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Apology

Tertullian

Chapter 1

About this work

A forceful Latin defense of Christians against legal injustice and popular accusation, explaining Christian worship and ethics while challenging Roman religious, political, and judicial assumptions.

Author: Tertullian
Date: c. AD 197
Origin: Carthage, North Africa
Genre: Apology

Rulers of the Roman Empire, if, seated for the administration

Chapter 2 ›

of

justice

on

your

lofty

tribunal

,

under

the

gaze

of

every

eye

,

and

occupying

there

all

but

the

highest

position

in

the

state

,

you

may

not

openly

inquire

into

and

sift

before

the

world

the

real

truth

in

regard

to

the

charges

made

against

the

Christians

;

if

in

this

case

alone

you

are

afraid

or

ashamed

to

exercise

your

authority

in

making

public

inquiry

with

the

carefulness

which

becomes

justice

;

if

,

finally

,

the

extreme

severities

inflicted

on

our

people

in

recently

private

judgments

,

stand

in

the

way

of

our

being

permitted

to

defend

ourselves

before

you

,

you

cannot

surely

forbid

the

Truth

to

reach

your

ears

by

the

secret

pathway

of

a

noiseless

book

.

She

has

no

appeals

to

make

to

you

in

regard

of

her

condition

,

for

that

does

not

excite

her

wonder

.

She

knows

that

she

is

but

a

sojourner

on

the

earth

,

and

that

among

strangers

she

naturally

finds

foes

;

and

more

than

this

,

that

her

origin

,

her

dwelling

-

place

,

her

hope

,

her

recompense

,

her

honours

,

are

above

.

One

thing

,

meanwhile

,

she

anxiously

desires

of

earthly

rulers

—

not

to

be

condemned

unknown

.

What

harm

can

it

do

to

the

laws

,

supreme

in

their

domain

,

to

give

her

a

hearing

?

Nay

,

for

that

part

of

it

,

will

not

their

absolute

supremacy

be

more

conspicuous

in

their

condemning

her

,

even

after

she

has

made

her

plea

?

But

if

,

unheard

,

sentence

is

pronounced

against

her

,

besides

the

odium

of

an

unjust

deed

,

you

will

incur

the

merited

suspicion

of

doing

it

with

some

idea

that

it

is

unjust

,

as

not

wishing

to

hear

what

you

may

not

be

able

to

hear

and

condemn

.

We

lay

this

before

you

as

the

first

ground

on

which

we

urge

that

your

hatred

to

the

name

of

Christian

is

unjust

.

And

the

very

reason

which

seems

to

excuse

this

injustice

(

I

mean

ignorance

)

at

once

aggravates

and

convicts

it

.

For

what

is

there

more

unfair

than

to

hate

a

thing

of

which

you

know

nothing

,

even

though

it

deserve

to

be

hated

?

Hatred

is

only

merited

when

it

is

known

to

be

merited

.

But

without

that

knowledge

,

whence

is

its

justice

to

be

vindicated

?

for

that

is

to

be

proved

,

not

from

the

mere

fact

that

an

aversion

exists

,

but

from

acquaintance

with

the

subject

.

When

men

,

then

,

give

way

to

a

dislike

simply

because

they

are

entirely

ignorant

of

the

nature

of

the

thing

disliked

,

why

may

it

not

be

precisely

the

very

sort

of

thing

they

should

not

dislike

?

So

we

maintain

that

they

are

both

ignorant

while

they

hate

us

,

and

hate

us

unrighteously

while

they

continue

in

ignorance

,

the

one

thing

being

the

result

of

the

other

either

way

of

it

.

The

proof

of

their

ignorance

,

at

once

condemning

and

excusing

their

injustice

,

is

this

,

that

those

who

once

hated

Christianity

because

they

knew

nothing

about

it

,

no

sooner

come

to

know

it

than

they

all

lay

down

at

once

their

enmity

.

From

being

its

haters

they

become

its

disciples

.

