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An Address to Demetrianus

Cyprian of Carthage

Section 12

About this work

Author: Cyprian of Carthage

12. Look what that very matter is of which is chiefly

‹ Section 11 Section 13 ›

our

discourse

—

that

you

molest

us

,

although

innocent

;

that

,

in

contempt

of

God

,

you

attack

and

oppress

God’s

servants

.

It

is

little

,

in

your

account

,

that

your

life

is

stained

with

a

variety

of

gross

vices

,

with

the

iniquity

of

deadly

crimes

,

with

the

summary

of

all

bloody

rapines

;

that

true

religion

is

overturned

by

false

superstitions

;

that

God

is

neither

sought

at

all

,

nor

feared

at

all

;

but

over

and

above

this

,

you

weary

God’s

servants

,

and

those

who

are

dedicated

to

His

majesty

and

His

name

,

with

unjust

persecutions

.

It

is

not

enough

that

you

yourself

do

not

worship

God

,

but

,

over

and

above

,

you

persecute

those

who

do

worship

,

with

a

sacrilegious

hostility

.

You

neither

worship

God

,

nor

do

you

at

all

permit

Him

to

be

worshipped

;

and

while

others

who

venerate

not

only

those

foolish

idols

and

images

made

by

man’s

hands

,

but

even

portents

and

monsters

besides

,

are

pleasing

to

you

,

it

is

only

the

worshipper

of

God

who

is

displeasing

to

you

.

The

ashes

of

victims

and

the

piles

of

cattle

everywhere

smoke

in

your

temples

,

and

God’s

altars

are

either

nowhere

or

are

hidden

.

Crocodiles

,

and

apes

,

and

stones

,

and

serpents

are

worshipped

by

you

;

and

God

alone

in

the

earth

is

not

worshipped

,

or

if

worshipped

,

not

with

impunity

.

You

deprive

the

innocent

,

the

just

,

the

dear

to

God

,

of

their

home

;

you

spoil

them

of

their

estate

,

you

load

them

with

chains

,

you

shut

them

up

in

prison

,

you

punish

them

with

the

sword

,

with

the

wild

beasts

,

with

the

flames

.

Nor

,

indeed

,

are

you

content

with

a

brief

endurance

of

our

sufferings

,

and

with

a

simple

and

swift

exhaustion

of

pains

.

You

set

on

foot

tedious

tortures

,

by

tearing

our

bodies

;

you

multiply

numerous

punishments

,

by

lacerating

our

vitals

;

nor

can

your

brutality

and

fierceness

be

content

with

ordinary

tortures

;

your

ingenious

cruelty

devises

new

sufferings

.

Notes

23
Or, “distress;” v. l.