What was the early Church’s attitude towards theaters, stadiums, and floral wreaths?

Theaters and stadiums were often used for ceremonies worshipping pagan deities or the ‘divine’ emperor. These had their own rituals, such as lighting torches and crowning with floral wreaths. Perhaps out of simple or weak faith, some Christians therefore refused to use flowers — not because they were somehow unclean, but because of their association with the worship of demons and idols. Yet, St. Justin Martyr (110–165) says, “All that is born is an inviolable gift from God, and cannot be violated by any human action [even if used in pagan rituals]. At any rate, we abstain from using them so that no one might think that we submit to Satan in whose honor alcohol is drunk, or that we are ashamed of our religion. Without doubt, spring flowers bring us joy. We pick the primrose, the iris, and other flowers of extremely delightful colors and fragrant scents, and we use them either individually, or by scattering their petals, or by making from them garlands to adorn our necks.”⁸⁸²

St. Clement of Alexandria says, “Those, then, who are trained by the Word are restrained from the use of crowns [of flowers]; and do not think that this Word, which has its seat in the brain, ought to be bound about, not because the crown is the symbol of the recklessness of revelry, but because it has been dedicated to idols.”⁸⁸³

The scholar Tertullian (160–225) insists that everything in the world is intrinsically useful, even the stones of theaters, the voice of the singer, the swords, and the plants. What is evil is when they are misused in theaters for obscene singing, murder, or poisoning.⁸⁸⁴ In his work De Spectaculis , Tertullian often criticizes theaters and stadiums for the following reasons:

• a. In them, human sacrifices are offered to appease the dead (Ch. 12).

• b. In them, shameful deeds are performed, and offensive language is used (Ch. 22).

880 Translators’ Note: The papyrus (Oxyrhynchus-1786) was discovered in 1922 by Igino Giordani and dates from the third century. See Paul Henry Lang, Music in Western Civilization (NY: W. W. Norton, 1941): pp. 2–3, and C. H. Cosgrove, An Ancient Christian Hymn with Musical Notation. Papyrus Oxyrhynchus 1786: Text and Commentary (Tübingen: Mohr Siebeck, 2011).

881 St. Dionysius of Alexandria, From the Two Books on the Promises 1 (ANF 6:81). 882 Justin 3:2.

883 St. Clement of Alexandria, The Instructor (Paedagogus) 2.8 (ANF 2:256).

884 Tertullian, The Shows, or De Spectaculis 2 (ANF 3:79–80).

• c. Crimes of murder are committed in them in the name of sport, thus breaking a foundational divine commandment: “Do not kill” (Ch. 2).

• d. Pagan worship is practiced in them (Ch. 10).

• e. The crimes that the law condemns outside theaters are committed as a matter of course in the theaters (Ch. 17).

• f. What happens in theaters does not only suffocate the eye as an organ of vision, but also affects the mind, whereby a person learns idleness, envy, and anger. It provokes the emotions and corrupts them (Ch. 17).

Tertullian says that Christians are “consecrated to peace,” and if they would be blameworthy for such actions outside the theaters, they should also be blameworthy inside them, for not being faithful to their vocation as a peaceful people (Ch. 16).

After analyzing the reasons why Christians refuse to go to theaters and stadiums, Tertullian says that it must be remembered that “the places in themselves do not contaminate, but what is done in them; from this even the places themselves, we maintain, become defiled” (Ch. 8).