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Against Hermogenes

Tertullian

Chapter 8

About this work

Author: Tertullian

Chapter VIII.—On His Own Principles, Hermogenes Makes Matter, on the Whole, Superior to God.

Nay more, he even prefers Matter to God, and rather

‹ Chapter 7 Chapter 9 ›

subjects

God

to

it

,

when

he

will

have

it

that

God

made

all

things

out

of

Matter

.

For

if

He

drew

His

resources

from

it

for

the

creation

of

the

world

,

Matter

is

already

found

to

be

the

superior

,

inasmuch

as

it

furnished

Him

with

the

means

of

effecting

His

works

;

and

God

is

thereby

clearly

subjected

to

Matter

,

of

which

the

substance

was

indispensable

to

Him

.

For

there

is

no

one

but

requires

that

which

he

makes

use

of

;

no

one

but

is

subject

to

the

thing

which

he

requires

,

for

the

very

purpose

of

being

able

to

make

use

of

it

.

So

,

again

,

there

is

no

one

who

,

from

using

what

belongs

to

another

,

is

not

inferior

to

him

of

whose

property

he

makes

use

;

and

there

is

no

one

who

imparts

of

his

own

for

another’s

use

,

who

is

not

in

this

respect

superior

to

him

to

whose

use

he

lends

his

property

.

On

this

principle

,

Matter

itself

,

no

doubt

,

was

not

in

want

of

God

,

but

rather

lent

itself

to

God

,

who

was

in

want

of

it

—

rich

and

abundant

and

liberal

as

it

was

—

to

one

who

was

,

I

suppose

,

too

small

,

and

too

weak

,

and

too

unskilful

,

to

form

what

He

willed

out

of

nothing

.

A

grand

service

,

verily

,

did

it

confer

on

God

in

giving

Him

means

at

the

present

time

whereby

He

might

be

known

to

be

God

,

and

be

called

Almighty

—

only

that

He

is

no

longer

Almighty

,

since

He

is

not

powerful

enough

for

this

,

to

produce

all

things

out

of

nothing

.

To

be

sure

,

Matter

bestowed

somewhat

on

itself

also

—

even

to

get

its

own

self

acknowledged

with

God

as

God’s

co

-

equal

,

nay

more

,

as

His

helper

;

only

there

is

this

drawback

,

that

Hermogenes

is

the

only

man

that

has

found

out

this

fact

,

besides

the

philosophers

—

those

patriarchs

of

all

heresy

.

For

the

prophets

knew

nothing

about

it

,

nor

the

apostles

thus

far

,

nor

,

I

suppose

,

even

Christ

.

Notes

1
Atquin etiam.
2
Ex illa usus est.
3
De cujus utitur.
4
Præstat.
5
Itaque.
6
Quidem.
7
Revera.
8
Sane.
9
They are so deemed in the de Præscript. Hæret. c. vii.