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Tertullian

Book 2 · Chapter 5

About this work

Author: Tertullian

Chapter V.—The Physical Theory Continued. Further Reasons Advanced Against the Divinity of the Elements.

Why, then, do we not resort to that far more

‹ Book 2 · Chapter 3 Book 2 · Chapter 6 ›

reasonable

opinion

,

which

has

clear

proof

of

being

derived

from

men’s

common

sense

and

unsophisticated

deduction

?

Even

Varro

bears

it

in

mind

,

when

he

says

that

the

elements

are

supposed

to

be

divine

,

because

nothing

whatever

is

capable

,

without

their

concurrence

,

of

being

produced

,

nourished

,

or

applied

to

the

sustenance

of

man’s

life

and

of

the

earth

,

since

not

even

our

bodies

and

souls

could

have

sufficed

in

themselves

without

the

modification

of

the

elements

.

By

this

it

is

that

the

world

is

made

generally

habitable

,

—

a

result

which

is

harmoniously

secured

by

the

distribution

into

zones

,

except

where

human

residence

has

been

rendered

impracticable

by

intensity

of

cold

or

heat

.

On

this

account

,

men

have

accounted

as

gods

—

the

sun

,

because

it

imparts

from

itself

the

light

of

day

,

ripens

the

fruit

with

its

warmth

,

and

measures

the

year

with

its

stated

periods

;

the

moon

,

which

is

at

once

the

solace

of

the

night

and

the

controller

of

the

months

by

its

governance

;

the

stars

also

,

certain

indications

as

they

are

of

those

seasons

which

are

to

be

observed

in

the

tillage

of

our

fields

;

lastly

,

the

very

heaven

also

under

which

,

and

the

earth

over

which

,

as

well

as

the

intermediate

space

within

which

,

all

things

conspire

together

for

the

good

of

man

.

Nor

is

it

from

their

beneficent

influences

only

that

a

faith

in

their

divinity

has

been

deemed

compatible

with

the

elements

,

but

from

their

opposite

qualities

also

,

such

as

usually

happen

from

what

one

might

call

their

wrath

and

anger

—

as

thunder

,

and

hail

,

and

drought

,

and

pestilential

winds

,

floods

also

,

and

openings

of

the

ground

,

and

earthquakes

:

these

are

all

fairly

enough

accounted

gods

,

whether

their

nature

becomes

the

object

of

reverence

as

being

favourable

,

or

of

fear

because

terrible

—

the

sovereign

dispenser

,

in

fact

,

both

of

help

and

of

hurt

.

But

in

the

practical

conduct

of

social

life

,

this

is

the

way

in

which

men

act

and

feel

:

they

do

not

show

gratitude

or

find

fault

with

the

very

things

from

which

the

succour

or

the

injury

proceeds

,

so

much

as

with

them

by

whose

strength

and

power

the

operation

of

the

things

is

effected

.

For

even

in

your

amusements

you

do

not

award

the

crown

as

a

prize

to

the

flute

or

the

harp

,

but

to

the

musician

who

manages

the

said

flute

or

harp

by

the

power

of

his

delightful

skill

.

In

like

manner

,

when

one

is

in

ill

-

health

,

you

do

not

bestow

your

acknowledgments

on

the

flannel

wraps

,

or

the

medicines

,

or

the

poultices

,

but

on

the

doctors

by

whose

care

and

prudence

the

remedies

become

effectual

.

So

again

,

in

untoward

events

,

they

who

are

wounded

with

the

sword

do

not

charge

the

injury

on

the

sword

or

the

spear

,

but

on

the

enemy

or

the

robber

;

whilst

those

whom

a

falling

house

covers

do

not

blame

the

tiles

or

the

stones

,

but

the

oldness

of

the

building

;

as

again

shipwrecked

sailors

impute

their

calamity

not

to

the

rocks

and

waves

,

but

to

the

tempest

.

