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Against Hermogenes

Tertullian

Chapter 26

About this work

Author: Tertullian

Chapter XXVI.—The Method Observed in the History of the Creation, in Reply to the Perverse Interpretation of Hermogenes.

We, however, have but one God, and but one

‹ Chapter 25 Chapter 27 ›

earth

too

,

which

in

the

beginning

God

made

.

The

Scripture

,

which

at

its

very

outset

proposes

to

run

through

the

order

thereof

tells

us

as

its

first

information

that

it

was

created

;

it

to

set

forth

what

sort

of

earth

it

was

.

In

like

manner

with

respect

to

the

heaven

,

it

informs

us

first

of

its

creation

—

“

In

the

beginning

God

made

the

heaven

:

”

it

then

goes

on

to

introduce

its

arrangement

;

how

that

God

both

separated

“

the

water

which

was

below

the

firmament

from

that

which

was

above

the

firmament

,

”

and

called

the

firmament

heaven

,

—

the

very

thing

He

had

created

in

the

beginning

.

Similarly

it

(

afterwards

)

treats

of

man

:

“

And

God

created

man

,

in

the

image

of

God

made

He

him

.

”

It

how

He

made

him

:

“

And

(

the

Lord

)

God

formed

man

of

the

dust

of

the

ground

,

and

breathed

into

his

nostrils

the

breath

of

life

;

and

man

became

a

living

soul

.

”

Now

this

is

undoubtedly

the

correct

and

fitting

mode

for

the

narrative

.

First

comes

a

prefatory

statement

,

then

follow

the

details

in

full

;

first

the

subject

is

named

,

then

it

is

described

.

How

absurd

is

the

other

view

of

the

account

,

when

even

before

he

had

premised

any

mention

of

his

subject

,

i

.

e

.

Matter

,

without

even

giving

us

its

name

,

he

all

on

a

sudden

promulged

its

form

and

condition

,

describing

to

us

its

quality

before

mentioning

its

existence

,

—

pointing

out

the

figure

of

the

thing

formed

,

but

concealing

its

name

!

But

how

much

more

credible

is

our

opinion

,

which

holds

that

Scripture

has

only

subjoined

the

arrangement

of

the

subject

after

it

has

first

duly

described

its

formation

and

mentioned

its

name

!

Indeed

,

how

full

and

complete

is

the

meaning

of

these

words

:

“

In

the

beginning

God

created

the

heaven

and

the

earth

;

but

the

earth

was

without

form

,

and

void

,

”

—

the

very

same

earth

,

no

doubt

,

which

God

made

,

and

of

which

the

Scripture

had

been

speaking

at

that

very

moment

.

For

that

very

“

but

”

is

inserted

into

the

narrative

like

a

clasp

,

(

in

its

function

)

of

a

conjunctive

particle

,

to

connect

the

two

sentences

indissolubly

together

:

“

But

the

earth

.

”

This

word

carries

back

the

mind

to

that

earth

of

which

mention

had

just

been

made

,

and

binds

the

sense

thereunto

.

Take

away

this

“

but

,

”

and

the

tie

is

loosened

;

so

much

so

that

the

passage

,

“

But

the

earth

was

without

form

,

and

void

,

”

may

then

seem

to

have

been

meant

for

any

other

earth

.

Notes

1
Gen. i. 1.
2
Qualitatem ejus: unless this means “how He made it,” like the “qualiter fecerit” below.
3
Gen. i. 1.
4
Gen. i. 7.
5
Ver. 8.
6
Gen. i. 27.
7
Gen. ii. 7.
8
Utique.
9
Prosequi.
10
Primo præfari, postea prosequi; nominare, deinde describere. This properly is an abstract statement, given with Tertullian’s usual terseness: “First you should (‘decet’) give your preface, then follow up with details: first name your subject, then describe it.”
11
Alioquin.
12
Hermogenes, whose view of the narrative is criticised.
13
Integer.
14
Autem.
15
Gen. i. 1, 2.
16
Cum maxime edixerat.
17
The “autem” of the note just before this.
18
Fibula.
19
Alligat sensum.