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Against Hermogenes

Tertullian

Chapter 9

About this work

Author: Tertullian

Chapter IX.—Sundry Inevitable But Intolerable Conclusions from the Principles of Hermogenes.

He cannot say that it was as its Lord that God

‹ Chapter 8 Chapter 10 ›

employed

Matter

for

His

creative

works

,

for

He

could

not

have

been

the

Lord

of

a

substance

which

was

co

-

equal

with

Himself

.

Well

,

but

perhaps

it

was

a

title

derived

from

the

will

of

another

,

which

he

enjoyed

—

a

precarious

holding

,

and

not

a

lordship

,

and

that

to

such

a

degree

,

that

although

Matter

was

evil

,

He

yet

endured

to

make

use

of

an

evil

substance

,

owing

,

of

course

,

to

the

restraint

of

His

own

limited

power

,

which

made

Him

impotent

to

create

out

of

nothing

,

not

in

consequence

of

His

power

;

for

if

,

as

God

,

He

had

at

all

possessed

power

over

Matter

which

He

knew

to

be

evil

,

He

would

first

have

converted

it

into

good

—

as

its

Lord

and

the

good

God

—

that

so

He

might

have

a

good

thing

to

make

use

of

,

instead

of

a

bad

one

.

But

being

undoubtedly

good

,

only

not

the

Lord

withal

,

He

,

by

using

such

power

as

He

possessed

,

showed

the

necessity

He

was

under

of

yielding

to

the

condition

of

Matter

,

which

He

would

have

amended

if

He

had

been

its

Lord

.

Now

this

is

the

answer

which

must

be

given

to

Hermogenes

when

he

maintains

that

it

was

by

virtue

of

His

Lordship

that

God

used

Matter

—

even

of

His

non

-

possession

of

any

right

to

it

,

on

the

ground

,

of

course

,

of

His

not

having

Himself

made

it

.

Evil

then

,

on

your

terms

,

must

proceed

from

God

Himself

,

since

He

is

—

I

will

not

say

the

Author

of

evil

,

because

He

did

not

form

it

,

but

—

the

permitter

thereof

,

as

having

dominion

over

it

.

If

indeed

Matter

shall

prove

not

even

to

belong

to

God

at

all

,

as

being

evil

,

it

follows

,

that

when

He

made

use

of

what

belonged

to

another

,

He

used

it

either

on

a

precarious

title

because

He

was

in

need

of

it

,

or

else

by

violent

possession

because

He

was

stronger

than

it

.

For

by

three

methods

is

the

property

of

others

obtained

,

—

by

right

,

by

permission

,

by

violence

;

in

other

words

,

by

lordship

,

by

a

title

derived

from

the

will

of

another

,

by

force

.

Now

,

as

lordship

is

out

of

the

question

,

Hermogenes

must

choose

which

(

of

the

other

methods

)

is

suitable

to

God

.

Did

He

,

then

,

make

all

things

out

of

Matter

,

by

permission

,

or

by

force

?

But

,

in

truth

,

would

not

God

have

more

wisely

determined

that

nothing

at

all

should

be

created

,

than

that

it

should

be

created

by

the

mere

sufferance

of

another

,

or

by

violence

,

and

that

,

too

,

with

a

substance

which

was

evil

?

Notes

1
We have rather paraphrased the word “precario”—“obtained by prayer.” [See p. 456.]
2
Domino: opposed to “precario.”
3
Ideo…ut.
4
Mediocritatis.
5
Tali: i.e. potestate.
6
Jam ergo: introducing an argumentum ad hominem against Hermogenes.
7
Quia dominator.
8
Ergo.
9
Aut precario: “as having begged for it.”
10
Precario: See above, note 2, p. 482.
11
De is often in Tertullian the sign of an instrumental noun.