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The Shows, or De Spectaculis

Tertullian

Chapter 8

About this work

Author: Tertullian

To follow out my plan in regard to places: the

‹ Chapter 7 Chapter 9 ›

circus

is

chiefly

consecrated

to

the

Sun

,

whose

temple

stands

in

the

middle

of

it

,

and

whose

image

shines

forth

from

its

temple

summit

;

for

they

have

not

thought

it

proper

to

pay

sacred

honours

underneath

a

roof

to

an

object

they

have

itself

in

open

space

.

Those

who

assert

that

the

first

spectacle

was

exhibited

by

Circe

,

and

in

honour

of

the

Sun

her

father

,

as

they

will

have

it

,

maintain

also

the

name

of

circus

was

derived

from

her

.

Plainly

,

then

,

the

enchantress

did

this

in

the

name

of

the

parties

whose

priestess

she

was

—

I

mean

the

demons

and

spirits

of

evil

.

What

an

aggregation

of

idolatries

you

see

,

accordingly

,

in

the

decoration

of

the

place

!

Every

ornament

of

the

circus

is

a

temple

by

itself

.

The

eggs

are

regarded

as

sacred

to

the

Castors

,

by

men

who

are

not

ashamed

to

profess

faith

in

their

production

from

the

egg

of

a

swan

,

which

was

no

other

than

Jupiter

himself

.

The

Dolphins

vomit

forth

in

honour

of

Neptune

.

Images

of

Sessia

,

so

called

as

the

goddess

of

sowing

;

of

Messia

,

so

called

as

the

goddess

of

reaping

;

of

Tutulina

,

so

called

as

the

fruit

-

protecting

deity

—

load

the

pillars

.

In

front

of

these

you

have

three

altars

to

these

three

gods

—

Great

,

Mighty

,

Victorious

.

They

reckon

these

of

Samo

-

Thrace

.

The

huge

Obelisk

,

as

Hermeteles

affirms

,

is

set

up

in

public

to

the

Sun

;

its

inscription

,

like

its

origin

,

belongs

to

Egyptian

superstition

.

Cheerless

were

the

demon

-

gathering

without

their

Mater

Magna

;

and

so

she

presides

there

over

the

Euripus

.

Consus

,

as

we

have

mentioned

,

lies

hidden

under

ground

at

the

Murcian

Goals

.

These

two

sprang

from

an

idol

.

For

they

will

have

it

that

Murcia

is

the

goddess

of

love

;

and

to

her

,

at

that

spot

,

they

have

consecrated

a

temple

.

See

,

Christian

,

how

many

impure

names

have

taken

possession

of

the

circus

!

You

have

nothing

to

do

with

a

sacred

place

which

is

tenanted

by

such

multitudes

of

diabolic

spirits

.

And

speaking

of

places

,

this

is

the

suitable

occasion

for

some

remarks

in

anticipation

of

a

point

that

some

will

raise

.

What

,

then

,

you

say

;

shall

I

be

in

danger

of

pollution

if

I

go

to

the

circus

when

the

games

are

not

being

celebrated

?

There

is

no

law

forbidding

the

mere

places

to

us

.

For

not

only

the

places

for

show

-

gatherings

,

but

even

the

temples

,

may

be

entered

without

any

peril

of

his

religion

by

the

servant

of

God

,

if

he

has

only

some

honest

reason

for

it

,

unconnected

with

their

proper

business

and

official

duties

.

Why

,

even

the

streets

and

the

market

-

place

,

and

the

baths

,

and

the

taverns

,

and

our

very

dwelling

-

places

,

are

not

altogether

free

from

idols

.

Satan

and

his

angels

have

filled

the

whole

world

.

It

is

not

by

merely

being

in

the

world

,

however

,

that

we

lapse

from

God

,

but

by

touching

and

tainting

ourselves

with

the

world’s

sins

.

I

shall

break

with

my

Maker

,

that

is

,

by

going

to

the

Capitol

or

the

temple

of

Serapis

to

sacrifice

or

adore

,

as

I

shall

also

do

by

going

as

a

spectator

to

the

circus

and

the

theatre

.

The

places

in

themselves

do

not

contaminate

,

but

what

is

done

in

them

;

from

this

even

the

places

themselves

,

we

maintain

,

become

defiled

.

The

polluted

things

pollute

us

.

It

is

on

this

account

that

we

set

before

you

to

whom

places

of

the

kind

are

dedicated

,

that

we

may

prove

the

things

which

are

done

in

them

to

belong

to

the

idol

-

patrons

to

whom

the

very

places

are

sacred

.

Notes

1
[Very admirable reflections on this chapter may be found in Kaye, pp. 362–3.]