'n Filologiese ondersoek na die Divinae institutiones van Lactantius

Abstract

Lactantius (c.250 - 325) was born from pagan parentage in one of the most , if not the most turbulent period in Christian history. In fact, one of the most outstanding personalities in the early history of the church, Cyprianus, was decapitated some 8 years after Lactantius ' birth. But paradoxically, despite the severest persecution Lactantius was privileged to see the doctrina Christiana triumph over paganism and being accepted as a religio licita during the reign of Constantine the Great on whom he probably exerted an influence far greater than that which he is credited with. This paradox is further strengthened by the fact that three seemingly different currents in the history of civilization, namely that of the Christian, the Roman and the Judaic, converge in his personality.