Arnobius of Sicca

by Michael Bland Simmons

Arnobius of Sicca, in North Africa, was a Christian convert writing in the time of the Emperor Diocletian in the third and early fourth century AD. His most famous work, Against the Pagans, was written shortly after his conversion (c.AD 302), and is a brilliant defence of his new religion using arguments taken from the cream of pagan learning. It demonstrates exactly the nature and intensity of the conflict between pagans and Christians at this period. This book is the first ever major study of Arnobius. It deals fully with every important aspect of his life and writingfrom the complex and controversial question of the date of Against the Pagans, to the biographical data provided by Jerome, and the significance of the conflict between the African supreme deity, Saturn, and the Christian God. Dr Simmons provides clear evidence to show that Arnobius' work is directly related to the anti-Christian writings of the Porphyry of Tyre, demonstrating how Arnobius used one work Porphyry against