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Against Hermogenes

Tertullian

Chapter 27

About this work

Author: Tertullian

Chapter XXVII.—Some Hair-Splitting Use of Words in Which His Opponent Had Indulged.

But you next praise your eyebrows, and toss back your

‹ Chapter 26 Chapter 28 ›

head

,

and

beckon

with

your

finger

,

in

characteristic

disdain

,

and

say

:

There

is

the

was

,

looking

as

if

it

pointed

to

an

eternal

existence

,

—

making

its

subject

,

of

course

,

unbegotten

and

unmade

,

and

on

that

account

worthy

of

being

supposed

to

be

Matter

.

Well

now

,

for

my

own

part

,

I

shall

resort

to

no

affected

protestation

,

but

simply

reply

that

“

was

”

may

be

predicated

of

everything

—

even

of

a

thing

which

has

been

created

,

which

was

born

,

which

once

was

not

,

and

which

is

not

your

Matter

.

For

of

everything

which

has

being

,

from

whatever

source

it

has

it

,

whether

it

has

it

by

a

beginning

or

without

a

beginning

,

the

word

“

was

”

will

be

predicated

from

the

very

fact

that

it

exists

.

To

whatever

thing

the

first

tense

of

the

verb

is

applicable

for

definition

,

to

the

same

will

be

suitable

the

later

form

of

the

verb

,

when

it

has

to

descend

to

relation

.

“

Est

”

(

it

is

)

forms

the

essential

part

of

a

definition

,

“

erat

”

(

it

was

)

of

a

relation

.

Such

are

the

trifles

and

subtleties

of

heretics

,

who

wrest

and

bring

into

question

the

simple

meaning

of

the

commonest

words

.

A

grand

question

it

is

,

to

be

sure

,

whether

“

the

earth

was

,

”

which

was

made

!

The

real

point

of

discussion

is

,

whether

“

being

without

form

,

and

void

,

”

is

a

state

which

is

more

suitable

to

that

which

was

created

,

or

to

that

of

which

it

was

created

,

so

that

the

predicate

(

was

)

may

appertain

to

the

same

thing

to

which

the

subject

(

that

which

was

)

also

belongs

.

Notes

1
Implied in the emphatic tu.
2
Sine u lo lenocinio pronunciationis.
3
Prima positio: the first inflection perhaps, i.e. the present tense.
4
Declinatio: the past tense.
5
Caput.
6
Scilicet.
7
This seems to be the meaning of the obscure passage, “Ut ejusdem sit Erat cujus et quod erat.”