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The Shows, or De Spectaculis

Tertullian

Chapter 10

About this work

Author: Tertullian

Let us pass on now to theatrical exhibitions, which we

‹ Chapter 9 Chapter 11 ›

have

already

shown

have

a

common

origin

with

the

circus

,

and

bear

like

idolatrous

designations

—

even

as

from

the

first

they

have

borne

the

name

of

“

Ludi

,

”

and

equally

minister

to

idols

.

They

resemble

each

other

also

in

their

pomp

,

having

the

same

procession

to

the

scene

of

their

display

from

temples

and

altars

,

and

that

mournful

profusion

of

incense

and

blood

,

with

music

of

pipes

and

trumpets

,

all

under

the

direction

of

the

soothsayer

and

the

undertaker

,

those

two

foul

masters

of

funeral

rites

and

sacrifices

.

So

as

we

went

on

from

the

origin

of

the

“

Ludi

”

to

the

circus

games

,

we

shall

now

direct

our

course

thence

to

those

of

the

theatre

,

beginning

with

the

place

of

exhibition

.

At

first

the

theatre

was

properly

a

temple

of

Venus

;

and

,

to

speak

briefly

,

it

was

owing

to

this

that

stage

performances

were

allowed

to

escape

censure

,

and

got

a

footing

in

the

world

.

For

ofttimes

the

censors

,

in

the

interests

of

morality

,

put

down

above

all

the

rising

theatres

,

foreseeing

,

as

they

did

,

that

there

was

great

danger

of

their

leading

to

a

general

profligacy

;

so

that

already

,

from

this

accordance

of

their

own

people

with

us

,

there

is

a

witness

to

the

heathen

,

and

in

the

anticipatory

judgment

of

human

knowledge

even

a

confirmation

of

our

views

.

Accordingly

Pompey

the

Great

,

less

only

than

his

theatre

,

when

he

had

erected

that

citadel

of

all

impurities

,

fearing

some

time

or

other

censorian

condemnation

of

his

memory

,

superposed

on

it

a

temple

of

Venus

;

and

summoning

by

public

proclamation

the

people

to

its

consecration

,

he

called

it

not

a

theatre

,

but

a

temple

,

“

under

which

,

”

said

he

,

“

we

have

placed

tiers

of

seats

for

viewing

the

shows

.

”

So

he

threw

a

veil

over

a

structure

on

which

condemnation

had

been

often

passed

,

and

which

is

ever

to

be

held

in

reprobation

,

by

pretending

that

it

was

a

sacred

place

;

and

by

means

of

superstition

he

blinded

the

eyes

of

a

virtuous

discipline

.

But

Venus

and

Bacchus

are

close

allies

.

These

two

evil

spirits

are

in

sworn

confederacy

with

each

other

,

as

the

patrons

of

drunkenness

and

lust

.

So

the

theatre

of

Venus

is

as

well

the

house

of

Bacchus

:

for

they

properly

gave

the

name

of

Liberalia

also

to

other

theatrical

amusements

—

which

besides

being

consecrated

to

Bacchus

(

as

were

the

Dionysia

of

the

Greeks

)

,

were

instituted

by

him

;

and

,

without

doubt

,

the

performances

of

the

theatre

have

the

common

patronage

of

these

two

deities

.

That

immodesty

of

gesture

and

attire

which

so

specially

and

peculiarly

characterizes

the

stage

are

consecrated

to

them

—

the

one

deity

wanton

by

her

sex

,

the

other

by

his

drapery

;

while

its

services

of

voice

,

and

song

,

and

lute

,

and

pipe

,

belong

to

Apollos

,

and

Muses

,

and

Minervas

,

and

Mercuries

.

You

will

hate

,

O

Christian

,

the

things

whose

authors

must

be

the

objects

of

your

utter

detestation

.

So

we

would

now

make

a

remark

about

the

arts

of

the

theatre

,

about

the

things

also

whose

authors

in

the

names

we

execrate

.

We

know

that

the

names

of

the

dead

are

nothing

,

as

are

their

images

;

but

we

know

well

enough

,

too

,

who

,

when

images

are

set

up

,

under

these

names

carry

on

their

wicked

work

,

and

exult

in

the

homage

rendered

to

them

,

and

pretend

to

be

divine

—

none

other

than

spirits

accursed

,

than

devils

.

We

see

,

therefore

,

that

the

arts

also

are

consecrated

to

the

service

of

the

beings

who

dwell

in

the

names

of

their

founders

;

and

that

things

cannot

be

held

free

from

the

taint

of

idolatry

whose

inventors

have

got

a

place

among

the

gods

for

their

discoveries

.

Nay

,

as

regards

the

arts

,

we

ought

to

have

gone

further

back

,

and

barred

all

further

argument

by

the

position

that

the

demons

,

predetermining

in

their

own

interests

from

the

first

,

among

other

evils

of

idolatry

,

the

pollutions

of

the

public

shows

,

with

the

object

of

drawing

man

away

from

his

Lord

and

binding

him

to

their

own

service

,

carried

out

their

purpose

by

bestowing

on

him

the

artistic

gifts

which

the

shows

require

.

For

none

but

themselves

would

have

made

provision

and

preparation

for

the

objects

they

had

in

view

;

nor

would

they

have

given

the

arts

to

the

world

by

any

but

those

in

whose

names

,

and

images

,

and

histories

they

set

up

for

their

own

ends

the

artifice

of

consecration

.