Marci Minucii Felicis Octavius
by Marcus Minucius Felix
| Marci Minucii Felicis Octavius | |
 Title page from Marci Minucii Felicis Octavius, George Wythe Collection, Wolf Law Library, College of William & Mary. | |
| Author | Marcus Minucius Felix |
| Translator | John Davies |
| Published | Glasguae: In aedibus academicis excudebant Robertus et Andreas Foulis |
| Date | 1750 |
| Language | Latin |
| Pages | [4], 112, [12] |
Minucius Marcus Minucuis Felix (d. ca. 250 CE) was a Roman advocate, rhetorician, and Christian apologist. His only known work,[1] Octavius is one of the earliest Christian apologies in Latin. It is a dialogue between a pagan, Caecilius Natalis, and a Christian, Octavius Januarius. We know little about the author, Marcus Minucuis Felix other than that he was a lawyer and a Christian.[2]
Minucius is of interest not only to theologians and Church historians, but also to those with an interest in philosophy and rhetoric. Unlike other Latin apologists of the period, such as Tertullian, who asserted credo quia ineptum (I believe because [it is] absurd) (De Carne Christi 5.4), and who was openly hostile to speculative philosophy, Minucius attempted to establish at least the rational possibility of the Christian faith. The rhetoric found within the Octavius can be considered Ciceronian, having elements of the six-part speech (exordium, narration, partition, confirmation, refutation, and conclusion). This text represents an important stage in the evolution of rhetoric from a primarily oral, forensic, and political art, to a literary art.[3]
The edition in George Wythe’s collection was edited by John Davies (1679–1732), who was president of Queen’s College. He was close friends with the eminent classicist Richard Bentley, who contributed to many of Davies’s editions.[4]
Evidence for Inclusion in Wythe's Library
Description of the Wolf Law Library's copy
Bound in contemporary calf, rebacked. Board edges stamped and gilt.
View this book in William & Mary's online catalog.
References
- ↑ Internet Encyclopedia of Philosophy, s.v. "Minucius Felix (c. 2nd and 3rd C. CE)," accessed Oct. 8, 2013, http://www.iep.utm.edu/minucius/.
- ↑ Encyclopaedia Britannica Online, s.v. “Marcus Minucius Felix,” accessed October 17, 2013, http://www.britannica.com/EBchecked/topic/384629/Marcus-Minucius-Felix.
- ↑ Internet Encyclopedia of Philosophy, s.v. "Minucius Felix."
- ↑ Thompson Cooper, "Davies, John (1679–1732)", rev. S. J. Skedd in Oxford Dictionary of National Biography (Oxford University Press, 2004- ), accessed October 17, 2013.
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