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Against Hermogenes

Tertullian

Chapter 4

About this work

Author: Tertullian

Chapter IV.—Hermogenes Gives Divine Attributes to Matter, and So Makes Two Gods.

At this point, then, I shall begin to treat of

‹ Chapter 3 Chapter 5 ›

Matter

,

how

that

,

(

according

to

Hermogenes

,

)

God

compares

it

with

Himself

as

equally

unborn

,

equally

unmade

,

equally

eternal

,

set

forth

as

being

without

a

beginning

,

without

an

end

.

For

what

other

estimate

of

God

is

there

than

eternity

?

What

other

condition

has

eternity

than

to

have

ever

existed

,

and

to

exist

yet

for

evermore

by

virtue

of

its

privilege

of

having

neither

beginning

nor

end

?

Now

,

since

this

is

the

property

of

God

,

it

will

belong

to

God

alone

,

whose

property

it

is

—

of

course

on

this

ground

,

that

if

it

can

be

ascribed

to

any

other

being

,

it

will

no

longer

be

the

property

of

God

,

but

will

belong

,

along

with

Him

,

to

that

being

also

to

which

it

is

ascribed

.

For

“

although

there

be

that

are

called

gods

”

in

name

,

“

whether

in

heaven

or

in

earth

,

yet

to

us

there

is

but

one

God

the

Father

,

of

whom

are

all

things

;

”

whence

the

greater

reason

why

,

in

our

view

,

that

which

is

the

property

of

God

ought

to

be

regarded

as

pertaining

to

God

alone

,

and

why

(

as

I

have

already

said

)

that

should

cease

to

be

such

a

property

,

when

it

is

shared

by

another

being

.

Now

,

since

He

is

God

,

it

must

necessarily

be

a

unique

mark

of

this

quality

,

that

it

be

confined

to

One

.

Else

,

what

will

be

unique

and

singular

,

if

that

is

not

which

has

nothing

equal

to

it

?

What

will

be

principal

,

if

that

is

not

which

is

above

all

things

,

before

all

things

,

and

from

which

all

things

proceed

?

By

possessing

these

He

is

God

alone

,

and

by

His

sole

possession

of

them

He

is

One

.

If

another

also

shared

in

the

possession

,

there

would

then

be

as

many

gods

as

there

were

possessors

of

these

attributes

of

God

.

Hermogenes

,

therefore

,

introduces

two

gods

:

he

introduces

Matter

as

God’s

equal

.

God

,

however

,

must

be

One

,

because

that

is

God

which

is

supreme

;

but

nothing

else

can

be

supreme

than

that

which

is

unique

;

and

that

cannot

possibly

be

unique

which

has

anything

equal

to

it

;

and

Matter

will

be

equal

with

God

when

it

is

held

to

be

eternal

.

Notes

1
Quod, with the subjunctive comparet.
2
Census.
3
Scilicet.
4
1 Cor. viii. 5.
5
Apud nos.
6
The property of being eternal.
7
Unicum sit necesse est.
8
Censetur.