Non-Violent Enemy-Love Sampler From Tertullian

Tertullian wrote roughly around 200 AD.  He was an eloquent author.  We will see that the case he makes is consistent with the other writings we have considered.

I will let him do most of the talking. I include limited comments or clarifications along the way.  Some comments are embedded in the excerpts, noted by brackets and italics.  Bold-fonted emphases will isolate important phrases not to miss.  The translations used are those provided by George Kalantzis in Caesar and the Lamb, with some rewordings by me where the wording was stiff (the book could stand a re-editted edition).  Older translations of this and virtually all other ancient materials are available online. 

Some think it madness that, although we could offer the sacrifice right here and now and then go away unharmed, even preserving our mental reservation [the Romans didn’t mind if Christians performed the Roman sacrifices “without meaning it in their hearts”], we prefer to be obstinate rather than safe; that is to say, you [Rome] give us advice on how to cheat you [by faking piety to Rome].  But we recognize the origin of these suggestions, and who it is that prompts all of this – how sometimes by cunning deception, and sometimes by cruel rage, he [Satan] works to throw us off our constancy.  Apology 27:2-3

Moreover, it is clearly unjust to force free persons to sacrifice against their will, for under all other circumstances, a willing mind is required for discharging one’s religious obligations [yet recall how the self-empowered Church itself abandoned this conviction after achieving the status of State Religion by the Fifth Century]…  You are led by necessity [i.e., by edict] to force us [to sacrifice], just as much as it is our duty to face the danger.  Apology 28:1

While we spread ourselves before God, let the hooks pierce us, the crosses suspend us, the flames engulf us, the swords slash our throats, the beasts leap upon us. They very posture of the Christian at prayer is preparation for any punishment.  Apology 30:7

In the emperors, we respect the judgment of God, since He has set them over the people. We know that in them is that which God has willed, and so we wish that what God has willed be safe and sound; and we consider this a great oath.  We are under obligation to respect [the emperor] as the one chosen by our Lord. So I might well say, “Caesar belongs more to us, since he has been appointed by our God.” As he is mine, I do more for his welfare…because I pray for it to Him who can truly grant it….  Also, because I set the majesty of Caesar below that of God, I commend him all the more to God to whom alone I subordinate him.  Apology 32:1 – 33:2

If then, as we have said above, we are expressly commanded to love our enemies, whom have we to hate? And if when someone injures us we are forbidden to retaliate, so that the action may not make us [and you] alike, whom then can we injure?  Apology 37:1

How often without your authority has the hostile mob of their own mere motion [beat down our door intending us harm and] invaded us with showers of stones and fire!  …But in all of this conspiracy of evils against us, in the midst of these mortal provocations, what one evil have you observed to have been returned by Christians?  …Away with the thought that those who are taught by God should either revenge themselves with human fire or resent the fire that is sent to refine them.  Apology 37:2-3

For what kind of war would we not be fit and ready (despite our inferior numbers), we who willingly submit to the sword, if it were not for the fact that according to our doctrine we are given the freedom to be killed rather than to kill?  Apology 37:5

There is for us a battle, because we are called to trial in court so that we may fight there for the truth while our life hangs in the balance. And the victory is to hold fast to that for which we have fought. This victory has attached to it the glory of pleasing God and the reward of eternal life. We have won the victory when we are killed; we escape at last when we are led forth [to execution]….  Carry on good magistrates; you will become much better in the eyes of people if you sacrifice the Christians for them. Crucify us, torture us, destroy us! Your injustice is the proof of our innocence. That is why God permits us to suffer all of this….  [Do you see the parallels with the lessons of 4 Maccabees?]  Apology 37:2-3,12

In this world we have exposed our very life and our very body to all manner of injury, and we endure this injury with patience. [There is no sign of turning the other cheek only to a point, is there?]  Shall we, then, be hurt by the loss of lesser things?  …If one attempts to provoke you by manual violence, the admonition of the Lord is at hand: “To him,” He said, “who strikes you on the face, turn the other cheek likewise.”  Let [their] outrageousness be wearied out by your patience. [You defeat them by loving not your life even unto death, remember?]  Whatever that blow may be, conjoined with pain and humiliating treatment, it shall receive a heavier one from the Lord. You wound [your enemy] more by enduring; for he will be beaten by Him for whose sake you endure. If the tongue’s bitterness break out [against you] in malediction or reproach, look back at the saying, “When they curse you, rejoice!”  …Let us servants, therefore, follow our Lord closely, and be cursed patiently, that we may be able to be blessed.   Patience 8:1-3

