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On Exhortation to Chastity

Tertullian

Chapter 6

About this work

Author: Tertullian

Chapter VI.—The Objection from the Polygamy of the Patriarchs Answered.

“But withal the blessed patriarchs,” you say,

‹ Chapter 5 Chapter 7 ›

“

made

mingled

alliances

not

only

with

more

wives

(

than

one

)

,

but

with

concubines

likewise

.

”

Shall

that

,

then

,

make

it

lawful

for

us

also

to

marry

without

limit

?

I

grant

that

it

will

,

if

there

still

remain

types

—

sacraments

of

something

future

—

for

your

nuptials

to

figure

;

or

if

even

now

there

is

room

for

that

command

,

“

Grow

and

multiply

;

”

that

is

,

if

no

other

command

has

yet

supervened

:

“

The

time

is

already

wound

up

;

it

remains

that

both

they

who

have

wives

act

as

if

they

had

not

:

”

for

,

of

course

,

by

enjoining

continence

,

and

restraining

concubitance

,

the

seminary

of

our

race

,

(

this

latter

command

)

has

abolished

that

“

Grow

and

multiply

.

”

As

I

think

,

moreover

,

each

pronouncement

and

arrangement

is

(

the

act

)

of

one

and

the

same

God

;

who

did

then

indeed

,

in

the

beginning

,

send

forth

a

sowing

of

the

race

by

an

indulgent

laxity

granted

to

the

reins

of

connubial

alliances

,

until

the

world

should

be

replenished

,

until

the

material

of

the

new

discipline

should

attain

to

forwardness

:

now

,

however

,

at

the

extreme

boundaries

of

the

times

,

has

checked

(

the

command

)

which

He

had

sent

out

,

and

recalled

the

indulgence

which

He

had

granted

;

not

without

a

reasonable

ground

for

the

extension

(

of

that

indulgence

)

in

the

beginning

,

and

the

limitation

of

it

in

the

end

.

Laxity

is

always

allowed

to

the

beginning

(

of

things

)

.

The

reason

why

any

one

plants

a

wood

and

lets

it

grow

,

is

that

at

his

own

time

he

may

cut

it

.

The

wood

was

the

old

order

,

which

is

being

pruned

down

by

the

new

Gospel

,

in

which

withal

“

the

axe

has

been

laid

at

the

roots

.

”

So

,

too

,

“

Eye

for

eye

,

and

tooth

for

tooth

,

”

has

now

grown

old

,

ever

since

“

Let

none

render

evil

for

evil

”

grew

young

.

I

think

,

moreover

,

that

even

with

a

view

to

human

institutions

and

decrees

,

things

later

prevail

over

things

primitive

.

Notes

1
Gen. i. 28.
2
Repastinationis. Comp. de Cult. Fem., l. ii. c. ix., repastinantes.
3
Comp. Matt. iii. 10.
4
Ex. xxi. 24; Lev. xxiv. 20; Deut. xix. 21; Matt. v. 38.
5
See Rom. xii. 17; Matt. v. 39; 1 Thess. v. 16.