On Prayer 26 · Sophia Scriptura

Latin text · CSEL 20:198

Fratrem domum tuam introgressum ne sine oratione dimiseris (uidisti, inquit, fratrem, uidisti dominum tuum), maxime aduenam, ne angelus forte sit. sed nec ipse a fratribus exceptus priora fecerit refrigeria terrena caelestibus. statim enim iudicabitur fides tua. aut quomodo secundum praeceptum pax huic domui dices, nisi et eis qui in domo sunt pacem mutuam reddas?

English · Claude translation

Do not let a brother who has entered your house go away without prayer (“You have seen your brother,” it says, “you have seen your Lord”), especially a stranger, lest he perhaps be an angel. Nor, when you yourself are received by the brothers, should you put earthly refreshments before heavenly ones; for your faith will be judged at once. Or how will you say, according to the precept, “Peace to this house,” unless you also exchange peace with those who are in the house?

About this passage

Source

CSEL 20:198 · August Reifferscheid and Georg Wissowa, eds., Quinti Septimi Florentis Tertulliani Opera, Pars 1, CSEL 20 (Prague: Tempsky; Vienna: Tempsky; Leipzig: Freytag, 1890), 180–200 · Latin text: August Reifferscheid and Georg Wissowa (CSEL 20), digitized by Open Greek and Latin, University of Leipzig (csel-dev), CC BY-SA 4.0

Text

As printed in CSEL 20. Manuscript variants and the editor's apparatus are not reproduced; no textual problem is noted in this passage.

Translation

Claude translation (claude-opus-5-5), 2026-09-27 · Translated by Claude from the Latin text of CSEL 20; made independently of existing English translations.

Compare

Ante-Nicene Fathers, vol. 3 (1885) (an older public-domain English translation, whole volume at CCEL; checked against ours only after ours was made)

Scripture

Heb 13:2 · allusion, high confidence
Luke 10:5 · quotation, high confidence

Extrabiblical texts

Clement of Alexandria, Strom. 1.19.94 (Miscellanies) · echo, medium confidence

Topics

Prayer

Notes

Translation notes

“You have seen your brother, you have seen your Lord” is an unwritten saying (agraphon) quoted also by Clement of Alexandria (Strom. 1.19.94 and 2.15.70). The allusions are Heb 13:2 and Luke 10:5 (quoted).

Cite this passage

Tertullian, Or. 26 (trans. Sophia Scriptura, https://sophiascriptura.com/fathers/tertullian-oratione/26/).

Plain text

Tertullian, Or. 26 (trans. Sophia Scriptura, https://sophiascriptura.com/fathers/tertullian-oratione/26/).