Letter 37: I swear by the gods: I do not wish the Galileans [Christians] to be put to death, or beaten unjustly, or harmed in...
To Atarbius.
I swear by the gods: I do not wish the Galileans [Christians] to be put to death, or beaten unjustly, or harmed in any way. But I do insist absolutely that those who revere the gods must be given preference. Through the Galileans' folly, nearly everything has been overturned. Through the grace of the gods, we are all preserved. We should therefore honor the gods and those who worship them — both individuals and cities.
Human translation — Tertullian Project
Latin / Greek Original
[Πρός: Ἀταρβίῳ]
Ἐγὼ μὰ τοὺς θεοὺς οὔτε κτείνεσθαι τοὺς Γαλιλαίους οὔτε τύπτεσθαι παρὰ τὸ δίκαιον οὔτε ἄλλο τι πάσχειν κακὸν βούλομαι, προτιμᾶσθαι μέντοι τοὺς θεοσεβεῖς καὶ πάνυ φημὶ δεῖν· διὰ μὲν γὰρ τὴν Γαλιλαίων μωρίαν ὀλίγου δεῖν ἅπαντα ἀνετράπη, διὰ δὲ τὴν τῶν θεῶν εὐμένειαν σωζόμεθα πάντες. ὅθεν χρὴ τιμᾶν τοὺς θεοὺς καὶ τοὺς θεοσεβεῖς ἄνδρας τε καὶ πόλεις.
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