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Ad Martyras

Tertullian

Chapter 5

About this work

Author: Tertullian

I leave out of account now the motive of glory. All these

‹ Chapter 4 Chapter 6 ›

same

cruel

and

painful

conflicts

,

a

mere

vanity

you

find

among

men

—

in

fact

,

a

sort

of

mental

disease

—

as

trampled

under

foot

.

How

many

ease

-

lovers

does

the

conceit

of

arms

give

to

the

sword

?

They

actually

go

down

to

meet

the

very

wild

beasts

in

vain

ambition

;

and

they

fancy

themselves

more

winsome

from

the

bites

and

scars

of

the

contest

.

Some

have

sold

themselves

to

fires

,

to

run

a

certain

distance

in

a

burning

tunic

.

Others

,

with

most

enduring

shoulders

,

have

walked

about

under

the

hunters

’

whips

.

The

Lord

has

given

these

things

a

place

in

the

world

,

O

blessed

,

not

without

some

reason

:

for

what

reason

,

but

now

to

animate

us

,

and

on

that

day

to

confound

us

if

we

have

feared

to

suffer

for

the

truth

,

that

we

might

be

saved

,

what

others

out

of

vanity

have

eagerly

sought

for

to

their

ruin

?