Opening the library…

Home Bible Corpus Discover You

Search the Bible

The Chaplet, or De Corona

Tertullian

Chapter 3

About this work

Author: Tertullian

And how long shall we draw the saw to and fro

‹ Chapter 2 Chapter 4 ›

through

this

line

,

when

we

have

an

ancient

practice

,

which

by

anticipation

has

made

for

us

the

state

,

i

.

e

.

,

of

the

question

?

If

no

passage

of

Scripture

has

prescribed

it

,

assuredly

custom

,

which

without

doubt

flowed

from

tradition

,

has

confirmed

it

.

For

how

can

anything

come

into

use

,

if

it

has

not

first

been

handed

down

?

Even

in

pleading

tradition

,

written

authority

,

you

say

,

must

be

demanded

.

Let

us

inquire

,

therefore

,

whether

tradition

,

unless

it

be

written

,

should

not

be

admitted

.

Certainly

we

shall

say

that

it

ought

not

to

be

admitted

,

if

no

cases

of

other

practices

which

,

without

any

written

instrument

,

we

maintain

on

the

ground

of

tradition

alone

,

and

the

countenance

thereafter

of

custom

,

affords

us

any

precedent

.

To

deal

with

this

matter

briefly

,

I

shall

begin

with

baptism

.

When

we

are

going

to

enter

the

water

,

but

a

little

before

,

in

the

presence

of

the

congregation

and

under

the

hand

of

the

president

,

we

solemnly

profess

that

we

disown

the

devil

,

and

his

pomp

,

and

his

angels

.

Hereupon

we

are

thrice

immersed

,

making

a

somewhat

ampler

pledge

than

the

Lord

has

appointed

in

the

Gospel

.

Then

when

we

are

taken

up

(

as

new

-

born

children

)

,

we

taste

first

of

all

a

mixture

of

milk

and

honey

,

and

from

that

day

we

refrain

from

the

daily

bath

for

a

whole

week

.

We

take

also

,

in

congregations

before

daybreak

,

and

from

the

hand

of

none

but

the

presidents

,

the

sacrament

of

the

Eucharist

,

which

the

Lord

both

commanded

to

be

eaten

at

meal

-

times

,

and

enjoined

to

be

taken

by

all

alike

.

As

often

as

the

anniversary

comes

round

,

we

make

offerings

for

the

dead

as

birthday

honours

.

We

count

fasting

or

kneeling

in

worship

on

the

Lord’s

day

to

be

unlawful

.

We

rejoice

in

the

same

privilege

also

from

Easter

to

Whitsunday

.

We

feel

pained

should

any

wine

or

bread

,

even

though

our

own

,

be

cast

upon

the

ground

.

At

every

forward

step

and

movement

,

at

every

going

in

and

out

,

when

we

put

on

our

clothes

and

shoes

,

when

we

bathe

,

when

we

sit

at

table

,

when

we

light

the

lamps

,

on

couch

,

on

seat

,

in

all

the

ordinary

actions

of

daily

life

,

we

trace

upon

the

forehead

the

sign

.

Notes

1
[Elucidation I., and see Bunsen’s Church and House Book, pp. 19–24.]
2
[There is here an allusion to the Roman form of recognizing a lawful child. The father, taking up the new-born infant, gave him adoption into the family, and recognised him as a legitimate son and heir.]
3
[Men and women, rich and poor.]
4
i.e., of the Cross.