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To His Wife

Tertullian

Book 1 · Chapter 6

About this work

Author: Tertullian

Chapter VI.—Examples of Heathens Urged as Commendatory of Widowhood and Celibacy.

But if they who have (wives) are (thus) bound

‹ Book 1 · Chapter 5 Book 1 · Chapter 7 ›

to

consign

to

oblivion

what

they

have

,

how

much

more

are

they

who

have

not

,

prohibited

from

seeking

a

second

time

what

they

no

longer

have

;

so

that

she

whose

husband

has

departed

from

the

world

should

thenceforward

impose

rest

on

her

sex

by

abstinence

from

marriage

—

abstinence

which

numbers

of

Gentile

women

devote

to

the

memory

of

beloved

husbands

!

When

anything

seems

difficult

,

let

us

survey

others

who

cope

with

still

greater

difficulties

.

How

many

are

there

who

from

the

moment

of

their

baptism

set

the

seal

(

of

virginity

)

upon

their

flesh

?

How

many

,

again

,

who

by

equal

mutual

consent

cancel

the

debt

of

matrimony

—

voluntary

eunuchs

for

the

sake

of

their

desire

after

the

celestial

kingdom

!

But

if

,

while

the

marriage

-

tie

is

still

intact

,

abstinence

is

endured

,

how

much

more

when

it

has

been

undone

!

For

I

believe

it

to

be

harder

for

what

is

intact

to

be

quite

forsaken

,

than

for

what

has

been

lost

not

to

be

yearned

after

.

A

hard

and

arduous

thing

enough

,

surely

,

is

the

continence

for

God’s

sake

of

a

holy

woman

after

her

husband’s

decease

,

when

Gentiles

,

in

honour

of

their

own

Satan

,

endure

sacerdotal

offices

which

involve

both

virginity

and

widowhood

!

At

Rome

,

for

instance

,

they

who

have

to

do

with

the

type

of

that

“

inextinguishable

fire

,

”

keeping

watch

over

the

omens

of

their

own

(

future

)

penalty

,

in

company

with

the

(

old

)

dragon

himself

,

are

appointed

on

the

ground

of

virginity

.

To

the

Achæan

Juno

,

at

the

town

Ægium

,

a

virgin

is

allotted

;

and

the

(

priestesses

)

who

rave

at

Delphi

know

not

marriage

.

Moreover

,

we

know

that

widows

minister

to

the

African

Ceres

;

enticed

away

,

indeed

,

from

matrimony

by

a

most

stem

oblivion

:

for

not

only

do

they

withdraw

from

their

still

living

husbands

,

but

they

even

introduce

other

wives

to

them

in

their

own

room

—

the

husbands

,

of

course

,

smiling

on

it

—

all

contact

(

with

males

)

,

even

as

far

as

the

kiss

of

their

sons

,

being

forbidden

them

;

and

yet

,

with

enduring

practice

,

they

persevere

in

such

a

discipline

of

widowhood

,

which

excludes

the

solace

even

of

holy

affection

.

These

precepts

has

the

devil

given

to

his

servants

,

and

he

is

heard

!

He

challenges

,

forsooth

,

God’s

servants

,

by

the

continence

of

his

own

,

as

if

on

equal

terms

!

Continent

are

even

the

priests

of

hell

!

For

he

has

found

a

way

to

ruin

men

even

in

good

pursuits

;

and

with

him

it

makes

no

difference

to

slay

some

by

voluptuousness

,

some

by

continence

.

Notes

1
Comp. de Pa., xiii., and Matt. xix. 12. Comp. too, de Ex. Cast., c. i.
2
i.e., Gentile women.
3
Oehler marks this as a question.
4
Matt. iii. 12.
5
Comp. Rev. xii. 9, and de Bapt., 1.
6
Pietatis.
7
Gehennæ; comp. de Pæn., c. xii. ad init.