By

simply

getting

acquainted

with

it

,

they

begin

now

to

hate

what

they

had

formerly

been

,

and

to

profess

what

they

had

formerly

hated

;

and

their

numbers

are

as

great

as

are

laid

to

our

charge

.

The

outcry

is

that

the

State

is

filled

with

Christians

—

that

they

are

in

the

fields

,

in

the

citadels

,

in

the

islands

:

they

make

lamentation

,

as

for

some

calamity

,

that

both

sexes

,

every

age

and

condition

,

even

high

rank

,

are

passing

over

to

the

profession

of

the

Christian

faith

;

and

yet

for

all

,

their

minds

are

not

awakened

to

the

thought

of

some

good

they

have

failed

to

notice

in

it

.

They

must

not

allow

any

truer

suspicions

to

cross

their

minds

;

they

have

no

desire

to

make

closer

trial

.

Here

alone

the

curiosity

of

human

nature

slumbers

.

They

like

to

be

ignorant

,

though

to

others

the

knowledge

has

been

bliss

.

Anacharsis

reproved

the

rude

venturing

to

criticise

the

cultured

;

how

much

more

this

judging

of

those

who

know

,

by

men

who

are

entirely

ignorant

,

might

he

have

denounced

!

Because

they

already

dislike

,

they

want

to

know

no

more

.

Thus

they

prejudge

that

of

which

they

are

ignorant

to

be

such

,

that

,

if

they

came

to

know

it

,

it

could

no

longer

be

the

object

of

their

aversion

;

since

,

if

inquiry

finds

nothing

worthy

of

dislike

,

it

is

certainly

proper

to

cease

from

an

unjust

dislike

,

while

if

its

bad

character

comes

plainly

out

,

instead

of

the

detestation

entertained

for

it

being

thus

diminished

,

a

stronger

reason

for

perseverance

in

that

detestation

is

obtained

,

even

under

the

authority

of

justice

itself

.

But

,

says

one

,

a

thing

is

not

good

merely

because

multitudes

go

over

to

it

;

for

how

many

have

the

bent

of

their

nature

towards

whatever

is

bad

!

how

many

go

astray

into

ways

of

error

!

It

is

undoubted

.

Yet

a

thing

that

is

thoroughly

evil

,

not

even

those

whom

it

carries

away

venture

to

defend

as

good

.

Nature

throws

a

veil

either

of

fear

or

shame

over

all

evil

.

For

instance

,

you

find

that

criminals

are

eager

to

conceal

themselves

,

avoid

appearing

in

public

,

are

in

trepidation

when

they

are

caught

,

deny

their

guilt

,

when

they

are

accused

;

even

when

they

are

put

to

the

rack

,

they

do

not

easily

or

always

confess

;

when

there

is

no

doubt

about

their

condemnation

,

they

grieve

for

what

they

have

done

.

In

their

self

-

communings

they

admit

their

being

impelled

by

sinful

dispositions

,

but

they

lay

the

blame

either

on

fate

or

on

the

stars

.

They

are

unwilling

to

acknowledge

that

the

thing

is

theirs

,

because

they

own

that

it

is

wicked

.

But

what

is

there

like

this

in

the

Christian’s

case

?

The

only

shame

or

regret

he

feels

,

is

at

not

having

been

a

Christian

earlier

.

If

he

is

pointed

out

,

he

glories

in

it

;

if

he

is

accused

,

he

offers

no

defence

;

interrogated

,

he

makes

voluntary

confession

;

condemned

he

renders

thanks

.

What

sort

of

evil

thing

is

this

,

which

wants

all

the

ordinary

peculiarities

of

evil

—

fear

,

shame

,

subterfuge

,

penitence

,

lamenting

?

What

!

is

that

a

crime

in

which

the

criminal

rejoices

?

to

be

accused

of

which

is

his

ardent

wish

,

to

be

punished

for

which

is

his

felicity

?

You

cannot

call

it

madness

,

you

who

stand

convicted

of

knowing

nothing

of

the

matter

.

Notes

2
Elucidation II.

Chapter 1

Contents

Notes