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Tertullian

Chapter 1

About this work

Author: Tertullian

We are not in any great perturbation or alarm about the persecutions we

suffer

from

the

ignorance

of

men

;

for

we

have

attached

ourselves

to

this

sect

,

fully

accepting

the

terms

of

its

covenant

,

so

that

,

as

men

whose

very

lives

are

not

their

own

,

we

engage

in

these

conflicts

,

our

desire

being

to

obtain

God’s

promised

rewards

,

and

our

dread

lest

the

woes

with

which

He

threatens

an

unchristian

life

should

overtake

us

.

Hence

we

shrink

not

from

the

grapple

with

your

utmost

rage

,

coming

even

forth

of

our

own

accord

to

the

contest

;

and

condemnation

gives

us

more

pleasure

than

acquittal

.

We

have

sent

,

therefore

,

this

tract

to

you

in

no

alarm

about

ourselves

,

but

in

much

concern

for

you

and

for

all

our

enemies

,

to

say

nothing

of

our

friends

.

For

our

religion

commands

us

to

love

even

our

enemies

,

and

to

pray

for

those

who

persecute

us

,

aiming

at

a

perfection

all

its

own

,

and

seeking

in

its

disciples

something

of

a

higher

type

than

the

commonplace

goodness

of

the

world

.

For

all

love

those

who

love

them

;

it

is

peculiar

to

Christians

alone

to

love

those

that

hate

them

.

Therefore

mourning

over

your

ignorance

,

and

compassionating

human

error

,

and

looking

on

to

that

future

of

which

every

day

shows

threatening

signs

,

necessity

is

laid

on

us

to

come

forth

in

this

way

also

,

that

we

may

set

before

you

the

truths

you

will

not

listen

to

openly

.

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