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Apology

Tertullian

Chapter 38

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

Ought not Christians, therefore, to receive not merely a somewhat

‹ Chapter 37 Chapter 39 ›

milder

treatment

,

but

to

have

a

place

among

the

law

-

tolerated

societies

,

seeing

they

are

not

chargeable

with

any

such

crimes

as

are

commonly

dreaded

from

societies

of

the

illicit

class

?

For

,

unless

I

mistake

the

matter

,

the

prevention

of

such

associations

is

based

on

a

prudential

regard

to

public

order

,

that

the

state

may

not

be

divided

into

parties

,

which

would

naturally

lead

to

disturbance

in

the

electoral

assemblies

,

the

councils

,

the

curiæ

,

the

special

conventions

,

even

in

the

public

shows

by

the

hostile

collisions

of

rival

parties

;

especially

when

now

,

in

pursuit

of

gain

,

men

have

begun

to

consider

their

violence

an

article

to

be

bought

and

sold

.

But

as

those

in

whom

all

ardour

in

the

pursuit

of

glory

and

honour

is

dead

,

we

have

no

pressing

inducement

to

take

part

in

your

public

meetings

;

nor

is

there

aught

more

entirely

foreign

to

us

than

affairs

of

state

.

We

acknowledge

one

all

-

embracing

commonwealth

—

the

world

.

We

renounce

all

your

spectacles

,

as

strongly

as

we

renounce

the

matters

originating

them

,

which

we

know

were

conceived

of

superstition

,

when

we

give

up

the

very

things

which

are

the

basis

of

their

representations

.

Among

us

nothing

is

ever

said

,

or

seen

,

or

heard

,

which

has

anything

in

common

with

the

madness

of

the

circus

,

the

immodesty

of

the

theatre

,

the

atrocities

of

the

arena

,

the

useless

exercises

of

the

wrestling

-

ground

.

Why

do

you

take

offence

at

us

because

we

differ

from

you

in

regard

to

your

pleasures

?

If

we

will

not

partake

of

your

enjoyments

,

the

loss

is

ours

,

if

there

be

loss

in

the

case

,

not

yours

.

We

reject

what

pleases

you

.

You

,

on

the

other

hand

,

have

no

taste

for

what

is

our

delight

.

The

Epicureans

were

allowed

by

you

to

decide

for

themselves

one

true

source

of

pleasure

—

I

mean

equanimity

;

the

Christian

,

on

his

part

,

has

many

such

enjoyments

—

what

harm

in

that

?