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Against Praxeas

Tertullian

Chapter 16

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 XVI.—Early Manifestations of the Son of God, as Recorded in the Old Testament; Rehearsals of His Subsequent Incarnation.

But you must not suppose that only the works

‹ Chapter 15 Chapter 17 ›

which

relate

to

the

(

creation

of

the

)

world

were

made

by

the

Son

,

but

also

whatsoever

since

that

time

has

been

done

by

God

.

For

“

the

Father

who

loveth

the

Son

,

and

hath

given

all

things

into

His

hand

,

”

loves

Him

indeed

from

the

beginning

,

and

from

the

very

first

has

handed

all

things

over

to

Him

.

Whence

it

is

written

,

“

From

the

beginning

the

Word

was

with

God

,

and

the

Word

was

God

;

”

to

whom

“

is

given

by

the

Father

all

power

in

heaven

and

on

earth

.

”

“

The

Father

judgeth

no

man

,

but

hath

committed

all

judgment

to

the

Son

”

—

from

the

very

beginning

even

.

For

when

He

speaks

of

all

power

and

all

judgment

,

and

says

that

all

things

were

made

by

Him

,

and

all

things

have

been

delivered

into

His

hand

,

He

allows

no

exception

(

in

respect

)

of

time

,

because

they

would

not

be

all

things

unless

they

were

the

things

of

all

time

.

It

is

the

Son

,

therefore

,

who

has

been

from

the

beginning

administering

judgment

,

throwing

down

the

haughty

tower

,

and

dividing

the

tongues

,

punishing

the

whole

world

by

the

violence

of

waters

,

raining

upon

Sodom

and

Gomorrah

fire

and

brimstone

,

as

the

Lord

from

the

Lord

.

For

He

it

was

who

at

all

times

came

down

to

hold

converse

with

men

,

from

Adam

on

to

the

patriarchs

and

the

prophets

,

in

vision

,

in

dream

,

in

mirror

,

in

dark

saying

;

ever

from

the

beginning

laying

the

foundation

of

the

course

of

His

dispensations

,

which

He

meant

to

follow

out

to

the

very

last

.

Thus

was

He

ever

learning

even

as

God

to

converse

with

men

upon

earth

,

being

no

other

than

the

Word

which

was

to

be

made

flesh

.

But

He

was

thus

learning

(

or

rehearsing

)

,

in

order

to

level

for

us

the

way

of

faith

,

that

we

might

the

more

readily

believe

that

the

Son

of

God

had

come

down

into

the

world

,

if

we

knew

that

in

times

past

also

something

similar

had

been

done

.

For

as

it

was

on

our

account

and

for

our

learning

that

these

events

are

described

in

the

Scriptures

,

so

for

our

sakes

also

were

they

done

—

(

even

ours

,

I

say

)

,

“

upon

whom

the

ends

of

the

world

are

come

.

”

In

this

way

it

was

that

even

then

He

knew

full

well

what

human

feelings

and

affections

were

,

intending

as

He

always

did

to

take

upon

Him

man’s

actual

component

substances

,

body

and

soul

,

making

inquiry

of

Adam

(

as

if

He

were

ignorant

)

,

“

Where

art

thou

,

Adam

?

”

—

repenting

that

He

had

made

man

,

as

if

He

had

lacked

foresight

;

tempting

Abraham

,

as

if

ignorant

of

what

was

in

man

;

offended

with

persons

,

and

then

reconciled

to

them

;

and

whatever

other

(

weaknesses

and

imperfections

)

the

heretics

lay

hold

of

(

in

their

assumptions

)

as

unworthy

of

God

,

in

order

to

discredit

the

Creator

,

not

considering

that

these

circumstances

are

suitable

enough

for

the

Son

,

who

was

one

day

to

experience

even

human

sufferings

—

hunger

and

thirst

,

and

tears

,

and

actual

birth

and

real

death

,

and

in

respect

of

such

a

dispensation

“

made

by

the

Father

a

little

less

than

the

angels

.