And

rightly

too

;

for

it

is

certain

that

everything

which

happens

must

be

ascribed

not

to

the

instrument

with

which

,

but

to

the

agent

by

whom

,

it

takes

place

;

inasmuch

as

he

is

the

prime

cause

of

the

occurrence

,

who

appoints

both

the

event

itself

and

that

by

whose

instrumentality

it

comes

to

pass

(

as

there

are

in

all

things

these

three

particular

elements

—

the

fact

itself

,

its

instrument

,

and

its

cause

)

,

because

he

himself

who

wills

the

occurrence

of

a

thing

comes

into

notice

prior

to

the

thing

which

he

wills

,

or

the

instrument

by

which

it

occurs

.

On

all

other

occasions

therefore

,

your

conduct

is

right

enough

,

because

you

consider

the

author

;

but

in

physical

phenomena

your

rule

is

opposed

to

that

natural

principle

which

prompts

you

to

a

wise

judgment

in

all

other

cases

,

removing

out

of

sight

as

you

do

the

supreme

position

of

the

author

,

and

considering

rather

the

things

that

happen

,

than

him

by

whom

they

happen

.

Thus

it

comes

to

pass

that

you

suppose

the

power

and

the

dominion

to

belong

to

the

elements

,

which

are

but

the

slaves

and

functionaries

.

Now

do

we

not

,

in

thus

tracing

out

an

artificer

and

master

within

,

expose

the

artful

structure

of

their

slavery

out

of

the

appointed

functions

of

those

elements

to

which

you

ascribe

(

the

attributes

)

of

power

?

But

gods

are

not

slaves

;

therefore

whatever

things

are

servile

in

character

are

not

gods

.

Otherwise

they

should

prove

to

us

that

,

according

to

the

ordinary

course

of

things

,

liberty

is

promoted

by

irregular

licence

,

despotism

by

liberty

,

and

that

by

despotism

divine

power

is

meant

.

For

if

all

the

(

heavenly

bodies

)

overhead

forget

not

to

fulfil

their

courses

in

certain

orbits

,

in

regular

seasons

,

at

proper

distances

,

and

at

equal

intervals

—

appointed

in

the

way

of

a

law

for

the

revolutions

of

time

,

and

for

directing

the

guidance

thereof

—

can

it

fail

to

result

from

the

very

observance

of

their

conditions

and

the

fidelity

of

their

operations

,

that

you

will

be

convinced

both

by

the

recurrence

of

their

orbital

courses

and

the

accuracy

of

their

mutations

,

when

you

bear

in

mind

how

ceaseless

is

their

recurrence

,

that

a

governing

power

presides

over

them

,

to

which

the

entire

management

of

the

world

is

obedient

,

reaching

even

to

the

utility

and

injury

of

the

human

race

?

For

you

cannot

pretend

that

these

(

phenomena

)

act

and

care

for

themselves

alone

,

without

contributing

anything

to

the

advantage

of

mankind

,

when

you

maintain

that

the

elements

are

divine

for

no

other

reason

than

that

you

experience

from

them

either

benefit

or

injury

to

yourself

.

For

if

they

benefit

themselves

only

,

you

are

under

no

obligation

to

them

.

Notes

1
Humaniorem.
2
Conjectura.
3
Suffragio.
4
Sationem.
5
Temperamento.
6
Fœderata.
7
Circulorum conditionibus.
8
Tanquam.
9
Jure.
10
Domina.
11
Scilicet.
12
Vi suavitatis.
13
Lanis.
14
Caput facti.
15
Invenitur.
16
Servitutis artem. “Artem” Oehler explains by “artificiose institutum.”
17
We subjoin Oehler’s text of this obscure sentence: “Non in ista investigatione alicujus artificis intus et domini servitutis artem ostendimus elementorum certis ex operis” (for “operibis,” not unusual in Tertullian) “eorum quas facis potestatis?”
18
Aut.
19
De licentia passivitatis libertas approbetur.
20
Meminerunt.
21
Num non.
22
Universa negotiatio mundialis.