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Against Hermogenes

Tertullian

Chapter 11

About this work

Author: Tertullian

Chapter XI.—Hermogenes Makes Great Efforts to Remove Evil from God to Matter. How He Fails to Do This Consistently with His Own Argument.

But, after all, by what proofs does Hermogenes persuade

‹ Chapter 10 Chapter 12 ›

us

that

Matter

is

evil

?

For

it

will

be

impossible

for

him

not

to

call

that

evil

to

which

he

imputes

evil

.

Now

we

lay

down

this

principle

,

that

what

is

eternal

cannot

possibly

admit

of

diminution

and

subjection

,

so

as

to

be

considered

inferior

to

another

co

-

eternal

Being

.

So

that

we

now

affirm

that

evil

is

not

even

compatible

with

it

,

since

it

is

incapable

of

subjection

,

from

the

fact

that

it

cannot

in

any

wise

be

subject

to

any

,

because

it

is

eternal

.

But

inasmuch

as

,

on

other

grounds

,

it

is

evident

what

is

eternal

as

God

is

the

highest

good

,

whereby

also

He

alone

is

good

—

as

being

eternal

,

and

therefore

good

—

as

being

God

,

how

can

evil

be

inherent

in

Matter

,

which

(

since

it

is

eternal

)

must

needs

be

believed

to

be

the

highest

good

?

Else

if

that

which

is

eternal

prove

to

be

also

capable

of

evil

,

this

(

evil

)

will

be

able

to

be

also

believed

of

God

to

His

prejudice

;

so

that

it

is

without

adequate

reason

that

he

has

been

so

anxious

to

remove

evil

from

God

;

since

evil

must

be

compatible

with

an

eternal

Being

,

even

by

being

made

compatible

with

Matter

,

as

Hermogenes

makes

it

.

But

,

as

the

argument

now

stands

,

since

what

is

eternal

can

be

deemed

evil

,

the

evil

must

prove

to

be

invincible

and

insuperable

,

as

being

eternal

;

and

in

that

case

it

will

be

in

vain

that

we

labour

“

to

put

away

evil

from

the

midst

of

us

;

”

in

that

case

,

moreover

,

God

vainly

gives

us

such

a

command

and

precept

;

nay

more

,

in

vain

has

God

appointed

any

judgment

at

all

,

when

He

means

,

indeed

,

to

inflict

punishment

with

injustice

.

But

if

,

on

the

other

hand

,

there

is

to

be

an

end

of

evil

,

when

the

chief

thereof

,

the

devil

,

shall

“

go

away

into

the

fire

which

God

hath

prepared

for

him

and

his

angels

”

—

having

been

first

“

cast

into

the

bottomless

pit

;

”

when

likewise

“

the

manifestation

of

the

children

of

God

”

shall

have

“

delivered

the

creature

”

from

evil

,

which

had

been

“

made

subject

to

vanity

;

”

when

the

cattle

restored

in

the

innocence

and

integrity

of

their

nature

shall

be

at

peace

with

the

beasts

of

the

field

,

when

also

little

children

shall

play

with

serpents

;

when

the

Father

shall

have

put

beneath

the

feet

of

His

Son

His

enemies

,

as

being

the

workers

of

evil

,

—

if

in

this

way

an

end

is

compatible

with

evil

,

it

must

follow

of

necessity

that

a

beginning

is

also

compatible

with

it

;

and

Matter

will

turn

out

to

have

a

beginning

,

by

virtue

of

its

having

also

an

end

.

For

whatever

things

are

set

to

the

account

of

evil

,

have

a

compatibility

with

the

condition

of

evil

.

Notes

1
Et tamen.
2
Definimus.
3
Competere illi.
4
Alias.
5
Et in Deum credi.
6
Gestivit.
7
Jam vero.
8
Tum.
9
1 Cor. v. 13.
10
Utique: with a touch of irony, in the argumentum ad hominem.
11
Matt. xxv. 41.
12
Rev. xx. 3.
13
Rom. viii. 19.
14
Rom. viii. 21.
15
Rom. viii. 20.
16
Conditionis: “creation.”
17
Condixerint.
18
Isa. xi. 6.
19
Ps. cx. 1.
20
Male deputantur.