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On Monogamy

Tertullian

Chapter 17

About this work

Author: Tertullian

Chapter XVII.—Heathen Examples Cry Shame Upon This “Infirmity of the Flesh.”

They will have plainly a specious privilege to plead before Christ—

the

everlasting

“

infirmity

of

the

flesh

!

”

But

upon

this

(

infirmity

)

will

sit

in

judgment

no

longer

an

Isaac

,

our

monogamist

father

;

or

a

John

,

a

noted

voluntary

celibate

of

Christ’s

;

or

a

Judith

,

daughter

of

Merari

;

or

so

many

other

examples

of

saints

.

Heathens

are

wont

to

be

destined

our

judges

.

There

will

arise

a

queen

of

Carthage

,

and

give

sentence

upon

the

Christians

,

who

,

refugee

as

she

was

,

living

on

alien

soil

,

and

at

that

very

time

the

originator

of

so

mighty

a

state

,

whereas

she

ought

unasked

to

have

craved

royal

nuptials

,

yet

,

for

fear

she

should

experience

a

second

marriage

,

preferred

on

the

contrary

rather

to

“

burn

”

than

to

“

marry

.

”

Her

assessor

will

be

the

Roman

matron

who

,

having

—

albeit

it

was

through

noctural

violence

,

nevertheless

—

known

another

man

,

washed

away

with

blood

the

stain

of

her

flesh

,

that

she

might

avenge

upon

her

own

person

(

the

honour

of

)

monogamy

.

There

have

been

,

too

,

who

preferred

to

die

for

their

husbands

rather

than

marry

after

their

husbands

’

death

.

To

idols

,

at

all

events

,

both

monogamy

and

widowhood

serve

as

apparitors

.

On

Fortuna

Muliebris

,

as

on

Mother

Matuta

,

none

but

a

once

wedded

woman

hangs

the

wreath

.

Once

for

all

do

the

Pontifex

Maximus

and

the

wife

of

a

Flamen

marry

.

The

priestesses

of

Ceres

,

even

during

the

lifetime

and

with

the

consent

of

their

husbands

,

are

widowed

by

amicable

separation

.

There

are

,

too

,

who

may

judge

us

on

the

ground

of

absolute

continence

:

the

virgins

of

Vesta

,

and

of

the

Achaian

Juno

,

and

of

the

Scythian

Diana

,

and

of

the

Pythian

Apollo

.

On

the

ground

of

continence

the

priests

likewise

of

the

famous

Egyptian

bull

will

judge

the

“

infirmity

”

of

Christians

.

Blush

,

O

flesh

,

who

hast

“

put

on

”

Christ

!

Suffice

it

thee

once

for

all

to

marry

,

whereto

“

from

the

beginning

”

thou

wast

created

,

whereto

by

“

the

end

”

thou

art

being

recalled

!

Return

at

least

to

the

former

Adam

,

if

to

the

last

thou

canst

not

!

Once

for

all

did

he

taste

of

the

tree

;

once

for

all

felt

concupiscence

;

once

for

all

veiled

his

shame

;

once

for

all

blushed

in

the

presence

of

God

;

once

for

all

concealed

his

guilty

hue

;

once

for

all

was

exiled

from

the

paradise

of

holiness

;

once

for

all

thenceforward

married

.

If

you

were

“

in

him

,

”

you

have

your

norm

;

if

you

have

passed

over

“

into

Christ

,

”

you

will

be

bound

to

be

(

yet

)

better

.

Exhibit

(

to

us

)

a

third

Adam

,

and

him

a

digamist

;

and

then

you

will

be

able

to

be

what

,

between

the

two

,

you

cannot

.

Notes

2
Comp. ad Ux., l. i. cc. vi. vii.; and de Ex. Cast., c. xiii.
3
See Rom. xiii. 14; Gal. iii. 27.
4
Or “chastity.”
5
Comp. 1 Cor. xv. 22, ἐν τῷ ᾽Αδάμ.
6
See Rom. vi. 3.