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Against Hermogenes

Tertullian

Chapter 45

About this work

Author: Tertullian

Chapter XLV.—Conclusion. Contrast Between the Statements of Hermogenes and the Testimony of Holy Scripture Respecting the Creation. Creation Out of Nothing, Not Out of Matter.

But it is not thus that the prophets and the apostles

have

told

us

that

the

world

was

made

by

God

merely

appearing

and

approaching

Matter

.

They

did

not

even

mention

any

Matter

,

but

(

said

)

that

Wisdom

was

first

set

up

,

the

beginning

of

His

ways

,

for

His

works

.

Then

that

the

Word

was

produced

,

“

through

whom

all

things

were

made

,

and

without

whom

nothing

was

made

.

”

Indeed

,

“

by

the

Word

of

the

Lord

were

the

heavens

made

,

and

all

their

hosts

by

the

breath

of

His

mouth

.

”

He

is

the

Lord’s

right

hand

,

indeed

His

two

hands

,

by

which

He

worked

and

constructed

the

universe

.

“

For

,

”

says

He

,

“

the

heavens

are

the

works

of

Thine

hands

,

”

wherewith

“

He

hath

meted

out

the

heaven

,

and

the

earth

with

a

span

.

”

Do

not

be

willing

so

to

cover

God

with

flattery

,

as

to

contend

that

He

produced

by

His

mere

appearance

and

simple

approach

so

many

vast

substances

,

instead

of

rather

forming

them

by

His

own

energies

.

For

this

is

proved

by

Jeremiah

when

he

says

,

“

God

hath

made

the

earth

by

His

power

,

He

hath

established

the

world

by

His

wisdom

,

and

hath

stretched

out

the

heaven

by

His

understanding

.

”

These

are

the

energies

by

the

stress

of

which

He

made

this

universe

.

His

glory

is

greater

if

He

laboured

.

At

length

on

the

seventh

day

He

rested

from

His

works

.

Both

one

and

the

other

were

after

His

manner

.

If

,

on

the

contrary

,

He

made

this

world

simply

by

appearing

and

approaching

it

,

did

He

,

on

the

completion

of

His

work

,

cease

to

appear

and

approach

it

any

more

.

Nay

rather

,

God

began

to

appear

more

conspicuously

and

to

be

everywhere

accessible

from

the

time

when

the

world

was

made

.

You

see

,

therefore

,

how

all

things

consist

by

the

operation

of

that

God

who

“

made

the

earth

by

His

power

,

who

established

the

world

by

His

wisdom

,

and

stretched

out

the

heaven

by

His

understanding

;

”

not

appearing

merely

,

nor

approaching

,

but

applying

the

almighty

efforts

of

His

mind

,

His

wisdom

,

His

power

,

His

understanding

,

His

word

,

His

Spirit

,

His

might

.

Now

these

things

were

not

necessary

to

Him

,

if

He

had

been

perfect

by

simply

appearing

and

approaching

.

They

are

,

however

,

His

“

invisible

things

,

”

which

,

according

to

the

apostle

,

“

are

from

the

creation

of

the

world

clearly

seen

by

the

things

that

are

made

;

”

they

are

no

parts

of

a

nondescript

Matter

,

but

they

are

the

sensible

evidences

of

Himself

.

“

For

who

hath

known

the

mind

of

the

Lord

,

”

of

which

(

the

apostle

)

exclaims

:

“

O

the

depth

of

the

riches

both

of

His

wisdom

and

knowledge

!

how

unsearchable

are

His

judgments

,

and

His

ways

past

finding

out

!

”

Now

what

clearer

truth

do

these

words

indicate

,

than

that

all

things

were

made

out

of

nothing

?

They

are

incapable

of

being

found

out

or

investigated

,

except

by

God

alone

.

Otherwise

,

if

they

were

traceable

or

discoverable

in

Matter

,

they

would

be

capable

of

investigation

.

Therefore

,

in

as

far

as

it

has

become

evident

that

Matter

had

no

prior

existence

(

even

from

this

circumstance

,

that

it

is

impossible

for

it

to

have

had

such

an

existence

as

is

assigned

to

it

)

,

in

so

far

is

it

proved

that

all

things

were

made

by

God

out

of

nothing

.

It

must

be

admitted

,

however

,

that

Hermogenes

,

by

describing

for

Matter

a

condition

like

his

own

—

irregular

,

confused

,

turbulent

,

of

a

doubtful

and

precipate

and

fervid

impulse

—

has

displayed

a

specimen

of

his

own

art

,

and

painted

his

own

portrait

.

Notes

1
Prov. viii. 22, 23.
2
John i. 3.
3
Spiritu Ipsius: “by His Spirit.” See Ps. xxxiii. 6.
4
Isa. xlviii. 13.
5
Ps. cii. 25.
6
Isa. xl. 12 and xlviii. 13.
7
Jer. li. 15.
8
Ps. lxiv. 7.
9
Aut si.
10
Atquin.
11
Ubique conveniri.
12
Rom. i. 20.
13
Nescio quæ.
14
Sensualia.
15
Rom. xi. 34.
16
Ver. 33.
17
Nec competat.
18
Nisi quod.