Ad Nationes.

 Book I.

 In this case you actually conduct trials contrary to the usual form of judicial process against criminals for when culprits are brought up for trial,

 Since, therefore, you who are in other cases most scrupulous and persevering in investigating charges of far less serious import, relinquish your care

 But the sect, you say, is punished in the name of its founder. Now in the first place it is, no doubt, a fair and usual custom that a sect should be m

 As to your saying of us that we are a most shameful set, and utterly steeped in luxury, avarice, and depravity, we will not deny that this is true of

 Whenever these statements and answers of ours, which truth suggests of its own accord, press and restrain your conscience, which is the witness of its

 Whence comes it to pass, you will say to us, that such a character could have been attributed to you, as to have justified the lawmakers perhaps by it

 We are indeed said to be the “third race” of men. What, a dog-faced race? Or broadly shadow-footed? bread

 But why should I be astonished at your vain imputations?  Under the same natural form, malice and folly have always been associated in one body and gr

 Pour out now all your venom fling against this name of ours all your shafts of calumny: I shall stay no longer to refute them but they shall by and

 In this matter we are (said to be) guilty not merely of forsaking the religion of the community, but of introducing a monstrous superstition for some

 As for him who affirms that we are “the priesthood of a cross,” we shall claim him all cross

 Others, with greater regard to good manners, it must be confessed, suppose that the sun is the god of the Christians, because it is a well-known fact

 Report has introduced a new calumny respecting our God. Not so long ago, a most abandoned wretch in that city of yours, a man who had deserted indeed

 Since we are on a par in respect of the gods, it follows that there is no difference between us on the point of sacrifice, or even of worship, if I ma

 I am now come to the hour for extinguishing the lamps, and for using the dogs, and practising the deeds of darkness. And on this point I am afraid I m

 As to your charges of obstinacy and presumption, whatever you allege against us, even in these respects, there are not wanting points in which you wil

 The rest of your charge of obstinacy against us you sum up in this indictment, that we boldly refuse neither your swords, nor your crosses, nor your w

 Here end, I suppose, your tremendous charges of obstinacy against the Christians. Now, since we are amenable to them in common with yourselves, it onl

 Chapter XX.—Truth and Reality Pertain to Christians Alone. The Heathen Counselled to Examine and Embrace It.

 Book II

 Chapter I.—The Heathen Gods from Heathen Authorities. Varro Has Written a Work on the Subject. His Threefold Classification. The Changeable Character

 Chapter II.—Philosophers Had Not Succeeded in Discovering God. The Uncertainty and Confusion of Their Speculations.

 Chapter III.—The Physical Philosophers Maintained the Divinity of the Elements The Absurdity of the Tenet Exposed.

 Chapter IV.—Wrong Derivation of the Word Θεός. The Name Indicative of the True Deity. God Without Shape and Immaterial. Anecdote of Thales.

 Chapter V.—The Physical Theory Continued. Further Reasons Advanced Against the Divinity of the Elements.

 Chapter VI.—The Changes of the Heavenly Bodies, Proof that They are Not Divine.  Transition from the Physical to the Mythic Class of Gods.

 Chapter VII.—The Gods of the Mythic Class. The Poets a Very Poor Authority in Such Matters. Homer and the Mythic Poets. Why Irreligious.

 Chapter VIII.—The Gods of the Different Nations. Varro’s Gentile Class. Their Inferiority. A Good Deal of This Perverse Theology Taken from Scripture.

 Chapter IX.—The Power of Rome. Romanized Aspect of All the Heathen Mythology. Varro’s Threefold Distribution Criticised. Roman Heroes (Æneas Included,

 Chapter X.—A Disgraceful Feature of the Roman Mythology. It Honours Such Infamous Characters as Larentina.

 Chapter XI.—The Romans Provided Gods for Birth, Nay, Even Before Birth, to Death. Much Indelicacy in This System.

 Now, how much further need I go in recounting your gods—because I want to descant on the character of such as you have adopted? It is quite uncertain

 Manifest cases, indeed, like these have a force peculiarly their own.  Men like Varro and his fellow-dreamers admit into the ranks of the divinity tho

 Chapter XIV.—Gods, Those Which Were Confessedly Elevated to the Divine Condition, What Pre-Eminent Right Had They to Such Honour? Hercules an Inferior

 Chapter XV.—The Constellations and the Genii Very Indifferent Gods. The Roman Monopoly of Gods Unsatisfactory. Other Nations Require Deities Quite as

 Chapter XVI.—Inventors of Useful Arts Unworthy of Deification. They Would Be the First to Acknowledge a Creator. The Arts Changeable from Time to Time

 In conclusion, without denying all those whom antiquity willed and posterity has believed to be gods, to be the guardians of your religion, there yet

Chapter XVIII.274    Comp., The Apology, c. 50 [p. 54, infra.]—Christians Charged with an Obstinate Contempt of Death.  Instances of the Same are Found Amongst the Heathen.

