Lactantius’ On the Anger and Workmanship of God
Lucius Caelius Firmianus Lactantius, better known just as Lactantius, was likely born sometime around AD 260 in North Africa. He was skilled in rhetoric and became a student of Arnobius, who himself taught in Sicca Veneria. Lactantius became so well known for his oratory skill that the Emperor Diocletian offered him a position in Nicomedia. Lactantius embraced Christianity and chose to resign his position before Diocletian’s persecution. He lived in poverty until Constantine appointed Lactantius as tutor of his son around 315, and he died about ten years later.
This episode contains the last two works by this author presented here. In the first, a letter addressed to Donatus, Lactantius refutes the idea that God is an impassible, immutable being incapable of emotion or expressing anger or emotions, a concept which is rooted in philosophy rather than scripture. His argument largely mirrors those presented in the Divine Institutes, finding that man is evil and must follow the true religion, as revealed by Jesus, to be saved from punishment of one’s sins. He again highlights the need for humans to live a pure life in order to escape the wrath of a holy and blameless God.
As with the Divine Institutes, Lactantius’ characterization of salvation appears to suggest that the degree to which we follow this “true religion” determines our eternal destiny. While this oversimplification is not consistent with the Gospel, it is worth remembering that Lactantius primarily wrote to an audience versed in Greek and Roman literature. Just as Clement of Alexandria argued that Christianity was true philosophy, in one sense Lactantius is translating the Christian message into the language of the day by casting Christians as the true worshipers of a supreme deity.
The second episode is entitled “On the workmanship of God,” addressed to Demetrianus. This collects some of Lactantius' thoughts on the nature of creation, how the human body is constructed, and how he finds the philosopher’s lacking with their understanding of humans. While some of the specifics that Lactantius focuses on could be charitably described as creative, his broader point is well worth remembering; that God has constructed every minute detail of our bodies in a way that brings Him glory and is part of His greater design.
Because of Lactantius’ desire to evaluate the philosophers, and his extensive learning, this work also serves as a brief survey of medical knowledge at the time. As a result, it is impressive to see how much, and often how little, was known at the time. Additionally, some 1700 years later the interaction between the soul, mind, and body still remains quite a mystery. As a final note, there is a substantial portion of this work which is in Latin as it outlines Lactantius’ understanding of sex and the English editors apparently did not want to translate these sections.
If you would like to read more of the writings of the Early Christian Fathers, please visit ccel.org to view the full collection.
