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Against Hermogenes

Tertullian

Chapter 7

About this work

Author: Tertullian

Chapter VII.—Hermogenes Held to His Theory in Order that Its Absurdity May Be Exposed on His Own Principles.

When he contends that matter is less than God, and

‹ Chapter 6 Chapter 8 ›

inferior

to

Him

,

and

therefore

diverse

from

Him

,

and

for

the

same

reason

not

a

fit

subject

of

comparison

with

Him

,

who

is

a

greater

and

superior

Being

,

I

meet

him

with

this

prescription

,

that

what

is

eternal

and

unborn

is

incapable

of

any

diminution

and

inferiority

,

because

it

is

simply

this

which

makes

even

God

to

be

as

great

as

He

is

,

inferior

and

subject

to

none

—

nay

,

greater

and

higher

than

all

.

For

,

just

as

all

things

which

are

born

,

or

which

come

to

an

end

,

and

are

therefore

not

eternal

,

do

,

by

reason

of

their

exposure

at

once

to

an

end

and

a

beginning

,

admit

of

qualities

which

are

repugnant

to

God

—

I

mean

diminution

and

inferiority

,

because

they

are

born

and

made

—

so

likewise

God

,

for

this

very

reason

,

is

unsusceptible

of

these

accidents

,

because

He

is

absolutely

unborn

,

and

also

unmade

.

And

yet

such

also

is

the

condition

of

Matter

.

Therefore

,

of

the

two

Beings

which

are

eternal

,

as

being

unborn

and

unmade

—

God

and

Matter

—

by

reason

of

the

identical

mode

of

their

common

condition

(

both

of

them

equally

possessing

that

which

admits

neither

of

diminution

nor

subjection

—

that

is

,

the

attribute

of

eternity

)

,

we

affirm

that

neither

of

them

is

less

or

greater

than

the

other

,

neither

of

them

is

inferior

or

superior

to

the

other

;

but

that

they

both

stand

on

a

par

in

greatness

,

on

a

par

in

sublimity

,

and

on

the

same

level

of

that

complete

and

perfect

felicity

of

which

eternity

is

reckoned

to

consist

.

Now

we

must

not

resemble

the

heathen

in

our

opinions

;

for

they

,

when

constrained

to

acknowledge

God

,

insist

on

having

other

deities

below

Him

.

The

Divinity

,

however

,

has

no

degrees

,

because

it

is

unique

;

and

if

it

shall

be

found

in

Matter

—

as

being

equally

unborn

and

unmade

and

eternal

—

it

must

be

resident

in

both

alike

,

because

in

no

case

can

it

be

inferior

to

itself

.

In

what

way

,

then

,

will

Hermogenes

have

the

courage

to

draw

distinctions

;

and

thus

to

subject

matter

to

God

,

an

eternal

to

the

Eternal

,

an

unborn

to

the

Unborn

,

an

author

to

the

Author

?

seeing

that

it

dares

to

say

,

I

also

am

the

first

;

I

too

am

before

all

things

;

and

I

am

that

from

which

all

things

proceed

;

equal

we

have

been

,

together

we

have

been

—

both

alike

without

beginning

,

without

end

;

both

alike

without

an

Author

,

without

a

God

.

What

God

,

then

,

is

He

who

subjects

me

to

a

contemporaneous

,

co

-

eternal

power

?

If

it

be

He

who

is

called

God

,

then

I

myself

,

too

,

have

my

own

(

divine

)

name

.

Either

I

am

God

,

or

He

is

Matter

,

because

we

both

are

that

which

neither

of

us

is

.

Do

you

suppose

,

therefore

,

that

he

has

not

made

Matter

equal

with

God

,

although

,

forsooth

,

he

pretends

it

to

be

inferior

to

Him

?

Notes

1
Nec natus omnino.
2
Of course, according to Hermogenes, whom Tertullian refutes with an argumentum ad hominem.
3
Aderit utrobique.
4
That is, having no God superior to themselves.
5
Hermogenes.