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On Modesty

Tertullian

Chapter 12

About this work

Author: Tertullian

Chapter XII.—Of the Verdict of the Apostles, Assembled in Council, Upon the Subject of Adultery.

Accordingly, these who have received “another Paraclete” in and through

‹ Chapter 11 Chapter 13 ›

the

apostles

,

—

(

a

Paraclete

)

whom

,

not

recognising

Him

even

in

His

special

prophets

,

they

no

longer

possess

in

the

apostles

either

;

—

come

,

now

,

let

them

,

even

from

the

apostolic

instrument

,

teach

us

the

possibility

that

the

stains

of

a

flesh

which

after

baptism

has

been

repolluted

,

can

by

repentance

be

washed

away

.

Do

we

not

,

in

the

apostles

also

,

recognise

the

form

of

the

Old

Law

with

regard

to

the

demonstration

of

adultery

,

how

great

(

a

crime

)

it

is

;

lest

perchance

it

be

esteemed

more

trivial

in

the

new

stage

of

disciplines

than

in

the

old

?

When

first

the

Gospel

thundered

and

shook

the

old

system

to

its

base

,

when

dispute

was

being

held

on

the

question

of

retaining

or

not

the

Law

;

this

is

the

first

rule

which

the

apostles

,

on

the

authority

of

the

Holy

Spirit

,

send

out

to

those

who

were

already

beginning

to

be

gathered

to

their

side

out

of

the

nations

:

“

It

has

seemed

(

good

)

,

”

say

they

,

“

to

the

Holy

Spirit

and

to

us

to

cast

upon

you

no

ampler

weight

than

(

that

)

of

those

(

things

)

from

which

it

is

necessary

that

abstinence

be

observed

;

from

sacrifices

,

and

from

fornications

,

and

from

blood

:

by

abstaining

from

which

ye

act

rightly

,

the

Holy

Spirit

carrying

you

.

”

Sufficient

it

is

,

that

in

this

place

withal

there

has

been

preserved

to

adultery

and

fornication

the

post

of

their

own

honour

between

idolatry

and

murder

:

for

the

interdict

upon

“

blood

”

we

shall

understand

to

be

(

an

interdict

)

much

more

upon

human

blood

.

Well

,

then

,

in

what

light

do

the

apostles

will

those

crimes

to

appear

which

alone

they

select

,

in

the

way

of

careful

guarding

against

,

from

the

pristine

Law

?

which

alone

they

prescribe

as

necessarily

to

be

abstained

from

?

Not

that

they

permit

others

;

but

that

these

alone

they

put

in

the

foremost

rank

,

of

course

as

not

remissible

;

(

they

,

)

who

,

for

the

heathens

’

sake

,

made

the

other

burdens

of

the

law

remissible

.

Why

,

then

,

do

they

release

our

neck

from

so

heavy

a

yoke

,

except

to

place

forever

upon

those

(

necks

)

these

compendia

of

discipline

?

Why

do

they

indulgently

relax

so

many

bonds

,

except

that

they

may

wholly

bind

us

in

perpetuity

to

such

as

are

more

necessary

?

They

loosed

us

from

the

more

numerous

,

that

we

might

be

bound

up

to

abstinence

from

the

more

noxious

.

The

matter

has

been

settled

by

compensation

:

we

have

gained

much

,

in

order

that

we

may

render

somewhat

.

But

the

compensation

is

not

revocable

;

if

,

that

is

,

it

will

be

revoked

by

iteration

—

(

iteration

)

of

adultery

,

of

course

,

and

blood

and

idolatry

:

for

it

will

follow

that

the

(

burden

of

)

the

whole

law

will

be

incurred

,

if

the

condition

of

pardon

shall

be

violated

.

But

it

is

not

lightly

that

the

Holy

Spirit

has

come

to

an

agreement

with

us

—

coming

to

this

agreement

even

without

our

asking

;

whence

He

is

the

more

to

be

honoured

.

His

engagement

none

but

an

ungrateful

man

will

dissolve

.

In

that

event

,

He

will

neither

accept

back

what

He

has

discarded

,

nor

discard

what

He

has

retained

.

Of

the

latest

Testament

the

condition

is

ever

immutable

;

and

,

of

course

the

public

recitation

of

that

decree

,

and

the

counsel

embodied

therein

,

will

cease

(

only

)

with

the

world

.

He

has

definitely

enough

refused

pardon

to

those

crimes

the

careful

avoidance

whereof

He

selectively

enjoined

;

He

has

claimed

whatever

He

has

not

inferentially

conceded

.

Hence

it

is

that

there

is

no

restoration

of

peace

granted

by

the

Churches

to

“

idolatry

”

or

to

“

blood

.

”

From

which

final

decision

of

theirs

that

the

apostles

should

have

departed

,

is

(

I

think

)

not

lawful

to

believe

;

or

else

,

if

some

find

it

possible

to

believe

so

,

they

will

be

bound

to

prove

it

.

Notes

1
See Acts xv. 28, 29.
2
See Acts xv. 30 and xvi. 4.
3
Sæculo.