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Tertullian

Chapter 4

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Author: Tertullian

We who are without fear ourselves are not seeking to frighten you,

‹ Chapter 3 Chapter 5 ›

but

we

would

save

all

men

if

possible

by

warning

them

not

to

fight

with

God

.

You

may

perform

the

duties

of

your

charge

,

and

yet

remember

the

claims

of

humanity

;

if

on

no

other

ground

than

that

you

are

liable

to

punishment

yourself

,

(

you

ought

to

do

so

)

.

For

is

not

your

commission

simply

to

condemn

those

who

confess

their

guilt

,

and

to

give

over

to

the

torture

those

who

deny

?

You

see

,

then

,

how

you

trespass

yourselves

against

your

instructions

to

wring

from

the

confessing

a

denial

.

It

is

,

in

fact

,

an

acknowledgment

of

our

innocence

that

you

refuse

to

condemn

us

at

once

when

we

confess

.

In

doing

your

utmost

to

extirpate

us

,

if

that

is

your

object

,

it

is

innocence

you

assail

.

But

how

many

rulers

,

men

more

resolute

and

more

cruel

than

you

are

,

have

contrived

to

get

quit

of

such

causes

altogether

,

—

as

Cincius

Severus

,

who

himself

suggested

the

remedy

at

Thysdris

,

pointing

out

how

the

Christians

should

answer

that

they

might

secure

an

acquittal

;

as

Vespronius

Candidus

,

who

dismissed

from

his

bar

a

Christian

,

on

the

ground

that

to

satisfy

his

fellow

-

citizens

would

break

the

peace

of

the

community

;

as

Asper

,

who

,

in

the

case

of

a

man

who

gave

up

his

faith

under

slight

infliction

of

the

torture

,

did

not

compel

the

offering

of

sacrifice

,

having

owned

before

,

among

the

advocates

and

assessors

of

court

,

that

he

was

annoyed

at

having

had

to

meddle

with

such

a

case

.

Pudens

,

too

,

at

once

dismissed

a

Christian

who

was

brought

before

him

,

perceiving

from

the

indictment

that

it

was

a

case

of

vexatious

accusation

;

tearing

the

document

in

pieces

,

he

refused

so

much

as

to

hear

him

without

the

presence

of

his

accuser

,

as

not

being

consistent

with

the

imperial

commands

.

All

this

might

be

officially

brought

under

your

notice

,

and

by

the

very

advocates

,

who

are

themselves

also

under

obligations

to

us

,

although

in

court

they

give

their

voice

as

it

suits

them

.

The

clerk

of

one

of

them

who

was

liable

to

be

thrown

upon

the

ground

by

an

evil

spirit

,

was

set

free

from

his

affliction

;

as

was

also

the

relative

of

another

,

and

the

little

boy

of

a

third

.

How

many

men

of

rank

(

to

say

nothing

of

common

people

)

have

been

delivered

from

devils

,

and

healed

of

diseases

!

Even

Severus

himself

,

the

father

of

Antonine

,

was

graciously

mindful

of

the

Christians

;

for

he

sought

out

the

Christian

Proculus

,

surnamed

Torpacion

,

the

steward

of

Euhodias

,

and

in

gratitude

for

his

having

once

cured

him

by

anointing

,

he

kept

him

in

his

palace

till

the

day

of

his

death

.

Antonine

,

too

,

brought

up

as

he

was

on

Christian

milk

,

was

intimately

acquainted

with

this

man

.

Both

women

and

men

of

highest

rank

,

whom

Severus

knew

well

to

be

Christians

,

were

not

merely

permitted

by

him

to

remain

uninjured

;

but

he

even

bore

distinguished

testimony

in

their

favour

,

and

gave

them

publicly

back

to

us

from

the

hands

of

a

raging

populace

.

Marcus

Aurelius

also

,

in

his

expedition

to

Germany

,

by

the

prayers

his

Christian

soldiers

offered

to

God

,

got

rain

in

that

well

-

known

thirst

.

When

,

indeed

,

have

not

droughts

been

put

away

by

our

kneelings

and

our

fastings

?

At

times

like

these

,

moreover

,

the

people

crying

to

“

the

God

of

gods

,

the

alone

Omnipotent

,

”

under

the

name

of

Jupiter

,

have

borne

witness

to

our

God

.

Then

we

never

deny

the

deposit

placed

in

our

hands

;

we

never

pollute

the

marriage

bed

;

we

deal

faithfully

with

our

wards

;

we

give

aid

to

the

needy

;

we

render

to

none

evil

for

evil

.

As

for

those

who

falsely

pretend

to

belong

to

us

,

and

whom

we

,

too

,

repudiate

,

let

them

answer

for

themselves

.

In

a

word

,

who

has

complaint

to

make

against

us

on

other

grounds

?

To

what

else

does

the

Christian

devote

himself

,

save

the

affairs

of

his

own

community

,

which

during

all

the

long

period

of

its

existence

no

one

has

ever

proved

guilty

of

the

incest

or

the

cruelty

charged

against

it

?

It

is

for

freedom

from

crime

so

singular

,

for

a

probity

so

great

,

for

righteousness

,

for

purity

,

for

faithfulness

,

for

truth

,

for

the

living

God

,

that

we

are

consigned

to

the

flames

;

for

this

is

a

punishment

you

are

not

wont

to

inflict

either

on

the

sacrilegious

,

or

on

undoubted

public

enemies

,

or

on

the

treason

-

tainted

,

of

whom

you

have

so

many

.

Nay

,

even

now

our

people

are

enduring

persecution

from

the

governors

of

Legio

and

Mauritania

;

but

it

is

only

with

the

sword

,

as

from

the

first

it

was

ordained

that

we

should

suffer

.

But

the

greater

our

conflicts

,

the

greater

our

rewards

.

Notes

1
[Our author uses the Greek (μὴ θεομαχεῖν) but not textually of Acts v. 39.]
2
[Another note of time. a.d. 211. See Kaye, as before.]
3
[Compare Vol. I., p. 187, this Series.]