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On Idolatry

Tertullian

Chapter 7

About this work

Author: Tertullian

Chapter VII.—Grief of the Faithful at the Admission of Idol-Makers into the Church; Nay, Even into the Ministry.

A whole day the zeal of faith will direct its pleadings to

‹ Chapter 6 Chapter 8 ›

this

quarter

:

bewailing

that

a

Christian

should

come

from

idols

into

the

Church

;

should

come

from

an

adversary

workshop

into

the

house

of

God

;

should

raise

to

God

the

Father

hands

which

are

the

mothers

of

idols

;

should

pray

to

God

with

the

hands

which

,

out

of

doors

,

are

prayed

to

in

opposition

to

God

;

should

apply

to

the

Lord’s

body

those

hands

which

confer

bodies

on

demons

.

Nor

is

this

sufficient

.

Grant

that

it

be

a

small

matter

,

if

from

other

hands

they

receive

what

they

contaminate

;

but

even

those

very

hands

deliver

to

others

what

they

have

contaminated

.

Idol

-

artificers

are

chosen

even

into

the

ecclesiastical

order

.

Oh

wickedness

!

Once

did

the

Jews

lay

brands

on

Christ

;

these

mangle

His

body

daily

.

Oh

hands

to

be

cut

off

!

Now

let

the

saying

,

“

If

thy

hand

make

thee

do

evil

,

amputate

it

,

”

see

to

it

whether

it

were

uttered

by

way

of

similitude

merely

.

What

hands

more

to

be

amputated

than

those

in

which

scandal

is

done

to

the

Lord’s

body

?

Notes

1
Matt. xviii. 8.