Impatience in revenge

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Tertullian is arguing that impatience is the root of every sin, and now turns to the desire for revenge as a chief stimulus of impatience.

There is also another supreme goad of impatience: the desire for revenge, a business that cares for either glory or malice. But glory is always empty, and malice is never anything but hateful to the Lord—especially in this matter, when one person's malice is provoked and sets itself up as superior in carrying out revenge. By repaying a wicked person, it doubles what was done once. Revenge seems to the erring a comfort for grief, but in truth it is exposed as a contest of wickedness. What difference is there between the provoker and the provoked, except that the one is caught first in the evil deed and the other later? Yet both are guilty before the Lord of the wronged man, who both forbids and condemns every wicked thing. There is no order of rank in wrongdoing, and place does not separate what likeness joins. An equal deed has equal merit. So it is absolutely commanded that evil is not to be repaid with evil. How will we observe this if we are not thoroughly disdainful of revenge? What honor will we offer the Lord God if we claim for ourselves the right of defense? We are rotten, earthen vessels! When our slaves take revenge on their fellow slaves, we are gravely offended. Those who offer us their patience, mindful of the humility of their servitude and loving the honor of their master, we not only approve but ourselves make greater satisfaction than they would have presumed for themselves. Does this imperil us before the Lord, who is so just in judging and so powerful in accomplishing? He promises this to us, saying: Vengeance is mine, and I will repay (Romans 12:19; Deuteronomy 32:35)—that is, patience is yours, and I will reward patience. For when he says, Do not judge, lest you be judged (Matthew 7:1), does he not demand patience? Who will not judge another except the one who is patient enough not to defend himself? Do we believe that judge is not also an avenger? Who judges for the purpose of forgiving? And if he does forgive, he has still guarded against the impatience of judging and taken away the honor of the one judge, that is, God. How many disasters impatience of this kind is accustomed to rush into! How often defense has been regretted! How often its insistence has turned out worse than the causes themselves! For impatience knows how to undertake nothing without violence, and nothing done with violence fails to offend, or collapse, or rush headlong away. If you defend yourself too feebly, you will rage; if too fully, you will be burdened. What is revenge to me, whose measure I cannot control through impatience of grief? But if I rest upon patience, I will not grieve; if I do not grieve, I will not desire revenge.

Latin

Est et alius summus impatientiae stimulus ultionis libido, negotium curans aut gloriae aut malitiae. sed et gloria ubique uana et malitia numquam non domino odiosa, hoc quidem loco cum maxime, cum alterius malitia prouocata superiorem se in exsequenda ultione constituit et remunerans nequam duplicat quod semel factum est ultio penes errorem solacium uidetur doloris, penes ueritatem certamen redarguitur malignitatis. quid enim refert inter prouocantem et prouocatum, nisi quod ille prior in maleficio deprehenditur, at ille posterior? tamen uterque laesi hominis domino reus est, qui omne nequam et prohibet et damnat. nulla in maleficio ordinis ratio est, nec locus secernit quod similitudo coniungit. par factum par habet meritum. absolute itaque praecipitur malum malo non rependendum. quomodo id obseruabimus, si fastidientes * in fastidio ultionis non erimus? quem autem honorem litabimus domino deo, ei nobis arbitrium defensionis arrogauerimus? nos putres, uasa fictilia! seruulis nostris adsumentibus sibi de conseruis ultionem grauiter offendimur eosque, qui nobis patientiam obtulerint suam, ut memores humilitatis seruitutis suae, dominici honoris diligentes non probamus modo, sed ampliorem, quam ipsi sibi praesumpsissent, satisfactionem facimus. id nobis in domino tam iusto ad aestimandum, tam potenti ad perficiendum periclitatur? ** hoc se nobis repromittit dicens: uindictam mihi, et ego uindicabo, id est: patientiam tibi, et ego patientiam remunerabo. cum enim dicit: nolite iudicare, ne iudicemini, nonne patientiam flagitat? quis enim non iudicabit alium, nisi qui patiens erit non defendendi? quid ergo credimus iudicem illum, si non et ultorem? quis idcirco iudicat, ut ignoscat? ac si ignoscet, tamen iudicantis impatientiam cauerit et honorem unici iudicis [id est dei] abstulerit. quantos uero casus huiusmodi impatientia incursare consueuit! quotiens paenituit defensionem! quotiens instantia eius deterior inuenta est causis suis! quoniam nihil impatientia susceptum sine impetu transigi nouit, nihil impetu actum non aut offendit aut corruit aut praeceps abit. iam si leuius defenderis, insanies, si uberius, oneraberis. quid mihi cum ultione, cuius modum regere non possum per impatientiam doloris? quodsi patientiae incubabo, non dolebo; si non dolebo, ulcisci non desiderabo.

About this text

Tertullian, who admits he is short of patience himself, praises it as the virtue every Christian duty needs, after the pattern of God and Christ.

Tertullian (c. 155–c. 220) was a Christian writer from Carthage in North Africa, and one of the earliest Christian authors to write in Latin. He wrote this treatise for fellow Christians, though he names no particular person or church. He opens by confessing that he himself is weak in patience, and says he writes because no command of God or work pleasing to him can be performed without it.

The work presents patience as the central discipline of Christian life. Tertullian argues that patience is God's own nature, shown in his forbearance toward the wicked and supremely in Christ's passion. Its opposite, impatience, began with the devil and is the root of every sin, from the fall of Adam and Eve to the crimes of Cain and Israel. A reader will meet God and Christ as the supreme examples of patience, the devil as the origin of impatience, and figures such as Adam, Eve, Cain, Abraham, Moses, Aaron, Job, Isaiah, Stephen, Elijah, and Malchus. The words of Christ, the apostle Paul, and God in scripture are quoted and argued from.

The treatise contrasts true Christian patience with the false patience taught by the devil to his own followers. Patience governs every Christian duty: bearing loss, enduring wrong, accepting death, renouncing revenge, forgiving others, and practicing bodily self-denial. The translation renders patientia as patience and impatientia as impatience throughout. Old Latin Bible names are given in their familiar English forms, so Esaias is Isaiah, Helias is Elijah, Moyses is Moses, Iob is Job, Stephanus is Stephen, and Eua is Eve. Malchus is the high priest's servant whose ear was cut off at Jesus' arrest and healed by him.

New English from the Latin base text; no published English used as wording.

Printed text used

Translated from CSEL 47 (1900) (Latin)
Also checked Quinti Septimii Florentis Tertulliani Quae Supersunt Omnia Tertullian Franz Oehler T. O. Weigel Leipzig 1853 (Latin · comparison witness (not aligned to the sections))

This work has passed this project's source check. This is an AI-assisted study translation. Source fidelity and completeness have not been independently certified. Open Latin on each section (or the Latin source witness link) for the source text. This is not a complete critical edition.