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Apology

Tertullian

Chapter 37

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

If we are enjoined, then, to love our enemies,

‹ Chapter 36 Chapter 38 ›

as

I

have

remarked

above

,

whom

have

we

to

hate

?

If

injured

,

we

are

forbidden

to

retaliate

,

lest

we

become

as

bad

ourselves

:

who

can

suffer

injury

at

our

hands

?

In

regard

to

this

,

recall

your

own

experiences

.

How

often

you

inflict

gross

cruelties

on

Christians

,

partly

because

it

is

your

own

inclination

,

and

partly

in

obedience

to

the

laws

!

How

often

,

too

,

the

hostile

mob

,

paying

no

regard

to

you

,

takes

the

law

into

its

own

hand

,

and

assails

us

with

stones

and

flames

!

With

the

very

frenzy

of

the

Bacchanals

,

they

do

not

even

spare

the

Christian

dead

,

but

tear

them

,

now

sadly

changed

,

no

longer

entire

,

from

the

rest

of

the

tomb

,

from

the

asylum

we

might

say

of

death

,

cutting

them

in

pieces

,

rending

them

asunder

.

Yet

,

banded

together

as

we

are

,

ever

so

ready

to

sacrifice

our

lives

,

what

single

case

of

revenge

for

injury

are

you

able

to

point

to

,

though

,

if

it

were

held

right

among

us

to

repay

evil

by

evil

,

a

single

night

with

a

torch

or

two

could

achieve

an

ample

vengeance

?

But

away

with

the

idea

of

a

sect

divine

avenging

itself

by

human

fires

,

or

shrinking

from

the

sufferings

in

which

it

is

tried

.

If

we

desired

,

indeed

,

to

act

the

part

of

open

enemies

,

not

merely

of

secret

avengers

,

would

there

be

any

lacking

in

strength

,

whether

of

numbers

or

resources

?

The

Moors

,

the

Marcomanni

,

the

Parthians

themselves

,

or

any

single

people

,

however

great

,

inhabiting

a

distinct

territory

,

and

confined

within

its

own

boundaries

,

surpasses

,

forsooth

,

in

numbers

,

one

spread

over

all

the

world

!

We

are

but

of

yesterday

,

and

we

have

filled

every

place

among

you

—

cities

,

islands

,

fortresses

,

towns

,

market

-

places

,

the

very

camp

,

tribes

,

companies

,

palace

,

senate

,

forum

,

—

we

have

left

nothing

to

you

but

the

temples

of

your

gods

.

For

what

wars

should

we

not

be

fit

,

not

eager

,

even

with

unequal

forces

,

we

who

so

willingly

yield

ourselves

to

the

sword

,

if

in

our

religion

it

were

not

counted

better

to

be

slain

than

to

slay

?

Without

arms

even

,

and

raising

no

insurrectionary

banner

,

but

simply

in

enmity

to

you

,

we

could

carry

on

the

contest

with

you

by

an

ill

-

willed

severance

alone

.

For

if

such

multitudes

of

men

were

to

break

away

from

you

,

and

betake

themselves

to

some

remote

corner

of

the

world

,

why

,

the

very

loss

of

so

many

citizens

,

whatever

sort

they

were

,

would

cover

the

empire

with

shame

;

nay

,

in

the

very

forsaking

,

vengeance

would

be

inflicted

.

Why

,

you

would

be

horror

-

struck

at

the

solitude

in

which

you

would

find

yourselves

,

at

such

an

all

-

prevailing

silence

,

and

that

stupor

as

of

a

dead

world

.

You

would

have

to

seek

subjects

to

govern

.

You

would

have

more

enemies

than

citizens

remaining

.

For

now

it

is

the

immense

number

of

Christians

which

makes

your

enemies

so

few

,

—

almost

all

the

inhabitants

of

your

various

cities

being

followers

of

Christ

.

Yet

you

choose

to

call

us

enemies

of

the

human

race

,

rather

than

of

human

error

.

Nay

,

who

would

deliver

you

from

those

secret

foes

,

ever

busy

both

destroying

your

souls

and

ruining

your

health

?

Who

would

save

you

,

I

mean

,

from

the

attacks

of

those

spirits

of

evil

,

which

without

reward

or

hire

we

exorcise

?

This

alone

would

be

revenge

enough

for

us

,

that

you

were

henceforth

left

free

to

the

possession

of

unclean

spirits

.

But

instead

of

taking

into

account

what

is

due

to

us

for

the

important

protection

we

afford

you

,

and

though

we

are

not

merely

no

trouble

to

you

,

but

in

fact

necessary

to

your

well

-

being

,

you

prefer

to

hold

us

enemies

,

as

indeed

we

are

,

yet

not

of

man

,

but

rather

of

his

error

.

Notes

1
[Elucidation VI.]