On Patience 9
Summary: Christians should not grieve impatiently for the dead, since, believing in the resurrection, they know that death is only a departure to Christ, whom they too will soon follow.
Textual problem in this passage: the printed text is uncertain or disputed here. See the notes.
Latin text · CSEL 47:14–15
Ne illa quidem impatientiae species excusatur, [in amissione nostrorum] cui aliqua doloris patrocinatur adsertio. praeponendus est enim respectus denuntiationis apostoli, qui ait: ne contristemini dormitione cuiusquam, sicut nationes, quae spe carent. et merito. credentes enim resurrectionem Christi in nostram quoque credimus. propter quos ille et obiit et resurrexit. ergo cum constet de resurrectione mortuorum, uacat dolor mortis, uacat et impatientia doloris. cur enim doleas, si perisse non credis? cur impatienter feras subductum interim quem credis reuersurum? profectio est quam putas mortem. non est lugendus qui antecedit, sed plane desiderandus. id quoque desiderium patientia temperandum. cur enim immoderate feras abisse quem mox subsequeris? ceterum impatientia in huiusmodi et spei nostrae male ominatur et fidem praeuaricatur. et Christum laedimus, cum euocatos quosque ab illo quasi miserandos non aequanimiter accipimus. cupio, inquit apostolus, recipi iam et esse cum domino. quanto melius ostendit uotum! Christianorum ergo uotum, si alios consecutos impatienter dolemus, ipsi consequi nolumus.
English · Claude translation
Not even that form of impatience is excused which some plea of grief defends. For regard must be given first to the apostle's warning, who says, “Do not be grieved at the falling asleep of anyone, as the nations are, who have no hope.” And rightly: for, believing in the resurrection of Christ, we believe also in our own, for whose sake he both died and rose again. Since, then, the resurrection of the dead is certain, grief at death is groundless, and groundless too is impatience in grief. For why should you grieve if you do not believe that he has perished? Why bear impatiently that one has been withdrawn for a time whom you believe will return? What you think death is a departure. He who goes ahead is not to be mourned, but certainly to be missed. And that longing too must be tempered by patience. For why should you bear without measure that one has gone away whom you will soon follow? Besides, impatience in such matters both bodes ill for our hope and betrays our faith. And we wrong Christ when we do not calmly accept that those whom he has called away are, as it were, to be pitied. “I desire,” says the apostle, “to be received now and to be with the Lord.” How much better a wish he shows! If, then, we grieve impatiently that others have attained it, we ourselves do not wish to attain the wish of Christians.
About this passage
Notes
Translation notes
- The editor deletes “in amissione nostrorum” (“in the loss of our own”), left untranslated. The quotations are 1 Thess 4:13 (loosely) and a free form of Phil 1:23 (cf. 2 Cor 5:8); the allusion is 1 Thess 4:14.
Notes on the original text
- Digital text corrected (broken word in the digital text; stray punctuation in the digital text): impa* tientia → impatientia; enim. immoderate feras. abisse quem mox, subsequeris → enim immoderate feras abisse quem mox subsequeris.
Cite this passage
Tertullian, Pat. 9 (trans. Sophia Scriptura, https://sophiascriptura.com/fathers/tertullian-patientia/9/).
Plain text
Tertullian, Pat. 9 (trans. Sophia Scriptura, https://sophiascriptura.com/fathers/tertullian-patientia/9/).
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