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On Idolatry

Tertullian

Chapter 2

About this work

Author: Tertullian

Chapter II.—Idolatry in Its More Limited Sense. Its Copiousness.

But let the universal names of crimes withdraw to the specialities of

‹ Chapter 1 Chapter 3 ›

their

own

works

;

let

idolatry

remain

in

that

which

it

is

itself

.

Sufficient

to

itself

is

a

name

so

inimical

to

God

,

a

substance

of

crime

so

copious

,

which

reaches

forth

so

many

branches

,

diffuses

so

many

veins

,

that

from

this

name

,

for

the

greatest

part

,

is

drawn

the

material

of

all

the

modes

in

which

the

expansiveness

of

idolatry

has

to

be

foreguarded

against

by

us

,

since

in

manifold

wise

it

subverts

the

servants

of

God

;

and

this

not

only

when

unperceived

,

but

also

when

cloaked

over

.

Most

men

simply

regard

idolatry

as

to

be

interpreted

in

these

senses

alone

,

viz

.

:

if

one

burn

incense

,

or

immolate

a

victim

,

or

give

a

sacrificial

banquet

,

or

be

bound

to

some

sacred

functions

or

priesthoods

;

just

as

if

one

were

to

regard

adultery

as

to

be

accounted

in

kisses

,

and

in

embraces

,

and

in

actual

fleshly

contact

;

or

murder

as

to

be

reckoned

only

in

the

shedding

forth

of

blood

,

and

in

the

actual

taking

away

of

life

.

But

how

far

wider

an

extent

the

Lord

assigns

to

those

crimes

we

are

sure

:

when

He

defines

adultery

to

consist

even

in

concupiscence

,

“

if

one

shall

have

cast

an

eye

lustfully

on

,

”

and

stirred

his

soul

with

immodest

commotion

;

when

He

judges

murder

to

consist

even

in

a

word

of

curse

or

of

reproach

,

and

in

every

impulse

of

anger

,

and

in

the

neglect

of

charity

toward

a

brother

just

as

John

teaches

,

that

he

who

hates

his

brother

is

a

murderer

.

Else

,

both

the

devil’s

ingenuity

in

malice

,

and

God

the

Lord’s

in

the

Discipline

by

which

He

fortifies

us

against

the

devil’s

depths

,

would

have

but

limited

scope

,

if

we

were

judged

only

in

such

faults

as

even

the

heathen

nations

have

decreed

punishable

.

How

will

our

“

righteousness

abound

above

that

of

the

Scribes

and

Pharisees

,

”

as

the

Lord

has

prescribed

,

unless

we

shall

have

seen

through

the

abundance

of

that

adversary

quality

,

that

is

,

of

unrighteousness

?

But

if

the

head

of

unrighteousness

is

idolatry

,

the

first

point

is

,

that

we

be

fore

-

fortified

against

the

abundance

of

idolatry

,

while

we

recognise

it

not

only

in

its

palpable

manifestations

.

Notes

1
Matt. v. 28.
2
Matt. v. 22.
3
1 John. iii. 15.
4
Rev. ii. 24.
5
Matt. v. 20.