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Against Hermogenes

Tertullian

Chapter 29

About this work

Author: Tertullian

Chapter XXIX.—The Gradual Development of Cosmical Order Out of Chaos in the Creation, Beautifully Stated.

God, indeed, consummated all His works in a due

‹ Chapter 28 Chapter 30 ›

order

;

at

first

He

paled

them

out

,

as

it

were

,

in

their

unformed

elements

,

and

then

He

arranged

them

in

their

finished

beauty

.

For

He

did

not

all

at

once

inundate

light

with

the

splendour

of

the

sun

,

nor

all

at

once

temper

darkness

with

the

moon’s

assuaging

ray

.

The

heaven

He

did

not

all

at

once

bedeck

with

constellations

and

stars

,

nor

did

He

at

once

fill

the

seas

with

their

teeming

monsters

.

The

earth

itself

He

did

not

endow

with

its

varied

fruitfulness

all

at

once

;

but

at

first

He

bestowed

upon

it

being

,

and

then

He

filled

it

,

that

it

might

not

be

made

in

vain

.

For

thus

says

Isaiah

:

“

He

created

it

not

in

vain

;

He

formed

it

to

be

inhabited

.

”

Therefore

after

it

was

made

,

and

while

awaiting

its

perfect

state

,

it

was

“

without

form

,

and

void

:

”

“

void

”

indeed

,

from

the

very

fact

that

it

was

without

form

(

as

being

not

yet

perfect

to

the

sight

,

and

at

the

same

time

unfurnished

as

yet

with

its

other

qualities

)

;

and

“

without

form

,

”

because

it

was

still

covered

with

waters

,

as

if

with

the

rampart

of

its

fecundating

moisture

,

by

which

is

produced

our

flesh

,

in

a

form

allied

with

its

own

.

For

to

this

purport

does

David

say

:

“

The

earth

is

the

Lord’s

,

and

the

fulness

thereof

;

the

world

,

and

all

that

dwell

therein

:

He

hath

founded

it

upon

the

seas

,

and

on

the

streams

hath

He

established

it

.

”

It

was

when

the

waters

were

withdrawn

into

their

hollow

abysses

that

the

dry

land

became

conspicuous

,

which

was

hitherto

covered

with

its

watery

envelope

.

Then

it

forthwith

becomes

“

visible

,

”

God

saying

,

“

Let

the

water

be

gathered

together

into

one

mass

,

and

let

the

dry

land

appear

.

”

“

Appear

,

”

says

He

,

not

“

be

made

.

”

It

had

been

already

made

,

only

in

its

invisible

condition

it

was

then

waiting

to

appear

.

“

Dry

,

”

because

it

was

about

to

become

such

by

its

severance

from

the

moisture

,

but

yet

“

land

.

”

“

And

God

called

the

dry

land

Earth

,

”

not

Matter

.

And

so

,

when

it

afterwards

attains

its

perfection

,

it

ceases

to

be

accounted

void

,

when

God

declares

,

“

Let

the

earth

bring

forth

grass

,

the

herb

yielding

seed

after

its

kind

,

and

according

to

its

likeness

,

and

the

fruit

-

tree

yielding

fruit

,

whose

seed

is

in

itself

,

after

its

kind

.

”

Again

:

“

Let

the

earth

bring

forth

the

living

creature

after

his

kind

,

cattle

,

and

creeping

things

,

and

beasts

of

the

earth

,

after

their

kind

.

”

Thus

the

divine

Scripture

accomplished

its

full

order

.

For

to

that

,

which

it

had

at

first

described

as

“

without

form

(

invisible

)

and

void

,

”

it

gave

both

visibility

and

completion

.

Now

no

other

Matter

was

“

without

form

(

invisible

)

and

void

.

”

Henceforth

,

then

,

Matter

will

have

to

be

visible

and

complete

.

So

that

I

must

see

Matter

,

since

it

has

become

visible

.

I

must

likewise

recognize

it

as

a

completed

thing

,

so

as

to

be

able

to

gather

from

it

the

herb

bearing

seed

,

and

the

tree

yielding

fruit

,

and

that

living

creatures

,

made

out

of

it

,

may

minister

to

my

need

.

Matter

,

however

,

is

nowhere

,

but

the

Earth

is

here

,

confessed

to

my

view

.

I

see

it

,

I

enjoy

it

,

ever

since

it

ceased

to

be

“

without

form

(

invisible

)

,

and

void

.

”

Concerning

it

most

certainly

did

Isaiah

speak

when

he

said

,

“

Thus

saith

the

Lord

that

created

the

heavens

,

He

was

the

God

that

formed

the

earth

,

and

made

it

.

”

The

same

earth

for

certain

did

He

form

,

which

He

also

made

.

Now

how

did

He

form

it

?

Of

course

by

saying

,

“

Let

the

dry

land

appear

.

”

Why

does

He

command

it

to

appear

,

if

it

were

not

previously

invisible

?

His

purpose

was

also

,

that

He

might

thus

prevent

His

having

made

it

in

vain

,

by

rendering

it

visible

,

and

so

fit

for

use

.

And

thus

,

throughout

,

proofs

arise

to

us

that

this

earth

which

we

inhabit

is

the

very

same

which

was

both

created

and

formed

by

God

,

and

that

none

other

was

“

Without

form

,

and

void

,

”

than

that

which

had

been

created

and

formed

.

It

therefore

follows

that

the

sentence

,

“

Now

the

earth

was

without

form

,

and

void

,

”

applies

to

that

same

earth

which

God

mentioned

separately

along

with

the

heaven

.

Notes

1
Depalans.
2
Dedicans: “disposed” them.
3
Solatio lunæ: a beautiful expression!
4
Significavit.
5
Belluis.
6
In vacuum: void.
7
Isa. xlv. 18.
8
Futura etiam perfecta.
9
De reliquo nondum instructa.
10
Genitalis humoris.
11
Canit: “sing,” as the Psalmist.
12
Ps. xxiv. 1.
13
Emicantior.
14
“Visibilis” is here the opposite of the term “invisibilis,” which Tertullian uses for the Scripture phrase “without form.”
15
In congregatione una.
16
Gen. i. 9.
17
Sustinebat: i.e. expectabat (Oehler).
18
Gen. i. 10.
19
Ver. 11.
20
Ver. 24.
21
Volo.
22
He means, of course, the theoretic “Matter” of Hermogenes.
23
Isa. xlv. 18.
24
Demonstravit: “make it visible.” Tertullian here all along makes form and visibility synonymous.
25
Gen. i. 9.
26
Ostensam: “manifested” (see note 10, p. 96.)
27
Cum cælo separavit: Gen. i. 1.