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De Fuga in Persecutione

Tertullian

Section 12

About this work

Author: Tertullian

12. So far, my brother, as the question proposed

‹ Section 11 Section 13 ›

by

you

is

concerned

,

you

have

our

opinion

in

answer

and

encouragement

.

But

he

who

inquires

whether

persecution

ought

to

be

shunned

by

us

must

now

be

prepared

to

consider

the

following

question

also

:

Whether

,

if

we

should

not

flee

from

it

,

we

should

at

least

buy

ourselves

off

from

it

.

Going

further

than

you

expected

,

therefore

,

I

will

also

on

this

point

give

you

my

advice

,

distinctly

affirming

that

persecution

,

from

which

it

is

evident

we

must

not

flee

,

must

in

like

manner

not

even

be

bought

off

.

The

difference

lies

in

the

payment

;

but

as

flight

is

a

buying

off

without

money

,

so

buying

off

is

money

-

flight

.

Assuredly

you

have

here

too

the

counselling

of

fear

.

Because

you

fear

,

you

buy

yourself

off

;

and

so

you

flee

.

As

regards

your

feet

,

you

have

stood

;

in

respect

of

the

money

you

have

paid

,

you

have

run

away

.

Why

,

in

this

very

standing

of

yours

there

was

a

fleeing

from

persecution

,

in

the

release

from

persecution

which

you

bought

;

but

that

you

should

ransom

with

money

a

man

whom

Christ

has

ransomed

with

His

blood

,

how

unworthy

is

it

of

God

and

His

ways

of

acting

,

who

spared

not

His

own

Son

for

you

,

that

He

might

be

made

a

curse

for

us

,

because

cursed

is

he

that

hangeth

on

a

tree

,

—

Him

who

was

led

as

a

sheep

to

be

a

sacrifice

,

and

just

as

a

lamb

before

its

shearer

,

so

opened

He

not

His

mouth

;

but

gave

His

back

to

the

scourges

,

nay

,

His

cheeks

to

the

hands

of

the

smiter

,

and

turned

not

away

His

face

from

spitting

,

and

,

being

numbered

with

the

transgressors

,

was

delivered

up

to

death

,

nay

,

the

death

of

the

cross

.

All

this

took

place

that

He

might

redeem

us

from

our

sins

.

The

sun

ceded

to

us

the

day

of

our

redemption

;

hell

re

-

transferred

the

right

it

had

in

us

,

and

our

covenant

is

in

heaven

;

the

everlasting

gates

were

lifted

up

,

that

the

King

of

Glory

,

the

Lord

of

might

,

might

enter

in

,

after

having

redeemed

man

from

earth

,

nay

,

from

hell

,

that

he

might

attain

to

heaven

.

What

,

now

,

are

we

to

think

of

the

man

who

strives

against

that

glorious

One

,

nay

,

slights

and

defiles

His

goods

,

obtained

at

so

great

a

ransom

—

no

less

,

in

truth

,

than

His

most

precious

blood

?

It

appears

,

then

,

that

it

is

better

to

flee

than

to

fall

in

value

,

if

a

man

will

not

lay

out

for

himself

as

much

as

he

cost

Christ

.

And

the

Lord

indeed

ransomed

him

from

the

angelic

powers

which

rule

the

world

—

from

the

spirits

of

wickedness

,

from

the

darkness

of

this

life

,

from

eternal

judgment

,

from

everlasting

death

.

But

you

bargain

for

him

with

an

informer

,

or

a

soldier

or

some

paltry

thief

of

a

ruler

—

under

,

as

they

say

,

the

folds

of

the

tunic

—

as

if

he

were

stolen

goods

whom

Christ

purchased

in

the

face

of

the

whole

world

,

yes

,

and

set

at

liberty

.

Will

you

value

,

then

,

this

free

man

at

any

price

,

and

possess

him

at

any

price

,

but

the

one

,

as

we

have

said

,

it

cost

the

Lord

,

—

namely

,

His

own

blood

?

(

And

if

not

,

)

why

then

do

you

purchase

Christ

in

the

man

in

whom

He

dwells

,

as

though

He

were

some

human

property

?

