De Spectaculis is a surviving moral and ascetic treatise by Tertullian

Tertullian

Quintus Septimius Florens Tertullianus, anglicised as Tertullian , was a prolific early Christian author from Carthage in the Roman province of Africa. He is the first Christian author to produce an extensive corpus of Latin Christian literature. He also was a notable early Christian apologist and...

. Written somewhere between 197-202, the work looks at the moral legitimacy and consequences of Christians attending the circus, theatre

Roman theatre

Roman theatre may refer to:*Theatre of ancient Rome, the theatrical styles of Ancient Rome*Roman theatre , the theatre buildings of Ancient Rome...

, or amphitheatre ("the pleasures of public shows").

In it, Tertullian posits against the popular view that human enjoyment can be of no offence to God

God

God is the English name given to a singular being in theistic and deistic religions who is either the sole deity in monotheism, or a single deity in polytheism....

. His view of these public entertainments are that they are a misuse of God's creation and a perversion of the gifts God has given to man. To this end he supports his claim by reminding the reader that these shows and spectacles derived from pagan ritual rites (the Liberalia

Liberalia

The Liberalia is the festival of Liber Pater and his consort Libera. The Romans celebrated Liberalia with sacrifices, processions, ribald and gauche songs, and masks which were hung on trees....

, the Consualia

Consualia

The Consuales Ludi or Consualia is a festival instituted by Romulus, which honors Consus, the god of counsel, and the one who protects the harvest which is in storage at the time of the festival, which took place about the middle of Sextilis . According to Livy the festival honors Neptune...

, the Equiria, the Bacchanalia

Bacchanalia

The bacchanalia were wild and mystic festivals of the Greco-Roman god Bacchus , the wine god. The term has since come to describe any form of drunken revelry.-History:...

, etc.). This presupposes that the events derive from idolatry. Of key concern was that the "show always leads to spiritual agitation" (Tertullian). By attending and partaking in the event, man is subject to strong excitements, which are aroused due to natural lapses, which create passionate desire. Additionally, Tertullian writes that that which is not permissible to say or do should not be permissible to see or hear.

Friedrich Nietzsche

Friedrich Nietzsche

Friedrich Wilhelm Nietzsche was a 19th-century German philosopher, poet, composer and classical philologist...

, in On the Genealogy of Morality

On the Genealogy of Morality

On the Genealogy of Morality, or On the Genealogy of Morals , subtitled "A Polemic" , is a work by German philosopher Friedrich Nietzsche, composed and first published in 1887 with the intention of expanding and following through on certain new doctrines sketched out in his previous work Beyond...

(Essay 1, Section 15), uses Tertullian's words to highlight the resemblance of Christian worship

Christian worship

In Christianity, worship is adoration and contemplation of God.-Overview:Throughout most of Christianity's history, corporate Christian worship has been primarily liturgical, characterized by prayers and hymns, with texts rooted in, or closely related to, the Scripture, particularly the Psalter;...

 to circus-going: "In place of athletes, we have our martyrs; if we crave blood, we have the blood of Christ..."

External links

• De spectaculis: Latin text with English translation by Terrot Reaveley Glover, Loeb Classical Library 1931
• De spectaculis at the Tertullian Project, including links to text and translations