Why did Tertullian advocate the support of Rome in the pragmatic hope of continuation of the status quo? Could not social destabilization work to see a better Christian order built on the ruins of Paganism?
"There is also another and a greater necessity for our offering prayer in behalf of the emperors, nay, for the complete-stability of the empire, and for Roman interests in general. For we know that a mighty shock impending over the whole earth — in fact, the very end of all things threatening dreadful woes — is only retarded by the continued existence of the Roman empire. We have no desire, then, to be overtaken by these dire events; and in praying that their coming may be delayed, we are lending our aid to Rome's duration."
Tertullian
As plague hysteria begins spreading across headlines around the world, there is one detail almost nobody is talking about: governments and military biodefense programs have already poured major resources into developing dozens of plague vaccines.
More than 21 plague-vaccine candidates are under development, spanning mRNA, self-amplifying RNA, recombinant protein, viral-vector, live-attenuated and other technologies.
--- Nicholas Hulscher