”

But

the

heretics

,

you

may

be

sure

,

will

not

allow

that

those

things

are

suitable

even

to

the

Son

of

God

,

which

you

are

imputing

to

the

very

Father

Himself

,

when

you

pretend

that

He

made

Himself

less

(

than

the

angels

)

on

our

account

;

whereas

the

Scripture

informs

us

that

He

who

was

made

less

was

so

affected

by

another

,

and

not

Himself

by

Himself

.

What

,

again

,

if

He

was

One

who

was

“

crowned

with

glory

and

honour

,

”

and

He

Another

by

whom

He

was

so

crowned

,

—

the

Son

,

in

fact

,

by

the

Father

?

Moreover

,

how

comes

it

to

pass

,

that

the

Almighty

Invisible

God

,

“

whom

no

man

hath

seen

nor

can

see

;

He

who

dwelleth

in

light

unapproachable

;

”

“

He

who

dwelleth

not

in

temples

made

with

hands

;

”

“

from

before

whose

sight

the

earth

trembles

,

and

the

mountains

melt

like

wax

;

”

who

holdeth

the

whole

world

in

His

hand

“

like

a

nest

;

”

“

whose

throne

is

heaven

,

and

earth

His

footstool

;

”

in

whom

is

every

place

,

but

Himself

is

in

no

place

;

who

is

the

utmost

bound

of

the

universe

;

—

how

happens

it

,

I

say

,

that

He

(

who

,

though

)

the

Most

High

,

should

yet

have

walked

in

paradise

towards

the

cool

of

the

evening

,

in

quest

of

Adam

;

and

should

have

shut

up

the

ark

after

Noah

had

entered

it

;

and

at

Abraham’s

tent

should

have

refreshed

Himself

under

an

oak

;

and

have

called

to

Moses

out

of

the

burning

bush

;

and

have

appeared

as

“

the

fourth

”

in

the

furnace

of

the

Babylonian

monarch

(

although

He

is

there

called

the

Son

of

man

)

,

—

unless

all

these

events

had

happened

as

an

image

,

as

a

mirror

,

as

an

enigma

(

of

the

future

incarnation

)

?

Surely

even

these

things

could

not

have

been

believed

even

of

the

Son

of

God

,

unless

they

had

been

given

us

in

the

Scriptures

;

possibly

also

they

could

not

have

been

believed

of

the

Father

,

even

if

they

had

been

given

in

the

Scriptures

,

since

these

men

bring

Him

down

into

Mary’s

womb

,

and

set

Him

before

Pilate’s

judgment

-

seat

,

and

bury

Him

in

the

sepulchre

of

Joseph

.

Hence

,

therefore

,

their

error

becomes

manifest

;

for

,

being

ignorant

that

the

entire

order

of

the

divine

administration

has

from

the

very

first

had

its

course

through

the

agency

of

the

Son

,

they

believe

that

the

Father

Himself

was

actually

seen

,

and

held

converse

with

men

,

and

worked

,

and

was

athirst

,

and

suffered

hunger

(

in

spite

of

the

prophet

who

says

:

“

The

everlasting

God

,

the

Lord

,

the

Creator

of

the

ends

of

the

earth

,

shall

never

thirst

at

all

,

nor

be

hungry

;

”

much

more

,

shall

neither

die

at

any

time

,

nor

be

buried

!

)

,

and

therefore

that

it

was

uniformly

one

God

,

even

the

Father

,

who

at

all

times

did

Himself

the

things

which

were

really

done

by

Him

through

the

agency

of

the

Son

.

Notes

1
John iii. 35. Tertullian reads the last clause (according to Oehler), “in sinu ejus,” q.d. “to Him who is in His bosom.”
2
John i. 1.
3
Matt. xxviii. 18.
4
John v. 22.
5
See our Anti-Marcion, p. 112, note 10. Edin.
6
Comp. 1 Cor. x. 11.
7
See the treatise, Against Marcion. ii. 25, supra.
8
Gen. iii. 9.
9
Gen. vi. 6.
10
Ps. viii. 6.
11
Quasi.
12
Ps. viii. 6.
13
1 Tim. vi. 16.
14
Acts xvii. 24.
15
Joel ii. 10; Ps. xcvii. 5.
16
Isa. x. 14.
17
Isa. lxvi. 1.
18
Isa. xl. 28.