Opening the library…

Home Bible Corpus Discover You

Search the Bible

Ad Nationes

Tertullian

Book 1 · Chapter 1

About this work

Author: Tertullian

VI.

Ad Nationes.

Chapter I.—The Hatred Felt by the Heathen Against the Christians is Unjust, Because Based on Culpable Ignorance.

One proof of that ignorance of yours, which condemns whilst

‹ Appendix.Book 1 · Chapter 2 ›

it

excuses

your

injustice

,

is

at

once

apparent

in

the

fact

,

that

all

who

once

shared

in

your

ignorance

and

hatred

(

of

the

Christian

religion

)

,

as

soon

as

they

have

come

to

know

it

,

leave

off

their

hatred

when

they

cease

to

be

ignorant

;

nay

more

,

they

actually

themselves

become

what

they

had

hated

,

and

take

to

hating

what

they

had

once

been

.

Day

after

day

,

indeed

,

you

groan

over

the

increasing

number

of

the

Christians

.

Your

constant

cry

is

,

that

the

state

is

beset

(

by

us

)

;

that

Christians

are

in

your

fields

,

in

your

camps

,

in

your

islands

.

You

grieve

over

it

as

a

calamity

,

that

each

sex

,

every

age

—

in

short

,

every

rank

—

is

passing

over

from

you

to

us

;

yet

you

do

not

even

after

this

set

your

minds

upon

reflecting

whether

there

be

not

here

some

latent

good

.

You

do

not

allow

yourselves

in

suspicions

which

may

prove

too

true

,

nor

do

you

like

ventures

which

may

be

too

near

the

mark

.

This

is

the

only

instance

in

which

human

curiosity

grows

torpid

.

You

love

to

be

ignorant

of

what

other

men

rejoice

to

have

discovered

;

you

would

rather

not

know

it

,

because

you

now

cherish

your

hatred

as

if

you

were

aware

that

,

(

with

the

knowledge

,

)

your

hatred

would

certainly

come

to

an

end

.

Still

,

if

there

shall

be

no

just

ground

for

hatred

,

it

will

surely

be

found

to

be

the

best

course

to

cease

from

the

past

injustice

.

Should

,

however

,

a

cause

have

really

existed

there

will

be

no

diminution

of

the

hatred

,

which

will

indeed

accumulate

so

much

the

more

in

the

consciousness

of

its

justice

;

unless

it

be

,

forsooth

,

that

you

are

ashamed

to

cast

off

your

faults

,

or

sorry

to

free

yourselves

from

blame

.

I

know

very

well

with

what

answer

you

usually

meet

the

argument

from

our

rapid

increase

.

That

indeed

must

not

,

you

say

,

be

hastily

accounted

a

good

thing

which

converts

a

great

number

of

persons

,

and

gains

them

over

to

its

side

.

I

am

aware

how

the

mind

is

apt

to

take

to

evil

courses

.

How

many

there

are

which

forsake

virtuous

living

!

How

many

seek

refuge

in

the

opposite

!

Many

,

no

doubt

;

nay

,

very

many

,

as

the

last

days

approach

.

But

such

a

comparison

as

this

fails

in

fairness

of

application

;

for

all

are

agreed

in

thinking

thus

of

the

evil

-

doer

,

so

that

not

even

the

guilty

themselves

,

who

take

the

wrong

side

,

and

turn

away

from

the

pursuit

of

good

to

perverse

ways

,

are

bold

enough

to

defend

evil

as

good

.

Base

things

excite

their

fear

,

impious

ones

their

shame

.

In

short

,

they

are

eager

for

concealment

,

they

shrink

from

publicity

,

they

tremble

when

caught

;

when

accused

,

they

deny

;

even

when

tortured

,

they

do

not

readily

or

invariably

confess

(

their

crime

)

;

at

all

events

,

they

grieve

when

they

are

condemned

.

They

reproach

themselves

for

their

past

life

;

their

change

from

innocence

to

an

evil

disposition

they

even

attribute

to

fate

.

They

cannot

say

that

it

is

not

a

wrong

thing

,

therefore

they

will

not

admit

it

to

be

their

own

act

.

As

for

the

Christians

,

however

,

in

what

does

their

case

resemble

this

?

No

one

is

ashamed

;

no

one

is

sorry

,

except

for

his

former

(

sins

)

.

If

he

is

pointed

at

(

for

his

religion

)

,

he

glories

in

it

;

if

dragged

to

trial

,

he

does

not

resist

;

if

accused

,

he

makes

no

defence

.

When

questioned

,

he

confesses

;

when

condemned

,

he

rejoices

.

What

sort

of

evil

is

this

,

in

which

the

nature

of

evil

comes

to

a

standstill

?

Notes

3
Revincit. “Condemnat” is Tertullian’s word in The Apology, i.
4
Defendit. “Excusat” in Apol.
5
Non licet rectius suspicari.
6
Non lubet propius experiri.
7
At quin.
8
Nisi si.
9
Emendari pudet.
10
Excusari piget.
11
Redundantiæ nostræ.
12
Bona fide.
13
Pro extremitatibus temporum.
14
Or perhaps, “to maintain evil in preference to good.”
15
Certe.
16
Pristinorum. In the corresponding passage (Apol. i.) the phrase is, “nisi plane retro non fuisse,” i.e., “except that he was not a Christian long ago.”
17
Cessat.