Academic Exercise on the Abstinence of the Early Christians from Reading Profane Books

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In the Name of Jesus

original: "J. N. J.", an abbreviation for "In Nomine Jesu".

Thesis I.

An ornate woodcut initial T is decorated with scrolling vine and leaf patterns. The ancient world brought forth its own Sages. These men committed many noble ideas to written records which would benefit their distant descendants. By doing so, they entrusted their names to eternal fame and glory. Athens and Rome were particularly fertile in producing such brilliant minds. These cities were so devoted to literature that one seemed to be its parent, while the other appeared to be its nurse. Indeed, while these cities were at the height of their power, Minerva The Roman goddess of wisdom, here symbolizing intellectual pursuits. was so highly cultivated that the study of all the liberal arts original: "bonae artes", referring to the branches of knowledge such as rhetoric, grammar, and philosophy. flourished greatly in both places. We have also learned that many