On Patience 15
Summary: God rewards patience, which supports every virtue; Tertullian pictures Patience as a serene figure sitting on the throne of the gentle Holy Spirit, who cannot dwell in us without her.
Latin text · CSEL 47:22–23
Adeo satis idoneus patientiae sequester deus: si iniuriam deposueris penes eum, ultor est; si damnum, restitutor est; si dolorem, medicus est; si mortem, resuscitator est. quantum patientiae licet, ut deum habeat debitorem! nec inmerito omnia enim placita eius tuetur, omnibus mandatis eius interuenit: fidem munit, pacem gubernat, dilectionem adiuuat, humilitatem instruit, paenitentiam expectat, exhomologesin adsignat, carnem regit, spiritum seruat, linguam frenat, manum continet, temptationes inculcat, scandala pellit, martyria consummat, pauperem consolatur, diuitem temperat, infirmum non consumit, ualentem non extendit, fidelem delectat. gentilem inuitat, seruum domino, dominum deo commendat. feminam exornat. uirum adprobat; amatur in puero, laudatur in iuuene, suspicitur in sene; in omni sexu, in omni aetate, formosa est. age iam, sis, et effigiem habitumque eius comprehendamus. uultus illi tranquillus et placidus, frons pura, nulla maeroris aut irae rugositate contracta; remissa aeque is laetum modum supercilia, oculis humilitate, non infelicitate deiectis; os taciturnitatis honore signatum; color, qualis securis et innoxiis; motus frequens capitis in diabolum et minax risus; ceterum amictus circum pectora candidus et corpori impressus, ut qui nec inflatur nec inquinatur. sedet enim in throno spiritus eius mitissimi et mansuetissimi, qui non turbine glomeratur, non nubilo liuet, sed est tenerae serenitatis, apertus et simplex, quem tertio uidit Helias. nam ubi deus, ibidem et alumna eius, patientia scilicet. cum ergo spiritus dei descendit, indiuidua patientia comitatur eum. si non cum spiritu admiserimus, in nobis morabitur semper? immo nescio, an diutius perseueret; sine sua comite ac ministra omni loco ac tempore angatur necesse est. quodcumque inimicus eius inflixerit, solus sustinere non poterit, carens instrumento sustinendi.
English · Claude translation
So God is a sufficiently trustworthy trustee of patience. If you deposit an injury with him, he is an avenger; if a loss, he is a restorer; if a grief, he is a physician; if death, he is a raiser of the dead. How much is granted to patience, that it has God as its debtor! And not undeservedly: for it protects all his decrees, it has a part in all his commands. It fortifies faith, governs peace, helps love, instructs humility, waits for repentance, sets its seal on confession, rules the flesh, preserves the spirit, bridles the tongue, restrains the hand, tramples temptations underfoot, drives away stumbling blocks, crowns martyrdoms; it consoles the poor, moderates the rich, does not overstrain the weak, does not exhaust the strong; it delights the believer, invites the Gentile, commends the servant to his master and the master to God; it adorns the woman, approves the man; it is loved in the boy, praised in the young man, looked up to in the old; in every sex, at every age, it is beautiful. Come now, if you please, let us grasp its likeness and bearing too. Its face is tranquil and calm, its brow clear, contracted by no wrinkle of sorrow or anger; its eyebrows evenly relaxed in a joyful manner, its eyes cast down in humility, not in unhappiness; its mouth sealed with the honor of silence; its color that of the carefree and harmless; frequent shaking of its head at the devil, and a threatening laugh; its robe about its breast white and close-fitting to the body, as neither puffed up nor soiled. For it sits on the throne of that most gentle and mild Spirit, who is not gathered in a whirlwind, nor darkened by cloud, but is of tender serenity, open and simple, whom Elijah saw the third time. For where God is, there too is his foster child, namely patience. So when the Spirit of God descends, patience accompanies him inseparably. If we do not admit it with the Spirit, will he always stay with us? Indeed, I doubt whether he would remain long: without his companion and servant he must be distressed in every place and time. Whatever his enemy inflicts, he will not be able to bear alone, lacking the instrument of bearing.
About this passage
Notes
Translation notes
- Several words are damaged in the digital text (e.g. “BKM” for “sine”), restored from the sense. The allusion is 1 Kgs 19:11–12 (the “third” sign after wind and earthquake, counting the fire as a separate manifestation; Tertullian counts loosely). “Confession” renders exhomologesis.
Notes on the original text
- Digital text corrected (OCR slip; broken word in the digital text; garbled words in the digital text; missing punctuation in the digital text; stray bracket and doubled word in the digital text; stray punctuation in the digital text): resuscitator est quantum → resuscitator est. quantum; [enim. omnia → omnia; ådiuuat → adiuuat; exhomolo. gesin → exhomologesin; sis. et → sis, et; sedet! enim → sedet enim; perseueret- BKM sua comite ac ministra omni loco ae tempore → perseueret; sine sua comite ac ministra omni loco ac tempore.
Cite this passage
Tertullian, Pat. 15 (trans. Sophia Scriptura, https://sophiascriptura.com/fathers/tertullian-patientia/15/).
Plain text
Tertullian, Pat. 15 (trans. Sophia Scriptura, https://sophiascriptura.com/fathers/tertullian-patientia/15/).
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