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Against Hermogenes

Tertullian

Chapter 5

About this work

Author: Tertullian

Chapter V.—Hermogenes Coquets with His Own Argument, as If Rather Afraid of It. After Investing Matter with Divine Qualities, He Tries to Make It Somehow Inferior to God.

But God is God, and Matter is Matter. As

‹ Chapter 4 Chapter 6 ›

if

a

mere

difference

in

their

names

prevented

equality

,

when

an

identity

of

condition

is

claimed

for

them

!

Grant

that

their

nature

is

different

;

assume

,

too

,

that

their

form

is

not

identical

,

—

what

matters

it

so

long

as

their

absolute

state

have

but

one

mode

?

God

is

unborn

;

is

not

Matter

also

unborn

?

God

ever

exists

;

is

not

Matter

,

too

,

ever

existent

?

Both

are

without

beginning

;

both

are

without

end

;

both

are

the

authors

of

the

universe

—

both

He

who

created

it

,

and

the

Matter

of

which

He

made

it

.

For

it

is

impossible

that

Matter

should

not

be

regarded

as

the

author

of

all

things

,

when

the

universe

is

composed

of

it

.

What

answer

will

he

give

?

Will

he

say

that

Matter

is

not

then

comparable

with

God

as

soon

as

it

has

something

belonging

to

God

;

since

,

by

not

having

total

(

divinity

)

,

it

cannot

correspond

to

the

whole

extent

of

the

comparison

?

But

what

more

has

he

reserved

for

God

,

that

he

should

not

seem

to

have

accorded

to

Matter

the

full

amount

of

the

Deity

?

He

says

in

reply

,

that

even

though

this

is

the

prerogative

of

Matter

,

both

the

authority

and

the

substance

of

God

must

remain

intact

,

by

virtue

of

which

He

is

regarded

as

the

sole

and

prime

Author

,

as

well

as

the

Lord

of

all

things

.

Truth

,

however

,

maintains

the

unity

of

God

in

such

a

way

as

to

insist

that

whatever

belongs

to

God

Himself

belongs

to

Him

alone

.

For

so

will

it

belong

to

Himself

if

it

belong

to

Him

alone

;

and

therefore

it

will

be

impossible

that

another

god

should

be

admitted

,

when

it

is

permitted

to

no

other

being

to

possess

anything

of

God

.

Well

,

then

,

you

say

,

we

ourselves

at

that

rate

possess

nothing

of

God

.

But

indeed

we

do

,

and

shall

continue

to

do

—

only

it

is

from

Him

that

we

receive

it

,

and

not

from

ourselves

.

For

we

shall

be

even

gods

,

if

we

,

shall

deserve

to

be

among

those

of

whom

He

declared

,

“

I

have

said

,

Ye

are

gods

,

”

and

,

“

God

standeth

in

the

congregation

of

the

gods

.

”

But

this

comes

of

His

own

grace

,

not

from

any

property

in

us

,

because

it

is

He

alone

who

can

make

gods

.

The

property

of

Matter

,

however

,

he

makes

to

be

that

which

it

has

in

common

with

God

.

Otherwise

,

if

it

received

from

God

the

property

which

belongs

to

God

,

—

I

mean

its

attribute

of

eternity

—

one

might

then

even

suppose

that

it

both

possesses

an

attribute

in

common

with

God

,

and

yet

at

the

same

time

is

not

God

.

But

what

inconsistency

is

it

for

him

to

allow

that

there

is

a

conjoint

possession

of

an

attribute

with

God

,

and

also

to

wish

that

what

he

does

not

refuse

to

Matter

should

be

,

after

all

,

the

exclusive

privilege

of

God

!

Notes

1
Comparationi.
2
Ratio.
3
Auctrix.
4
Statim si.
5
Totum Dei.
6
Ps. lxxxii. 6.
7
Ver. 1.
8
Hermogenes.
9
Ordinem: or course.
10
Quale autem est: “how comes it to pass that.”