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Pseudo-Cyprian

Section 2

About this work

Author: Pseudo-Cyprian

2. Believers, and men who claim for themselves the authority

‹ Section 1 Section 3 ›

of

the

Christian

name

,

are

not

ashamed

—

are

not

,

I

repeat

,

ashamed

to

find

a

defence

in

the

heavenly

Scriptures

for

the

vain

superstitions

associated

with

the

public

exhibitions

of

the

heathens

,

and

thus

to

attribute

divine

authority

to

idolatry

.

For

how

is

it

,

that

what

is

done

by

the

heathens

in

honour

of

any

idol

is

resorted

to

in

a

public

show

by

faithful

Christians

,

and

the

heathen

idolatry

is

maintained

,

and

the

true

and

divine

religion

is

trampled

upon

in

contempt

of

God

?

Shame

binds

me

to

relate

their

pretexts

and

defences

in

this

behalf

.

“

Where

,

”

say

they

,

“

are

there

such

Scriptures

?

where

are

these

things

prohibited

?

On

the

contrary

,

both

Elias

is

the

charioteer

of

Israel

,

and

David

himself

danced

before

the

ark

.

We

read

of

psalteries

,

horns

,

trumpets

,

drums

,

pipes

,

harps

,

and

choral

dances

.

Moreover

,

the

apostle

,

in

his

struggle

,

puts

before

us

the

contest

of

the

Cæstus

,

and

of

our

wrestle

against

the

spiritual

things

of

wickedness

.

Again

,

when

he

borrows

his

illustrations

from

the

racecourse

,

he

also

proposes

the

prize

of

the

crown

.

Why

,

then

,

may

not

a

faithful

Christian

man

gaze

upon

that

which

the

divine

pen

might

write

about

?

”

At

this

point

I

might

not

unreasonably

say

that

it

would

have

been

far

better

for

them

not

to

know

any

writings

at

all

,

than

thus

to

read

the

Scriptures

.

For

words

and

illustrations

which

are

recorded

by

way

of

exhortation

to

evangelical

virtue

,

are

translated

by

them

into

pleas

for

vice

;

because

those

things

are

written

of

,

not

that

they

should

be

gazed

upon

,

but

that

a

greater

eagerness

might

be

aroused

in

our

minds

in

respect

of

things

that

will

benefit

us

,

seeing

that

among

the

heathens

there

is

manifest

so

much

eagerness

in

respect

of

things

which

will

be

of

no

advantage

.

Notes

6
“Nabla.”
7
[In Edin. trans. needlessly “the writings of the Scriptures.”]