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Against Praxeas

Tertullian

Chapter 21

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 XXI.—In This and the Four Following Chapters It is Shewn, by a Minute Analysis of St. John’s Gospel, that the Father and Son are Constantly Spoken of as Distinct Persons.

Consider, therefore, how many passages present their

‹ Chapter 20 Chapter 22 ›

prescriptive

authority

to

you

in

this

very

Gospel

before

this

inquiry

of

Philip

,

and

any

discussion

on

your

part

.

And

first

of

all

there

comes

at

once

to

hand

the

preamble

of

John

to

his

Gospel

,

which

shows

us

what

He

previously

was

who

had

to

become

flesh

.

“

In

the

beginning

was

the

Word

,

and

the

Word

was

with

God

,

and

the

Word

was

God

.

He

was

in

the

beginning

with

God

:

all

things

were

made

by

Him

,

and

without

Him

was

nothing

made

.

”

Now

,

since

these

words

may

not

be

taken

otherwise

than

as

they

are

written

,

there

is

without

doubt

shown

to

be

One

who

was

from

the

beginning

,

and

also

One

with

whom

He

always

was

:

one

the

Word

of

God

,

the

other

God

(

although

the

Word

is

also

God

,

but

God

regarded

as

the

Son

of

God

,

not

as

the

Father

)

;

One

through

whom

were

all

things

,

Another

by

whom

were

all

things

.

But

in

what

sense

we

call

Him

Another

we

have

already

often

described

.

In

that

we

called

Him

Another

,

we

must

needs

imply

that

He

is

not

identical

—

not

identical

indeed

,

yet

not

as

if

separate

;

Other

by

dispensation

,

not

by

division

.

He

,

therefore

,

who

became

flesh

was

not

the

very

same

as

He

from

whom

the

Word

came

.

“

His

glory

was

beheld

—

the

glory

as

of

the

only

-

begotten

of

the

Father

;

”

not

,

(

observe

,

)

as

of

the

Father

.

He

“

declared

”

(

what

was

in

)

“

the

bosom

of

the

Father

alone

;

”

the

Father

did

not

divulge

the

secrets

of

His

own

bosom

.

For

this

is

preceded

by

another

statement

:

“

No

man

hath

seen

God

at

any

time

.

”

Then

,

again

,

when

He

is

designated

by

John

(

the

Baptist

)

as

“

the

Lamb

of

God

,

”

He

is

not

described

as

Himself

the

same

with

Him

of

whom

He

is

the

beloved

Son

.

He

is

,

no

doubt

,

ever

the

Son

of

God

,

but

yet

not

He

Himself

of

whom

He

is

the

Son

.

This

(

divine

relationship

)

Nathanæl

at

once

recognised

in

Him

,

even

as

Peter

did

on

another

occasion

:

“

Thou

art

the

Son

of

God

.

”

And

He

affirmed

Himself

that

they

were

quite

right

in

their

convictions

;

for

He

answered

Nathanæl

:

“

Because

I

said

,

I

saw

thee

under

the

fig

-

tree

,

therefore

dost

thou

believe

?

”

And

in

the

same

manner

He

pronounced

Peter

to

be

“

blessed

,

”

inasmuch

as

“

flesh

and

blood

had

not

revealed

it

to

him

”

—

that

he

had

perceived

the

Father

—

“

but

the

Father

which

is

in

heaven

.

”

By

asserting

all

this

,

He

determined

the

distinction

which

is

between

the

two

Persons

:

that

is

,

the

Son

then

on

earth

,

whom

Peter

had

confessed

to

be

the

Son

of

God

;

and

the

Father

in

heaven

,

who

had

revealed

to

Peter

the

discovery

which

he

had

made

,

that

Christ

was

the

Son

of

God

.

When

He

entered

the

temple

,

He

called

it

“

His

Father’s

house

,

”

speaking

as

the

Son

.

In

His

address

to

Nicodemus

He

says

:

“

So

God

loved

the

world

,

that

He

gave

His

only

-

begotten

Son

,

that

whosoever

believeth

in

Him

should

not

perish

,

but

have

everlasting

life

.

”

And

again

:

“

For

God

sent

not

His

Son

into

the

world

to

condemn

the

world

,

but

that

the

world

through

Him

might

be

saved

.

He

that

believeth

on

Him

is

not

condemned

;

but

he

that

believeth

not

is

condemned

already

,

because

he

hath

not

believed

in

the

name

of

the

only

-

begotten

Son

of

God

.

”

Moreover

,

when

John

(

the

Baptist

)

was

asked

what

he

happened

to

know

of

Jesus

,

he

said

:

“

The

Father

loveth

the

Son

,

and

hath

given

all

things

into

His

hand

.

He

that

believeth

on

the

Son

hath

everlasting

life

;

and

he

that

believeth

not

the

Son

shall

not

see

life

,

but

the

wrath

of

God

abideth

on

him

.

”

Whom

,

indeed

,

did

He

reveal

to

the

woman

of

Samaria

?

Was

it

not

“

the

Messias

which

is

called

Christ

?

”

And

so

He

showed

,

of

course

,

that

He

was

not

the

Father

,

but

the

Son

;

and

elsewhere

He

is

expressly

called

“

the

Christ

,

the

Son

of

God

,

”

and

not

the

Father

.

He

says

,

therefore

,

”

My

meat

is

to

do

the

will

of

Him

that

sent

me

,

and

to

finish

His

work

;

”

whilst

to

the

Jews

He

remarks

respecting

the

cure

of

the

impotent

man

,

“

My

Father

worketh

hitherto

,

and

I

work

.

”

“

My

Father

and

I

”

—

these

are

the

Son’s

words

.

