Octavius 14.7 · Sophia Scriptura

Summary: Every point should be weighed carefully, praising cleverness but choosing what is true.

Latin text · CSEL 2:19

nos proinde solliciti, quod utrimque omni in negotio disseratur et ex altera parte plerumque obscura sit ueritas, ex altero latere mira subtilitas, quae nonnumquam ubertate dicendi fidem confessae probationis imitetur, diligenter quantum potest singula ponderemus, ut argutias quidem laudare, ea uero quae recta sunt, eligere, probare, suscipere possimus.

English · Claude translation

Therefore let us, anxious because in every matter both sides are argued, and on one side the truth is often obscure, while on the other there is a wonderful subtlety which sometimes by its fullness of speech imitates the credibility of acknowledged proof, weigh each point carefully as far as possible, so that we may praise the cleverness, but choose, approve, and accept what is right.

About this passage

Source

CSEL 2:19 · 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.

Cite this passage

Minucius Felix, Oct. 14.7 (trans. Sophia Scriptura, https://sophiascriptura.com/fathers/minucius-octavius/14/7/).

Plain text

Minucius Felix, Oct. 14.7 (trans. Sophia Scriptura, https://sophiascriptura.com/fathers/minucius-octavius/14/7/).