Tra città e campagna, tra pagani e cristiani: alcuni spunti nell'opera di Arnobio

This paper investigates some passages in the apologetic text written by Arnobius of Sicca at the beginning of the fourth century AD, namely those pertaining to the description of ‘African’ realities, which, for the most part are set in a rural context (e.g. the cult of Saturn). Arnobius highlights the opposition between pagans and Christians by means of a skilled use of rhetorical devices and creates a sort of binary opposition, which, however, does not always correspond to the actual situation of his times.