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Against Hermogenes

Tertullian

Chapter 32

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Author: Tertullian

Chapter XXXII.—The Account of the Creation in Genesis a General One, Corroborated, However, by Many Other Passages of the Old Testament, Which Give Account of Specific Creations. Further Cavillings Confuted.

This is the answer I should give in defence of the

‹ Chapter 31 Chapter 33 ›

Scripture

before

us

,

for

seeming

here

to

set

forth

the

formation

of

the

heaven

and

the

earth

,

as

if

(

they

were

)

the

sole

bodies

made

.

It

could

not

but

know

that

there

were

those

who

would

at

once

in

the

bodies

understand

their

several

members

also

,

and

therefore

it

employed

this

concise

mode

of

speech

.

But

,

at

the

same

time

,

it

foresaw

that

there

would

be

stupid

and

crafty

men

,

who

,

after

paltering

with

the

virtual

meaning

,

would

require

for

the

several

members

a

word

descriptive

of

their

formation

too

.

It

is

therefore

because

of

such

persons

,

that

Scripture

in

other

passages

teaches

us

of

the

creation

of

the

individual

parts

.

You

have

Wisdom

saying

,

“

But

before

the

depths

was

I

brought

forth

,

”

in

order

that

you

may

believe

that

the

depths

were

also

“

brought

forth

”

—

that

is

,

created

—

just

as

we

create

sons

also

,

though

we

“

bring

them

forth

.

”

It

matters

not

whether

the

depth

was

made

or

born

,

so

that

a

beginning

be

accorded

to

it

,

which

however

would

not

be

,

if

it

were

subjoined

to

matter

.

Of

darkness

,

indeed

,

the

Lord

Himself

by

Isaiah

says

,

“

I

formed

the

light

,

and

I

created

darkness

.

”

Of

the

wind

also

Amos

says

,

“

He

that

strengtheneth

the

thunder

,

and

createth

the

wind

,

and

declareth

His

Christ

unto

men

;

”

thus

showing

that

wind

was

created

which

was

reckoned

with

the

formation

of

the

earth

,

which

was

wafted

over

the

waters

,

balancing

and

refreshing

and

animating

all

things

:

not

(

as

some

suppose

)

meaning

God

Himself

by

the

spirit

,

on

the

ground

that

“

God

is

a

Spirit

,

”

because

the

waters

would

not

be

able

to

bear

up

their

Lord

;

but

He

speaks

of

that

spirit

of

which

the

winds

consist

,

as

He

says

by

Isaiah

,

“

Because

my

spirit

went

forth

from

me

,

and

I

made

every

blast

.

”

In

like

manner

the

same

Wisdom

says

of

the

waters

,

“

Also

when

He

made

the

fountains

strong

,

things

which

are

under

the

sky

,

I

was

fashioning

them

along

with

Him

.

”

Now

,

when

we

prove

that

these

particular

things

were

created

by

God

,

although

they

are

only

mentioned

in

Genesis

,

without

any

intimation

of

their

having

been

made

,

we

shall

perhaps

receive

from

the

other

side

the

reply

,

that

these

were

made

,

it

is

true

,

but

out

of

Matter

,

since

the

very

statement

of

Moses

,

“

And

darkness

was

on

the

face

of

the

deep

,

and

the

spirit

of

God

moved

on

the

face

of

the

waters

,

”

refers

to

Matter

,

as

indeed

do

all

those

other

Scriptures

here

and

there

,

which

demonstrate

that

the

separate

parts

were

made

out

of

Matter

.

It

must

follow

,

then

,

that

as

earth

consisted

of

earth

,

so

also

depth

consisted

of

depth

,

and

darkness

of

darkness

,

and

the

wind

and

waters

of

wind

and

waters

.

And

,

as

we

said

above

,

Matter

could

not

have

been

without

form

,

since

it

had

specific

parts

,

which

were

formed

out

of

it

—

although

as

separate

things

—

unless

,

indeed

,

they

were

not

separate

,

but

were

the

very

same

with

those

out

of

which

they

came

.

For

it

is

really

impossible

that

those

specific

things

,

which

are

set

forth

under

the

same

names

,

should

have

been

diverse

;

because

in

that

case

the

operation

of

God

might

seem

to

be

useless

,

if

it

made

things

which

existed

already

;

since

that

alone

would

be

a

creation

,

when

things

came

into

being

,

which

had

not

been

(

previously

)

made

.

Therefore

,

to

conclude

,

either

Moses

then

pointed

to

Matter

when

he

wrote

the

words

:

“

And

darkness

was

on

the

face

of

the

deep

,

and

the

spirit

of

God

moved

on

the

face

of

the

waters

;

”

or

else

,

inasmuch

as

these

specific

parts

of

creation

are

afterwards

shown

in

other

passages

to

have

been

made

by

God

,

they

ought

to

have

been

with

equal

explicitness

shown

to

have

been

made

out

of

the

Matter

which

,

according

to

you

,

Moses

had

previously

mentioned

;

or

else

,

finally

,

if

Moses

pointed

to

those

specific

parts

,

and

not

to

Matter

,

I

want

to

know

where

Matter

has

been

pointed

out

at

all

.

Notes

1
Quatenus hic commendare videtur.
2
Dissimulato tacito intellectu.
3
Prov. viii. 24.
4
Subjecta.
5
Isa. xlv. 7.
6
De spiritu. This shows that Tertullian took the spirit of Gen. i. 2 in the inferior sense.
7
So also the Septuagint.
8
So also the Septuagint.
9
Amos iv. 13.
10
The “wind.”
11
John iv. 24.
12
Flatum: “breath;” so LXX. of Isa. lvii. 16.
13
Fontes, quæ.
14
Modulans.
15
Prov. viii. 28.
16
Plane.
17
Gen. i. 2.
18
In disperso.
19
Ergo: Tertullian’s answer.
20
Ch. xxx., towards the end.
21
Ut et aliæ.
22
Jam.
23
Otiosa.
24
Generatio: creation in the highest sense of matter issuing from the maker. Another reading has “generosiora essent,” for our “generatio sola esset,” meaning that, “those things would be nobler which had not been made,” which is obviously quite opposed to Tertullian’s argument.
25
Æque.
26
Præmiserat.