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The Instructions of Commodianus

Commodianus

Chapter 51

About this work

A collection of Latin acrostic poems offering moral exhortation, criticism of pagan and Jewish practices, instruction for Christians, and vivid apocalyptic expectation in an unusual popular style.

Author: Commodianus
Date: 3rd to 5th century; disputed
Origin: Latin West (uncertain)
Genre: Poetry

Both the author’s setting and the work’s date are unusually disputed; the broad bounds are intentionally cautious.

LI.—Of Infants.

The enemy has suddenly come flooding us over

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with

war

;

and

before

they

could

flee

,

he

has

seized

upon

the

helpless

children

.

They

cannot

be

reproached

,

although

they

are

seen

to

be

taken

captive

;

nor

,

indeed

,

do

I

excuse

them

.

Perhaps

they

have

deserved

it

on

account

of

the

faults

of

their

parents

;

therefore

God

has

given

them

up

.

However

,

I

exhort

the

adults

that

they

run

to

arms

,

and

that

they

should

be

born

again

,

as

it

were

,

to

their

Mother

from

the

womb

.

Let

them

avoid

a

law

that

is

terrible

,

and

always

bloody

,

impious

,

intractable

,

living

with

the

life

of

the

beasts

;

for

when

another

war

by

chance

should

be

to

be

waged

,

he

who

should

be

able

to

conquer

or

even

rightly

to

know

how

to

beware

.