But how will a Christian go to war? Indeed, how will he serve even in peacetime without a sword which the Lord has taken away?  [Matthew 26:52  Then Jesus said to him, "Put your sword back into its place; for all those who take up the sword shall perish by the sword.  John 18:36 Jesus answered, "My kingdom is not of this world. If My kingdom were of this world, then My servants would be fighting so that I would not be handed over to the Jews; but as it is, My kingdom is not of this realm."]  For even if soldiers came to John and received advice on how to act, and even if a centurion became a believer, the Lord, by taking away Peter’s sword, disarmed every soldier thereafter. We are not allowed to wear any uniform that symbolizes a sinful act.  [I will suggest a parallel here with "Thus He declared all foods clean." His magnificent actions in both cases subsume into Himself the old commandments against foods and for war.]    Idolatry 19:3

Is it right to make an occupation of the sword, when the Lord proclaims that he who takes the sword shall perish by the sword? Will a son of peace take part in battle when he should not even go to court?  The Crown 11:2

To be sure, the case is different for those who are converted after they have been bound to military service. John admitted soldiers to baptism;  next were the two most faithful centurions: the one whom Christ praised, and the other whom Peter instructed. But, once we have embraced the faith and have been baptized, we either must immediately leave military service, as many have done, or we must resort to all kinds of excuses in order to avoid any action which is also forbidden to civilian faithful, lest we offend God.  Or last of all, for the sake of God we must suffer the fate which a mere faithful civilian was no less ready to accept [prison or execution].  For military service offers neither exemption from punishment of sins, nor relief from martyrdom. The Gospel is one and the same for the Christian at all times whatever his occupation in life.  The Crown 11:4-5

In his Letter to Scapula, Tertullian makes two points that I really wish to not permit us to miss. Considering the darkness of my own heart, I sense that our innate, normative, and routine resistance to seriously following the Christlike example of non-violent, sacrificial enemy-love arises from the reality that, simply but profoundly put, we do not trust God. Not like Job. Not like Joseph. Not like Daniel. Not like Jesus. And I think a substantial reason for that is because "what we were won with is what we were won to":  fire insurance, best life now, better friends, more parties, hundred-fold returns.  How many of us had self-sacrificial enemy-love really emphasized and placed clearly before us on the day we were saved?  Exactly.  Note, however, a couple of points Tertullian makes with little fanfare concerning his day:

For us, the things we suffer at the hands of ignorant men are not a source of great fear or dread. When we joined this sect we plainly undertook to accept the conditions this involved.  [The majority of comfortable western casual Christians who join the church today begin, continue, and end clueless to this; it is never made plain that this is what is involved, and hence suffering and persecution are a huge demotivator for those who depart. What else should we expect when these self-empowered members of self-empowered churches come to find out that they had no real power after all?]   To Scapula 1:1

It is the teaching of our faith that we are to love even our enemies and pray for those who persecute us. Here lies the perfection and distinctiveness of Christian goodness.  [How can you know if the Holy Spirit is working in you? Ask yourself how this is working out for you.]  Ordinary goodness is different, for all men love their friends, but only Christians love their enemies. We are moved with sorrow at your ignorance, and with pity for the errors of men’s ways;  and as we look to the future, we see the signs of impending distress every day. In such circumstances, we have no choice but to take the initiative and openly and publicly lay before you those things which you refuse to listen to.  To Scapula 1:

In a way, this is what I am doing here. I am laying out before you, and before me, things that we all have refused to listen to.

Aborting an Abortion: A Martyr's Life

There is a certain blog I occasionally visit because it is sometimes good, sometimes troubling, and always very honest.

