdays, native lands, and tombs, and points them out through the provinces: of Dictaean Jupiter, Delphic Apollo, Pharian Isis, and Eleusinian Ceres.

About this passage

Source: CSEL 2:29 · Karl Halm, ed., M. Minucii Felicis Octavius; Iulii Firmici Materni Liber de errore profanarum religionum, CSEL 2 (Vienna: Gerold, 1867), 1–56 · Latin text: K. Halm (CSEL 2, 1867), digitized by Open Greek and Latin, University of Leipzig (csel-dev), CC BY-SA 4.0
Text: As printed in CSEL 2. Manuscript variants and the editor's apparatus are not reproduced; no textual problem is noted in this passage.
Translation: Claude translation (claude-opus-5-5), 2026-09-27 · Translated by Claude from the Latin text of CSEL 2; made independently of existing English translations.
Compare: Ante-Nicene Fathers, vol. 4 (1885) (an older public-domain English translation, whole volume at CCEL; checked against ours only after ours was made) · Divided there by chapter only.

Cite this passage

Minucius Felix, Oct. 21.1 (trans. Sophia Scriptura, https://sophiascriptura.com/fathers/minucius-octavius/21/1/).

Plain text

Minucius Felix, Oct. 21.1 (trans. Sophia Scriptura, https://sophiascriptura.com/fathers/minucius-octavius/21/1/).

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