No

otherwise

did

Simon

even

try

to

do

,

when

he

offered

the

apostles

money

for

the

Spirit

of

Christ

.

Therefore

this

man

also

,

who

in

buying

himself

has

bought

the

Spirit

of

Christ

,

will

hear

that

word

,

“

Your

money

perish

with

you

,

since

you

have

thought

that

the

grace

of

God

is

to

be

had

at

a

price

!

”

Yet

who

will

despise

him

for

being

(

what

he

is

)

,

a

denier

?

For

what

says

that

extorter

?

Give

me

money

:

assuredly

that

he

may

not

deliver

him

up

,

since

he

tries

to

sell

you

nothing

else

than

that

which

he

is

going

to

give

you

for

money

.

When

you

put

that

into

his

hands

,

it

is

certainly

your

wish

not

to

be

delivered

up

.

But

not

delivered

up

,

had

you

to

be

held

up

to

public

ridicule

?

While

,

then

,

in

being

unwilling

to

be

delivered

up

,

you

are

not

willing

to

be

thus

exposed

;

by

this

unwillingness

of

yours

you

have

denied

that

you

are

what

you

have

been

unwilling

to

have

it

made

public

that

you

are

.

Nay

,

you

say

,

While

I

am

unwilling

to

be

held

up

to

the

public

as

being

what

I

am

,

I

have

acknowledged

that

I

am

what

I

am

unwilling

to

be

so

held

up

as

being

,

that

is

,

a

Christian

.

Can

Christ

,

therefore

,

claim

that

you

,

as

a

witness

for

Him

,

have

stedfastly

shown

Him

forth

?

He

who

buys

himself

off

does

nothing

in

that

way

.

Before

one

it

might

,

I

doubt

not

,

be

said

,

You

have

confessed

Him

;

so

also

,

on

the

account

of

your

unwillingness

to

confess

Him

before

many

you

have

denied

Him

.

A

man’s

very

safety

will

pronounce

that

he

has

fallen

while

getting

out

of

persecution’s

way

.

He

has

fallen

,

therefore

,

whose

desire

has

been

to

escape

.

The

refusal

of

martyrdom

is

denial

.

A

Christian

is

preserved

by

his

wealth

,

and

for

this

end

has

his

treasures

,

that

he

may

not

suffer

,

while

he

will

be

rich

toward

God

.

But

it

is

the

case

that

Christ

was

rich

in

blood

for

him

.

Blessed

therefore

are

the

poor

,

because

,

He

says

,

the

kingdom

of

heaven

is

theirs

who

have

the

soul

only

treasured

up

.

If

we

cannot

serve

God

and

mammon

,

can

we

be

redeemed

both

by

God

and

by

mammon

?

For

who

will

serve

mammon

more

than

the

man

whom

mammon

has

ransomed

?

Finally

,

of

what

example

do

you

avail

yourself

to

warrant

your

averting

by

money

the

giving

of

you

up

?

When

did

the

apostles

,

dealing

with

the

matter

,

in

any

time

of

persecution

trouble

,

extricate

themselves

by

money

?

And

money

they

certainly

had

from

the

prices

of

lands

which

were

laid

down

at

their

feet

,

there

being

,

without

a

doubt

,

many

of

the

rich

among

those

who

believed

—

men

,

and

also

women

,

who

were

wont

,

too

,

to

minister

to

their

comfort

.

When

did

Onesimus

,

or

Aquila

,

or

Stephen

,

give

them

aid

of

this

kind

when

they

were

persecuted

?

Paul

indeed

,

when

Felix

the

governor

hoped

that

he

should

receive

money

for

him

from

the

disciples

,

about

which

matter

he

also

dealt

with

the

apostle

in

private

,

certainly

neither

paid

it

himself

,

nor

did

the

disciples

for

him

.

Those

disciples

,

at

any

rate

,

who

wept

because

he

was

equally

persistent

in

his

determination

to

go

to

Jerusalem

,

and

neglectful

of

all

means

to

secure

himself

from

the

persecutions

which

had

been

foretold

as

about

to

occur

there

,

at

last

say

,

“

Let

the

will

of

the

Lord

be

done

.

”

What

was

that

will

?

