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The Shows, or De Spectaculis

Tertullian

Chapter 23

About this work

Author: Tertullian

Seeing, then, man’s own reflections, even in spite

‹ Chapter 22 Chapter 24 ›

of

the

sweetness

of

pleasure

,

lead

him

to

think

that

people

such

as

these

should

be

condemned

to

a

hapless

lot

of

infamy

,

losing

all

the

advantages

connected

with

the

possession

of

the

dignities

of

life

,

how

much

more

does

the

divine

righteousness

inflict

punishment

on

those

who

give

themselves

to

these

arts

!

Will

God

have

any

pleasure

in

the

charioteer

who

disquiets

so

many

souls

,

rouses

up

so

many

furious

passions

,

and

creates

so

many

various

moods

,

either

crowned

like

a

priest

or

wearing

the

colours

of

a

pimp

,

decked

out

by

the

devil

that

he

may

be

whirled

away

in

his

chariot

,

as

though

with

the

object

of

taking

off

Elijah

?

Will

He

be

pleased

with

him

who

applies

the

razor

to

himself

,

and

completely

changes

his

features

;

who

,

with

no

respect

for

his

face

,

is

not

content

with

making

it

as

like

as

possible

to

Saturn

and

Isis

and

Bacchus

,

but

gives

it

quietly

over

to

contumelious

blows

,

as

if

in

mockery

of

our

Lord

?

The

devil

,

forsooth

,

makes

it

part

,

too

,

of

his

teaching

,

that

the

cheek

is

to

be

meekly

offered

to

the

smiter

.

In

the

same

way

,

with

their

high

shoes

,

he

has

made

the

tragic

actors

taller

,

because

“

none

can

add

a

cubit

to

his

stature

.

”

His

desire

is

to

make

Christ

a

liar

.

And

in

regard

to

the

wearing

of

masks

,

I

ask

is

that

according

to

the

mind

of

God

,

who

forbids

the

making

of

every

likeness

,

and

especially

then

the

likeness

of

man

who

is

His

own

image

?

The

Author

of

truth

hates

all

the

false

;

He

regards

as

adultery

all

that

is

unreal

.

Condemning

,

therefore

,

as

He

does

hypocrisy

in

every

form

,

He

never

will

approve

any

putting

on

of

voice

,

or

sex

,

or

age

;

He

never

will

approve

pretended

loves

,

and

wraths

,

and

groans

,

and

tears

.

Then

,

too

,

as

in

His

law

it

is

declared

that

the

man

is

cursed

who

attires

himself

in

female

garments

,

what

must

be

His

judgment

of

the

pantomime

,

who

is

even

brought

up

to

play

the

woman

!

And

will

the

boxer

go

unpunished

?

I

suppose

he

received

these

cæstus

-

scars

,

and

the

thick

skin

of

his

fists

,

and

these

growths

upon

his

ears

,

at

his

creation

!

God

,

too

,

gave

him

eyes

for

no

other

end

than

that

they

might

be

knocked

out

in

fighting

!

I

say

nothing

of

him

who

,

to

save

himself

,

thrusts

another

in

the

lion’s

way

,

that

he

may

not

be

too

little

of

a

murderer

when

he

puts

to

death

that

very

same

man

on

the

arena

.

Notes

1
Matt. vi. 27.
2
Deut. xxii.