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The Chaplet, or De Corona

Tertullian

Chapter 6

About this work

Author: Tertullian

Demanding then a law of God, you have that common one

‹ Chapter 5 Chapter 7 ›

prevailing

all

over

the

world

,

engraven

on

the

natural

tables

to

which

the

apostle

too

is

wont

to

appeal

,

as

when

in

respect

of

the

woman’s

veil

he

says

,

“

Does

not

even

Nature

teach

you

?

”

—

as

when

to

the

Romans

,

affirming

that

the

heathen

do

by

nature

those

things

which

the

law

requires

,

he

suggests

both

natural

law

and

a

law

-

revealing

nature

.

Yes

,

and

also

in

the

first

chapter

of

the

epistle

he

authenticates

nature

,

when

he

asserts

that

males

and

females

changed

among

themselves

the

natural

use

of

the

creature

into

that

which

is

unnatural

,

by

way

of

penal

retribution

for

their

error

.

We

first

of

all

indeed

know

God

Himself

by

the

teaching

of

Nature

,

calling

Him

God

of

gods

,

taking

for

granted

that

He

is

good

,

and

invoking

Him

as

Judge

.

Is

it

a

question

with

you

whether

for

the

enjoyment

of

His

creatures

,

Nature

should

be

our

guide

,

that

we

may

not

be

carried

away

in

the

direction

in

which

the

rival

of

God

has

corrupted

,

along

with

man

himself

,

the

entire

creation

which

had

been

made

over

to

our

race

for

certain

uses

,

whence

the

apostle

says

that

it

too

unwillingly

became

subject

to

vanity

,

completely

bereft

of

its

original

character

,

first

by

vain

,

then

by

base

,

unrighteous

,

and

ungodly

uses

?

It

is

thus

,

accordingly

,

in

the

pleasures

of

the

shows

,

that

the

creature

is

dishonoured

by

those

who

by

nature

indeed

perceive

that

all

the

materials

of

which

shows

are

got

up

belong

to

God

,

but

lack

the

knowledge

to

perceive

as

well

that

they

have

all

been

changed

by

the

devil

.

But

with

this

topic

we

have

,

for

the

sake

of

our

own

play

-

lovers

,

sufficiently

dealt

,

and

that

,

too

,

in

a

work

in

Greek

.

Notes

1
1 Cor. xi. 14.
2
Rom. ii. 14.
3
Rom. i. 26.
4
[Plays were regarded as pomps renounced in Baptism.]