Africans on the warpath. Social, cultural, and communication disputes between pagans and Christians in the third century A.D. on the example of “Octavius” by Minucius Felix

Abstract

The purpose of this article was to show the conflict between Christians and pagans at a time when Christianity was an illegal religion (mid-third century A.D.). This conflict was largely due to the inability to agree on different ways of communicating separate, mutually irreconcilable visions of the world. The communication barrier also resulted from the negative image of Christians, a kind of “black PR”, based on sensational rumors arising in the urban environments of the Roman Empire. One of the most important accusations against Christians was that of dismantling the legal, cultural, and social order (antisocialism, sectarianism, incomprehensible intragroup customs). This article aims to analyze these charges in detail and include a defense of Christianity by Christian converts from pagan families.