To Flee or Not to Flee? Matthew 10:23 and Third Century Flight in Persecution

Abstract

Abstract When faced with persecution, Christians behaved in a range of ways, from confessing and accepting (or even provoking) martyrdom to apostasising. Another option was to flee. Tertullian’s perspective on flight varied with the rhetorical purposes of his writings. Other third century writers, notably Clement, Origen and Cyprian, argued that flight was a viable option in order to make life safer for those left behind, to avoid being complicit in the persecutors’ sin and for preservation in order to continue one’s work and witness. All four cited or alluded to Matthew 10:23 in support of their position. This paper explores the theological and contextual factors which informed their differing exegesis of this passage, concluding that theology was the primary influence for Clement and Origen, rhetorical aims for Tertullian, and for Cyprian, the role and duty of the bishop in changing circumstances.