Sophia Scriptura

Octavius 23.7

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

Summary: Myths of divine adultery and lust give authority to human vice.

Latin text · CSEL 2:33

quid loquar Martis et Veneris adulterium deprehensum et in Ganymeden Iouis stuprum caelo consecratum? quae omnia in hoc prodita, ut uitiis hominum quaedam auctoritas pararetur.

English · Claude translation

Why should I speak of the adultery of Mars and Venus caught in the act, and of Jupiter's lust for Ganymede consecrated in heaven? All these things were published for this purpose: that a certain authority might be provided for the vices of men.

About this passage

Source
CSEL 2:33 · 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.
Extrabiblical texts
  • Homer, Od. 8.266–366 (Homer, Odyssey) · allusion, high confidence
Topics
Ethics

Notes

Translation notes

  • Homer, Od. 8.266–366 (Mars and Venus).

Cite this passage

Minucius Felix, Oct. 23.7 (trans. Sophia Scriptura, https://sophiascriptura.com/fathers/minucius-octavius/23/7/).

Plain text
Minucius Felix, Oct. 23.7 (trans. Sophia Scriptura, https://sophiascriptura.com/fathers/minucius-octavius/23/7/).

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