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On Exhortation to Chastity

Tertullian

Chapter 9

About this work

Author: Tertullian

Chapter IX.—Second Marriage a Species of Adultery, Marriage Itself Impugned, as Akin to Adultery.

If we look deeply into his meanings, and interpret them

‹ Chapter 8 Chapter 10 ›

,

second

marriage

will

have

to

be

termed

no

other

than

a

species

of

fornication

.

For

,

since

he

says

that

married

persons

make

this

their

solicitude

,

“

how

to

please

one

another

”

(

not

,

of

course

,

morally

,

for

a

good

solicitude

he

would

not

impugn

)

;

and

(

since

)

,

he

wishes

them

to

be

understood

to

be

solicitous

about

dress

,

and

ornament

,

and

every

kind

of

personal

attraction

,

with

a

view

to

increasing

their

power

of

allurement

;

(

since

)

,

moreover

,

to

please

by

personal

beauty

and

dress

is

the

genius

of

carnal

concupiscence

,

which

again

is

the

cause

of

fornication

:

pray

,

does

second

marriage

seem

to

you

to

border

upon

fornication

,

since

in

it

are

detected

those

ingredients

which

are

appropriate

to

fornication

?

The

Lord

Himself

said

,

“

Whoever

has

seen

a

woman

with

a

view

to

concupiscence

has

already

violated

her

in

his

heart

.

”

But

has

he

who

has

seen

her

with

a

view

to

marriage

done

so

less

or

more

?

What

if

he

have

even

married

her

?

—

which

he

would

not

do

had

he

not

desired

her

with

a

view

to

marriage

,

and

seen

her

with

a

view

to

concupiscence

;

unless

it

is

possible

for

a

wife

to

be

married

whom

you

have

not

seen

or

desired

.

I

grant

it

makes

a

wide

difference

whether

a

married

man

or

an

unmarried

desire

another

woman

.

Every

woman

,

(

however

)

,

even

to

an

unmarried

man

,

is

“

another

,

”

so

long

as

she

belongs

to

some

one

else

;

nor

yet

is

the

mean

through

which

she

becomes

a

married

woman

any

other

than

that

through

which

withal

(

she

becomes

)

an

adulteress

.

It

is

laws

which

seem

to

make

the

difference

between

marriage

and

fornication

;

through

diversity

of

illicitness

,

not

through

the

nature

of

the

thing

itself

.

Besides

,

what

is

the

thing

which

takes

place

in

all

men

and

women

to

produce

marriage

and

fornication

?

Commixture

of

the

flesh

,

of

course

;

the

concupiscence

whereof

the

Lord

put

on

the

same

footing

with

fornication

.

“

Then

,

”

says

(

some

one

)

,

“

are

you

by

this

time

destroying

first

—

that

is

,

single

—

marriage

too

?

”

And

(

if

so

)

not

without

reason

;

inasmuch

as

it

,

too

,

consists

of

that

which

is

the

essence

of

fornication

.

Accordingly

,

the

best

thing

for

a

man

is

not

to

touch

a

woman

;

and

accordingly

the

virgin’s

is

the

principal

sanctity

,

because

it

is

free

from

affinity

with

fornication

.

And

since

these

considerations

may

be

advanced

,

even

in

the

case

of

first

and

single

marriage

,

to

forward

the

cause

of

continence

,

how

much

more

will

they

afford

a

prejudgment

for

refusing

second

marriage

?

Be

thankful

if

God

has

once

for

all

granted

you

indulgence

to

marry

.

Thankful

,

moreover

,

you

will

be

if

you

know

not

that

He

has

granted

you

that

indulgence

a

second

time

.

But

you

abuse

indulgence

if

you

avail

yourself

of

it

without

moderation

.

Moderation

is

understood

(

to

be

derived

)

from

modus

,

a

limit

.

It

does

not

suffice

you

to

have

fallen

back

,

by

marrying

,

from

that

highest

grade

of

immaculate

virginity

;

but

you

roll

yourself

down

into

yet

a

third

,

and

into

a

fourth

,

and

perhaps

into

more

,

after

you

have

failed

to

be

continent

in

the

second

stage

;

inasmuch

as

he

who

has

treated

about

contracting

second

marriages

has

not

willed

to

prohibit

even

more

.

Marry

we

,

therefore

,

daily

.

And

marrying

,

let

us

be

overtaken

by

the

last

day

,

like

Sodom

and

Gomorrah

;

that

day

when

the

“

woe

”

pronounced

over

“

such

as

are

with

child

and

giving

suck

”

shall

be

fulfilled

,

that

is

,

over

the

married

and

the

incontinent

:

for

from

marriage

result

wombs

,

and

breasts

,

and

infants

.

And

when

an

end

of

marrying

?

I

believe

after

the

end

of

living

!

Notes

1
Sibi, “themselves,” i.e., mutually. See 1 Cor. vii. 32–35.
2
Matt. v. 28. See de Idol., cc. ii. xxiii.; de Pæn., c. iii.; de Cult. Fem., l. ii. c. ii.; de Pa., c. vi.
3
But compare, or rather, contrast, herewith, ad Ux., l. i. cc. ii. iii.
4
Comp. ad Ux., l. i. c. viii.; c. i. above; and de Virg. Vel., c. x.
5
Comp. ad Ux., l. i. c. v. ad fin.