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Tertullian

Chapter 3

About this work

Author: Tertullian

Nor should I think it needful to discuss whether God pursues a worthy

‹ Chapter 2 Chapter 4 ›

course

in

forbidding

His

own

name

and

honour

to

be

given

over

to

a

lie

,

or

does

so

in

not

consenting

that

such

as

He

has

plucked

from

the

maze

of

false

religion

should

return

again

to

Egypt

,

or

does

so

in

not

suffering

to

depart

from

Him

them

whom

He

has

chosen

for

Himself

.

Thus

that

,

too

,

will

not

require

to

be

treated

by

us

,

whether

He

has

wished

to

be

kept

the

rule

which

He

has

chosen

to

appoint

,

and

whether

He

justly

avenges

the

abandonment

of

the

rule

which

He

has

wished

to

be

kept

;

since

He

would

have

appointed

it

to

no

purpose

if

He

had

not

wished

it

kept

,

and

would

have

to

no

purpose

wished

it

kept

if

He

had

been

unwilling

to

uphold

it

.

My

next

step

,

indeed

,

is

to

put

to

the

test

these

appointments

of

God

in

opposition

to

false

religions

,

the

completely

vanquished

as

well

as

also

the

punished

,

since

on

these

will

depend

the

entire

argument

for

martyrdoms

.

Moses

was

apart

with

God

on

the

mountain

,

when

the

people

,

not

brooking

his

absence

,

which

was

so

needful

,

seek

to

make

gods

for

themselves

,

which

,

for

his

own

part

,

he

will

prefer

to

destroy

.

Aaron

is

importuned

,

and

commands

that

the

earrings

of

their

women

be

brought

together

,

that

they

may

be

thrown

into

the

fire

.

For

the

people

were

about

to

lose

,

as

a

judgment

upon

themselves

,

the

true

ornaments

for

the

ears

,

the

words

of

God

.

The

wise

fire

makes

for

them

the

molten

likeness

of

a

calf

,

reproaching

them

with

having

the

heart

where

they

have

their

treasure

also

,

—

in

Egypt

,

to

wit

,

which

clothed

with

sacredness

,

among

the

other

animals

,

a

certain

ox

likewise

.

Therefore

the

slaughter

of

three

thousand

by

their

nearest

relatives

,

because

they

had

displeased

their

so

very

near

relative

God

,

solemnly

marked

both

the

commencement

and

the

deserts

of

the

trespass

.

Israel

having

,

as

we

are

told

in

Numbers

,

turned

aside

at

Sethim

,

the

people

go

to

the

daughters

of

Moab

to

gratify

their

lust

:

they

are

allured

to

the

idols

,

so

that

they

committed

whoredom

with

the

spirit

also

:

finally

,

they

eat

of

their

defiled

sacrifices

;

then

they

both

worship

the

gods

of

the

nation

,

and

are

admitted

to

the

rites

of

Beelphegor

.

For

this

lapse

,

too

,

into

idolatry

,

sister

to

adultery

,

it

took

the

slaughter

of

twenty

-

three

thousand

by

the

swords

of

their

countrymen

to

appease

the

divine

anger

.

After

the

death

of

Joshua

the

son

of

Nave

they

forsake

the

God

of

their

fathers

,

and

serve

idols

,

Baalim

and

Ashtaroth

;

and

the

Lord

in

anger

delivered

them

up

to

the

hands

of

spoilers

,

and

they

continued

to

be

spoiled

by

them

,

and

to

be

sold

to

their

adversaries

,

and

could

not

at

all

stand

before

their

enemies

.

Whithersoever

they

went

forth

,

His

hand

was

upon

them

for

evil

,

and

they

were

greatly

distressed

.

And

after

this

God

sets

judges

(

critas

)

,

the

same

as

our

censors

,

over

them

.

But

not

even

these

did

they

continue

steadfastly

to

obey

.

So

soon

as

one

of

the

judges

died

,

they

proceeded

to

transgress

more

than

their

fathers

had

done

by

going

after

the

gods

of

others

,

and

serving

and

worshipping

them

.

Therefore

the

Lord

was

angry

.

“

Since

,

indeed

,

”

He

says

,

“

this

nation

have

transgressed

my

covenant

which

I

established

with

their

fathers

,

and

have

not

hearkened

to

my

voice

,

I

also

will

give

no

heed

to

remove

from

before

them

a

man

of

the

nations

which

Joshua

left

at

his

death

.

”

And

thus

,

throughout

almost

all

the

annals

of

the

judges

and

of

the

kings

who

succeeded

them

,

while

the

strength

of

the

surrounding

nations

was

preserved

,

He

meted

wrath

out

to

Israel

by

war

and

captivity

and

a

foreign

yoke

,

as

often

as

they

turned

aside

from

Him

,

especially

to

idolatry

.

Notes

1
Ex. xxxii.
2
Num. xxv. 1.
3
Judg. ii. 8–13.
4
Judg. ii. 20, 21.