Required reading
Ante-Nicene Fathers (Volume 3) (Available from Amazon or free here) - Read 'On Patience'.
My summary
Today we read Tertullian's thoughts on patience.
Firstly, after telling us he is a poor example of patience, Tertullian points to the following as good examples:
(i) God;
(ii) Jesus;
(iii) slaves;
(iv) beasts.
Then Tertullian discusses causes of impatience, including circumstances when exercising patience is difficult.
To finish, Tertullian speaks of the blessings of patience and the curses of impatience.
What grabbed me
An excellent little work on a vice that is much overlooked in a culture where the senses are supposed to be immediately gratified.
I appreciated Tertullian's use of animals to make his point: 'And yet we exact obedience not from men only, who have the bond of their slavery under their chin, or in any other legal way are debtors to obedience, but even from cattle, even from brutes; understanding that they have been provided and delivered for our uses by the Lord. Shall, then, creatures which God makes subject to us be better than we in the discipline of obedience? Finally, (the creatures) which obey, acknowledge their masters. Do we hesitate to listen diligently to Him to whom alone we are subjected—that is, the Lord?'
As Isaiah says: 'The ox knows his master, the donkey his owner's manger, but Israel does not know, my people do not understand' (Isaiah 1:3).
Animals are better at patience than we are, to our shame!
Next week's reading
Commence Ante-Nicene Fathers (Vol 4) (Available from Amazon or free here) by reading 'On the Pallium'.
Now it's your turn
Please post your own notes and thoughts in the comments section below.
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