And

it

was

on

this

very

account

that

“

the

Jews

sought

the

more

intently

to

kill

Him

,

not

only

because

He

broke

the

Sabbath

,

but

also

because

He

said

that

God

was

His

Father

,

thus

making

Himself

equal

with

God

.

Then

indeed

did

He

answer

and

say

unto

them

,

The

Son

can

do

nothing

of

Himself

,

but

what

He

seeth

the

Father

do

;

for

what

things

soever

He

doeth

these

also

doeth

the

Son

likewise

.

For

the

Father

loveth

the

Son

,

and

showeth

Him

all

things

that

He

Himself

doeth

;

and

He

will

also

show

Him

greater

works

than

these

,

that

ye

may

marvel

.

For

as

the

Father

raiseth

up

the

dead

and

quickeneth

them

,

even

so

the

Son

also

quickeneth

whom

He

will

.

For

the

Father

judgeth

no

man

,

but

hath

committed

all

judgment

unto

the

Son

,

that

all

men

should

honour

the

Son

,

even

as

they

honour

the

Father

.

He

that

honoureth

not

the

Son

,

honoureth

not

the

Father

,

who

hath

sent

the

Son

.

Verily

,

verily

,

I

say

unto

you

,

He

that

heareth

my

words

,

and

believeth

on

Him

that

sent

me

,

hath

everlasting

life

,

and

shall

not

come

into

condemnation

,

but

is

passed

from

death

unto

life

.

Verily

I

say

unto

you

,

that

the

hour

is

coming

,

when

the

dead

shall

hear

the

voice

of

the

Son

of

God

;

and

when

they

have

heard

it

,

they

shall

live

.

For

as

the

Father

hath

eternal

life

in

Himself

,

so

also

hath

He

given

to

the

Son

to

have

eternal

life

in

Himself

;

and

He

hath

given

Him

authority

to

execute

judgment

also

,

because

He

is

the

Son

of

man

”

—

that

is

,

according

to

the

flesh

,

even

as

He

is

also

the

Son

of

God

through

His

Spirit

.

Afterwards

He

goes

on

to

say

:

“

But

I

have

greater

witness

than

that

of

John

;

for

the

works

which

the

Father

hath

given

me

to

finish

—

those

very

works

bear

witness

of

me

that

the

Father

hath

sent

me

.

And

the

Father

Himself

,

which

hath

sent

me

,

hath

also

borne

witness

of

me

.

”

But

He

at

once

adds

,

“

Ye

have

neither

heard

His

voice

at

any

time

,

nor

seen

His

shape

;

”

thus

affirming

that

in

former

times

it

was

not

the

Father

,

but

the

Son

,

who

used

to

be

seen

and

heard

.

Then

He

says

at

last

:

“

I

am

come

in

my

Father’s

name

,

and

ye

have

not

received

me

.

”

It

was

therefore

always

the

Son

(

of

whom

we

read

)

under

the

designation

of

the

Almighty

and

Most

High

God

,

and

King

,

and

Lord

.

To

those

also

who

inquired

“

what

they

should

do

to

work

the

works

of

God

,

”

He

answered

,

“

This

is

the

work

of

God

,

that

ye

believe

on

Him

whom

He

hath

sent

.

”

He

also

declares

Himself

to

be

“

the

bread

which

the

Father

sent

from

heaven

;

”

and

adds

,

that

“

all

that

the

Father

gave

Him

should

come

to

Him

,

and

that

He

Himself

would

not

reject

them

,

because

He

had

come

down

from

heaven

not

to

do

His

own

will

,

but

the

will

of

the

Father

;

and

that

the

will

of

the

Father

was

that

every

one

who

saw

the

Son

,

and

believed

on

Him

,

should

obtain

the

life

(

everlasting

,

)

and

the

resurrection

at

the

last

day

.

No

man

indeed

was

able

to

come

to

Him

,

except

the

Father

attracted

him

;

whereas

every

one

who

had

heard

and

learnt

of

the

Father

came

to

Him

.

”

He

goes

on

then

expressly

to

say

,

“

Not

that

any

man

hath

seen

the

Father

;

”

thus

showing

us

that

it

was

through

the

Word

of

the

Father

that

men

were

instructed

and

taught

.

Then

,

when

many

departed

from

Him

,

and

He

turned

to

the

apostles

with

the

inquiry

whether

“

they

also

would

go

away

,

”

what

was

Simon

Peter’s

answer

?

“

To

whom

shall

we

go

?

Thou

hast

the

words

of

eternal

life

,

and

we

believe

that

Thou

art

the

Christ

.

”

(

Tell

me

now

,

did

they

believe

)

Him

to

be

the

Father

,

or

the

Christ

of

the

Father

?

Notes

1
John i. 1–3.
2
John i. 14.
3
Unius sinum Patris. Another reading makes: “He alone (unus) declared,” etc. See John i. 18.
4
John i. 18, first clause.
5
John i. 29.
6
John i. 49.
7
Matt. xvi. 16.
8
John i. 50.
9
Matt. xvi. 17.
10
John ii. 16.
11
John iii. 16.
12
John iii. 17, 18.
13
John iii. 35, 36.
14
John iv. 25.
15
John xx. 31.
16
John iv. 34.
17
John v. 17.
18
John v. 19–27.
19
i.e. His divine nature.
20
John v. 36, 37.
21
Ver. 37.
22
Ver. 43.
23
John vi. 29.
24
Ver. 30.
25
Ver. 32.
26
The expression is in the neuter collective form in the original.
27
John vi. 37–45.
28
Ver. 46.
29
Ver. 66.
30
Ver. 67.
31
Ver. 68.