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Against Hermogenes

Tertullian

Chapter 2

About this work

Author: Tertullian

Chapter II.—Hermogenes, After a Perverse Induction from Mere Heretical Assumptions, Concludes that God Created All Things Out of Pre-Existing Matter.

Our very bad painter has coloured this his primary shade absolutely

‹ Chapter 1 Chapter 3 ›

without

any

light

,

with

such

arguments

as

these

:

He

begins

with

laying

down

the

premiss

,

that

the

Lord

made

all

things

either

out

of

Himself

,

or

out

of

nothing

,

or

out

of

something

;

in

order

that

,

after

he

has

shown

that

it

was

impossible

for

Him

to

have

made

them

either

out

of

Himself

or

out

of

nothing

,

he

might

thence

affirm

the

residuary

proposition

that

He

made

them

out

of

something

,

and

therefore

that

that

something

was

Matter

.

He

could

not

have

made

all

things

,

he

says

,

of

Himself

;

because

whatever

things

the

Lord

made

of

Himself

would

have

been

parts

of

Himself

;

but

He

is

not

dissoluble

into

parts

,

because

,

being

the

Lord

,

He

is

indivisible

,

and

unchangeable

,

and

always

the

same

.

Besides

,

if

He

had

made

anything

out

of

Himself

,

it

would

have

been

something

of

Himself

.

Everything

,

however

,

both

which

was

made

and

which

He

made

must

be

accounted

imperfect

,

because

it

was

made

of

a

part

,

and

He

made

it

of

a

part

;

or

if

,

again

,

it

was

a

whole

which

He

made

,

who

is

a

whole

Himself

,

He

must

in

that

case

have

been

at

once

both

a

whole

,

and

yet

not

a

whole

;

because

it

behoved

Him

to

be

a

whole

,

that

He

might

produce

Himself

,

and

yet

not

a

whole

,

that

He

might

be

produced

out

of

Himself

.

But

this

is

a

most

difficult

position

.

For

if

He

were

in

existence

,

He

could

not

be

made

,

for

He

was

in

existence

already

;

if

,

however

,

he

were

not

in

existence

He

could

not

make

,

because

He

was

a

nonentity

.

He

maintains

,

moreover

,

that

He

who

always

exists

,

does

not

come

into

existence

,

but

exists

for

ever

and

ever

.

He

accordingly

concludes

that

He

made

nothing

out

of

Himself

,

since

He

never

passed

into

such

a

condition

as

made

it

possible

for

Him

to

make

anything

out

of

Himself

.

In

like

manner

,

he

contends

that

He

could

not

have

made

all

things

out

of

nothing

—

thus

:

He

defines

the

Lord

as

a

being

who

is

good

,

nay

,

very

good

,

who

must

will

to

make

things

as

good

and

excellent

as

He

is

Himself

;

indeed

it

were

impossible

for

Him

either

to

will

or

to

make

anything

which

was

not

good

,

nay

,

very

good

itself

.

Therefore

all

things

ought

to

have

been

made

good

and

excellent

by

Him

,

after

His

own

condition

.

Experience

shows

,

however

,

that

things

which

are

even

evil

were

made

by

Him

:

not

,

of

course

,

of

His

own

will

and

pleasure

;

because

,

if

it

had

been

of

His

own

will

and

pleasure

,

He

would

be

sure

to

have

made

nothing

unfitting

or

unworthy

of

Himself

.

That

,

therefore

,

which

He

made

not

of

His

own

will

must

be

understood

to

have

been

made

from

the

fault

of

something

,

and

that

is

from

Matter

,

without

a

doubt

.

Notes

1
Præstruens.
2
Porro.
3
In partes non devenire.
4
Ut faceret semetipsum.
5
Ut fieret de semetipso.
6
Non fieri.
7
Non ejus fieret conditionis.
8
Inveniri.