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Against Hermogenes

Tertullian

Chapter 18

About this work

Author: Tertullian

Chapter XVIII.—An Eulogy on the Wisdom and Word of God, by Which God Made All Things of Nothing.

If any material was necessary to God in the creation of

‹ Chapter 17 Chapter 19 ›

the

world

,

as

Hermogenes

supposed

,

God

had

a

far

nobler

and

more

suitable

one

in

His

own

wisdom

—

one

which

was

not

to

be

gauged

by

the

writings

of

philosophers

,

but

to

be

learnt

from

the

words

or

prophets

.

This

alone

,

indeed

,

knew

the

mind

of

the

Lord

.

For

“

who

knoweth

the

things

of

God

,

and

the

things

in

God

,

but

the

Spirit

,

which

is

in

Him

?

”

Now

His

wisdom

is

that

Spirit

.

This

was

His

counsellor

,

the

very

way

of

His

wisdom

and

knowledge

.

Of

this

He

made

all

things

,

making

them

through

It

,

and

making

them

with

It

.

“

When

He

prepared

the

heavens

,

”

so

says

(

the

Scripture

)

,

“

I

was

present

with

Him

;

and

when

He

strengthened

above

the

winds

the

lofty

clouds

,

and

when

He

secured

the

fountains

which

are

under

the

heaven

,

I

was

present

,

compacting

these

things

along

with

Him

.

I

was

He

in

whom

He

took

delight

;

moreover

,

I

daily

rejoiced

in

His

presence

:

for

He

rejoiced

when

He

had

finished

the

world

,

and

amongst

the

sons

of

men

did

He

show

forth

His

pleasure

.

”

Now

,

who

would

not

rather

approve

of

this

as

the

fountain

and

origin

of

all

things

—

of

this

as

,

in

very

deed

,

the

Matter

of

all

Matter

,

not

liable

to

any

end

,

not

diverse

in

condition

,

not

restless

in

motion

,

not

ungraceful

in

form

,

but

natural

,

and

proper

,

and

duly

proportioned

,

and

beautiful

,

such

truly

as

even

God

might

well

have

required

,

who

requires

His

own

and

not

another’s

?

Indeed

,

as

soon

as

He

perceived

It

to

be

necessary

for

His

creation

of

the

world

,

He

immediately

creates

It

,

and

generates

It

in

Himself

.

“

The

Lord

,

”

says

the

Scripture

,

“

possessed

me

,

the

beginning

of

His

ways

for

the

creation

of

His

works

.

Before

the

worlds

He

founded

me

;

before

He

made

the

earth

,

before

the

mountains

were

settled

in

their

places

;

moreover

,

before

the

hills

He

generated

me

,

and

prior

to

the

depths

was

I

begotten

.

”

Let

Hermogenes

then

confess

that

the

very

Wisdom

of

God

is

declared

to

be

born

and

created

,

for

the

especial

reason

that

we

should

not

suppose

that

there

is

any

other

being

than

God

alone

who

is

unbegotten

and

uncreated

.

For

if

that

,

which

from

its

being

inherent

in

the

Lord

was

of

Him

and

in

Him

,

was

yet

not

without

a

beginning

,

—

I

mean

His

wisdom

,

which

was

then

born

and

created

,

when

in

the

thought

of

God

It

began

to

assume

motion

for

the

arrangement

of

His

creative

works

,

—

how

much

more

impossible

is

it

that

anything

should

have

been

without

a

beginning

which

was

extrinsic

to

the

Lord

!

But

if

this

same

Wisdom

is

the

Word

of

God

,

in

the

capacity

of

Wisdom

,

and

(

as

being

He

)

without

whom

nothing

was

made

,

just

as

also

(

nothing

)

was

set

in

order

without

Wisdom

,

how

can

it

be

that

anything

,

except

the

Father

,

should

be

older

,

and

on

this

account

indeed

nobler

,

than

the

Son

of

God

,

the

only

-

begotten

and

first

-

begotten

Word

?

Not

to

say

that

what

is

unbegotten

is

stronger

than

that

which

is

born

,

and

what

is

not

made

more

powerful

than

that

which

is

made

.

Because

that

which

did

not

require

a

Maker

to

give

it

existence

,

will

be

much

more

elevated

in

rank

than

that

which

had

an

author

to

bring

it

into

being

.

On

this

principle

,

then

,

if

evil

is

indeed

unbegotten

,

whilst

the

Son

of

God

is

begotten

(

“

for

,

”

says

God

,

“

my

heart

hath

emitted

my

most

excellent

Word

”

)

,

I

am

not

quite

sure

that

evil

may

not

be

introduced

by

good

,

the

stronger

by

the

weak

,

in

the

same

way

as

the

unbegotten

is

by

the

begotten

.

Therefore

on

this

ground

Hermogenes

puts

Matter

even

before

God

,

by

putting

it

before

the

Son

.

Because

the

Son

is

the

Word

,

and

“

the

Word

is

God

,

”

and

“

I

and

my

Father

are

one

.

”

But

after

all

,

perhaps

,

the

Son

will

patiently

enough

submit

to

having

that

preferred

before

Him

which

(

by

Hermogenes

)

,

is

made

equal

to

the

Father

!

Notes

1
Sophiam suam scilicet.
2
Apud.
3
1 Cor. ii. 11.
4
Isa. xl. 14.
5
Or the “inquit” may indicate the very words of “Wisdom.”
6
Fontes. Although Oehler prefers Junius’ reading “montes,” he yet retains “fontes,” because Tertullian (in ch. xxxii. below) has the unmistakable reading “fontes” in a like connection.
7
Compingens.
8
Ad quem: the expression is masculine.
9
Prov. viii. 27–31.
10
Commendet.
11
“Non fini subditam” is Oehler’s better reading than the old “sibi subditam.”
12
Condidit: created.
13
See Prov. viii.
14
Intra Dominum.
15
Scilicet.
16
Cœpti agitari.
17
Multo magis non capit.
18
Extra Dominum.
19
Sensu.
20
Nedum.
21
Proinde.
22
On this version of Ps. xlv. 1., and its application by Tertullian, see our Anti-Marcion (p. 299, note 5).
23
John i. 1.
24
John x. 30.
25
Nisi quod.