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Apology

Tertullian

Chapter 24

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

This whole confession of these beings, in which they declare

‹ Chapter 23 Chapter 25 ›

that

they

are

not

gods

,

and

in

which

they

tell

you

that

there

is

no

God

but

one

,

the

God

whom

we

adore

,

is

quite

sufficient

to

clear

us

from

the

crime

of

treason

,

chiefly

against

the

Roman

religion

.

For

if

it

is

certain

the

gods

have

no

existence

,

there

is

no

religion

in

the

case

.

If

there

is

no

religion

,

because

there

are

no

gods

,

we

are

assuredly

not

guilty

of

any

offence

against

religion

.

Instead

of

that

,

the

charge

recoils

on

your

own

head

:

worshipping

a

lie

,

you

are

really

guilty

of

the

crime

you

charge

on

us

,

not

merely

by

refusing

the

true

religion

of

the

true

God

,

but

by

going

the

further

length

of

persecuting

it

.

But

now

,

granting

that

these

objects

of

your

worship

are

really

gods

,

is

it

not

generally

held

that

there

is

one

higher

and

more

potent

,

as

it

were

the

world’s

chief

ruler

,

endowed

with

absolute

power

and

majesty

?

For

the

common

way

is

to

apportion

deity

,

giving

an

imperial

and

supreme

domination

to

one

,

while

its

offices

are

put

into

the

hands

of

many

,

as

Plato

describes

great

Jupiter

in

the

heavens

,

surrounded

by

an

array

at

once

of

deities

and

demons

.

It

behooves

us

,

therefore

,

to

show

equal

respect

to

the

procurators

,

prefects

,

and

governors

of

the

divine

empire

.

And

yet

how

great

a

crime

does

he

commit

,

who

,

with

the

object

of

gaining

higher

favour

with

the

Cæsar

,

transfers

his

endeavours

and

his

hopes

to

another

,

and

does

not

confess

that

the

appellation

of

God

as

of

Emperor

belongs

only

to

the

Supreme

Head

,

when

it

is

held

a

capital

offence

among

us

to

call

,

or

hear

called

,

by

the

highest

title

any

other

than

Cæsar

himself

!

Let

one

man

worship

God

,

another

Jupiter

;

let

one

lift

suppliant

hands

to

the

heavens

,

another

to

the

altar

of

Fides

;

let

one

—

if

you

choose

to

take

this

view

of

it

—

count

in

prayer

the

clouds

,

and

another

the

ceiling

panels

;

let

one

consecrate

his

own

life

to

his

God

,

and

another

that

of

a

goat

.

For

see

that

you

do

not

give

a

further

ground

for

the

charge

of

irreligion

,

by

taking

away

religious

liberty

,

and

forbidding

free

choice

of

deity

,

so

that

I

may

no

longer

worship

according

to

my

inclination

,

but

am

compelled

to

worship

against

it

.

Not

even

a

human

being

would

care

to

have

unwilling

homage

rendered

him

;

and

so

the

very

Egyptians

have

been

permitted

the

legal

use

of

their

ridiculous

superstition

,

liberty

to

make

gods

of

birds

and

beasts

,

nay

,

to

condemn

to

death

any

one

who

kills

a

god

of

their

sort

.

Every

province

even

,

and

every

city

,

has

its

god

.

Syria

has

Astarte

,

Arabia

has

Dusares

,

the

Norici

have

Belenus

,

Africa

has

its

Cælestis

,

Mauritania

has

its

own

princes

.

I

have

spoken

,

I

think

,

of

Roman

provinces

,

and

yet

I

have

not

said

their

gods

are

Roman

;

for

they

are

not

worshipped

at

Rome

any

more

than

others

who

are

ranked

as

deities

over

Italy

itself

by

municipal

consecration

,

such

as

Delventinus

of

Casinum

,

Visidianus

of

Narnia

,

Ancharia

of

Asculum

,

Nortia

of

Volsinii

,

Valentia

of

Ocriculum

,

Hostia

of

Satrium

,

Father

Curis

of

Falisci

,

in

honour

of

whom

,

too

,

Juno

got

her

surname

.

In

,

fact

,

we

alone

are

prevented

having

a

religion

of

our

own

.

We

give

offence

to

the

Romans

,

we

are

excluded

from

the

rights

and

privileges

of

Romans

,

because

we

do

not

worship

the

gods

of

Rome

.

It

is

well

that

there

is

a

God

of

all

,

whose

we

all

are

,

whether

we

will

or

no

.

But

with

you

liberty

is

given

to

worship

any

god

but

the

true

God

,

as

though

He

were

not

rather

the

God

all

should

worship

,

to

whom

all

belong

.

Notes

1
[Observe our author’s assertion that in its own nature, worship must be a voluntary act, and note this expression libertatem religionis.]