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Against Hermogenes

Tertullian

Chapter 39

About this work

Author: Tertullian

Chapter XXXIX.—These Latter Speculations Shown to Be Contradictory to the First Principles Respecting Matter, Formerly Laid Down by Hermogenes.

Well, now, since it seems to you to be

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the

correcter

thing

,

let

Matter

be

circumscribed

by

means

of

changes

and

displacements

;

let

it

also

be

capable

of

comprehension

,

since

(

as

you

say

)

it

is

used

as

material

by

God

,

on

the

ground

of

its

being

convertible

,

mutable

,

and

separable

.

For

its

changes

,

you

say

,

show

it

to

be

inseparable

.

And

here

you

have

swerved

from

your

own

lines

which

you

prescribed

respecting

the

person

of

God

when

you

laid

down

the

rule

that

God

made

it

not

out

of

His

own

self

,

because

it

was

not

possible

for

Him

to

become

divided

seeing

that

He

is

eternal

and

abiding

for

ever

,

and

therefore

unchangeable

and

indivisible

.

Since

Matter

too

is

estimated

by

the

same

eternity

,

having

neither

beginning

nor

end

,

it

will

be

unsusceptible

of

division

,

of

change

,

for

the

same

reason

that

God

also

is

.

Since

it

is

associated

with

Him

in

the

joint

possession

of

eternity

,

it

must

needs

share

with

Him

also

the

powers

,

the

laws

,

and

the

conditions

of

eternity

.

In

like

manner

,

when

you

say

,

“

All

things

simultaneously

throughout

the

universe

possess

portions

of

it

,

that

so

the

whole

may

be

ascertained

from

its

parts

,

”

you

of

course

mean

to

indicate

those

parts

which

were

produced

out

of

it

,

and

which

are

now

visible

to

us

.

How

then

is

this

possession

(

of

Matter

)

by

all

things

throughout

the

universe

effected

—

that

is

,

of

course

,

from

the

very

beginning

—

when

the

things

which

are

now

visible

to

us

are

different

in

their

condition

from

what

they

were

in

the

beginning

?

Notes

1
Rectius.
2
Definitiva.
3
Ut quæ fabricatur, inquis, a Deo.
4
Lineis. Tertullian often refers to Hermogenes’ profession of painting.
5
In partes venire.
6
Omnia ex omnibus.
7
i.e. of Matter.
8
Dinoscatur ex.
9
Utique ex pristinis.
10
Aliter habeant.