The Instructions of Commodianus.

 The Instructions of Commodianus

 II.—God’s Indignation.

 III.—The Worship of Demons.

 IV.—Saturn.

 V.—Jupiter.

 VI.—Of the Same Jupiter’s Thunderbolt.

 VII.—Of the Septizonium and the Stars.

 VIII.—Of the Sun and Moon.

 IX.—Mercury.

 X.—Neptune.

 XI.—Apollo the Soothsaying and False.

 XII.—Father Liber—Bacchus.

 XIII.—The Unconquered One.

 XIV.—Sylvanus.

 XV.—Hercules.

 XVI.—Of the Gods and Goddesses.

 XVII.—Of Their Images.

 XVIII.—Of Ammydates and the Great God.

 XIX.—Of the Vain Nemesiaci.

 XX.—The Titans.

 XXI.—The Montesiani.

 XXII.—The Dulness of the Age.

 XXIII.—Of Those Who are Everywhere Ready.

 XXIV.—Of Those Who Live Between the Two.

 XXV.—They Who Fear and Will Not Believe.

 XXVI.—To Those Who Resist the Law of Christ the Living God.

 XXVII.—O Fool, Thou Dost Not Die to God.

 XXVIII.—The Righteous Rise Again.

 XXIX.—To the Wicked and Unbelieving Rich Man.

 XXX.—Rich Men, Be Humble.

 XXXI.—To Judges.

 XXXII.—To Self-Pleasers.

 XXXIII.—To the Gentiles.

 XXXIV.—Moreover, to Ignorant Gentiles.

 XXXV.—Of the Tree of Life and Death.

 XXXVI.—Of the Foolishness of the Cross.

 XXXVII.—The Fanatics Who Judaize.

 XXXVIII.—To the Jews.

 XXXIX.—Also to the Jews.

 XL.—Again to the Same.

 Isaiah said:  This is the man who moveth the world and so many kings, and under whom the land shall become desert.  Hear ye how the prophet foretold c

 XLII.—Of the Hidden and Holy People of the Almighty Christ, the Living God.

 XLIII.—Of the End of This Age.

 XLIV.—Of the First Resurrection.

 XLV.—Of the Day of Judgment.

 XLVI.—To Catechumens.

 XLVII.—To the Faithful.

 XLVIII.—O Faithful, Beware of Evil.

 XLIX.—To Penitents.

 L.—Who Have Apostatized from God.

 LI.—Of Infants.

 LII.—Deserters.

 LIII.—To the Soldiers of Christ.

 LIV.—Of Fugitives.

 LV.—Of the Seed of the Tares.

 LVI.—To the Dissembler.

 LVII.—That Worldly Things are Absolutely to Be Avoided.

 LVIII.—That the Christian Should Be Such.

 LIX.—To the Matrons of the Church of the Living God.

 LX.—To the Same Again.

 LXI.—In the Church to All the People of God.

 LXII.—To Him Who Wishes for Martyrdom.

 LXIII.—The Daily War.

 LXIV.—Of the Zeal of Concupiscence.

 LXV.—They Who Give from Evil.

 LXVI.—Of a Deceitful Peace.

 LXVII.—To Readers. I warn certain readers only to consider, and to give material to others by an example of life, to avoid strife, and to shun so many

 LXVIII.—To Ministers.

 LXIX.—To God’s Shepherds.

 LXX.—I Speak to the Elder-Born.

 LXXI.—To Visit the Sick.

 LXXII.—To the Poor in Health.

 LXXIII.—That Sons are Not to Be Bewailed.

 LXXIV.—Of Funeral Pomp.

 LXXV.—To the Clerks.

 LXXVI.—Of Those Who Gossip, and of Silence.

 LXXVII.—To the Drunkards.

 LXXVIII.—To the Pastors.

 LXXIX.—To the Petitioners.

 LXXX.—The Name of the Man of Gaza.

The Instructions of Commodianus

in favour of

Christian Discipline,

Against the Gods of the Heathens.

(Expressed in Acrostics.)

I.—Preface.

My preface sets forth the way to the wanderer and a good visitation when the goal of life shall have come, that he may become eternal—a thing which ignorant hearts disbelieve.  I in like manner have wandered for a long time, by giving attendance upon heathen fanes, my parents themselves being ignorant.1    [Sufficient evidence of his heathen origin.]  Thence at length I withdrew myself by reading concerning the law.  I bear witness to the Lord; I grieve alas, the crowd of citizens! ignorant of what it loses in going to seek vain gods.  Thoroughly taught by these things, I instruct the ignorant in the truth.

I.---PRAEFATIO.

0201C Praefatio nostra viam erranti demonstrat; Respectumque bonum, cum venerit saeculi meta; Aeternum fieri: quod discredunt inscia corda: Ego similiter erravi tempore multo, 0202C Fana prosequendo, parentibus insciis ipsis. Abstuli me tandem inde, legendo de Lege. Testificor Dominum; doleo: pro civica turba! Inscia quod perdit, pergens deos quaerere vanos. Ob ea perdoctus, ignaros instruo verum.