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On Modesty

Tertullian

Chapter 6

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Author: Tertullian

Chapter VI.—Examples of Such Offences Under the Old Dispensation No Pattern for the Disciples of the New. But Even the Old Has Examples of Vengeance Upon Such Offences.

Plainly, if you show by what patronages of heavenly precedents and

‹ Chapter 5 Chapter 7 ›

precepts

it

is

that

you

open

to

adultery

alone

—

and

therein

to

fornication

also

—

the

gate

of

repentance

,

at

this

very

line

our

hostile

encounter

will

forthwith

cross

swords

.

Yet

I

must

necessarily

prescribe

you

a

law

,

not

to

stretch

out

your

hand

after

the

old

things

,

not

to

look

backwards

:

for

“

the

old

things

are

passed

away

,

”

according

to

Isaiah

;

and

“

a

renewing

hath

been

renewed

,

”

according

to

Jeremiah

;

and

“

forgetful

of

former

things

,

we

are

reaching

forward

,

”

according

to

the

apostle

;

and

“

the

law

and

the

prophets

(

were

)

until

John

,

”

according

to

the

Lord

.

For

even

if

we

are

just

now

beginning

with

the

Law

in

demonstrating

(

the

nature

of

)

adultery

,

it

is

justly

with

that

phase

of

the

law

which

Christ

has

“

not

dissolved

,

but

fulfilled

.

”

For

it

is

the

“

burdens

”

of

the

law

which

were

“

until

John

,

”

not

the

remedial

virtues

.

It

is

the

“

yokes

”

of

“

works

”

that

have

been

rejected

,

not

those

of

disciplines

.

“

Liberty

in

Christ

”

has

done

no

injury

to

innocence

.

The

law

of

piety

,

sanctity

,

humanity

,

truth

,

chastity

,

justice

,

mercy

,

benevolence

,

modesty

,

remains

in

its

entirety

;

in

which

law

“

blessed

(

is

)

the

man

who

shall

meditate

by

day

and

by

night

.

”

About

that

(

law

)

the

same

David

(

says

)

again

:

“

The

law

of

the

Lord

(

is

)

unblameable

,

converting

souls

;

the

statutes

of

the

Lord

(

are

)

direct

,

delighting

hearts

;

the

precept

of

the

Lord

far

-

shining

,

enlightening

eyes

.

”

Thus

,

too

,

the

apostle

:

“

And

so

the

law

indeed

is

holy

,

and

the

precept

holy

and

most

good

”

—

“

Thou

shalt

not

commit

adultery

,

”

of

course

.

But

he

had

withal

said

above

:

“

Are

we

,

then

,

making

void

the

law

through

faith

?

Far

be

it

;

but

we

are

establishing

the

law

”

—

forsooth

in

those

(

points

)

which

,

being

even

now

interdicted

by

the

New

Testament

,

are

prohibited

by

an

even

more

emphatic

precept

:

instead

of

,

“

Thou

shalt

not

commit

adultery

,

”

“

Whoever

shall

have

seen

with

a

view

to

concupiscence

,

hath

already

committed

adultery

in

his

own

heart

;

”

and

instead

of

,

“

Thou

shalt

not

kill

,

”

“

Whoever

shall

have

said

to

his

brother

,

Racha

,

shall

be

in

danger

of

hell

.

”

Ask

(

yourself

)

whether

the

law

of

not

committing

adultery

be

still

in

force

,

to

which

has

been

added

that

of

not

indulging

concupiscence

.

Besides

,

if

any

precedents

(

taken

from

the

Old

Dispensation

)

shall

favour

you

in

(

the

secrecy

of

)

your

bosom

,

they

shall

not

be

set

in

opposition

to

this

discipline

which

we

are

maintaining

.

For

it

is

in

vain

that

an

additional

law

has

been

reared

,

condemning

the

origin

even

of

sins

—

that

is

,

concupiscences

and

wills

—

no

less

than

the

actual

deeds

;

if

the

fact

that

pardon

was

of

old

in

some

cases

conceded

to

adultery

is

to

be

a

reason

why

it

shall

be

conceded

at

the

present

day

.

“

What

will

be

the

reward

attaching

to

the

restrictions

imposed

upon

the

more

fully

developed

discipline

of

the

present

day

,

except

that

the

elder

(

discipline

)

may

be

made

the

agent

for

granting

indulgence

to

your

prostitution

?

”

In

that

case

,

you

will

grant

pardon

to

the

idolater

too

,

and

to

every

apostate

,

because

we

find

the

People

itself

,

so

often

guilty

of

these

crimes

,

as

often

reinstated

in

their

former

privileges

.

You

will

maintain

communion

,

too

,

with

the

murderer

:

because

Ahab

,

by

deprecation

,

washed

away

(

the

guilt

of

)

Naboth’s

blood

;

and

David

,

by

confession

,

purged

Uriah’s

slaughter

,

together

with

its

cause

—

adultery

.

That

done

,

you

will

condone

incests

,

too

,

for

Lot’s

sake

;

and

fornications

combined

with

incest

,

for

Judah’s

sake

;

and

base

marriages

with

prostitutes

,

for

Hosea’s

sake

;

and

not

only

the

frequent

repetition

of

marriage

,

but

its

simultaneous

plurality

,

for

our

fathers

’

sakes

:

for

,

of

course

,

it

is

meet

that

there

should

also

be

a

perfect

equality

of

grace

in

regard

of

all

deeds

to

which

indulgence

was

in

days

bygone

granted

,

if

on

the

ground

of

some

pristine

precedent

pardon

is

claimed

for

adultery

.

