Career
Of his personal history nothing is known, and even the date at which he wrote can be only approximately ascertained as between AD 150 and 270. Jerome's De Viris Illustribus #58 speaks of him as "Romae insignis causidicus" , but in that he is probably only improving on the expression of Lactantius who speaks of him as "non ignobilis inter causidicos loci". Written for educated non-Christians, the arguments are borrowed chiefly from Cicero, especially his De natura deorum (�Concerning the Nature of the Gods�), and Christian material, mainly from the Greek Apologists.
The Octavius is admittedly earlier than Cyprian's Quod idola dei non sint, which borrows from it. How much earlier can be determined only by settling the relation in which it stands to Tertullian's Apologeticum. Stoic influences can also be seen in his work.