Ad Uxorem 1

¹ [Written circa a.d. 207. Tertullian survived his wife; and we cannot date these books earlier than about the time of his writing the De Pallio, in the opinion of some.]

¹ Jam hinc.

² Saeculo.

³ Fidei.

⁴ Saecularibus.

⁵ Posteritati; or, with Mr. Dodgson, "our future."s1.v4.a1.w4.b1.f7 Deputantur.

⁶ Doldium; alluding to certain laws respecting a widow's power of receiving "in its entirety" her deceased husband's property.

⁷ Fidei commissum.

⁸ Saeculo.

⁹ Luke xx. 36.

¹⁰ Nulla ... neminem - two negatives.

¹¹ See Matt. xxii. 23-33; Mark xii. 18-27; Luke xx. 27-40.

¹² Jam hinc. See beginning of chapter.

¹³ Orbi. Gen. i. 28.

¹⁴ Saeculo.

¹⁵ Gen. ii. 21, 22.

¹⁶ Sane.

¹⁷ "Fas," strictly divine law, opp. to "jus," human law; thus "lawful," as opp. to "legal."

¹⁸ Plurifariam matrimoniis uti. The neut. pl. "matrimonia" is sometimes used for "wives." Comp. c. v. ad fin. and de Paen., c. xii. ad fin.

¹⁹ Sermo, i.e., probably the personal Word. Comp. de Or., c. i. ad init.

²⁰ Rom. ii. 28, 29; Phil. iii. 3; Col. ii. 11.

²¹ Saeculi. The meaning here seems clearly to be, as in the text, "the Jewish age" or dispensation; as in the passages referred to - 1 Cor. x. 11, where it is ta telh twn aiwnwn; and Heb. ix. 26, where again it is twn aiwnwn, the Jewish and all preceding ages being intended.

²² "Jam hinc," i.e., apparently from the time of Christ's advent.

²³ Matt. xix. 5, 6.

²⁴ 1 Cor. vii.

²⁵ Matt. x. 23; perhaps confused with xxiii. 34.

²⁶ Comp. de Idol., c. xxiii., and the note there on "se negant."

²⁷ i.e., in martyrdom, on the ground of that open confession.

²⁸ Non obest.

²⁹ Phil. iii. 13, 14.

³⁰ Laqueum = broxon (1 Cor. vii. 35), "a noose," "lasso" ("snare," Eng. ver.). "Laqueo trahuntur inviti" (Bengel).

³¹ See note 13.

³² Matt. xxvi. 41.

³³ Adulamur: "we fawn upon," or "caress," or "flatter." Comp. de Paen., c. vi. sub init.: "flatter their own sweetness."

³⁴ "Firmum," opp. to "infirmam" above. In the passage there referred to (Matt. xxvi. 41) the word is proqumon.

³⁵ Tuemur. Mr. Dodgson renders, "guard not."

³⁶ Species.

³⁷ i.e., apparently second marriages: "disjunctis a matrimonio" can scarcely include such as were never "juncti;" and comp. the "praemissis maritis" below.

³⁸ Comp. Phil. iv. 3; 2 Tim. ii. 19; Mal. iii. 16; and similar passages.

³⁹ 1 John i. 1; Luke xxiv. 39; John xx. 17.

⁴⁰ Dignationem.

⁴¹ Or, "temporary."

⁴² Incubare.

⁴³ Caedere sumptum.

⁴⁴ Matt. vi. 28-30.

⁴⁵ Matt. vi. 26.

⁴⁶ Matt. vi. 31, 34.

⁴⁷ Comp. Phil. iv. 19; 1 Tim. vi. 8.

⁴⁸ Comp. 1 Cor. vii. 35, exp. in Eng. ver.

⁴⁹ Recogita.

⁵⁰ Comp. c. iv. above "praemissis maritis;" "when their husbands have preceded them (to glory)."

⁵¹ Saeculo.

⁵² Phil. i. 23; comp. de Pa., c. ix. ad fin.

⁵³ i.e., to get children.

⁵⁴ Expugnantur.

⁵⁵ "Parricidiis." So Oehler seems to understand it.

⁵⁶ Luke xxi. 23; Matt. xxiv. 19.

⁵⁷ Saeculi.

⁵⁸ "Expiasse" - a rare but Ciceronian use of the word.

⁵⁹ Luke xvii. 28, 29.

⁶⁰ Denotat.

⁶¹ Saeculi.

⁶² Saeculi. Comp. 1 Cor. x. 11; but the Greek there is, ta telh twn aiwnwn. By the "blindness," Tertullian may refer to Gen. xix. 11.

⁶³ Or, "short" (Eng. ver.); 1 Cor. vii. 29. o kairo <\dq_ounestalmeno<\|dq_, "in collecto."

⁶⁴ ""Matrimonia", " neut. pl. again for the fem., the abstract for the concrete. See c. ii., "to multiply wives," and the note there. In the Greek (1 Cor. vii. 29) it is <\dq_gunaika<\|dq_: but the ensuing chapter shows that Tertullian refers the passage to women as well.

⁶⁵ Comp. de Pa., xiii., and Matt. xix. 12. Comp. too, de Ex. Cast., c. i.

⁶⁶ i.e., Gentile women.

⁶⁷ Oehler marks this as a question.

⁶⁸ Matt. iii. 12.

⁶⁹ Comp. Rev. xii. 9, and de Bapt., 1.

⁷⁰ Pietatis.

⁷¹ Gehennae; comp. de Paen., c. xii. ad init.