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Pseudo-Cyprian

Section 5

About this work

Author: Pseudo-Cyprian

5. What is the need of prosecuting the subject further,

‹ Section 4 Section 6 ›

or

of

describing

the

unnatural

kinds

of

sacrifices

in

the

public

shows

,

among

which

sometimes

even

a

man

becomes

the

victim

by

the

fraud

of

the

priest

,

when

the

gore

,

yet

hot

from

the

throat

,

is

received

in

the

foaming

cup

while

it

still

steams

,

and

,

as

if

it

were

thrown

into

the

face

of

the

thirsting

idol

,

is

brutally

drunk

in

pledge

to

it

;

and

in

the

midst

of

the

pleasures

of

the

spectators

the

death

of

some

is

eagerly

besought

,

so

that

by

means

of

a

bloody

exhibition

men

may

learn

fierceness

,

as

if

a

man’s

own

private

frenzy

were

of

little

account

to

him

unless

he

should

learn

it

also

in

public

?

For

the

punishment

of

a

man

,

a

rabid

wild

beast

is

nourished

with

delicacies

,

that

he

may

become

the

more

cruelly

ferocious

under

the

eyes

of

the

spectators

.

The

skilful

trainer

instructs

the

brute

,

which

perhaps

might

have

been

more

merciful

had

not

its

more

brutal

master

taught

it

cruelty

.

Then

,

to

say

nothing

of

whatever

idolatry

more

generally

recommends

,

how

idle

are

the

contests

themselves

;

strifes

in

colours

,

contentions

in

races

,

acclamations

in

mere

questions

of

honour

;

rejoicing

because

a

horse

has

been

more

fleet

,

grieving

because

it

was

more

sluggish

,

reckoning

up

the

years

of

cattle

,

knowing

the

consuls

under

whom

they

ran

,

learning

their

age

,

tracing

their

breed

,

recording

their

very

grandsires

and

great

-

grand

-

sires

!

How

unprofitable

a

matter

is

all

this

;

nay

,

how

disgraceful

and

ignominious

!

This

very

man

,

I

say

,

who

can

compute

by

memory

the

whole

family

of

his

equine

race

,

and

can

relate

it

with

great

quickness

without

interfering

with

the

exhibition

—

were

you

to

inquire

of

this

man

who

were

the

parents

of

Christ

,

he

cannot

tell

,

or

he

is

the

more

unfortunate

if

he

can

.

But

if

,

again

,

I

should

ask

him

by

what

road

he

has

come

to

that

exhibition

,

he

will

confess

(

that

he

has

come

)

by

the

naked

bodies

of

prostitutes

and

of

profligate

women

,

by

(

scenes

of

)

public

lust

,

by

public

disgrace

,

by

vulgar

lasciviousness

,

by

the

common

contempt

of

all

men

.

And

,

not

to

object

to

him

what

perchance

he

has

done

,

still

he

has

seen

what

was

not

fit

to

be

done

,

and

he

has

trained

his

eyes

to

the

exhibition

of

idolatry

by

lust

:

he

would

have

dared

,

had

he

been

able

,

to

take

that

which

is

holy

into

the

brothel

with

him

;

since

,

as

he

hastens

to

the

spectacle

when

dismissed

from

the

Lord’s

table

,

and

still

bearing

within

him

,

as

often

occurs

,

the

Eucharist

,

that

unfaithful

man

has

carried

about

the

holy

body

of

Christ

among

the

filthy

bodies

of

harlots

,

and

has

deserved

a

deeper

condemnation

for

the

way

by

which

he

has

gone

thither

,

than

for

the

pleasure

he

has

received

from

the

exhibition

.