We

,

too

,

indeed

have

precedents

in

the

self

-

same

antiquity

on

the

side

of

our

opinion

,

—

(

precedents

)

of

judgment

not

merely

not

waived

,

but

even

summarily

executed

upon

fornication

.

And

of

course

it

is

a

sufficient

one

,

that

so

vast

a

number

—

(

the

number

)

of

24

,

000

—

of

the

People

,

when

they

committed

fornication

with

the

daughters

of

Madian

,

fell

in

one

plague

.

But

,

with

an

eye

to

the

glory

of

Christ

,

I

prefer

to

derive

(

my

)

discipline

from

Christ

.

Grant

that

the

pristine

days

may

have

had

—

if

the

Psychics

please

—

even

a

right

of

(

indulging

)

every

immodesty

;

grant

that

,

before

Christ

,

the

flesh

may

have

disported

itself

,

nay

,

may

have

perished

before

its

Lord

went

to

seek

and

bring

it

back

:

not

yet

was

it

worthy

of

the

gift

of

salvation

;

not

yet

apt

for

the

office

of

sanctity

.

It

was

still

,

up

to

that

time

,

accounted

as

being

in

Adam

,

with

its

own

vicious

nature

,

easily

indulging

concupiscence

after

whatever

it

had

seen

to

be

“

attractive

to

the

sight

,

”

and

looking

back

at

the

lower

things

,

and

checking

its

itching

with

fig

-

leaves

.

Universally

inherent

was

the

virus

of

lust

—

the

dregs

which

are

formed

out

of

milk

contain

it

—

(

dregs

)

fitted

(

for

so

doing

)

,

in

that

even

the

waters

themselves

had

not

yet

been

bathed

.

But

when

the

Word

of

God

descended

into

flesh

,

—

(

flesh

)

not

unsealed

even

by

marriage

,

—

and

“

the

Word

was

made

flesh

,

”

—

(

flesh

)

never

to

be

unsealed

by

marriage

,

—

which

was

to

find

its

way

to

the

tree

not

of

incontinence

,

but

of

endurance

;

which

was

to

taste

from

that

tree

not

anything

sweet

,

but

something

bitter

;

which

was

to

pertain

not

to

the

infernal

regions

,

but

to

heaven

;

which

was

to

be

precinct

not

with

the

leaves

of

lasciviousness

,

but

the

flowers

of

holiness

;

which

was

to

impart

to

the

waters

its

own

purities

—

thenceforth

,

whatever

flesh

(

is

)

“

in

Christ

”

has

lost

its

pristine

soils

,

is

now

a

thing

different

,

emerges

in

a

new

state

,

no

longer

(

generated

)

of

the

slime

of

natural

seed

,

nor

of

the

grime

of

concupiscence

,

but

of

“

pure

water

”

and

a

“

clean

Spirit

.

”

And

,

accordingly

,

why

excuse

it

on

the

ground

of

pristine

precedent

?

It

did

not

bear

the

names

of

“

body

of

Christ

,

”

of

“

members

of

Christ

,

”

of

“

temple

of

God

,

”

at

the

time

when

it

used

to

obtain

pardon

for

adultery

.

And

thus

if

,

from

the

moment

when

it

changed

its

condition

,

and

“

having

been

baptized

into

Christ

put

on

Christ

,

”

and

was

“

redeemed

with

a

great

price

”

—

“

the

blood

,

”

to

wit

,

“

of

the

Lord

and

Lamb

”

—

you

take

hold

of

any

one

precedent

(

be

it

precept

,

or

law

,

or

sentence

,

)

of

indulgence

granted

,

or

to

be

granted

,

to

adultery

and

fornication

,

—

you

have

likewise

at

our

hands

a

definition

of

the

time

from

which

the

age

of

the

question

dates

.

Notes

1
Comp. Isa. xliii. 18.
2
Comp. Luke ix. 62.
3
There is no passage, so far as I am aware, in Isaiah containing this distinct assertion. We have almost the exact words in Rev. xxi. 4. The reference may be to Isa. xlii. 9; but there the Eng. ver. reads, “are come to pass,” and the LXX. have τὰ ἀπ᾽ ἀρχῆς ἰδου ἥκασι.
4
Comp. Jer. iv. 3 in LXX.
5
Comp. Phil. iii. 13.
6
Comp. Matt. xi. 13; Luke xvi. 16.
7
See Matt. v. 17.
8
See Acts xv. 10.
9
See Gal. ii. 4; v. 1, 13.
10
Ps. i. 1, briefly.
11
Ps. xix. 7: “perfect,” Eng. ver. In LXX. it is xviii. 8.
12
Rom. vii. 12, not literally.
13
Rom. iii. 31.
14
Matt. v. 27, 28.
15
Matt. v. 21, 22.
16
See 1 Kings xxi. (in LXX. 3 Kings xx).
17
See 2 Sam. xi.; xii. 1–13.
18
See Gen. xix. 30–38.
19
See Gen. xxxviii.
20
See Hos. i. 2, 3; iii. 1–3.
21
See Num. xxv. 1–9; 1 Cor. x. 8.
22
See Gen. iii. 6; and comp. 1 John ii. 16.
23
See Gen. iii. 7.
24
John i. 14.
25
Or, “chastity.”
26
Comp. 2 Cor. v. 17.
27
1 Cor. xii. 27.
28
Ib. and vi. 15.
29
1 Cor. iii. 16; vi. 19.
30
Gal. iii. 27.
31
Comp. 1 Cor. vi. 20, and the references there.