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De Fuga in Persecutione

Tertullian

Section 11

About this work

Author: Tertullian

11. Thus ought every servant of God to feel and act

‹ Section 10 Section 12 ›

,

even

one

in

an

inferior

place

,

that

he

may

come

to

have

a

more

important

one

,

if

he

has

made

some

upward

step

by

his

endurance

of

persecution

.

But

when

persons

in

authority

themselves

—

I

mean

the

very

deacons

,

and

presbyters

,

and

bishops

—

take

to

flight

,

how

will

a

layman

be

able

to

see

with

what

view

it

was

said

,

Flee

from

city

to

city

?

Thus

,

too

,

with

the

leaders

turning

their

backs

,

who

of

the

common

rank

will

hope

to

persuade

men

to

stand

firm

in

the

battle

?

Most

assuredly

a

good

shepherd

lays

down

his

life

for

the

sheep

,

according

to

the

word

of

Moses

,

when

the

Lord

Christ

had

not

as

yet

been

revealed

,

but

was

already

shadowed

forth

in

himself

:

“

If

you

destroy

this

people

,

”

he

says

,

“

destroy

me

also

along

with

it

.

”

But

Christ

,

confirming

these

foreshadowings

Himself

,

adds

:

“

The

bad

shepherd

is

he

who

,

on

seeing

the

wolf

,

flees

,

and

leaves

the

sheep

to

be

torn

in

pieces

.

”

Why

,

a

shepherd

like

this

will

be

turned

off

from

the

farm

;

the

wages

to

have

been

given

him

at

the

time

of

his

discharge

will

be

kept

from

him

as

compensation

;

nay

,

even

from

his

former

savings

a

restoration

of

the

master’s

loss

will

be

required

;

for

“

to

him

who

hath

shall

be

given

,

but

from

him

who

hath

not

shall

be

taken

away

even

that

which

he

seemeth

to

have

.

”

Thus

Zechariah

threatens

:

“

Arise

,

O

sword

,

against

the

shepherds

,

and

pluck

ye

out

the

sheep

;

and

I

will

turn

my

hand

against

the

shepherds

.

”

And

against

them

both

Ezekiel

and

Jeremiah

declaim

with

kindred

threatenings

,

for

their

not

only

wickedly

eating

of

the

Sheep

,

—

they

feeding

themselves

rather

than

those

committed

to

their

charge

,

—

but

also

scattering

the

flock

,

and

giving

it

over

,

shepherdless

,

a

prey

to

all

the

beasts

of

the

field

.

And

this

never

happens

more

than

when

in

persecution

the

Church

is

abandoned

by

the

clergy

.

If

any

one

recognises

the

Spirit

also

,

he

will

hear

him

branding

the

runaways

.

But

if

it

does

not

become

the

keepers

of

the

flock

to

flee

when

the

wolves

invade

it

—

nay

,

if

that

is

absolutely

unlawful

(

for

He

who

has

declared

a

shepherd

of

this

sort

a

bad

one

has

certainly

condemned

him

;

and

whatever

is

condemned

has

,

without

doubt

,

become

unlawful

)

—

on

this

ground

it

will

not

be

the

duty

of

those

who

have

been

set

over

the

Church

to

flee

in

the

time

of

persecution

.

But

otherwise

,

if

the

flock

should

flee

,

the

overseer

of

the

flock

would

have

no

call

to

hold

his

ground

,

as

his

doing

so

in

that

case

would

be

,

without

good

reason

,

to

give

to

the

flock

protection

,

which

it

would

not

require

in

consequence

of

its

liberty

,

forsooth

,

to

flee

.

Notes

43
Ex. xxxii. 32.
44
John x. 12.
45
Luke viii. 18.
46
Zech. xiii. 7.