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We multiply whenever we are mown down by you; the blood of Christians is seed.

Plures efficimur, quoties metimur a vobis; semen est sanguis christianorum.

Original text (Latin)

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Notes from Wikiquote

Apologeticus, 50, s. 13

Variants

As often as we are mown down by you, the more we grow in numbers; the blood of the Christians is the seed. Another common translation is "The blood of the Martyrs is the seed of Christians."

Topics

Christianity

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It is certainly no part of religion to compel religion.

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Attribution

Quote text and notes from Wikiquote: Tertullian (page history), available under CC BY-SA 4.0. Source quality and labels are our own summary of what Wikiquote records.