Opening the library…

Home Bible Corpus Discover You

Search the Bible

The Shows, or De Spectaculis

Tertullian

Chapter 14

About this work

Author: Tertullian

Having sufficiently established the charge of idolatry, which alone ought

‹ Chapter 13 Chapter 15 ›

to

be

reason

enough

for

our

giving

up

the

shows

,

let

us

now

ex

abundanti

look

at

the

subject

in

another

way

,

for

the

sake

of

those

especially

who

keep

themselves

comfortable

in

the

thought

that

the

abstinence

we

urge

is

not

in

so

many

words

enjoined

,

as

if

in

the

condemnation

of

the

lusts

of

the

world

there

was

not

involved

a

sufficient

declaration

against

all

these

amusements

.

For

as

there

is

a

lust

of

money

,

or

rank

,

or

eating

,

or

impure

enjoyment

,

or

glory

,

so

there

is

also

a

lust

of

pleasure

.

But

the

show

is

just

a

sort

of

pleasure

.

I

think

,

then

,

that

under

the

general

designation

of

lusts

,

pleasures

are

included

;

in

like

manner

,

under

the

general

idea

of

pleasures

,

you

have

as

a

specific

class

the

“

shows

.

”

But

we

have

spoken

already

of

how

it

is

with

the

places

of

exhibition

,

that

they

are

not

polluting

in

themselves

,

but

owing

to

the

things

that

are

done

in

them

from

which

they

imbibe

impurity

,

and

then

spirt

it

again

on

others

.