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Against Hermogenes

Tertullian

Chapter 14

About this work

Author: Tertullian

Chapter XIV.—Tertullian Pushes His Opponent into a Dilemma.

Now, if it be also argued, that although Matter may

‹ Chapter 13 Chapter 15 ›

have

afforded

Him

the

opportunity

,

it

was

still

His

own

will

which

led

Him

to

the

creation

of

good

creatures

,

as

having

detected

what

was

good

in

matter

—

although

this

,

too

,

be

a

discreditable

supposition

—

yet

,

at

any

rate

,

when

He

produces

evil

likewise

out

of

the

same

(

Matter

)

,

He

is

a

servant

to

Matter

,

since

,

of

course

,

it

is

not

of

His

own

accord

that

He

produces

this

too

,

having

nothing

else

that

He

can

do

than

to

effect

creation

out

of

an

evil

stock

—

unwillingly

,

no

doubt

,

as

being

good

;

of

necessity

,

too

,

as

being

unwilling

;

and

as

an

act

of

servitude

,

because

from

necessity

.

Which

,

then

,

is

the

worthier

thought

,

that

He

created

evil

things

of

necessity

,

or

of

His

own

accord

?

Because

it

was

indeed

of

necessity

that

He

created

them

,

if

out

of

Matter

;

of

His

own

accord

,

if

out

of

nothing

.

For

you

are

now

labouring

in

vain

when

you

try

to

avoid

making

God

the

Author

of

evil

things

;

because

,

since

He

made

all

things

of

Matter

,

they

will

have

to

be

ascribed

to

Himself

,

who

made

them

,

just

because

He

made

them

.

Plainly

the

interest

of

the

question

,

whence

He

made

all

things

,

identifies

itself

with

(

the

question

)

,

whether

He

made

all

things

out

of

nothing

;

and

it

matters

not

whence

He

made

all

things

,

so

that

He

made

all

things

thence

,

whence

most

glory

accrued

to

Him

.

Now

,

more

glory

accrued

to

Him

from

a

creation

of

His

own

will

than

from

one

of

necessity

;

in

other

words

,

from

a

creation

out

of

nothing

,

than

from

one

out

of

Matter

.

It

is

more

worthy

to

believe

that

God

is

free

,

even

as

the

Author

of

evil

,

than

that

He

is

a

slave

.

Power

,

whatever

it

be

,

is

more

suited

to

Him

than

infirmity

.

If

we

thus

even

admit

that

matter

had

nothing

good

in

it

,

but

that

the

Lord

produced

whatever

good

He

did

produce

of

His

own

power

,

then

some

other

questions

will

with

equal

reason

arise

.

First

,

since

there

was

no

good

at

all

in

Matter

,

it

is

clear

that

good

was

not

made

of

Matter

,

on

the

express

ground

indeed

that

Matter

did

not

possess

it

.

if

good

was

not

made

of

Matter

,

it

must

then

have

been

made

of

God

;

if

not

of

God

,

then

it

must

have

been

made

of

nothing

.

—

For

this

is

the

alternative

,

on

Hermogenes

’

own

showing

.

Notes

1
Nactus.
2
Turpe.
3
Utique.
4
Ex malo.
5
Proinde quatenus.
6
We subjoin the original of this sentence: “Plane sic interest unde fecerit ac si de nihilo fecisset, nec interest uned fecerit, ut inde fecerit unde eum magis decuit.”
7
Pusillitas.
8
Secundum Hermogenis dispositionem.