A few years ago, I was troubled by one post and its subsequent discussions. Seems a seasoned, well-known mega-pastor in the western U.S. took a call on his radio program from a young woman seeking advice on going through with an abortion. She was carrying conjoined twins who shared the same body but had two heads. The doctors had advised abortion because of the high risk of complications and because such children rarely live for more than a day outside the womb. After hearing the situation, the pastor assured the woman that if she were to choose abortion the Lord would not condemn her. Something of an online war ensued about the pastor's counsel.

Some commenters on that particular blog thread claimed "This abortion can be justified using the self-defense argument," while others made strict pro-life arguments that condemned the woman and pastor, while still others had nothing more to say than "The Bible is silent here."

One pastor commenting in the discussion thread wrote something like, "Given the difficulty of her plight, I have no specific Biblical counsel to offer her." But he went far enough to say that if she were in his congregation, he promised "love and compassion" and he wouldn't permit anyone to condemn her for having an abortion. When I read that, I felt that he was probably using the term "condemn" with little if any differentiation from "rebuke" and "reprove." I marvel that the notions of Biblical rebuke and reproof are often presented as the opposites of love and compassion. Yes, we all know that church can be notorious for self-righteous judges and prideful condemnations. But this commenter was a pastor who would have nothing to do with loving her enough to rebuke and reprove her in Christ. Much more needs to be done to correct the "fire-at-will" crowd than to command a congregation to say nothing at all in opposition to her choice. But that issue is not what I am treating here. (But for future reference, that same pastor in the comments section is known to have a particular doctrinal affinity for theologian Ben Witherington, whom I plan to quote in a future post).

Back on topic, I think the comments in that discussion are partly a symptom of our overt short-sightedness as a whole. Part of what helped me to see it that way were some statements I read a short time later in William Gurnall's devotional, "The Christian in Complete Armor." For example:

Temptation is never stronger than when relief seems to dress itself in the very sin that Satan is suggesting.  [As in "abort the twins" or "eat the pork" or "curse the name"?]

And again,

 Satan himself is transformed into an angel of light. Of all his plots, this is perhaps the most dangerous to the saints, when he appears in the mantle of a prophet and silver-plates his corroded tongue with fair-sounding language. In this manner, he corrupts some in their judgment by interpreting gospel truth in such a way that God appears to condone questionable behavior. These Christians get caught up in the world's morality under the disguise of Christian liberty....  How we need to study the Scriptures, our hearts, and Satan's wiles, that we may not bid this enemy welcome and all the while think it is Christ who is our guest!  [Christ has no rebuke of your abortion. Your circumstances exempt you. Divine justice will excuse you for fearing the doctor when you are under compulsion (4 Maccabees 8:22).]

And again,

Some martyrs have confessed that their hardest work was to overcome the prayers and tears of their friends and relatives. Paul himself expressed those same feelings when he said, "What mean ye to weep and to break mine heart? For I am ready, not to be bound only but also to die at Jerusalem for the name of the Lord Jesus!"  [I am ready, not only to live destitute for this child, but also to die in the hospital for him as a demonstration of the grace of the Lord Jesus!]

What I saw was that the twins' mom wasn't thinking, "Dying (figuratively or literally) for these twins is the most Christlike and God-rewardable thing I can do, as a testimony to the greatness of the name of Him whose love compels me."  The commenters on that blog weren't thinking this way either. And I don't think this way either.  That must change!

Can you, can I, can the twins' mom say,

"O Lord God Almighty, I bless You because You have considered me worthy of this needy child by whom I will likely be exhausted of everything I am and have, so that I might receive a place of 'martyrdom' in the cup of Your Christ"?

Or say,

"God has judged me worthy to be found with this child. It is good to be setting from this world to God, in order that I may rise to Him"?

Or say,

"I know that many have lived destitute lives so that they might ransom others. I will do so for my baby"?

If God works all things together for the good of His people, and if He works all of our weakenings together for our strength, then all things should be viewed as happening for our faith. And suffering with faith is suffering for your faith:  a daily martyrdom grounded in loyal adoration of our sovereign God, even in the bitter providences. Especially in the bitter providences. Call it a martyr's life.