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Tertullian

Chapter 8

About this work

Author: Tertullian

We keep therefore the one position, and, in respect of this

‹ Chapter 7 Chapter 9 ›

question

only

,

summon

to

an

encounter

,

whether

martyrdoms

have

been

commanded

by

God

,

that

you

may

believe

that

they

have

been

commanded

by

reason

,

if

you

know

that

they

have

been

commanded

by

Him

,

because

God

will

not

command

ought

without

reason

.

Since

the

death

of

His

own

saints

is

precious

is

His

sight

,

as

David

sings

,

it

is

not

,

I

think

,

that

one

which

falls

to

the

lot

of

men

generally

,

and

is

a

debt

due

by

all

(

rather

is

that

one

even

disgraceful

on

account

of

the

trespass

,

and

the

desert

of

condemnation

to

which

it

is

to

be

traced

)

,

but

that

other

which

is

met

in

this

very

work

—

in

bearing

witness

for

religion

,

and

maintaining

the

fight

of

confession

in

behalf

of

righteousness

and

the

sacrament

.

As

saith

Esaias

,

“

See

how

the

righteous

man

perisheth

,

and

no

one

layeth

it

to

heart

;

and

righteous

men

are

taken

away

,

and

no

one

considereth

it

:

for

from

before

the

face

of

unrighteousness

the

righteous

man

perisheth

,

and

he

shall

have

honour

at

his

burial

.

”

Here

,

too

,

you

have

both

an

announcement

of

martyrdoms

,

and

of

the

recompense

they

bring

.

From

the

beginning

,

indeed

,

righteousness

suffers

violence

.

Forthwith

,

as

soon

as

God

has

begun

to

be

worshipped

,

religion

has

got

ill

-

will

for

her

portion

.

He

who

had

pleased

God

is

slain

,

and

that

by

his

brother

.

Beginning

with

kindred

blood

,

in

order

that

it

might

the

more

easily

go

in

quest

of

that

of

strangers

,

ungodliness

made

the

object

of

its

pursuit

,

finally

,

that

not

only

of

righteous

persons

,

but

even

of

prophets

also

.

David

is

persecuted

;

Elias

put

to

flight

;

Jeremias

stoned

;

Esaias

cut

asunder

;

Zacharias

butchered

between

the

altar

and

the

temple

,

imparting

to

the

hard

stones

lasting

marks

of

his

blood

.

That

person

himself

,

at

the

close

of

the

law

and

the

prophets

,

and

called

not

a

prophet

,

but

a

messenger

,

is

,

suffering

an

ignominious

death

,

beheaded

to

reward

a

dancing

-

girl

.

And

certainly

they

who

were

wont

to

be

led

by

the

Spirit

of

God

used

to

be

guided

by

Himself

to

martyrdoms

;

so

that

they

had

even

already

to

endure

what

they

had

also

proclaimed

as

requiring

to

be

borne

.

Wherefore

the

brotherhood

of

the

three

also

,

when

the

dedication

of

the

royal

image

was

the

occasion

of

the

citizens

being

pressed

to

offer

worship

,

knew

well

what

faith

,

which

alone

in

them

had

not

been

taken

captive

,

required

,

—

namely

,

that

they

must

resist

idolatry

to

the

death

.

For

they

remembered

also

the

words

of

Jeremias

writing

to

those

over

whom

that

captivity

was

impending

:

“

And

now

ye

shall

see

borne

upon

(

men’s

)

shoulders

the

gods

of

the

Babylonians

,

of

gold

and

silver

and

wood

,

causing

fear

to

the

Gentiles

.

Beware

,

therefore

,

that

ye

also

do

not

be

altogether

like

the

foreigners

,

and

be

seized

with

fear

while

ye

behold

crowds

worshipping

those

gods

before

and

behind

,

but

say

in

your

mind

,

Our

duty

is

to

worship

Thee

,

O

Lord

.

”

Therefore

,

having

got

confidence

from

God

,

they

said

,

when

with

strength

of

mind

they

set

at

defiance

the

king’s

threats

against

the

disobedient

:

“

There

is

no

necessity

for

our

making

answer

to

this

command

of

yours

.

For

our

God

whom

we

worship

is

able

to

deliver

us

from

the

furnace

of

fire

and

from

your

hands

;

and

then

it

will

be

made

plain

to

you

that

we

shall

neither

serve

your

idol

,

nor

worship

your

golden

image

which

you

have

set

up

.

”

O

martyrdom

even

without

suffering

perfect

!

Enough

did

they

suffer

!

enough

were

they

burned

,

whom

on

this

account

God

shielded

,

that

it

might

not

seem

that

they

had

given

a

false

representation

of

His

power

.

For

forthwith

,

certainly

,

would

the

lions

,

with

their

pent

-

up

and

wonted

savageness

,

have

devoured

Daniel

also

,

a

worshipper

of

none

but

God

,

and

therefore

accused

and

demanded

by

the

Chaldeans

,

if

it

had

been

right

that

the

worthy

anticipation

of

Darius

concerning

God

should

have

proved

delusive

.

For

the

rest

,

every

preacher

of

God

,

and

every

worshipper

also

,

such

as

,

having

been

summoned

to

the

service

of

idolatry

,

had

refused

compliance

,

ought

to

have

suffered

,

agreeably

to

the

tenor

of

that

argument

too

,

by

which

the

truth

ought

to

have

been

recommended

both

to

those

who

were

then

living

and

to

those

following

in

succession

,

—

(

namely

)

,

that

the

suffering

of

its

defenders

themselves

bespeak

trust

for

it

,

because

nobody

would

have

been

willing

to

be

slain

but

one

possessing

the

truth

.

Such

commands

as

well

as

instances

,

remounting

to

earliest

times

,

show

that

believers

are

under

obligation

to

suffer

martyrdom

.

Notes

1
Ps. cxvi. 15.
2
Isa. lvii. 1.
3
Matt. xiv. 3.
4
Dan. iii. 12.
5
Baruch vi. 3.
6
Dan. iii. 16.