Octavius 34.11 · Sophia Scriptura

Summary: Nature's cycles of death and renewal point to the resurrection.

Latin text · CSEL 2:49

uide adeo, quam in solacium nostri resurrectionem futuram omnis natura meditetur. sol demergit et nascitur, astra labuntur et redeunt, flores occidunt et reuiuescunt, post senium arbusta frondescunt, semina nonnisi corrupta reuirescunt: ita corpus in sepulcro, ut arbores in hiberno: occultant uirorem ariditate mentita.

English · Claude translation

See, then, how all nature rehearses the future resurrection for our comfort. The sun sets and is born, the stars sink and return, flowers die and revive, after their old age the shrubs put forth leaves, seeds do not grow green again unless they have decayed: so the body in the grave is like trees in winter; they hide their green under a feigned dryness.

About this passage

Source

CSEL 2:49 · 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.

Scripture

1 Cor 15:36 · echo, medium confidence

Topics

Eschatology

Cite this passage

Minucius Felix, Oct. 34.11 (trans. Sophia Scriptura, https://sophiascriptura.com/fathers/minucius-octavius/34/11/).

Plain text

Minucius Felix, Oct. 34.11 (trans. Sophia Scriptura, https://sophiascriptura.com/fathers/minucius-octavius/34/11/).