Arnobius and the Age of Diocletian

This chapter presents an introduction to Arnobius, his work, and the main issues of the age in which he lived. The first section examines to what extent, based upon Jerome's testimony and the Adversus nationes itself, Arnobius can be described as a representative of the Church. The second section provides a panoramic view of the pagan intellectual background to the Great Persecution. It surveys Porphyry of Tyre and Hierocles as the main leaders of the pagan intelligentsia. Some of the important questions here are: Did the anti-Christian propaganda published before the outbreak of persecution have a causal effect upon the State's official decision to mount its greatest attack upon the Church in its history? What were the main themes in the pagan attack upon Christianity? What specific role, if any, did such Hellenists as Porphyry and Hierocles play? The final section deals with the Great Persecution under Diocletian during the period ad 302–5.

Aesthetics · Ancient history · Archaeology · Art · Christianity · Geography · Intelligentsia · Period (music) · Persecution · Political science · Politics · Section (typography) · State (computer science) · Biblical Studies and Interpretation · Classical Antiquity Studies · Historical, Religious, and Philosophical Studies · History · Law