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The Shows, or De Spectaculis

Tertullian

Chapter 3

About this work

Author: Tertullian

Fortified by this knowledge against heathen views, let us rather

‹ Chapter 2 Chapter 4 ›

turn

to

the

unworthy

reasonings

of

our

own

people

;

for

the

faith

of

some

,

either

too

simple

or

too

scrupulous

,

demands

direct

authority

from

Scripture

for

giving

up

the

shows

,

and

holds

out

that

the

matter

is

a

doubtful

one

,

because

such

abstinence

is

not

clearly

and

in

words

imposed

upon

God’s

servants

.

Well

,

we

never

find

it

expressed

with

the

same

precision

,

“

Thou

shalt

not

enter

circus

or

theatre

,

thou

shalt

not

look

on

combat

or

show

;

”

as

it

is

plainly

laid

down

,

“

Thou

shalt

not

kill

;

thou

shalt

not

worship

an

idol

;

thou

shalt

not

commit

adultery

or

fraud

.

”

But

we

find

that

that

first

word

of

David

bears

on

this

very

sort

of

thing

:

“

Blessed

,

”

he

says

,

“

is

the

man

who

has

not

gone

into

the

assembly

of

the

impious

,

nor

stood

in

the

way

of

sinners

,

nor

sat

in

the

seat

of

scorners

.

”

Though

he

seems

to

have

predicted

beforehand

of

that

just

man

,

that

he

took

no

part

in

the

meetings

and

deliberations

of

the

Jews

,

taking

counsel

about

the

slaying

of

our

Lord

,

yet

divine

Scripture

has

ever

far

-

reaching

applications

:

after

the

immediate

sense

has

been

exhausted

,

in

all

directions

it

fortifies

the

practice

of

the

religious

life

,

so

that

here

also

you

have

an

utterance

which

is

not

far

from

a

plain

interdicting

of

the

shows

.

If

he

called

those

few

Jews

an

assembly

of

the

wicked

,

how

much

more

will

he

so

designate

so

vast

a

gathering

of

heathens

!

Are

the

heathens

less

impious

,

less

sinners

,

less

enemies

of

Christ

,

than

the

Jews

were

then

?

And

see

,

too

,

how

other

things

agree

.

For

at

the

shows

they

also

stand

in

the

way

.

For

they

call

the

spaces

between

the

seats

going

round

the

amphitheatre

,

and

the

passages

which

separate

the

people

running

down

,

ways

.

The

place

in

the

curve

where

the

matrons

sit

is

called

a

chair

.

Therefore

,

on

the

contrary

,

it

holds

,

unblessed

is

he

who

has

entered

any

council

of

wicked

men

,

and

has

stood

in

any

way

of

sinners

,

and

has

sat

in

any

chair

of

scorners

.

We

may

understand

a

thing

as

spoken

generally

,

even

when

it

requires

a

certain

special

interpretation

to

be

given

to

it

.

For

some

things

spoken

with

a

special

reference

contain

in

them

general

truth

.

When

God

admonishes

the

Israelites

of

their

duty

,

or

sharply

reproves

them

,

He

has

surely

a

reference

to

all

men

;

when

He

threatens

destruction

to

Egypt

and

Ethiopia

,

He

surely

pre

-

condemns

every

sinning

nation

,

whatever

.

If

,

reasoning

from

species

to

genus

,

every

nation

that

sins

against

them

is

an

Egypt

and

Ethiopia

;

so

also

,

reasoning

from

genus

to

species

,

with

reference

to

the

origin

of

shows

,

every

show

is

an

assembly

of

the

wicked

.

Notes

1
Ex. xx. 14.
2
Ps. i. 1. [Kaye’s censure of this use of the text, (p. 366) seems to me gratuitous.]