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On Modesty

Tertullian

Chapter 11

About this work

Author: Tertullian

Chapter XI.—From Parables Tertullian Comes to Consider Definite Acts of the Lord.

From the side of its pertinence to the Gospel, the question

‹ Chapter 10 Chapter 12 ›

of

the

parables

indeed

has

by

this

time

been

disposed

of

.

If

,

however

,

the

Lord

,

by

His

deeds

withal

,

issued

any

such

proclamation

in

favour

of

sinners

;

as

when

He

permitted

contact

even

with

his

own

body

to

the

“

woman

,

a

sinner

,

”

—

washing

,

as

she

did

,

His

feet

with

tears

,

and

wiping

them

with

her

hair

,

and

inaugurating

His

sepulture

with

ointment

;

as

when

to

the

Samaritaness

—

not

an

adulteress

by

her

now

sixth

marriage

,

but

a

prostitute

—

He

showed

(

what

He

did

show

readily

to

any

one

)

who

He

was

;

—

no

benefit

is

hence

conferred

upon

our

adversaries

,

even

if

it

had

been

to

such

as

were

already

Christians

that

He

(

in

these

several

cases

)

granted

pardon

.

For

we

now

affirm

:

This

is

lawful

to

the

Lord

alone

:

may

the

power

of

His

indulgence

be

operative

at

the

present

day

!

At

those

times

,

however

,

in

which

He

lived

on

earth

we

lay

this

down

definitively

,

that

it

is

no

prejudgment

against

us

if

pardon

used

to

be

conferred

on

sinners

—

even

Jewish

ones

.

For

Christian

discipline

dates

from

the

renewing

of

the

Testament

,

and

(

as

we

have

premised

)

from

the

redemption

of

flesh

—

that

is

,

the

Lord’s

passion

.

None

was

perfect

before

the

discovery

of

the

order

of

faith

;

none

a

Christian

before

the

resumption

of

Christ

to

heaven

;

none

holy

before

the

manifestation

of

the

Holy

Spirit

from

heaven

,

the

Determiner

of

discipline

itself

.

Notes

1
John iv. 1–25.
2
Comp. c. iii. above.
3
Comp. Matt. xxvi. 28, Mark xiv. 24, Luke xxii. 21, with Heb. ix. 11–20.