Source edition
Tertullian. Quinti Septimii Florentis Tertulliani Quae Supersunt Omnia, Volume 1. Oehler, Franz, editor. Leipzig: Weigel, 1853.
Source data
Perseus Digital Library · CC BY-SA 4.0
Cloned and adapted by Humanitext, with ongoing edits.
Summary
This work is an apologetic and warning letter written by the early Christian apologist Tertullian to Scapula, the Roman proconsul of Carthage who was fiercely persecuting Christians. The author begins by emphasizing that Christians do not fear death or persecution, but rather practice the commandment to love their enemies. He defends them as loyal subjects who worship the one true God while respecting the emperor and praying for the safety of the empire, refuting charges of treason and sacrilege as completely groundless. Tertullian then points to recent natural disasters and the miserable ends of past persecutors as concrete signs of divine wrath and warning, urging the proconsul to repent. Finally, he cites precedents of lenient governors and the tolerant attitude of Emperor Severus, while warning of the Christians' overwhelming readiness for martyrdom, ultimately urging Scapula to cease his unnecessary and bloody persecution.