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The Chaplet, or De Corona

Tertullian

Chapter 9

About this work

Author: Tertullian

In short, what patriarch, what prophet, what Levite,

‹ Chapter 8 Chapter 10 ›

or

priest

,

or

ruler

,

or

at

a

later

period

what

apostle

,

or

preacher

of

the

gospel

,

or

bishop

,

do

you

ever

find

the

wearer

of

a

crown

?

I

think

not

even

the

temple

of

God

itself

was

crowned

;

as

neither

was

the

ark

of

the

testament

,

nor

the

tabernacle

of

witness

,

nor

the

altar

,

nor

the

candlestick

crowned

though

certainly

,

both

on

that

first

solemnity

of

the

dedication

,

and

in

that

second

rejoicing

for

the

restoration

,

crowning

would

have

been

most

suitable

if

it

were

worthy

of

God

.

But

if

these

things

were

figures

of

us

(

for

we

are

temples

of

God

,

and

altars

,

and

lights

,

and

sacred

vessels

)

,

this

too

they

in

figure

set

forth

,

that

the

people

of

God

ought

not

to

be

crowned

.

The

reality

must

always

correspond

with

the

image

.

If

,

perhaps

,

you

object

that

Christ

Himself

was

crowned

,

to

that

you

will

get

the

brief

reply

:

Be

you

too

crowned

,

as

He

was

;

you

have

full

permission

.

Yet

even

that

crown

of

insolent

ungodliness

was

not

of

any

decree

of

the

Jewish

people

.

It

was

a

device

of

the

Roman

soldiers

,

taken

from

the

practice

of

the

world

,

—

a

practice

which

the

people

of

God

never

allowed

either

on

the

occasion

of

public

rejoicing

or

to

gratify

innate

luxury

:

so

they

returned

from

the

Babylonish

captivity

with

timbrels

,

and

flutes

,

and

psalteries

,

more

suitably

than

with

crowns

;

and

after

eating

and

drinking

,

uncrowned

,

they

rose

up

to

play

.

Neither

would

the

account

of

the

rejoicing

nor

the

exposure

of

the

luxury

have

been

silent

touching

the

honour

or

dishonour

of

the

crown

.

Thus

too

Isaiah

,

as

he

says

,

“

With

timbrels

,

and

psalteries

,

and

flutes

they

drink

wine

,

”

would

have

added

“

with

crowns

,

”

if

this

practice

had

ever

had

place

in

the

things

of

God

.

Notes

1
[But see Eusebius, Hist. B. v., cap. 24, whose story is examined by Lardner, Cred., vol. iv., p. 448.]
2
Isa. v. 12.