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The Shows, or De Spectaculis

Tertullian

Chapter 11

About this work

Author: Tertullian

In fulfilment of our plan, let us now go on

‹ Chapter 10 Chapter 12 ›

to

consider

the

combats

.

Their

origin

is

akin

to

that

of

the

games

(

ludi

)

.

Hence

they

are

kept

as

either

sacred

or

funereal

,

as

they

have

been

instituted

in

honour

of

the

idol

-

gods

of

the

nations

or

of

the

dead

.

Thus

,

too

,

they

are

called

Olympian

in

honour

of

Jupiter

,

known

at

Rome

as

the

Capitoline

;

Nemean

,

in

honour

of

Hercules

;

Isthmian

,

in

honour

of

Neptune

;

the

rest

mortuarii

,

as

belonging

to

the

dead

.

What

wonder

,

then

,

if

idolatry

pollutes

the

combat

-

parade

with

profane

crowns

,

with

sacerdotal

chiefs

,

with

attendants

belonging

to

the

various

colleges

,

last

of

all

with

the

blood

of

its

sacrifices

?

To

add

a

completing

word

about

the

“

place

”

—

in

the

common

place

for

the

college

of

the

arts

sacred

to

the

Muses

,

and

Apollo

,

and

Minerva

,

and

also

for

that

of

the

arts

dedicated

to

Mars

,

they

with

contest

and

sound

of

trumpet

emulate

the

circus

in

the

arena

,

which

is

a

real

temple

—

I

mean

of

the

god

whose

festivals

it

celebrates

.

The

gymnastic

arts

also

originated

with

their

Castors

,

and

Herculeses

,

and

Mercuries

.