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Against Hermogenes

Tertullian

Chapter 20

About this work

Author: Tertullian

Chapter XX.—Meaning of the Phrase—In the Beginning. Tertullian Connects It with the Wisdom of God, and Elicits from It the Truth that the Creation Was Not Out of Pre-Existent Matter.

But in proof that the Greek word means nothing else than

‹ Chapter 19 Chapter 21 ›

beginning

,

and

that

beginning

admits

of

no

other

sense

than

the

initial

one

,

we

have

that

(

Being

)

even

acknowledging

such

a

beginning

,

who

says

:

“

The

Lord

possessed

me

,

the

beginning

of

His

ways

for

the

creation

of

His

works

.

”

For

since

all

things

were

made

by

the

Wisdom

of

God

,

it

follows

that

,

when

God

made

both

the

heaven

and

the

earth

in

principio

—

that

is

to

say

,

in

the

beginning

—

He

made

them

in

His

Wisdom

.

If

,

indeed

,

beginning

had

a

material

signification

,

the

Scripture

would

not

have

informed

us

that

God

made

so

and

so

in

principio

,

at

the

beginning

,

but

rather

ex

principio

,

of

the

beginning

;

for

He

would

not

have

created

in

,

but

of

,

matter

.

When

Wisdom

,

however

,

was

referred

to

,

it

was

quite

right

to

say

,

in

the

beginning

.

For

it

was

in

Wisdom

that

He

made

all

things

at

first

,

because

by

meditating

and

arranging

His

plans

therein

,

He

had

in

fact

already

done

(

the

work

of

creation

)

;

and

if

He

had

even

intended

to

create

out

of

matter

,

He

would

yet

have

effected

His

creation

when

He

previously

meditated

on

it

and

arranged

it

in

His

Wisdom

,

since

It

was

in

fact

the

beginning

of

His

ways

:

this

meditation

and

arrangement

being

the

primal

operation

of

Wisdom

,

opening

as

it

does

the

way

to

the

works

by

the

act

of

meditation

and

thought

.

This

authority

of

Scripture

I

claim

for

myself

even

from

this

circumstance

,

that

whilst

it

shows

me

the

God

who

created

,

and

the

works

He

created

,

it

does

not

in

like

manner

reveal

to

me

the

source

from

which

He

created

.

For

since

in

every

operation

there

are

three

principal

things

,

He

who

makes

,

and

that

which

is

made

,

and

that

of

which

it

is

made

,

there

must

be

three

names

mentioned

in

a

correct

narrative

of

the

operation

—

the

person

of

the

maker

the

sort

of

thing

which

is

made

,

and

the

material

of

which

it

is

formed

.

If

the

material

is

not

mentioned

,

while

the

work

and

the

maker

of

the

work

are

both

mentioned

,

it

is

manifest

that

He

made

the

work

out

of

nothing

.

For

if

He

had

had

anything

to

operate

upon

,

it

would

have

been

mentioned

as

well

as

(

the

other

two

particulars

)

.

In

conclusion

,

I

will

apply

the

Gospel

as

a

supplementary

testimony

to

the

Old

Testament

.

Now

in

this

there

is

all

the

greater

reason

why

there

should

be

shown

the

material

(

if

there

were

any

)

out

of

which

God

made

all

things

,

inasmuch

as

it

is

therein

plainly

revealed

by

whom

He

made

all

things

.

“

In

the

beginning

was

the

Word

”

—

that

is

,

the

same

beginning

,

of

course

,

in

which

God

made

the

heaven

and

the

earth

—

“

and

the

Word

was

with

God

,

and

the

Word

was

God

.

All

things

were

made

by

Him

,

and

without

Him

nothing

was

made

.

”

Now

,

since

we

have

here

clearly

told

us

who

the

Maker

was

,

that

is

,

God

,

and

what

He

made

,

even

all

things

,

and

through

whom

He

made

them

,

even

His

Word

,

would

not

the

order

of

the

narrative

have

required

that

the

source

out

of

which

all

things

were

made

by

God

through

the

Word

should

likewise

be

declared

,

if

they

had

been

in

fact

made

out

of

anything

?

What

,

therefore

,

did

not

exist

,

the

Scripture

was

unable

to

mention

;

and

by

not

mentioning

it

,

it

has

given

us

a

clear

proof

that

there

was

no

such

thing

:

for

if

there

had

been

,

the

Scripture

would

have

mentioned

it

.

Notes

1
Illam…quæ.
2
Condidit: “created.”
3
Prov. viii. 22.
4
In qua: in Wisdom.
5
Wisdom.
6
De cogitatu.
7
Species facti.
8
Proinde.
9
John i. 1.
10
Gen. i. 1.
11
John i. 1–3.