Opening the library…

Search the Bible

Against Hermogenes

Tertullian

Chapter 40

About this work

Author: Tertullian

Chapter XL.—Shapeless Matter an Incongruous Origin for God’s Beautiful Cosmos. Hermogenes Does Not Mend His Argument by Supposing that Only a Portion of Matter Was Used in the Creation.

You say that Matter was reformed for the better—from

‹ Chapter 39 Chapter 41 ›

a

worse

condition

,

of

course

;

and

thus

you

would

make

the

better

a

copy

of

the

worse

.

Everything

was

in

confusion

,

but

now

it

is

reduced

to

order

;

and

would

you

also

say

,

that

out

of

order

,

disorder

is

produced

?

No

one

thing

is

the

exact

mirror

of

another

thing

;

that

is

to

say

,

it

is

not

its

co

-

equal

.

Nobody

ever

found

himself

in

a

barber’s

looking

-

glass

look

like

an

ass

instead

of

a

man

;

unless

it

be

he

who

supposes

that

unformed

and

shapeless

Matter

answers

to

Matter

which

is

now

arranged

and

beautified

in

the

fabric

of

the

world

.

What

is

there

now

that

is

without

form

in

the

world

,

what

was

there

once

that

was

formed

in

Matter

,

that

the

world

is

the

mirror

of

Matter

?

Since

the

world

is

known

among

the

Greeks

by

a

term

denoting

ornament

,

how

can

it

present

the

image

of

unadorned

Matter

,

in

such

a

way

that

you

can

say

the

whole

is

known

by

its

parts

?

To

that

whole

will

certainly

belong

even

the

portion

which

has

not

yet

become

formed

;

and

you

have

already

declared

that

the

whole

of

Matter

was

not

used

as

material

in

the

creation

.

It

follows

,

then

,

that

this

rude

,

and

confused

,

and

unarranged

portion

cannot

be

recognized

in

the

polished

,

and

distinct

and

well

-

arranged

parts

of

creation

,

which

indeed

can

hardly

with

propriety

be

called

parts

of

Matter

,

since

they

have

quitted

its

condition

,

by

being

separated

from

it

in

the

transformation

they

have

undergone

.

Notes

1
In melius reformatam.
2
Speculum.
3
Mulus.
4
Speciatum: εἰδοποιηθέν, “arranged in specific forms.”
5
Κόσμος.
6
Inornatæ: unfurnished with forms of beauty.
7
Non totam eam fabricatam.
8
Recesserunt a forma ejus.