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The Shows, or De Spectaculis

Tertullian

Chapter 15

About this work

Author: Tertullian

Having done enough, then, as we have said,

‹ Chapter 14 Chapter 16 ›

in

regard

to

that

principal

argument

,

that

there

is

in

them

all

the

taint

of

idolatry

—

having

sufficiently

dealt

with

that

,

let

us

now

contrast

the

other

characteristics

of

the

show

with

the

things

of

God

.

God

has

enjoined

us

to

deal

calmly

,

gently

,

quietly

,

and

peacefully

with

the

Holy

Spirit

,

because

these

things

are

alone

in

keeping

with

the

goodness

of

His

nature

,

with

His

tenderness

and

sensitiveness

,

and

not

to

vex

Him

with

rage

,

ill

-

nature

,

anger

,

or

grief

.

Well

,

how

shall

this

be

made

to

accord

with

the

shows

?

For

the

show

always

leads

to

spiritual

agitation

,

since

where

there

is

pleasure

,

there

is

keenness

of

feeling

giving

pleasure

its

zest

;

and

where

there

is

keenness

of

feeling

,

there

is

rivalry

giving

in

turn

its

zest

to

that

.

Then

,

too

,

where

you

have

rivalry

,

you

have

rage

,

bitterness

,

wrath

and

grief

,

with

all

bad

things

which

flow

from

them

—

the

whole

entirely

out

of

keeping

with

the

religion

of

Christ

.

For

even

suppose

one

should

enjoy

the

shows

in

a

moderate

way

,

as

befits

his

rank

,

age

or

nature

,

still

he

is

not

undisturbed

in

mind

,

without

some

unuttered

movings

of

the

inner

man

.

No

one

partakes

of

pleasures

such

as

these

without

their

strong

excitements

;

no

one

comes

under

their

excitements

without

their

natural

lapses

.

These

lapses

,

again

,

create

passionate

desire

.

If

there

is

no

desire

,

there

is

no

pleasure

,

and

he

is

chargeable

with

trifling

who

goes

where

nothing

is

gotten

;

in

my

view

,

even

that

is

foreign

to

us

.

Moreover

,

a

man

pronounces

his

own

condemnation

in

the

very

act

of

taking

his

place

among

those

with

whom

,

by

his

disinclination

to

be

like

them

,

he

confesses

he

has

no

sympathy

.

It

is

not

enough

that

we

do

no

such

things

ourselves

,

unless

we

break

all

connection

also

with

those

who

do

.

“

If

thou

sawest

a

thief

,

”

says

the

Scripture

,

“

thou

consentedst

with

him

.

”

Would

that

we

did

not

even

inhabit

the

same

world

with

these

wicked

men

!

But

though

that

wish

cannot

be

realized

,

yet

even

now

we

are

separate

from

them

in

what

is

of

the

world

;

for

the

world

is

God’s

,

but

the

worldly

is

the

devil’s

.

Notes

1
Ps. xlix. 18. [This chapter bears on modern theatres.]