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Tertullian

Chapter 2

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Author: Tertullian

Chapter II Chapter III Chapter IV Chapter V Chapter VI Chapter VII Chapter VIII Chapter IX Chapter X Chapter XI Chapter XII Chapter XIII Chapter XIV Chapter XV

But not yet about the good to be got from martyrdom must

‹ Chapter 1 Chapter 3 ›

we

learn

,

without

our

having

first

heard

about

the

duty

of

suffering

it

;

nor

must

we

learn

the

usefulness

of

it

,

before

we

have

heard

about

the

necessity

for

it

.

The

(

question

of

the

)

divine

warrant

goes

first

—

whether

God

has

willed

and

also

commanded

ought

of

the

kind

,

so

that

they

who

assert

that

it

is

not

good

are

not

plied

with

arguments

for

thinking

it

profitable

save

when

they

have

been

subdued

.

It

is

proper

that

heretics

be

driven

to

duty

,

not

enticed

.

Obstinacy

must

be

conquered

,

not

coaxed

.

And

,

certainly

,

that

will

be

pronounced

beforehand

quite

good

enough

,

which

will

be

shown

to

have

been

instituted

and

also

enjoined

by

God

.

Let

the

Gospels

wait

a

little

,

while

I

set

forth

their

root

the

Law

,

while

I

ascertain

the

will

of

God

from

those

writings

from

which

I

recall

to

mind

Himself

also

:

“

I

am

,

”

says

He

,

“

God

,

thy

God

,

who

have

brought

thee

out

of

the

land

of

Egypt

.

Thou

shalt

have

no

other

gods

besides

me

.

Thou

shalt

not

make

unto

thee

a

likeness

of

those

things

which

are

in

heaven

,

and

which

are

in

the

earth

beneath

,

and

which

are

in

the

sea

under

the

earth

.

Thou

shalt

not

worship

them

,

nor

serve

them

.

For

I

am

the

Lord

thy

God

.

”

Likewise

in

the

same

book

of

Exodus

:

“

Ye

yourselves

have

seen

that

I

have

talked

with

you

from

heaven

.

Ye

shall

not

make

unto

you

gods

of

silver

,

neither

shall

ye

make

unto

you

gods

of

gold

.

”

To

the

following

effect

also

,

in

Deuteronomy

:

“

Hear

,

O

Israel

;

The

Lord

thy

God

is

one

:

and

thou

shalt

love

the

Lord

thy

God

with

all

thy

heart

and

all

thy

might

,

and

with

all

thy

soul

.

”

And

again

:

“

Neither

do

thou

forget

the

Lord

thy

God

,

who

brought

thee

forth

from

the

land

of

Egypt

,

out

of

the

house

of

bondage

.

Thou

shalt

fear

the

Lord

thy

God

,

and

serve

Him

only

,

and

cleave

to

Him

,

and

swear

by

His

name

.

Ye

shall

not

go

after

strange

gods

,

and

the

gods

of

the

nations

which

are

round

about

you

,

because

the

Lord

thy

God

is

also

a

jealous

God

among

you

,

and

lest

His

anger

should

be

kindled

against

thee

,

and

destroy

thee

from

off

the

face

of

the

earth

.

”

But

setting

before

them

blessings

and

curses

,

He

also

says

:

“

Blessings

shall

be

yours

,

if

ye

obey

the

commandments

of

the

Lord

your

God

,

whatsoever

I

command

you

this

day

,

and

do

not

wander

from

the

way

which

I

have

commanded

you

,

to

go

and

serve

other

gods

whom

ye

know

not

.

”

And

as

to

rooting

them

out

in

every

way

:

“

Ye

shall

utterly

destroy

all

the

places

wherein

the

nations

,

which

ye

shall

possess

by

inheritance

,

served

their

gods

,

upon

mountains

and

hills

,

and

under

shady

trees

.

Ye

shall

overthrow

all

their

altars

,

ye

shall

overturn

and

break

in

pieces

their

pillars

,

and

cut

down

their

groves

,

and

burn

with

fire

the

graven

images

of

the

gods

themselves

,

and

destroy

the

names

of

them

out

of

that

place

.

”

He

further

urges

,

when

they

(

the

Israelites

)

had

entered

the

land

of

promise

,

and

driven

out

its

nations

:

“

Take

heed

to

thy

self

,

that

thou

do

not

follow

them

after

they

be

driven

out

from

before

thee

,

that

thou

do

not

inquire

after

their

gods

,

saying

,

As

the

nations

serve

their

gods

,

so

let

me

do

likewise

.

”

But

also

says

He

:

“

If

there

arise

among

you

a

prophet

himself

,

or

a

dreamer

of

dreams

,

and

giveth

thee

a

sign

or

a

wonder

,

and

it

come

to

pass

,

and

he

say

,

Let

us

go

and

serve

other

gods

,

whom

ye

know

not

,

do

not

hearken

to

the

words

of

that

prophet

or

dreamer

,

for

the

Lord

your

God

proveth

you

,

to

know

whether

ye

fear

God

with

all

your

heart

and

with

all

your

soul

.

After

the

Lord

your

God

ye

shall

go

,

and

fear

Him

,

and

keep

His

commandments

,

and

obey

His

voice

,

and

serve

Him

,

and

cleave

unto

Him

.

