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Against Praxeas

Tertullian

Chapter 12

About this work

A polemical Latin treatise opposing a modalist account of God and articulating distinctions among Father, Son, and Spirit while insisting on divine unity and the reality of Christ’s incarnation.

Author: Tertullian
Date: Early 3rd century
Origin: Carthage, North Africa
Genre: Theological Treatise

Chapter XII.—Other Quotations from Holy Scripture Adduced in Proof of the Plurality of Persons in the Godhead.

If the number of the Trinity also offends you,

‹ Chapter 11 Chapter 13 ›

as

if

it

were

not

connected

in

the

simple

Unity

,

I

ask

you

how

it

is

possible

for

a

Being

who

is

merely

and

absolutely

One

and

Singular

,

to

speak

in

plural

phrase

,

saying

,

“

Let

us

make

man

in

our

own

image

,

and

after

our

own

likeness

;

”

whereas

He

ought

to

have

said

,

“

Let

me

make

man

in

my

own

image

,

and

after

my

own

likeness

,

”

as

being

a

unique

and

singular

Being

?

In

the

following

passage

,

however

,

“

Behold

the

man

is

become

as

one

of

us

,

”

He

is

either

deceiving

or

amusing

us

in

speaking

plurally

,

if

He

is

One

only

and

singular

.

Or

was

it

to

the

angels

that

He

spoke

,

as

the

Jews

interpret

the

passage

,

because

these

also

acknowledge

not

the

Son

?

Or

was

it

because

He

was

at

once

the

Father

,

the

Son

,

and

the

Spirit

,

that

He

spoke

to

Himself

in

plural

terms

,

making

Himself

plural

on

that

very

account

?

Nay

,

it

was

because

He

had

already

His

Son

close

at

His

side

,

as

a

second

Person

,

His

own

Word

,

and

a

third

Person

also

,

the

Spirit

in

the

Word

,

that

He

purposely

adopted

the

plural

phrase

,

“

Let

us

make

;

”

and

,

“

in

our

image

;

”

and

,

“

become

as

one

of

us

.

”

For

with

whom

did

He

make

man

?

and

to

whom

did

He

make

him

like

?

(

The

answer

must

be

)

,

the

Son

on

the

one

hand

,

who

was

one

day

to

put

on

human

nature

;

and

the

Spirit

on

the

other

,

who

was

to

sanctify

man

.

With

these

did

He

then

speak

,

in

the

Unity

of

the

Trinity

,

as

with

His

ministers

and

witnesses

.

In

the

following

text

also

He

distinguishes

among

the

Persons

:

“

So

God

created

man

in

His

own

image

;

in

the

image

of

God

created

He

him

.

”

Why

say

“

image

of

God

?

”

Why

not

“

His

own

image

”

merely

,

if

He

was

only

one

who

was

the

Maker

,

and

if

there

was

not

also

One

in

whose

image

He

made

man

?

But

there

was

One

in

whose

image

God

was

making

man

,

that

is

to

say

,

Christ’s

image

,

who

,

being

one

day

about

to

become

Man

(

more

surely

and

more

truly

so

)

,

had

already

caused

the

man

to

be

called

His

image

,

who

was

then

going

to

be

formed

of

clay

—

the

image

and

similitude

of

the

true

and

perfect

Man

.

But

in

respect

of

the

of

the

world

what

says

the

Scripture

?

Its

first

statement

indeed

is

made

,

when

the

Son

has

not

yet

appeared

:

“

And

God

said

,

Let

there

be

light

,

and

there

was

light

.

”

Immediately

there

appears

the

Word

,

“

that

true

light

,

which

lighteth

man

on

his

coming

into

the

world

,

”

and

through

Him

also

came

light

upon

the

world

.

From

that

moment

God

willed

creation

to

be

effected

in

the

Word

,

Christ

being

present

and

ministering

unto

Him

:

and

so

God

created

.

And

God

said

,

“

Let

there

be

a

firmament

,

…

and

God

made

the

firmament

;

”

and

God

also

said

,

“

Let

there

be

lights

(

in

the

firmament

)

;

and

so

God

made

a

greater

and

a

lesser

light

.

”

But

all

the

rest

of

the

created

things

did

He

in

like

manner

make

,

who

made

the

former

ones

—

I

mean

the

Word

of

God

,

“

through

whom

all

things

were

made

,

and

without

whom

nothing

was

made

.

”

Now

if

He

too

is

God

,

according

to

John

,

(

who

says

,

)

“

The

Word

was

God

,

”

then

you

have

two

Beings

—

One

that

commands

that

the

thing

be

made

,

and

the

Other

that

executes

the

order

and

creates

.

In

what

sense

,

however

,

you

ought

to

understand

Him

to

be

another

,

I

have

already

explained

,

on

the

ground

of

Personality

,

not

of

Substance

—

in

the

way

of

distinction

,

not

of

division

.

But

although

I

must

everywhere

hold

one

only

substance

in

three

coherent

and

inseparable

(

Persons

)

,

yet

I

am

bound

to

acknowledge

,

from

the

necessity

of

the

case

,

that

He

who

issues

a

command

is

different

from

Him

who

executes

it

.

For

,

indeed

,

He

would

not

be

issuing

a

command

if

He

were

all

the

while

doing

the

work

Himself

,

while

ordering

it

to

be

done

by

the

second

.

But

still

He

did

issue

the

command

,

although

He

would

not

have

intended

to

command

Himself

if

He

were

only

one

;

or

else

He

must

have

worked

without

any

command

,

because

He

would

not

have

waited

to

command

Himself

.

Notes

1
Gen. i. 26.
2
Gen. iii. 22.
3
Gen. i. 27.
4
Gen. i. 3.
5
John i. 9.
6
Mundialis lux.
7
Gen. i. 6, 7.
8
Gen. i. 14, 16.
9
John i. 3.
10
John i. 1.
11
[Kaye thinks the Athanasian hymn (so called) was composed by one who had this treatise always in mind. See p. 526.]
12
Per eum.