The rest of your charge of obstinacy against us you sum up in this indictment, that we boldly refuse neither your swords, nor your crosses, nor your wild beasts, nor fire, nor tortures, such is our obduracy and contempt of death. But (you are inconsistent in your charges); for in former times amongst your own ancestors all these terrors have come in men’s intrepidity275    A virtute didicerunt. not only to be despised, but even to be held in great praise. How many swords there were, and what brave men were willing to suffer by them, it were irksome to enumerate.276    With the “piget prosequi” to govern the preceding oblique clause, it is unnecessary to suppose (with Oehler) the omission here of some verb like “erogavit.” (If we take the torture) of the cross, of which so many instances have occurred, exquisite in cruelty, your own Regulus readily initiated the suffering which up to his day was without a precedent;277    Novitatem…dedicavit. a queen of Egypt used wild beasts of her own (to accomplish her death);278    Tertullian refers to Cleopatra’s death also in his tract ad Mart. c. iv. [See this Vol. infra.] the Carthaginian woman, who in the last extremity of her country was more courageous than her husband Asdrubal,279    This case is again referred to in this treatise (p. 138), and in ad Mart c. iv. [See this Volume, infra.] only followed the example, set long before by Dido herself, of going through fire to her death. Then, again, a woman of Athens defied the tyrant, exhausted his tortures, and at last, lest her person and sex might succumb through weakness, she bit off her tongue and spat out of her mouth the only possible instrument of a confession which was now out of her power.280    Eradicatæ confessionis. [See p. 55, supra.] But in your own instance you account such deeds glorious, in ours obstinate.  Annihilate now the glory of your ancestors, in order that you may thereby annihilate us also. Be content from henceforth to repeal the praises of your forefathers, in order that you may not have to accord commendation to us for the same (sufferings). Perhaps (you will say) the character of a more robust age may have rendered the spirits of antiquity more enduring. Now, however, (we enjoy) the blessing of quietness and peace; so that the minds and dispositions of men (should be) more tolerant even towards strangers. Well, you rejoin, be it so: you may compare yourselves with the ancients; we must needs pursue with hatred all that we find in you offensive to ourselves, because it does not obtain currency281    Non invenitur. among us. Answer me, then, on each particular case by itself. I am not seeking for examples on a uniform scale.282    Eadem voce. Since, forsooth, the sword through their contempt of death produced stories of heroism amongst your ancestors, it is not, of course,283    Utique. The ironical tone of Tertullian’s answer is evident. from love of life that you go to the trainers sword in hand and offer yourselves as gladiators,284    Gladio ad lanistas auctoratis. (nor) through fear of death do you enrol your names in the army.285    We follow Oehler in giving the clause this negative turn; he renders it: “Tretet nicht aus Furcht vor dem Tode ins Kriegsheer ein.” Since an ordinary286    Alicui. woman makes her death famous by wild beasts, it cannot but be of your own pure accord that you encounter wild beasts day after day in the midst of peaceful times. Although no longer any Regulus among you has raised a cross as the instrument of his own crucifixion, yet a contempt of the fire has even now displayed itself,287    Jam evasit. since one of yourselves very lately has offered for a wager288    Auctoravit. to go to any place which may be fixed upon and put on the burning shirt.289    Vestiendum incendiale tunica. If a woman once defiantly danced beneath the scourge, the same feat has been very recently performed again by one of your own (circus-) hunters290    Inter venatorios: “venatores circi” (Oehler). as he traversed the appointed course, not to mention the famous sufferings of the Spartans.291    “Doubtless the stripes which the Spartans endured with such firmness, aggravated by the presence of their nearest relatives, who encouraged them, conferred honour upon their family.”—Apology, c. 50. [See p. 55, supra.]

18. Imo qui deum Caesarem dicitis, et deridetis, dicendo quod non est, et male dicitis, quia non vult esse quod dicitis; mavult enim vivere, quam deus fieri. Reliquum obstinationis in illo capitulo collocatis, 0584A quod neque gladios neque cruces neque bestias vestras, non ignem, non tormenta, ob duritatem ac contemptum mortis, animo recusemus. At enim haec omnia apud priores majoresque vestros non contemni modo, sed etiam magna laude pensari ac virtute didicerunt. Gladius quot et quantos viros voluntarios! piget prosequi. Crucis vero novitatem numerosae abstrusae Regulus vester libenter dedicavit. Regina Aegypti bestiis suis usa est. Ignes post Carthaginensem feminam Asdrubale marito in extremis patriae constantiorem docuerat invadere ipsa Dido. Sed et tormenta mulier Attica fatigavit tyranno negans, postremo, ne cederet corpus et sexus, linguam suam pastam exspuit, totum eradicatae confessionis ministerium. Sed vestris ista ad gloriam, nostris ad 0584B duritiam deputatis. Destruite nunc gloriam majorum, quo nos quoque destruatis. Contenti estote detrahere etiam laudi parentum ad praesens, ne nobis locum detis. De his forsitan et temporum qualitas robustioris antiquitatis exegerit ingenia duriora, at nunc tranquillitas pacis et ingenia mitiora et mentes hominum etiam in extraneos . . . Ergo, inquitis, veteribus vos comparate; nobis necesse est in vobis odio prosequi quod a nobis non probatur, quia nec invenitur in nobis. Respondete igitur ad singulas species. Non eadem voce exempla deposco. Si contemptu scilicet mortis gladius de majoribus fabulas fecit, utique non vitae amore gladio vos ad lanistas auctoratis, sed mortis nomen militiae datis . Si feminae alicui de bestiis famosa mors est, medio quotidie pacis 0584C sponte libera ad bestias itis. Si crucem, configendi corporis machinam, nullus adhuc ex vobis Regulus pepigit, attamen jam ignis contemptus evasit , ex quo se quidam proxime vestiendum incendiali tunica ad certum usquequaque locum auctoravit. Si flagris mulier insultavit, hoc quoque proxime inter venatorios 0585A ordine transcurso remensus est, ut taceam de Laconica gloria .