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Against Hermogenes

Tertullian

Chapter 25

About this work

Author: Tertullian

Chapter XXV.—The Assumption that There are Two Earths Mentioned in the History of the Creation, Refuted.

He accordingly maintains that there are two earths set before us

‹ Chapter 24 Chapter 26 ›

in

the

passage

in

question

:

one

,

which

God

made

in

the

beginning

;

the

other

being

the

Matter

of

which

God

made

the

world

,

and

concerning

which

it

is

said

,

“

And

the

earth

was

without

form

,

and

void

.

”

Of

course

,

if

I

were

to

ask

,

to

which

of

the

two

earths

the

name

earth

is

best

suited

,

I

shall

be

told

that

the

earth

which

was

made

derived

the

appellation

from

that

of

which

it

was

made

,

on

the

ground

that

it

is

more

likely

that

the

offspring

should

get

its

name

from

the

original

,

than

the

original

from

the

offspring

.

This

being

the

case

,

another

question

presents

itself

to

us

,

whether

it

is

right

and

proper

that

this

earth

which

God

made

should

have

derived

its

name

from

that

out

of

which

He

made

it

?

For

I

find

from

Hermogenes

and

the

rest

of

the

Materialist

heretics

,

that

while

the

one

earth

was

indeed

“

without

form

,

and

void

,

”

this

one

of

ours

obtained

from

God

in

an

equal

degree

both

form

,

and

beauty

,

and

symmetry

;

and

therefore

that

the

earth

which

was

created

was

a

different

thing

from

that

out

of

which

it

was

created

.

Now

,

having

become

a

different

thing

,

it

could

not

possibly

have

shared

with

the

other

in

its

name

,

after

it

had

declined

from

its

condition

.

If

earth

was

the

proper

name

of

the

(

original

)

Matter

,

this

world

of

ours

,

which

is

not

Matter

,

because

it

has

become

another

thing

,

is

unfit

to

bear

the

name

of

earth

,

seeing

that

name

belongs

to

something

else

,

and

is

a

stranger

to

its

nature

.

But

(

you

will

tell

me

)

Matter

which

has

undergone

creation

,

that

is

,

our

earth

,

had

with

its

original

a

community

of

name

no

less

than

of

kind

.

By

no

means

.

For

although

the

pitcher

is

formed

out

of

the

clay

,

I

shall

no

longer

call

it

clay

,

but

a

pitcher

;

so

likewise

,

although

electrum

is

compounded

of

gold

and

silver

,

I

shall

yet

not

call

it

either

gold

or

silver

,

but

electrum

.

When

there

is

a

departure

from

the

nature

of

any

thing

,

there

is

likewise

a

relinquishment

of

its

name

—

with

a

propriety

which

is

alike

demanded

by

the

designation

and

the

condition

.

How

great

a

change

indeed

from

the

condition

of

that

earth

,

which

is

Matter

,

has

come

over

this

earth

of

ours

,

is

plain

even

from

the

fact

that

the

latter

has

received

this

testimony

to

its

goodness

in

Genesis

,

“

And

God

saw

that

it

was

good

;

”

while

the

former

,

according

to

Hermogenes

,

is

regarded

as

the

origin

and

cause

of

all

evils

.

Lastly

,

if

the

one

is

Earth

because

the

other

is

,

why

also

is

the

one

not

Matter

as

the

other

is

?

Indeed

,

by

this

rule

both

the

heaven

and

all

creatures

ought

to

have

had

the

names

of

Earth

and

Matter

,

since

they

all

consist

of

Matter

.

I

have

said

enough

touching

the

designation

Earth

,

by

which

he

will

have

it

that

Matter

is

understood

.

This

,

as

everybody

knows

,

is

the

name

of

one

of

the

elements

;

for

so

we

are

taught

by

nature

first

,

and

afterwards

by

Scripture

,

except

it

be

that

credence

must

be

given

to

that

Silenus

who

talked

so

confidently

in

the

presence

of

king

Midas

of

another

world

,

according

to

the

account

of

Theopompus

.

But

the

same

author

informs

us

that

there

are

also

several

gods

.

Notes

1
Gen. i. 2.
2
Quæ cui nomen terræ accommodare debeat. This is literally a double question, asking about the fitness of the name, and to which earth it is best adapted.
3
He means those who have gone wrong on the eternity of matter.
4
Proinde.
5
A mixed metal, of the colour of amber.
6
Gen. i. 31.