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Tertullian

Book 1 · Chapter 4

About this work

Author: Tertullian

Chapter IV.—The Truth Hated in the Christians; So in Measure Was It, of Old, in Socrates. The Virtues of the Christians.

But the sect, you say, is punished in the name

‹ Book 1 · Chapter 3 Book 1 · Chapter 5 ›

of

its

founder

.

Now

in

the

first

place

it

is

,

no

doubt

,

a

fair

and

usual

custom

that

a

sect

should

be

marked

out

by

the

name

of

its

founder

,

since

philosophers

are

called

Pythagoreans

and

Platonists

after

their

masters

;

in

the

same

way

physicians

are

called

after

Erasistratus

,

and

grammarians

after

Aristarchus

.

If

,

therefore

,

a

sect

has

a

bad

character

because

its

founder

was

bad

,

it

is

punished

as

the

traditional

bearer

of

a

bad

name

.

But

this

would

be

indulging

in

a

rash

assumption

.

The

first

step

was

to

find

out

what

the

founder

was

,

that

his

sect

might

be

understood

,

instead

of

hindering

inquiry

into

the

founder’s

character

from

the

sect

.

But

in

our

case

,

by

being

necessarily

ignorant

of

the

sect

,

through

your

ignorance

of

its

founder

,

or

else

by

not

taking

a

fair

survey

of

the

founder

,

because

you

make

no

inquiry

into

his

sect

,

you

fasten

merely

on

the

name

,

just

as

if

you

vilified

in

it

both

sect

and

founder

,

whom

you

know

nothing

of

whatever

.

And

yet

you

openly

allow

your

philosophers

the

right

of

attaching

themselves

to

any

school

,

and

bearing

its

founder’s

name

as

their

own

;

and

nobody

stirs

up

any

hatred

against

them

,

although

both

in

public

and

in

private

they

bark

out

their

bitterest

eloquence

against

your

customs

,

rites

,

ceremonies

,

and

manner

of

life

,

with

so

much

contempt

for

the

laws

,

and

so

little

respect

for

persons

,

that

they

even

flaunt

their

licentious

words

against

the

emperors

themselves

with

impunity

.

And

yet

it

is

the

truth

,

which

is

so

troublesome

to

the

world

,

that

these

philosophers

affect

,

but

which

Christians

possess

:

they

therefore

who

have

it

in

possession

afford

the

greater

displeasure

,

because

he

who

affects

a

thing

plays

with

it

;

he

who

possesses

it

maintains

it

.

For

example

,

Socrates

was

condemned

on

that

side

(

of

his

wisdom

)

in

which

he

came

nearest

in

his

search

to

the

truth

,

by

destroying

your

gods

.

Although

the

name

of

Christian

was

not

at

that

time

in

the

world

,

yet

truth

was

always

suffering

condemnation

.

Now

you

will

not

deny

that

he

was

a

wise

man

,

to

whom

your

own

Pythian

(

god

)

had

borne

witness

.

Socrates

,

he

said

,

was

the

wisest

of

men

.

Truth

overbore

Apollo

,

and

made

him

pronounce

even

against

himself

since

he

acknowledged

that

he

was

no

god

,

when

he

affirmed

that

that

was

the

wisest

man

who

was

denying

the

gods

.

However

,

on

your

principle

he

was

the

less

wise

because

he

denied

the

gods

,

although

,

in

truth

,

he

was

all

the

wiser

by

reason

of

this

denial

.

It

is

just

in

the

same

way

that

you

are

in

the

habit

of

saying

of

us

:

“

Lucius

Titius

is

a

good

man

,

only

he

is

a

Christian

;

”

while

another

says

;

“

I

wonder

that

so

worthy

a

man

as

Caius

Seius

has

become

a

Christian

.

”

According

to

the

blindness

of

their

folly

men

praise

what

they

know

,

(

and

)

blame

what

they

are

ignorant

of

;

and

that

which

they

know

,

they

vitiate

by

that

which

they

do

not

know

.

It

occurs

to

none

(

to

consider

)

whether

a

man

is

not

good

and

wise

because

he

is

a

Christian

,

or

therefore

a

Christian

because

he

is

wise

and

good

,

although

it

is

more

usual

in

human

conduct

to

determine

obscurities

by

what

is

manifest

,

than

to

prejudice

what

is

manifest

by

what

is

obscure

.

Some

persons

wonder

that

those

whom

they

had

known

to

be

unsteady

,

worthless

,

or

wicked

before

they

bore

this

name

,

have

been

suddenly

converted

to

virtuous

courses

;

and

yet

they

better

know

how

to

wonder

(

at

the

change

)

than

to

attain

to

it

;

others

are

so

obstinate

in

their

strife

as

to

do

battle

with

their

own

best

interests

,

which

they

have

it

in

their

power

to

secure

by

intercourse

with

that

hated

name

.

I

know

more

than

one

husband

,

formerly

anxious

about

their

wives

’

conduct

,

and

unable

to

bear

even

mice

to

creep

into

their

bed

-

room

without

a

groan

of

suspicion

,

who

have

,

upon

discovering

the

cause

of

their

new

assiduity

,

and

their

unwonted

attention

to

the

duties

of

home

,

offered

the

entire

loan

of

their

wives

to

others

,

disclaimed

all

jealousy

,

(

and

)

preferred

to

be

the

husbands

of

she

-

wolves

than

of

Christian

women

:

they

could

commit

themselves

to

a

perverse

abuse

of

nature

,

but

they

could

not

permit

their

wives

to

be

reformed

for

the

better

!

A

father

disinherited

his

son

,

with

whom

he

had

ceased

to

find

fault

.

A

master

sent

his

slave

to

bridewell

,

whom

he

had

even

found

to

be

indispensable

to

him

.

As

soon

as

they

discovered

them

to

be

Christians

,

they

wished

they

were

criminals

again

;

for

our

discipline

carries

its

own

evidence

in

itself

,

nor

are

we

betrayed

by

anything

else

than

our

own

goodness

,

just

as

bad

men

also

become

conspicuous

by

their

own

evil

.

Else

how

is

it

that

we

alone

are

,

contrary

to

the

lessons

of

nature

,

branded

as

very

evil

because

of

our

good

?

For

what

mark

do

we

exhibit

except

the

prime

wisdom

,

which

teaches

us

not

to

worship

the

frivolous

works

of

the

human

hand

;

the

temperance

,

by

which

we

abstain

from

other

men’s

goods

;

the

chastity

,

which

we

pollute

not

even

with

a

look

;

the

compassion

,

which

prompts

us

to

help

the

needy

;

the

truth

itself

,

which

makes

us

give

offence

;

and

liberty

,

for

which

we

have

even

learned

to

die

?

Whoever

wishes

to

understand

who

the

Christians

are

,

must

needs

employ

these

marks

for

their

discovery

.

Notes

2
Plectitur.
3
Tradux.
4
Retinere.
5
At nunc.
6
Elatrent.
7
Libertatem suam, “their liberty of speech.”
8
Denique.
9
Porro.
10
Gravem, “earnest.”
11
Comp. The Apology, c. iii.
12
Pro.
13
i.e., the Christian.
14
De commercio.
15
Unum atque alium. The sense being plural, we have so given it all through.
16
Captivitatis (as if theirs was a self-inflicted captivity at home).
17
Omnem uxorem patientiam obtulisse (comp. Apology, middle of c. xxxix.).
18
In ergastulum.
19
Radiant.
20
He means the religion of Christ, which he in b. ii. c. ii. contrasts with “the mere wisdom” of the philosophers.