“We multiply whenever we are mown down by you; the blood of Christians is seed.”
Apologeticus, 50, s. 13
Often quoted as ‘The blood of the martyrs is the seed of the church.’
Variant translation: 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."
Apologeticus pro Christianis
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Tertullian41
Christian theologian 155–220Related quotes
William Bateson (1861–1926) British geneticist and biologist
Australian Meeting of the British Association. Inaugural Address. August 20th, 1914.
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Song Quotations
“Blood doubly unites us, for we share the same blood and we have spilled blood.”
Orestes to Electra, Act 2
The Flies (1943)
Brigham Young (1801–1877) Latter Day Saint movement leader
Journal of Discourses, vol. 10, 1863, p. 110.
1860s
“We are all sprung from a heavenly seed.”
Caelesti sumus omnes semine oriundi.
Lucretius (-94–-55 BC) Roman poet and philosopher
Book II, line 991 (tr. Munro)
De Rerum Natura (On the Nature of Things)
Huey P. Newton (1942–1989) Co-founder of the Black Panther Party
From "In Defense of Self-defense" I (June 20, 1967)
To Die For The People
Context: The blood, sweat, tears, and suffering of Black people are the foundations of the wealth and power of the United States of America. We were forced to build America, and if forced to, we will tear it down. The immediate result of this destruction will be suffering and bloodshed. But the end result will be the perpetual peace for all mankind.