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The Shows, or De Spectaculis

Tertullian

Chapter 25

About this work

Author: Tertullian

Seated where there is nothing of God, will one be

‹ Chapter 24 Chapter 26 ›

thinking

of

his

Maker

?

Will

there

be

peace

in

his

soul

when

there

is

eager

strife

there

for

a

charioteer

?

Wrought

up

into

a

frenzied

excitement

,

will

he

learn

to

be

modest

?

Nay

,

in

the

whole

thing

he

will

meet

with

no

greater

temptation

than

that

gay

attiring

of

the

men

and

women

.

The

very

intermingling

of

emotions

,

the

very

agreements

and

disagreements

with

each

other

in

the

bestowment

of

their

favours

,

where

you

have

such

close

communion

,

blow

up

the

sparks

of

passion

.

And

then

there

is

scarce

any

other

object

in

going

to

the

show

,

but

to

see

and

to

be

seen

.

When

a

tragic

actor

is

declaiming

,

will

one

be

giving

thought

to

prophetic

appeals

?

Amid

the

measures

of

the

effeminate

player

,

will

he

call

up

to

himself

a

psalm

?

And

when

the

athletes

are

hard

at

struggle

,

will

he

be

ready

to

proclaim

that

there

must

be

no

striking

again

?

And

with

his

eye

fixed

on

the

bites

of

bears

,

and

the

sponge

-

nets

of

the

net

-

fighters

,

can

he

be

moved

by

compassion

?

May

God

avert

from

His

people

any

such

passionate

eagerness

after

a

cruel

enjoyment

!

For

how

monstrous

it

is

to

go

from

God’s

church

to

the

devil’s

—

from

the

sky

to

the

stye

,

as

they

say

;

to

raise

your

hands

to

God

,

and

then

to

weary

them

in

the

applause

of

an

actor

;

out

of

the

mouth

,

from

which

you

uttered

Amen

over

the

Holy

Thing

,

to

give

witness

in

a

gladiator’s

favour

;

to

cry

“

forever

”

to

any

one

else

but

God

and

Christ

!

Notes

1
[De Cælo in Cænum: (sic) Oehler.]