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Against Hermogenes

Tertullian

Chapter 12

About this work

Author: Tertullian

Chapter XII.—The Mode of Controversy Changed. The Premisses of Hermogenes Accepted, in Order to Show into What Confusion They Lead Him.

Come now, let us suppose Matter to be evil,

‹ Chapter 11 Chapter 13 ›

nay

,

very

evil

,

by

nature

of

course

,

just

as

we

believe

God

to

be

good

,

even

very

good

,

in

like

manner

by

nature

.

Now

nature

must

be

regarded

as

sure

and

fixed

,

just

as

persistently

fixed

in

evil

in

the

case

of

Matter

,

as

immoveable

and

unchangeable

in

good

in

the

case

of

God

.

Because

,

as

is

evident

,

if

nature

admits

of

change

from

evil

to

good

in

Matter

,

it

can

be

changed

from

good

to

evil

in

God

.

Here

some

man

will

say

,

Then

will

“

children

not

be

raised

up

to

Abraham

from

the

stones

?

”

Will

“

generations

of

vipers

not

bring

forth

the

fruit

of

repentance

?

”

And

“

children

of

wrath

”

fail

to

become

sons

of

peace

,

if

nature

be

unchangeable

?

Your

reference

to

such

examples

as

these

,

my

friend

,

is

a

thoughtless

one

.

For

things

which

owe

their

existence

to

birth

such

as

stones

and

vipers

and

human

beings

—

are

not

apposite

to

the

case

of

Matter

,

which

is

unborn

;

since

their

nature

,

by

possessing

a

beginning

,

may

have

also

a

termination

.

But

bear

in

mind

that

Matter

has

once

for

all

been

determined

to

be

eternal

,

as

being

unmade

,

unborn

,

and

therefore

supposably

of

an

unchangeable

and

incorruptible

nature

;

and

this

from

the

very

opinion

of

Hermogenes

himself

,

which

he

alleges

against

us

when

he

denies

that

God

was

able

to

make

(

anything

)

of

Himself

,

on

the

ground

that

what

is

eternal

is

incapable

of

change

,

because

it

would

lose

—

so

the

opinion

runs

—

what

it

once

was

,

in

becoming

by

the

change

that

which

it

was

not

,

if

it

were

not

eternal

.

But

as

for

the

Lord

,

who

is

also

eternal

,

(

he

maintained

)

that

He

could

not

be

anything

else

than

what

He

always

is

.

Well

,

then

,

I

will

adopt

this

definite

opinion

of

his

,

and

by

means

thereof

refute

him

.

I

blame

Matter

with

a

like

censure

,

because

out

of

it

,

evil

though

it

be

—

nay

,

very

evil

—

good

things

have

been

created

,

nay

,

“

very

good

”

ones

:

“

And

God

saw

that

they

were

good

,

and

God

blessed

them

”

—

because

,

of

course

,

of

their

very

great

goodness

;

certainly

not

because

they

were

evil

,

or

very

evil

.

Change

is

therefore

admissible

in

Matter

;

and

this

being

the

case

,

it

has

lost

its

condition

of

eternity

;

in

short

,

its

beauty

is

decayed

in

death

.

Eternity

,

however

,

cannot

be

lost

,

because

it

cannot

be

eternity

,

except

by

reason

of

its

immunity

from

loss

.

For

the

same

reason

also

it

is

incapable

of

change

,

inasmuch

as

,

since

it

is

eternity

,

it

can

by

no

means

be

changed

.

Notes

1
Scilicet.
2
Matt. iii. 9.
3
Verses 7, 8.
4
O homo.
5
Temere.
6
Tene.
7
Scilicet.
8
Gen. i. 21, 22.
9
Denique.
10
That is, of course, by its own natural law.