When did Arnobius die and where was he born?
Arnobius died around the year 330 after a life that began in North Africa. He was a Berber man who served as a distinguished rhetorician at Sicca Veneria before his conversion.
Questions about Arnobius
Short answers, pulled from the story.
What work did Arnobius write during the reign of Diocletian?
The work known today as Adversus Nationes emerged around the year 303 during the reign of Diocletian. This treatise consists of seven books of argumentation against pagans written to prove his earnestness to local bishops.
How does Arnobius describe the nature of the human soul in Book II sections 14 through 62?
Arnobius argued that the soul was not created directly by God but by an intermediate being. He maintained that the soul possessed no natural immortality and could only receive it as a grace or gift from God.
Where is the primary manuscript of Adversus Nationes located today?
The survival of Adversus Nationes depended entirely on one ninth-century manuscript held in Paris today. This document bears the catalog number Codex Parisinus lat. 1661 within the Bibliotheque Nationale.
Which classical authors influenced the philosophical framework of Arnobius?
Arnobius drew heavily upon classical authors like Lucretius and Plato for his philosophical framework. His statements concerning Greek mythology relied on the Protrepticus written by Clement of Alexandria while information about Roman myths came from Cornelius Labeo.