ABSTRACT
Newer still is the method of discussion which Lactantius imposed upon himself and which he faithfully followed. Addressing unbelievers, he did not wish to propose arguments which predicated faith in order that their validity might be appreciated. Thus he deliberately puts on one side the testimony of Scripture. It was useless to make use of Scripture to convince minds who judged it to be vanam, fictam, commentitiarn. In his treatise Ad Dernetrianurn he blames 8t Cyprian for having so constantly had recourse to it. Proofs taken from the Holy Books were assuredly excel" lent in themselves, but only for Christians. Others must be convinced by arguments from comparison, "argurnentis et ratione." When he decided to bring forward some sacred text, he always took care to corroborate it by extracts from other sources in the same sense, which the pagans could not reject. Thus he makes appeal to the authority of philo" sophers, historians and poets, and to the carrnina sacra, and oracles, for those whom profane writers would otherwise have
left cold. His literary tastes made this excellent method easy and agreeable to him. Sometimes we even see literary recollections intruding into his views at moments when we might have hoped for a less literary fervour: a reminiscence of the In Verrern comes rather coldly in connection with the crucifixion of Jesus Christ (IV, xviii). As a rule, however, he restrains them and adroitly makes them serve his purpose.
