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The Chaplet, or De Corona

Tertullian

Chapter 12

About this work

Author: Tertullian

But I first say a word also about the crown itself.

‹ Chapter 11 Chapter 13 ›

This

laurel

one

is

sacred

to

Apollo

or

Bacchus

—

to

the

former

as

the

god

of

archery

,

to

the

latter

as

the

god

of

triumphs

.

In

like

manner

Claudius

teaches

;

when

he

tells

us

that

soldiers

are

wont

too

to

be

wreathed

in

myrtle

.

For

the

myrtle

belongs

to

Venus

,

the

mother

of

the

Æneadæ

,

the

mistress

also

of

the

god

of

war

,

who

,

through

Ilia

and

the

Romuli

is

Roman

.

But

I

do

not

believe

that

Venus

is

Roman

as

well

as

Mars

,

because

of

the

vexation

the

concubine

gave

her

.

When

military

service

again

is

crowned

with

olive

,

the

idolatry

has

respect

to

Minerva

,

who

is

equally

the

goddess

of

arms

—

but

got

a

crown

of

the

tree

referred

to

,

because

of

the

peace

she

made

with

Neptune

.

In

these

respects

,

the

superstition

of

the

military

garland

will

be

everywhere

defiled

and

all

-

defiling

.

And

it

is

further

defiled

,

I

should

think

,

also

in

the

grounds

of

it

.

Lo

the

yearly

public

pronouncing

of

vows

,

what

does

that

bear

on

its

face

to

be

?

It

takes

place

first

in

the

part

of

the

camp

where

the

general’s

tent

is

,

and

then

in

the

temples

.

In

addition

to

the

places

,

observe

the

words

also

:

“

We

vow

that

you

,

O

Jupiter

,

will

then

have

an

ox

with

gold

-

decorated

horns

.

”

What

does

the

utterance

mean

?

Without

a

doubt

the

denial

(

of

Christ

)

.

Albeit

the

Christian

says

nothing

in

these

places

with

the

mouth

,

he

makes

his

response

by

having

the

crown

on

his

head

.

The

laurel

is

likewise

commanded

(

to

be

used

)

at

the

distribution

of

the

largess

.

So

you

see

idolatry

is

not

without

its

gain

,

selling

,

as

it

does

,

Christ

for

pieces

of

gold

,

as

Judas

did

for

pieces

of

silver

.

Will

it

be

“

Ye

cannot

serve

God

and

mammon

”

to

devote

your

energies

to

mammon

,

and

to

depart

from

God

?

Will

it

be

“

Render

unto

Cæsar

the

things

which

are

Cæsar’s

,

and

unto

God

the

things

which

are

God’s

,

”

not

only

not

to

render

the

human

being

to

God

,

but

even

to

take

the

denarius

from

Cæsar

?

Is

the

laurel

of

the

triumph

made

of

leaves

,

or

of

corpses

?

Is

it

adorned

with

ribbons

,

or

with

tombs

?

Is

it

bedewed

with

ointments

,

or

with

the

tears

of

wives

and

mothers

?

It

may

be

of

some

Christians

too

;

for

Christ

is

also

among

the

barbarians

.

Has

not

he

who

has

carried

(

a

crown

for

)

this

cause

on

his

head

,

fought

even

against

himself

?

Another

son

of

service

belongs

to

the

royal

guards

.

And

indeed

crowns

are

called

(

Castrenses

)

,

as

belonging

to

the

camp

;

Munificæ

likewise

,

from

the

Cæsarean

functions

they

perform

.

But

even

then

you

are

still

the

soldier

and

the

servant

of

another

;

and

if

of

two

masters

,

of

God

and

Cæsar

:

but

assuredly

then

not

of

Cæsar

,

when

you

owe

yourself

to

God

,

as

having

higher

claims

,

I

should

think

,

even

in

matters

in

which

both

have

an

interest

.

Notes

1
i.e., Ilia.
2
Matt. vi. 24.
3
Matt. xxii. 21.
4
[Such considerations may account for our author’s abandonment of what he says in the Apology; which compare in capp. xlii. and xxxix.]
5
[Et apud barbaros enim Christus. See Kaye’s argument, p. 87.]