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Tertullian

Chapter 11

About this work

Author: Tertullian

In the same manner, therefore, we maintain that the other announcements

‹ Chapter 10 Chapter 12 ›

too

refer

to

the

condition

of

martyrdom

.

“

He

,

”

says

Jesus

,

“

who

will

value

his

own

life

also

more

than

me

,

is

not

worthy

of

me

,

”

—

that

is

,

he

who

will

rather

live

by

denying

,

than

die

by

confessing

,

me

;

and

“

he

who

findeth

his

life

shall

lose

it

;

but

he

who

loseth

it

for

my

sake

shall

find

it

.

”

Therefore

indeed

he

finds

it

,

who

,

in

winning

life

,

denies

;

but

he

who

thinks

that

he

wins

it

by

denying

,

will

lose

it

in

hell

.

On

the

other

hand

,

he

who

,

through

confessing

,

is

killed

,

will

lose

it

for

the

present

,

but

is

also

about

to

find

it

unto

everlasting

life

.

In

fine

,

governors

themselves

,

when

they

urge

men

to

deny

,

say

,

“

Save

your

life

;

”

and

,

“

Do

not

lose

your

life

.

”

How

would

Christ

speak

,

but

in

accordance

with

the

treatment

to

which

the

Christian

would

be

subjected

?

But

when

He

forbids

thinking

about

what

answer

to

make

at

a

judgment

-

seat

,

He

is

preparing

His

own

servants

for

what

awaited

them

,

He

gives

the

assurance

that

the

Holy

Spirit

will

answer

by

them

;

and

when

He

wishes

a

brother

to

be

visited

in

prison

,

He

is

commanding

that

those

about

to

confess

be

the

object

of

solicitude

;

and

He

is

soothing

their

sufferings

when

He

asserts

that

God

will

avenge

His

own

elect

.

In

the

parable

also

of

the

withering

of

the

word

after

the

green

blade

had

sprung

up

,

He

is

drawing

a

picture

with

reference

to

the

burning

heat

of

persecutions

.

If

these

announcements

are

not

understood

as

they

are

made

,

without

doubt

they

signify

something

else

than

the

sound

indicates

;

and

there

will

be

one

thing

in

the

words

,

another

in

their

meanings

,

as

is

the

case

with

allegories

,

with

parables

,

with

riddles

.

Whatever

wind

of

reasoning

,

therefore

,

these

scorpions

may

catch

(

in

their

sails

)

,

with

whatever

subtlety

they

may

attack

,

there

is

now

one

line

of

defence

:

an

appeal

will

be

made

to

the

facts

themselves

,

whether

they

occur

as

the

Scriptures

represent

that

they

would

;

since

another

thing

will

then

be

meant

in

the

Scriptures

if

that

very

one

(

which

seems

to

be

so

)

is

not

found

in

actual

facts

.

For

what

is

written

,

must

needs

come

to

pass

.

Besides

,

what

is

written

will

then

come

to

pass

,

if

something

different

does

not

.

But

,

lo

!

we

are

both

regarded

as

persons

to

be

hated

by

all

men

for

the

sake

of

the

name

,

as

it

is

written

;

and

are

delivered

up

by

our

nearest

of

kin

also

,

as

it

is

written

;

and

are

brought

before

magistrates

,

and

examined

,

and

tortured

,

and

make

confession

,

and

are

ruthlessly

killed

,

as

it

is

written

.

So

the

Lord

ordained

.

If

He

ordained

these

events

otherwise

,

why

do

they

not

come

to

pass

otherwise

than

He

ordained

them

,

that

is

,

as

He

ordained

them

?

And

yet

they

do

not

come

to

pass

otherwise

than

He

ordained

.

Therefore

,

as

they

come

to

pass

,

so

He

ordained

;

and

as

He

ordained

,

so

they

come

to

pass

.

For

neither

would

they

have

been

permitted

to

occur

otherwise

than

He

ordained

,

nor

for

His

part

would

He

have

ordained

otherwise

than

He

would

wish

them

to

occur

.

Thus

these

passages

of

Scripture

will

not

mean

ought

else

than

we

recognise

in

actual

facts

;

or

if

those

events

are

not

yet

taking

place

which

are

announced

,

how

are

those

taking

place

which

have

not

been

announced

?

For

these

events

which

are

taking

place

have

not

been

announced

,

if

those

which

are

announced

are

different

,

and

not

these

which

are

taking

place

.

Well

now

,

seeing

the

very

occurrences

are

met

with

in

actual

life

which

are

believed

to

have

been

expressed

with

a

different

meaning

in

words

,

what

would

happen

if

they

were

found

to

have

come

to

pass

in

a

different

manner

than

had

been

revealed

?

But

this

will

be

the

waywardness

of

faith

,

not

to

believe

what

has

been

demonstrated

,

to

assume

the

truth

of

what

has

not

been

demonstrated

.

And

to

this

waywardness

I

will

offer

the

following

objection

also

,

that

if

these

events

,

which

occur

as

is

written

,

will

not

be

the

very

ones

which

are

announced

,

those

too

(

which

are

meant

)

ought

not

to

occur

as

is

written

,

that

they

themselves

also

may

not

,

after

the

example

of

these

others

,

be

in

danger

of

exclusion

,

since

there

is

one

thing

in

the

words

and

another

in

the

facts

;

and

there

remains

that

even

the

events

which

have

been

announced

are

not

seen

when

they

occur

,

if

they

are

announced

otherwise

than

they

have

to

occur

.

And

how

will

those

be

believed

(

to

have

come

to

pass

)

,

which

will

not

have

been

announced

as

they

come

to

pass

?

Thus

heretics

,

by

not

believing

what

is

announced

as

it

has

been

shown

to

have

taken

place

,

believe

what

has

not

been

even

announced

.

Notes

1
Luke xiv. 26.
2
Matt. x. 39.
3
Matt. x. 19.
4
Matt. xxv. 36.
5
Luke xviii. 7.
6
Matt. xiii. 3.
7
See note 1, cap. iv. p. 637, supra.