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Introduction
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INTRODUCTION u.HE TREATISE on The Chaplet is an occasional writing, . prompted by an incident which is briefly described in the introductory chapter. On the death of Emperor Septimius Severus on February 4, 211, his two sons and co-rulers Caracalla and Geta followed the time-honored custom of bestowing on each soldier of the army a gift of money (the so-called donativum). When the gift was distributed in the camp, the soldiers wore, according to the regulations, a crown of laurel on their heads, except one of them who refused to wear the wreath on the ground that, being a Christian, he was not allowed to conform to a heathen rite. Thereupon he was arrested and thrown into prison, to await death. The incident attracted notice. Many Christians disapproved of the soldier's action, calling it an imprudent and unnecessary provocation which, after a period of peace, could easily lead to another persecution of the Christian religion. By this time Tertullian had wandered farther and farther away from the Church whose cause he had so vigorously upheld against pagans and heretics alike in the first years after his conversion to Christianity. His violent and excessive 225 226 TERTULLIAN character had led him to adopt Montanism. In the teachings of Montanus and his associates he saw not only the realization of his yearnings for a revival of the charismatic gifts which had blossomed in the life of the early Church, but he found there also a moral code which was reassuring to the rigor of his puritanism. Thus it is not surprising that the great polemist, always ready for combating faint-heartedness and censuring human failings, praised and extolled the soldier's action as the heroic deed of a true soldier of God. His arguments may be summed up as follows. It is an unwritten Christian tradition not to wear crowns (Ch. 2). In all instances, however, in which holy Scripture is mute, every Christian is in duty bound to follow the unwritten tradition of Christianity (Ch. 3-4). The rational basis of this tradition is supported by the laws of nature. Flowers are meant to be enjoyed by the senses of sight and smell. They are not to be placed on the head which can neither appreciate their beautiful color nor inhale their sweet odor (Ch.5). Such clear indications given by nature, however, are equivalent to express divine laws, as we may see from the example of St. Paul, who frequently appeals to the law of nature (Ch. 6) . The custom of wearing crowns is of pagan origin and intimately connected with idolatry. For, it was Satan and his minions who introduced and attached this custom to the worship of idols (Ch. 7). The objection that there exist many things in daily life which are used by pagans and Christians alike can easily be rejected. For apart from the fact that they meet the necessities of life, they are free from the taint of idolatry (Ch. 8). Neither in the Old nor in the New Testament is mention ever made of the practice of wearing crowns (Ch. 9). The arguments adduced so far are applicable to the use of crowns in general (Ch. 10). As to [54.235.6.60] Project MUSE (2024-03-19 06:16 GMT) THE CHAPLET 227 the military crown in particular, a Christian must not be a soldier, because he knows only one oath of allegiance, his baptismal vow (Ch. 11). However this may be, there exists no instance in military service in which the wearing of a crown has not had some connection with idolatry (Ch. 12). The same holds true of all other instances either in public or private life, in which all sorts of crowns are worn (Ch. 13). The foregoing arguments should be sufficient to convince every Christian that it is unfitting for him to wear a crown of idolatry, especially since his divine Master was crowned with thorns to save him from eternal damnation (Ch. 14). The Christian should, instead, look forward to receiving the crown of life which has been laid up in heaven for every faithful servant of God (Ch. 15). The very subject discussed in the treatise had already been touched upon by Tertullian in his Apology (42.6). To be sure, the satirical description he gives there of the custom of wearing crowns shows that, even in the early years of his Christian life, everything that seemed to savor of paganism was hateful...