No

doubt

that

he

should

suffer

for

the

name

of

the

Lord

,

not

that

he

should

be

bought

off

.

For

as

Christ

laid

down

His

life

for

us

,

so

,

too

,

we

should

do

for

Him

;

and

not

only

for

the

Lord

Himself

,

nay

,

but

likewise

for

our

brethren

on

His

account

.

This

,

too

,

is

the

teaching

of

John

when

he

declares

,

not

that

we

should

pay

for

our

brethren

,

but

rather

that

we

should

die

for

them

.

It

makes

no

difference

whether

the

thing

not

to

be

done

by

you

is

to

buy

off

a

Christian

,

or

to

buy

one

.

And

so

the

will

of

God

accords

with

this

.

Look

at

the

condition

—

certainly

of

God’s

ordaining

,

in

whose

hand

the

king’s

heart

is

—

of

kingdoms

and

empires

.

For

increasing

the

treasury

there

are

daily

provided

so

many

appliances

—

registerings

of

property

,

taxes

in

kind

benevolences

,

taxes

in

money

;

but

never

up

to

this

time

has

ought

of

the

kind

been

provided

by

bringing

Christians

under

some

purchase

-

money

for

the

person

and

the

sect

,

although

enormous

gains

could

be

reaped

from

numbers

too

great

for

any

to

be

ignorant

of

them

.

Bought

with

blood

,

paid

for

with

blood

,

we

owe

no

money

for

our

head

,

because

Christ

is

our

Head

.

It

is

not

fit

that

Christ

should

cost

us

money

.

How

could

martyrdoms

,

too

,

take

place

to

the

glory

of

the

Lord

,

if

by

tribute

we

should

pay

for

the

liberty

of

our

sect

?

And

so

he

who

stipulates

to

have

it

at

a

price

,

opposes

the

divine

appointment

.

Since

,

therefore

,

Cæsar

has

imposed

nothing

on

us

after

this

fashion

of

a

tributary

sect

—

in

fact

,

such

an

imposition

never

can

be

made

,

—

with

Antichrist

now

close

at

hand

,

and

gaping

for

the

blood

,

not

for

the

money

of

Christians

—

how

can

it

be

pointed

out

to

me

that

there

is

the

command

,

“

Render

to

Cæsar

the

things

which

are

Cæsar’s

?

”

A

soldier

,

be

he

an

informer

or

an

enemy

,

extorts

money

from

me

by

threats

,

exacting

nothing

on

Cæsar’s

behalf

;

nay

,

doing

the

very

opposite

,

when

for

a

bribe

he

lets

me

go

—

Christian

as

I

am

,

and

by

the

laws

of

man

a

criminal

.

Of

another

sort

is

the

denarius

which

I

owe

to

Cæsar

,

a

thing

belonging

to

him

,

about

which

the

question

then

was

started

,

it

being

a

tribute

coin

due

indeed

by

those

subject

to

tribute

,

not

by

children

.

Or

how

shall

I

render

to

God

the

things

which

are

God’s

,

—

certainly

,

therefore

,

His

own

likeness

and

money

inscribed

with

His

name

,

that

is

,

a

Christian

man

?

But

what

do

I

owe

God

,

as

I

do

Cæsar

the

denarius

,

but

the

blood

which

His

own

Son

shed

for

me

?

Now

if

I

owe

God

,

indeed

,

a

human

being

and

my

own

blood

;

but

I

am

now

in

this

juncture

,

that

a

demand

is

made

upon

me

for

the

payment

of

that

debt

,

I

am

undoubtedly

guilty

of

cheating

God

if

I

do

my

best

to

withhold

payment

.

I

have

well

kept

the

commandment

,

if

,

rendering

to

Cæsar

the

things

which

are

Cæsar’s

,

I

refuse

to

God

the

things

which

are

God’s

!

Notes

47
Rom. viii. 32; Gal. iii. 13.
48
Isa. liii. 7.
49
Ps. xxiv. 7.
50
Acts viii. 20.
51
Matt. v. 3.
52
Acts iv. 34, 35.
53
Stephanas is perhaps intended.—Tr.
54
Acts xxiv. 26.
55
Matt. xxii. 21.