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Against Hermogenes

Tertullian

Chapter 17

About this work

Author: Tertullian

Chapter XVII.—The Truth of God’s Work in Creation. You Cannot Depart in the Least from It, Without Landing Yourself in an Absurdity.

This rule is required by the nature of the One-

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only

God

,

who

is

One

-

only

in

no

other

way

than

as

the

sole

God

;

and

in

no

other

way

sole

,

than

as

having

nothing

else

(

co

-

existent

)

with

Him

.

So

also

He

will

be

first

,

because

all

things

are

after

Him

;

and

all

things

are

after

Him

,

because

all

things

are

by

Him

;

and

all

things

are

by

Him

,

because

they

are

of

nothing

:

so

that

reason

coincides

with

the

Scripture

,

which

says

:

“

Who

hath

known

the

mind

of

the

Lord

?

or

who

hath

been

His

counsellor

?

or

with

whom

took

He

counsel

?

or

who

hath

shown

to

Him

the

way

of

wisdom

and

knowledge

?

Who

hath

first

given

to

Him

,

and

it

shall

be

recompensed

to

him

again

?

”

Surely

none

!

Because

there

was

present

with

Him

no

power

,

no

material

,

no

nature

which

belonged

to

any

other

than

Himself

.

But

if

it

was

with

some

(

portion

of

Matter

)

that

He

effected

His

creation

,

He

must

have

received

from

that

(

Matter

)

itself

both

the

design

and

the

treatment

of

its

order

as

being

“

the

way

of

wisdom

and

knowledge

.

”

For

He

had

to

operate

conformably

with

the

quality

of

the

thing

,

and

according

to

the

nature

of

Matter

,

not

according

to

His

own

will

in

consequence

of

which

He

must

have

made

even

evil

things

suitably

to

the

nature

not

of

Himself

,

but

of

Matter

.

Notes

1
Unici Dei.
2
Rom. xi. 34, 35; comp. Isa. xl. 14.
3
De aliquo.
4
Adeo ut fecerit.