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Tertullian

Book 1 · Chapter 6

About this work

Author: Tertullian

Chapter VI.—The Innocence of the Christians Not Compromised by the Iniquitous Laws Which Were Made Against Them.

Whenever these statements and answers of ours, which truth suggests of

‹ Book 1 · Chapter 5 Book 1 · Chapter 8 ›

its

own

accord

,

press

and

restrain

your

conscience

,

which

is

the

witness

of

its

own

ignorance

,

you

betake

yourselves

in

hot

haste

to

that

poor

altar

of

refuge

,

the

authority

of

the

laws

,

because

these

,

of

course

,

would

never

punish

the

offensive

sect

,

if

their

deserts

had

not

been

fully

considered

by

those

who

made

the

laws

.

Then

what

is

it

which

has

prevented

a

like

consideration

on

the

part

of

those

who

put

the

laws

in

force

,

when

,

in

the

case

of

all

other

crimes

which

are

similarly

forbidden

and

punished

by

the

laws

,

the

penalty

is

not

inflicted

until

it

is

sought

by

regular

process

?

Take

,

for

instance

,

the

case

of

a

murderer

or

an

adulterer

.

An

examination

is

ordered

touching

the

particulars

of

the

crime

,

even

though

it

is

patent

to

all

what

its

nature

is

.

Whatever

wrong

has

been

done

by

the

Christian

ought

to

be

brought

to

light

.

No

law

forbids

inquiry

to

be

made

;

on

the

contrary

,

inquiry

is

made

in

the

interest

of

the

laws

.

For

how

are

you

to

keep

the

law

by

precautions

against

that

which

the

law

forbids

,

if

you

neutralize

the

carefulness

of

the

precaution

by

your

failing

to

perceive

what

it

is

you

have

to

keep

?

No

law

must

keep

to

itself

the

knowledge

of

its

own

righteousness

,

but

(

it

owes

it

)

to

those

from

whom

it

claims

obedience

.

The

law

,

however

,

becomes

an

object

of

suspicion

when

it

declines

to

approve

itself

.

Naturally

enough

,

then

,

are

the

laws

against

the

Christians

supposed

to

be

just

and

deserving

of

respect

and

observance

,

just

as

long

as

men

remain

ignorant

of

their

aim

and

purport

;

but

when

this

is

perceived

,

their

extreme

injustice

is

discovered

,

and

they

are

deservedly

rejected

with

abhorrence

,

along

with

(

their

instruments

of

torture

)

—

the

swords

,

the

crosses

,

and

the

lions

.

An

unjust

law

secures

no

respect

.

In

my

opinion

,

however

,

there

is

a

suspicion

among

you

that

some

of

these

laws

are

unjust

,

since

not

a

day

passes

without

your

modifying

their

severity

and

iniquity

by

fresh

deliberations

and

decisions

.

Notes

2
Ad arulam quandam.
3
Istam.
4
Cessat, “loiters.”
5
Requiratur.
6
Lege.
7
Ordo.
8
Genus.
9
Literally, “holding the inquiry makes for the laws.”
10
Per defectionem agnoscendi.
11
Sibi debet.
12
Justitiæ suæ.
13
Merito.
14
Despuuntur.