Kenney_and_Clausen B.M.W.(eds.) - Get a Free Blog

MINOR FIGURES
the courts during Diocletian's persecution (302—4). Eventually he experienced a
sudden conversion to Christianity. The local bishop was at first suspicious of his
good faith, and asked for evidence of the sincerity of his conversion. Arnobius
thereupon wrote his apologetic treatise Adversus nationes 'Against the Gentiles'
and was as a result accepted into the Christian community. The treatise is in
seven books. The first two defend the Christian religion against the popular
charge that it is responsible for the present misfortunes of the Roman world, as
well as against more philosophical objections. The remaining five are devoted
to an onslaught on the paganism of his time; Books 3 and 4 deal with pagan
mythology, Books 5 to 7 with cult practices.
Arnobius knew little about Christianity when he composed his work; he
does not understand the divinity of Christ, supposes human souls to be by their
nature mortal and to acquire immortality through merit, and shows little
acquaintance with the Christian scriptures. On the other hand he knew a great
deal about the theory and practice of pagan belief and ritual. His book is a mine
of information on myths and cults and in general on the religious concepts and
practices of the educated but unphilosophical Roman citizen of his time. Though
he shows scarcely any signs of Neoplatonist influence, he was familiar with the
vaguely philosophical syncretism of much late Roman religion.
His method is to score debating points. Wit, ridicule and the discovery of
apparent contradictions are his instruments. As befits a professional rhetorician
he handles them with aplomb. Apostrophe, exclamation, rhetorical question,
syllogism, and enthymeme follow one another with dizzy rapidity. All the
contradictions of his opponent's position are revealed with merciless thoroughness
but little real profundity. Antithesis, alliteration, homoeoteleuton and other
figures of speech abound. Arnobius uses a wide-ranging vocabulary, including
many archaisms and poetic words, and often piles synonym upon synonym for
the same idea. As a display of rhetorical pyrotechnics his treatise has few rivals.
As a serious contribution to its declared subject its value is negligible. It is noteworthy
that his style is very different from the sober, rather dull Ciceronianism
of the contemporary Gaulish orators whose speeches survive in the Panegyrici
Latird. Perhaps the influence of Apuleius and Tertullian was still strong in
their native land.
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