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Against Hermogenes

Tertullian

Chapter 42

About this work

Author: Tertullian

Chapter XLII.—Further Exposure of Inconsistencies in the Opinions of Hermogenes Respecting the Divine Qualities of Matter.

You have thrown out all your views loosely and at random

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,

in

order

that

it

might

not

be

apparent

,

by

too

close

a

proximity

,

how

contrary

they

are

to

one

another

.

I

,

however

,

mean

to

gather

them

together

and

compare

them

.

You

allege

that

motion

in

Matter

is

without

regularity

,

and

you

go

on

to

say

that

Matter

aims

at

a

shapeless

condition

,

and

then

,

in

another

passage

,

that

it

desires

to

be

set

in

order

by

God

.

Does

that

,

then

,

which

affects

to

be

without

form

,

want

to

be

put

into

shape

?

Or

does

that

which

wants

to

be

put

into

shape

,

affect

to

be

without

form

?

You

are

unwilling

that

God

should

seem

to

be

equal

to

Matter

;

and

then

again

you

say

that

it

has

a

common

condition

with

God

.

“

For

it

is

impossible

,

”

you

say

,

“

if

it

has

nothing

in

common

with

God

,

that

it

can

be

set

in

order

by

Him

.

”

But

if

it

had

anything

in

common

with

God

,

it

did

not

want

to

be

set

in

order

,

being

,

forsooth

,

a

part

of

the

Deity

through

a

community

of

condition

;

or

else

even

God

was

susceptible

of

being

set

in

order

by

Matter

,

by

His

having

Himself

something

in

common

with

it

.

And

now

you

herein

subject

God

to

necessity

,

since

there

was

in

Matter

something

on

account

of

which

He

gave

it

form

.

You

make

it

,

however

,

a

common

attribute

of

both

of

them

,

that

they

set

themselves

in

motion

by

themselves

,

and

that

they

are

ever

in

motion

.

What

less

do

you

ascribe

to

Matter

than

to

God

?

There

will

be

found

all

through

a

fellowship

of

divinity

in

this

freedom

and

perpetuity

of

motion

.

Only in God motion is regular, in Matter irregular. In both, however, there is equally the attribute of Deity—both alike having free and eternal motion. At the same time, you assign more to Matter, to which belonged the privilege of thus moving itself in a way not allowed to God.

Notes

1
Dispersisti omnia.
2
Inconditum.
3
“Communionem.”
4
Ornari: “to be adorned.”
5
Ornari: “to be adorned.”
6
Composite.
7
Incondite.