Persuasion and Religion, i.e. How to Convince Somebody about Religious Illusion
Persuasion and Religion, i.e. How to Convince Somebody about Religious Illusion

Summary/Abstract: Firmicus Maternus is an original writer among Christian writers of the 4th century. Instead of entering into theological disputes, he does not hesitate to express his own specific views on the bloody rites of various cults, which he perceives as a great personal, social and national threat. However, he considers them primarily as a kind of illusion that must be countered, so for this purpose he puts to use a large set of rhetorical measures, among which the so‑called argumentum ad baculinum, present in the rhetorical set, is only a small and definitive argument for those who intend to spread cults although they are already aware of their harmfulness for themselves, as well as for the society and for the empire.

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