![]() 25 After applying what is now verse 22, “But the one who endures to the end will be saved,” 26 he skipped over verse 23, asserting that there “immediately” follows what we have in verse 24, it being the duty of the Master’s servants to bear the same suffering, betrayal and death. 23 He followed with Matthew 10, citing verses 16, 17-18 and 21-22, 24 the problems in which were not experienced by the apostles, but apply to us, as possessors of the Name and hence objects of hatred. The beatitude blessing of the persecuted in Mt 5:10-12 applied to all Christians. 22 Apostolic times were no different from the current situation. 20 During the Severan tribulation, c.203, Tertullian argued in Scorpiace 21 that martyrdom has been commanded by God and Christians are obliged to suffer it. It is better to take advantage of the permission to flee in persecution rather than be tortured into apostasy, however it is better to depart this life in blessed confession. Interestingly, he used flight in persecution in support of this argument. 17 Around this time 18 he wrote to his wife, arguing that “a thing is not good merely because it is not evil.” 19 Remarriage is not unlawful but chastity is better. In the early reign of Severus, Tertullian briefly mentioned flight as an occasion for patience, his only acknowledgement that flight itself could be a form of suffering. 16 This paper will firstly explore Tertullian’s perspectives on flight through the lens of Mt 10:23, then compare and contrast the positions of Clement, Origen and Cyprian. Theological perspective drives exegesis, 15 and texts were received and interpreted in the context of the exegete’s community and experience. In contrast, Clement, Origen and Cyprian interpreted Mt10:23 as still applicable as a justification for withdrawal. “When they persecute you in one town, flee to the next, for truly, I say to you, you will not have gone through all the towns of Israel before the Son of Man comes.” 14 Tertullian argued in De Fuga in Persecutione that it applied only to the apostles’ original mission and did not justify flight in his day. 13 The most explicit verse about flight comes from Jesus’ missionary discourse to his disciples Matthew 10:23. There are some scriptural precedents for flight or retreat in persecution, 12 although most New Testament references to persecution and affliction emphasise endurance and patience, not withdrawal. The others did not deny that martyrdom and confession were the pinnacle of witness, but they were willing to acknowledge other forms. ![]() Tertullian held that martyrdom is witness. 10 These writings present four potential reasons for why one might flee persecution (1) cowardly avoidance of martyrdom, (2) to make life safer for those left behind, (3) to avoid being complicit in the persecutor’s sin and (4) in order to continue one’s work and witness. Nevertheless, the non-negotiable element was, in whatever circumstances, Christians must never deny Christ, or he in turn would deny them (Mt 10:33). Clement, Origen and Cyprian also lauded martyrdom but they accepted flight as appropriate. 9 Where did actively fleeing from persecution lie on this “spectrum,” if at all? Tertullian ultimately classed it as a weaker form of apostasy. 8 At the far “extreme” were the so-called voluntary martyrs, who “rushed on death” or provoked their own martyrdom. ![]() 7 Bribery to obtain false libelli and apostasy were denounced. 6 Most commended were the confessores and the martyrs. 5 Stantes were those who neither fled nor presented themselves, but confessed if accused. 4 The libellatici paid officials to get a certificate but did not actually sacrifice. 3 Some caved under pressure of deprivation or torture and reluctantly apostasised. 2 The s acrificiati were those who voluntarily apostasised, denying Christ and sacrificing to the gods. The reaction of individual Christians to persecution, or the threat of it, could be considered as a spectrum. Origen and Cyprian experienced the first imperial persecution, under Decius’ sacrificial edict for the pax deorum, followed by a more directed attack against Christian leaders under Valerian. ![]() 1 The Severan disquiet in the early 200s in Alexandria and Carthage was the milieu of Clement and Tertullian. Although third century persecution was intermittent and primarily local, Christian writers certainly perceived their communities as disliked and imperilled, with popular antagonism and official intervention an impending threat, whether it materialised in a given community or not.
0 Comments
Leave a Reply. |