The works of Nathaniel Lardner - The Christian Researcher - Home

Aknouius. a. D. 3,U6. 461
have llieiii, before tlie yenr 319, or 320, or 321. But however
that may be, 1 think it |)robal)Ie, that the; main part of
the Institutions was written during- the time of Dioclesian's
persecution, when Lactantius might be entirely ignorant of
Avhat Arnobius had done or was doing in Africa, at a great
distance from him. For they miglit be both writing at one
and the same time, without any comnuinication of their
several designs to eacli other, and without a possibility of
it. Arnobius was a heatlien a good while. His work is the
Mork of a man of vast readijig, and of a mature age at least.
Nor have we any account of any thing clone by him afterwards:
possibly he was then far advanced in life, and died
soon after. And if his books were not composed before the
year of our Lord 305, or 30(>, Lactantius probably would be
entirely unacquainted with them, when he wrote his Institutions.
Moreover,supposingthepersecution tohavebeen begun
before Arnobius's work was composed, there might be no
fair opportunity to make it public, till that affliction ceased.
Cave^ and some others say, that Arnobius did not write
till after the beginning of Dioclesian's persecution. And it
is certain, that he not only often speaks of the afflictior.s
endured by christians, but as if they suffered at the very
time : for he prays to God^ to forgive those that persecuted
and he sometimes speaks of their sufferings in
his servants ;
the present^ tense. If the persecution was begun before he
was converted, and set about his work, it must have raged
for some good while, before his Apology was finished.
Consequently, it could not be written, much less published,
quite so soon as some have thought.
Upon the whole 1 am inclined to think, without being-
positive, that Arnobius did not write till some time after the
beginning of the persecution ordered by Dioclesian, possibly
about the year 305, or 30G.
Were we inquiriisgat what time Arnobius flourished as a
rhetorician,! should make no scruple to say, that he flourished
about the year 290, or sooner. But as our inquiry is, when
he wrote for the christians, we place him somewhat lower.
Though Arnobius has quoted a large number of Greek and
Romnn authors, he has not mentioned any christian writers.
Some think that^* he made great use of Clement of Alexandria
: but he has not named him.
* Scripti enim sunt hi libri anno 303, vel non diu post, exorta jam pcrse-
cutlone. Cav. H. L. in Arnobio.
y Da veniam, Rex summe, tuos persequeatibus servos, &c. 1. i. p. 18. m.
' Vid. I. ii. p. 44, 45. ^ Vid. Nourry, Diss, in Arnob. in App.
T. ii. p. 430. C. 481, 482, 487. C. D. 491. D. E. et 492.