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Against Hermogenes

Tertullian

Chapter 19

About this work

Author: Tertullian

Chapter XIX.—An Appeal to the History of Creation. True Meaning of the Term Beginning, Which the Heretic Curiously Wrests to an Absurd Sense.

But I shall appeal to the original document of Moses,

‹ Chapter 18 Chapter 20 ›

by

help

of

which

they

on

the

other

side

vainly

endeavour

to

prop

up

their

conjectures

,

with

the

view

,

of

course

,

of

appearing

to

have

the

support

of

that

authority

which

is

indispensable

in

such

an

inquiry

.

They

have

found

their

opportunity

,

as

is

usual

with

heretics

,

in

wresting

the

plain

meaning

of

certain

words

.

For

instance

the

very

beginning

,

when

God

made

the

heaven

and

the

earth

,

they

will

construe

as

if

it

meant

something

substantial

and

embodied

,

to

be

regarded

as

Matter

.

We

,

however

,

insist

on

the

proper

signification

of

every

word

,

and

say

that

principium

means

beginning

,

—

being

a

term

which

is

suitable

to

represent

things

which

begin

to

exist

.

For

nothing

which

has

come

into

being

is

without

a

beginning

,

nor

can

this

its

commencement

be

at

any

other

moment

than

when

it

begins

to

have

existence

.

Thus

principium

or

beginning

,

is

simply

a

term

of

inception

,

not

the

name

of

a

substance

.

Now

,

inasmuch

as

the

heaven

and

the

earth

are

the

principal

works

of

God

,

and

since

,

by

His

making

them

first

,

He

constituted

them

in

an

especial

manner

the

beginning

of

His

creation

,

before

all

things

else

,

with

good

reason

does

the

Scripture

preface

(

its

record

of

creation

)

with

the

words

,

“

In

the

beginning

God

made

the

heaven

and

the

earth

;

”

just

as

it

would

have

said

,

“

At

last

God

made

the

heaven

and

the

earth

,

”

if

God

had

created

these

after

all

the

rest

.

Now

,

if

the

beginning

is

a

substance

,

the

end

must

also

be

material

.

No

doubt

,

a

substantial

thing

may

be

the

beginning

of

some

other

thing

which

may

be

formed

out

of

it

;

thus

the

clay

is

the

beginning

of

the

vessel

,

and

the

seed

is

the

beginning

of

the

plant

.

But

when

we

employ

the

word

beginning

in

this

sense

of

origin

,

and

not

in

that

of

order

,

we

do

not

omit

to

mention

also

the

name

of

that

particular

thing

which

we

regard

as

the

origin

of

the

other

.

On

the

other

hand

,

if

we

were

to

make

such

a

statement

as

this

,

for

example

,

“

In

the

beginning

the

potter

made

a

basin

or

a

water

-

jug

,

”

the

word

beginning

will

not

here

indicate

a

material

substance

(

for

I

have

not

mentioned

the

clay

,

which

is

the

beginning

in

this

sense

,

but

only

the

order

of

the

work

,

meaning

that

the

potter

made

the

basin

and

the

jug

first

,

before

anything

else

—

intending

afterwards

to

make

the

rest

.

It

is

,

then

,

to

the

order

of

the

works

that

the

word

beginning

has

reference

,

not

to

the

origin

of

their

substances

.

I

might

also

explain

this

word

beginning

in

another

way

,

which

would

not

,

however

,

be

inapposite

.

The

Greek

term

for

beginning

,

which

is

ἀρχή

,

admits

the

sense

not

only

of

priority

of

order

,

but

of

power

as

well

;

whence

princes

and

magistrates

are

called

ἀρχοντες

.

Therefore

in

this

sense

too

,

beginning

may

be

taken

for

princely

authority

and

power

.

It

was

,

indeed

,

in

His

transcendent

authority

and

power

,

that

God

made

the

heaven

and

the

earth

.

Notes

1
Originale instrumentum: which may mean “the document which treats of the origin of all things.”
2
Principium.
3
Corpulentum.
4
Gen. i. 1.
5
Substantivum aliquid.
6
De cetero.
7
Non ab re tamen.