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Against Hermogenes

Tertullian

Chapter 23

About this work

Author: Tertullian

Chapter XXIII.—Hermogenes Pursued to Another Passage of Scripture. The Absurdity of His Interpretation Exposed.

But he draws an argument from the following words, where

‹ Chapter 22 Chapter 24 ›

it

is

written

:

“

And

the

earth

was

without

form

,

and

void

.

”

For

he

resolves

the

word

earth

into

Matter

,

because

that

which

is

made

out

of

it

is

the

earth

.

And

to

the

word

was

he

gives

the

same

direction

,

as

if

it

pointed

to

what

had

always

existed

unbegotten

and

unmade

.

It

was

without

form

,

moreover

,

and

void

,

because

he

will

have

Matter

to

have

existed

shapeless

and

confused

,

and

without

the

finish

of

a

maker’s

hand

.

Now

these

opinions

of

his

I

will

refute

singly

;

but

first

I

wish

to

say

to

him

,

by

way

of

general

answer

:

We

are

of

opinion

that

Matter

is

pointed

at

in

these

terms

.

But

yet

does

the

Scripture

intimate

that

,

because

Matter

was

in

existence

before

all

,

anything

of

like

condition

was

even

formed

out

of

it

?

Nothing

of

the

kind

.

Matter

might

have

had

existence

,

if

it

so

pleased

—

or

rather

if

Hermogenes

so

pleased

.

It

might

,

I

say

,

have

existed

,

and

yet

God

might

not

have

made

anything

out

of

it

,

either

as

it

was

unsuitable

to

Him

to

have

required

the

aid

of

anything

,

or

at

least

because

He

is

not

shown

to

have

made

anything

out

of

Matter

.

Its

existence

must

therefore

be

without

a

cause

,

you

will

say

.

Oh

,

no

!

certainly

not

without

cause

.

For

even

if

the

world

were

not

made

out

of

it

,

yet

a

heresy

has

been

hatched

there

from

;

and

a

specially

impudent

one

too

,

because

it

is

not

Matter

which

has

produced

the

heresy

,

but

the

heresy

has

rather

made

Matter

itself

.

Notes

1
Gen. i. 2.
2
Redigit in.
3
Inconditam: we have combined the two senses of the word.
4
Tale aliquid.
5
Plane: ironical.