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To His Wife

Tertullian

Book 1 · Chapter 3

About this work

Author: Tertullian

Chapter III.—Marriage Good: Celibacy Preferable.

But let it not be thought that my reason for premising thus

‹ Book 1 · Chapter 2 Book 1 · Chapter 4 ›

much

concerning

the

liberty

granted

to

the

old

,

and

the

restraint

imposed

on

the

later

time

,

is

that

I

may

lay

a

foundation

for

teaching

that

Christ’s

advent

was

intended

to

dissolve

wedlock

,

(

and

)

to

abolish

marriage

talons

;

as

if

from

this

period

onward

I

were

prescribing

an

end

to

marrying

.

Let

them

see

to

that

,

who

,

among

the

rest

of

their

perversities

,

teach

the

disjoining

of

the

“

one

flesh

in

twain

;

”

denying

Him

who

,

after

borrowing

the

female

from

the

male

,

recombined

between

themselves

,

in

the

matrimonial

computation

,

the

two

bodies

taken

out

of

the

consortship

of

the

self

-

same

material

substance

.

In

short

,

there

is

no

place

at

all

where

we

read

that

nuptials

are

prohibited

;

of

course

on

the

ground

that

they

are

“

a

good

thing

.

”

What

,

however

,

is

better

than

this

“

good

,

”

we

learn

from

the

apostle

,

who

permits

marrying

indeed

,

but

prefers

abstinence

;

the

former

on

account

of

the

insidiousnesses

of

temptations

,

the

latter

on

account

of

the

straits

of

the

times

.

Now

,

by

looking

into

the

reason

thus

given

for

each

proposition

,

it

is

easily

discerned

that

the

ground

on

which

the

power

of

marrying

is

conceded

is

necessity

;

but

whatever

necessity

grants

,

she

by

her

very

nature

depreciates

.

In

fact

,

in

that

it

is

written

,

“

To

marry

is

better

than

to

burn

,

”

what

,

pray

,

is

the

nature

of

this

“

good

”

which

is

(

only

)

commended

by

comparison

with

“

evil

,

”

so

that

the

reason

why

“

marrying

”

is

more

good

is

(

merely

)

that

“

burning

”

is

less

?

Nay

,

but

how

far

better

is

it

neither

to

marry

nor

to

burn

?

Why

,

even

in

persecutions

it

is

better

to

take

advantage

of

the

permission

granted

,

and

“

flee

from

town

to

town

,

”

than

,

when

apprehended

and

racked

,

to

deny

(

the

faith

)

.

And

therefore

more

blessed

are

they

who

have

strength

to

depart

(

this

life

)

in

blessed

confession

of

their

testimony

.

I

may

say

,

What

is

permitted

is

not

good

.

For

how

stands

the

case

?

I

must

of

necessity

die

(

if

I

be

apprehended

and

confess

my

faith

.

)

If

I

think

(

that

fate

)

deplorable

,

(

then

flight

)

is

good

;

but

if

I

have

a

fear

of

the

thing

which

is

permitted

,

(

the

permitted

thing

)

has

some

suspicion

attaching

to

the

cause

of

its

permission

.

But

that

which

is

“

better

”

no

one

(

ever

)

“

permitted

,

”

as

being

undoubted

,

and

manifest

by

its

own

inherent

purity

.

There

are

some

things

which

are

not

to

be

desired

merely

because

they

are

not

forbidden

,

albeit

they

are

in

a

certain

sense

forbidden

when

other

things

are

preferred

to

them

;

for

the

preference

given

to

the

higher

things

is

a

dissuasion

from

the

lowest

.

A

thing

is

not

“

good

”

merely

because

it

is

not

“

evil

,

”

nor

is

it

“

evil

”

merely

because

it

is

not

“

harmful

.

”

Further

:

that

which

is

fully

“

good

”

excels

on

this

ground

,

that

it

is

not

only

not

harmful

,

but

profitable

into

the

bargain

.

For

you

are

bound

to

prefer

what

is

profitable

to

what

is

(

merely

)

not

harmful

.

For

the

first

place

is

what

every

struggle

aims

at

;

the

second

has

consolation

attaching

to

it

,

but

not

victory

.

But

if

we

listen

to

the

apostle

,

forgetting

what

is

behind

,

let

us

both

strain

after

what

is

before

,

and

be

followers

after

the

better

rewards

.

Thus

,

albeit

he

does

not

“

cast

a

snare

upon

us

,

”

he

points

out

what

tends

to

utility

when

he

says

,

“

The

unmarried

woman

thinks

on

the

things

of

the

Lord

,

that

both

in

body

and

spirit

she

may

be

holy

;

but

the

married

is

solicitous

how

to

please

her

husband

.

”

But

he

nowhere

permits

marriage

in

such

a

way

as

not

rather

to

wish

us

to

do

our

utmost

in

imitation

of

his

own

example

.

Happy

the

man

who

shall

prove

like

Paul

!

Notes

1
“Jam hinc,” i.e., apparently from the time of Christ’s advent.
2
Matt. xix. 5, 6.
3
1 Cor. vii.
4
Matt. x. 23; perhaps confused with xxiii. 34.
5
Comp. de Idol., c. xxiii., and the note there on “se negant.”
6
i.e., in martyrdom, on the ground of that open confession.
7
Non obest.
8
Phil. iii. 13, 14.
9
Laqueum = βρόχον (1 Cor. vii. 35), “a noose,” “lasso” (“snare,” Eng. ver.). “Laqueo trahuntur inviti” (Bengel).
10
See note 13.