But

that

prophet

or

dreamer

shall

die

;

for

he

has

spoken

to

turn

thee

away

from

the

Lord

thy

God

.

”

But

also

in

another

section

,

“

If

,

however

,

thy

brother

,

the

son

of

thy

father

or

of

thy

mother

,

or

thy

son

,

or

thy

daughter

,

or

the

wife

of

thy

bosom

,

or

thy

friend

who

is

as

thine

own

soul

,

solicit

thee

,

saying

secretly

,

Let

us

go

and

serve

other

gods

,

which

thou

knowest

not

,

nor

did

thy

fathers

,

of

the

gods

of

the

nations

which

are

round

about

thee

,

very

nigh

unto

thee

or

far

off

from

thee

,

do

not

consent

to

go

with

him

,

and

do

not

hearken

to

him

.

Thine

eye

shall

not

spare

him

,

neither

shalt

thou

pity

,

neither

shalt

thou

preserve

him

;

thou

shalt

certainly

inform

upon

him

.

Thine

hand

shall

be

first

upon

him

to

kill

him

,

and

afterwards

the

hand

of

thy

people

;

and

ye

shall

stone

him

,

and

he

shall

die

,

seeing

he

has

sought

to

turn

thee

away

from

the

Lord

thy

God

.

”

He

adds

likewise

concerning

cities

,

that

if

it

appeared

that

one

of

these

had

,

through

the

advice

of

unrighteous

men

,

passed

over

to

other

gods

,

all

its

inhabitants

should

be

slain

,

and

everything

belonging

to

it

become

accursed

,

and

all

the

spoil

of

it

be

gathered

together

into

all

its

places

of

egress

,

and

be

,

even

with

all

the

people

,

burned

with

fire

in

all

its

streets

in

the

sight

of

the

Lord

God

;

and

,

says

He

,

“

it

shall

not

be

for

dwelling

in

for

ever

:

it

shall

not

be

built

again

any

more

,

and

there

shall

cleave

to

thy

hands

nought

of

its

accursed

plunder

,

that

the

Lord

may

turn

from

the

fierceness

of

His

anger

.

”

He

has

,

from

His

abhorrence

of

idols

,

framed

a

series

of

curses

too

:

“

Cursed

be

the

man

who

maketh

a

graven

or

a

molten

image

,

an

abomination

,

the

work

of

the

hands

of

the

craftsman

,

and

putteth

it

in

a

secret

place

.

”

But

in

Leviticus

He

says

:

“

Go

not

ye

after

idols

,

nor

make

to

yourselves

molten

gods

:

I

am

the

Lord

your

God

.

”

And

in

other

passages

:

“

The

children

of

Israel

are

my

household

servants

;

these

are

they

whom

I

led

forth

from

the

land

of

Egypt

:

I

am

the

Lord

your

God

.

Ye

shall

not

make

you

idols

fashioned

by

the

hand

,

neither

rear

you

up

a

graven

image

.

Nor

shall

ye

set

up

a

remarkable

stone

in

your

land

(

to

worship

it

)

:

I

am

the

Lord

your

God

.

”

These

words

indeed

were

first

spoken

by

the

Lord

by

the

lips

of

Moses

,

being

applicable

certainly

to

whomsoever

the

Lord

God

of

Israel

may

lead

forth

in

like

manner

from

the

Egypt

of

a

most

superstitious

world

,

and

from

the

abode

of

human

slavery

.

But

from

the

mouth

of

every

prophet

in

succession

,

sound

forth

also

utterances

of

the

same

God

,

augmenting

the

same

law

of

His

by

a

renewal

of

the

same

commands

,

and

in

the

first

place

announcing

no

other

duty

in

so

special

a

manner

as

the

being

on

guard

against

all

making

and

worshipping

of

idols

;

as

when

by

the

mouth

of

David

He

says

:

“

The

gods

of

the

nations

are

silver

and

gold

:

they

have

eyes

,

and

see

not

;

they

have

ears

,

and

hear

not

;

they

have

a

nose

,

and

smell

not

;

a

mouth

,

and

they

speak

not

;

hands

,

and

they

handle

not

;

feet

and

they

walk

not

.

Like

to

them

shall

be

they

who

make

them

,

and

trust

in

them

.

”

Notes

1
By those in favour of its having been divinely enjoined.
2
By argument, of course.—Tr.
3
Ex. xx. 2.
4
Ex. xx. 22, 23.
5
Deut. vi. 4.
6
Deut. vi. 12.
7
Deut. xi. 27.
8
Deut. xii. 2, 3.
9
Deut. xii. 30.
10
Deut. xiii. 1.
11
Of course our division of the Scripture by chapter and verse did not exist in the days of Tertullian.—Tr.
12
Deut. xiii. 6.
13
Deut. xiii. 16.
14
Deut. xxvii. 15.
15
Rev. xix. 4.
16
The words in the Septuagint are: ὃτι ἐμοὶ οἱ υἱοὶτ ᾽Ισραὴλ οἰκέται εἰσίν, παῖδές μου οὗτοί εἰσιν οὕς ἐξήγαγον ἐκ γῆς Αἰγύπτου.
17
Lev. xxv. 55; xxvi. 1.
18
Ps. cxxxv. 15; cxv. 4.