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On Modesty

Tertullian

Chapter 8

About this work

Author: Tertullian

Chapter VIII.—Of the Prodigal Son.

But, however, the majority of interpreters of the parables are deceived

‹ Chapter 7 Chapter 9 ›

by

the

self

-

same

result

as

is

of

very

frequent

occurrence

in

the

case

of

embroidering

garments

with

purple

.

When

you

think

that

you

have

judiciously

harmonized

the

proportions

of

the

hues

,

and

believe

yourself

to

have

succeeded

in

skilfully

giving

vividness

to

their

mutual

combination

;

presently

,

when

each

body

(

of

colour

)

and

(

the

various

)

lights

are

fully

developed

,

the

convicted

diversity

will

expose

all

the

error

.

In

the

self

-

same

darkness

,

accordingly

,

with

regard

to

the

parable

of

the

two

sons

also

,

they

are

led

by

some

figures

(

occurring

in

it

)

,

which

harmonize

in

hue

with

the

present

(

state

of

things

)

,

to

wander

out

of

the

path

of

the

true

light

of

that

comparison

which

the

subject

-

matter

of

the

parable

presents

.

For

they

set

down

,

as

represented

in

the

two

sons

,

two

peoples

—

the

elder

the

Jewish

,

the

younger

the

Christian

:

for

they

cannot

in

the

sequel

arrange

for

the

Christian

sinner

,

in

the

person

of

the

younger

son

,

to

obtain

pardon

,

unless

in

the

person

of

the

elder

they

first

portray

the

Jewish

.

Now

,

if

I

shall

succeed

in

showing

that

the

Jewish

fails

to

suit

the

comparison

of

the

elder

son

,

the

consequence

of

course

will

be

,

that

the

Christian

will

not

be

admissible

(

as

represented

)

by

the

joint

figure

of

the

younger

son

.

For

although

the

Jew

withal

be

called

“

a

son

,

”

and

an

“

elder

one

,

”

inasmuch

as

he

had

priority

in

adoption

;

although

,

too

,

he

envy

the

Christian

the

reconciliation

of

God

the

Father

,

—

a

point

which

the

opposite

side

most

eagerly

catches

at

,

—

still

it

will

be

no

speech

of

a

Jew

to

the

Father

:

“

Behold

,

in

how

many

years

do

I

serve

Thee

,

and

Thy

precept

have

I

never

transgressed

.

”

For

when

has

the

Jew

not

been

a

transgressor

of

the

law

;

hearing

with

the

ear

,

and

not

hearing

;

holding

in

hatred

him

who

reproveth

in

the

gates

,

and

in

scorn

holy

speech

?

So

,

too

,

it

will

be

no

speech

of

the

Father

to

the

Jew

:

“

Thou

art

always

with

Me

,

and

all

Mine

are

thine

.

”

For

the

Jews

are

pronounced

“

apostate

sons

,

begotten

indeed

and

raised

on

high

,

but

who

have

not

understood

the

Lord

,

and

who

have

quite

forsaken

the

Lord

,

and

have

provoked

unto

anger

the

Holy

One

of

Israel

.

”

That

all

things

,

plainly

,

were

conceded

to

the

Jew

,

we

shall

admit

;

but

he

has

likewise

had

every

more

savoury

morsel

torn

from

his

throat

,

not

to

say

the

very

land

of

paternal

promise

.

And

accordingly

the

Jew

at

the

present

day

,

no

less

than

the

younger

son

,

having

squandered

God’s

substance

,

is

a

beggar

in

alien

territory

,

serving

even

until

now

its

princes

,

that

is

,

the

princes

of

this

world

.

Seek

,

therefore

,

the

Christians

some

other

as

their

brother

;

for

the

Jew

the

parable

does

not

admit

.

Much

more

aptly

would

they

have

matched

the

Christian

with

the

elder

,

and

the

Jew

with

the

younger

son

,

“

according

to

the

analogy

of

faith

,

”

if

the

order

of

each

people

as

intimated

from

Rebecca’s

womb

permitted

the

inversion

:

only

that

(

in

that

case

)

the

concluding

paragraph

would

oppose

them

;

for

it

will

be

fitting

for

the

Christian

to

rejoice

,

and

not

to

grieve

,

at

the

restoration

of

Israel

,

if

it

be

true

,

(

as

it

is

)

,

that

the

whole

of

our

hope

is

intimately

united

with

the

remaining

expectation

of

Israel

.

Thus

,

even

if

some

(

features

in

the

parable

)

are

favourable

,

yet

by

others

of

a

contrary

significance

the

thorough

carrying

out

of

this

comparison

is

destroyed

;

although

(

albeit

all

points

be

capable

of

corresponding

with

mirror

-

like

accuracy

)

there

be

one

cardinal

danger

in

interpretations

—

the

danger

lest

the

felicity

of

our

comparisons

be

tempered

with

a

different

aim

from

that

which

the

subject

-

matter

of

each

particular

parable

has

bidden

us

(

temper

it

)

.

For

we

remember

(

to

have

seen

)

actors

withal

,

while

accommodating

allegorical

gestures

to

their

ditties

,

giving

expression

to

such

as

are

far

different

from

the

immediate

plot

,

and

scene

,

and

character

,

and

yet

with

the

utmost

congruity

.

But

away

with

extraordinary

ingenuity

,

for

it

has

nothing

to

do

with

our

subject

.

Thus

heretics

,

too

,

apply

the

self

-

same

parables

where

they

list

,

and

exclude

them

(

in

other

cases

)

—

not

where

they

ought

—

with

the

utmost

aptitude

.

Why

the

utmost

aptitude

?

Because

from

the

very

beginning

they

have

moulded

together

the

very

subject

-

matters

of

their

doctrines

in

accordance

with

the

opportune

incidences

of

the

parables

.

Loosed

as

they

are

from

the

constraints

of

the

rule

of

truth

,

they

have

had

leisure

,

of

course

,

to

search

into

and

put

together

those

things

of

which

the

parables

seem

(

to

be

symbolical

)

.

Notes

1
See Ex. iv. 22; Rom. ix. 4.
2
Comp. Isa. vi. 9.
3
Comp. Isa. xxix. 21.
4
Comp. Jer. xx. 7, 8.
5
Comp. Isa. i. 2–4.
6
See Ps. lxxviii. 30, 31 (in LXX. it is lxxvii. 30, 31).
7
Or “age”—sæculi. Comp. 1 Cor. ii. 6.
8
Comp. Rom. xii. 6.
9
Comp. Rom. ix. 10–13; Gen. xxv. 21–24.
10
Comp. Rom. xi. 11–36.