Questions in re: On Idolatry
Dear Uncle Wes, et aliis my comrades in the 38,
Hope it's okay to post in the main body of this blog. I ran into some of Tertullian's assertions that I don't understand, and I was hoping one or more of y'all had some other insight on these passages.
1) Chap. XIX - Tertullian, I see, does not approve of military service. Is he saying that we as Christians are *not* to hold military service, because it would be giving honour to idols? Is that because Caesar was considered God, or because the worship of idols was part of Roman military service, or what? In that case, what about nowadays, when serving in the military is supposed to be a service to the country, but involves swearing loyalty to a presidential commander-in-chief whom half the country thinks is God?
In addition, Tertullian mentions in this chapter that one cannot serve two masters, God and Caesar (misquote - should be God and Mammon?); but he doesn't mention the bit about a) giving unto Caesar what is Caesar's, and b) that bit in Timothy about respecting one's authorities, i.e. Caesar, which he gloats over in his Apology, saying that Caesar is more ours than theirs, since God appointed him. Is military service to Caesar the same as paying taxes, or is this more of an issue of where your ultimate loyalty lies?
2) Chap. XX - Swearing in the name of false gods. Was this only an issue while people actually believed that those gods existed, or is this something to be avoided now? Could I call a piece of furniture from the sixties "Thor-awful ugly", or exclaim, "by Jove!", or is that admitting the divinity of a nonexistent being, as Tertullian says?
3) Chap XXII - Accepting blessing in the name of idols. From what I understand of what Tertullian is saying here, if I, thinking to please God by giving some charity, offer a meal voucher to a homeless guy on the street, and he blesses me in the name of Allah, suddenly I'm cursed in the name of God because the homeless guy blessed me in the name of a false god. I'm not clear on what Tertullian says after that; will I only be cursed if I don't contradict the fellow and tell him in whose name the gift is given (although that won't likely change in whose name the chap accepts it), or am I stuck?
Hope it's okay to post in the main body of this blog. I ran into some of Tertullian's assertions that I don't understand, and I was hoping one or more of y'all had some other insight on these passages.
1) Chap. XIX - Tertullian, I see, does not approve of military service. Is he saying that we as Christians are *not* to hold military service, because it would be giving honour to idols? Is that because Caesar was considered God, or because the worship of idols was part of Roman military service, or what? In that case, what about nowadays, when serving in the military is supposed to be a service to the country, but involves swearing loyalty to a presidential commander-in-chief whom half the country thinks is God?
In addition, Tertullian mentions in this chapter that one cannot serve two masters, God and Caesar (misquote - should be God and Mammon?); but he doesn't mention the bit about a) giving unto Caesar what is Caesar's, and b) that bit in Timothy about respecting one's authorities, i.e. Caesar, which he gloats over in his Apology, saying that Caesar is more ours than theirs, since God appointed him. Is military service to Caesar the same as paying taxes, or is this more of an issue of where your ultimate loyalty lies?
2) Chap. XX - Swearing in the name of false gods. Was this only an issue while people actually believed that those gods existed, or is this something to be avoided now? Could I call a piece of furniture from the sixties "Thor-awful ugly", or exclaim, "by Jove!", or is that admitting the divinity of a nonexistent being, as Tertullian says?
3) Chap XXII - Accepting blessing in the name of idols. From what I understand of what Tertullian is saying here, if I, thinking to please God by giving some charity, offer a meal voucher to a homeless guy on the street, and he blesses me in the name of Allah, suddenly I'm cursed in the name of God because the homeless guy blessed me in the name of a false god. I'm not clear on what Tertullian says after that; will I only be cursed if I don't contradict the fellow and tell him in whose name the gift is given (although that won't likely change in whose name the chap accepts it), or am I stuck?
posted by Alyssa Will at
9:17 AM
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