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Against Praxeas

Tertullian

Chapter 22

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 XXII.—Sundry Passages of St. John Quoted, to Show the Distinction Between the Father and the Son. Even Praxeas’ Classic Text—I and My Father are One—Shown to Be Against Him.

Again, whose doctrine does He announce, at

‹ Chapter 21 Chapter 23 ›

which

all

were

astonished

?

Was

it

His

own

or

the

Father’s

?

So

,

when

they

were

in

doubt

among

themselves

whether

He

were

the

Christ

(

not

as

being

the

Father

,

of

course

but

as

the

Son

)

,

He

says

to

them

“

You

are

not

ignorant

whence

I

am

;

and

I

am

not

come

of

myself

,

but

He

that

sent

me

is

true

,

whom

ye

know

not

;

but

I

know

Him

,

because

I

am

from

Him

.

”

He

did

not

say

,

Because

I

myself

am

He

;

and

,

I

have

sent

mine

own

self

:

but

His

words

are

,

“

He

hath

sent

me

.

”

When

,

likewise

,

the

Pharisees

sent

men

to

apprehend

Him

,

He

says

:

“

Yet

a

little

while

am

I

with

you

,

and

(

then

)

I

go

unto

Him

that

sent

me

.

”

When

,

however

,

He

declares

that

He

is

not

alone

,

and

uses

these

words

,

“

but

I

and

the

Father

that

sent

me

,

”

does

He

not

show

that

there

are

Two

—

Two

,

and

yet

inseparable

?

Indeed

,

this

was

the

sum

and

substance

of

what

He

was

teaching

them

,

that

they

were

inseparably

Two

;

since

,

after

citing

the

law

when

it

affirms

the

truth

of

two

men’s

testimony

,

He

adds

at

once

:

“

I

am

one

who

am

bearing

witness

of

myself

;

and

the

Father

(

is

another

,

)

who

hath

sent

me

,

and

beareth

witness

of

me

.

”

Now

,

if

He

were

one

—

being

at

once

both

the

Son

and

the

Father

—

He

certainly

would

not

have

quoted

the

sanction

of

the

law

,

which

requires

not

the

testimony

of

one

,

but

of

two

.

Likewise

,

when

they

asked

Him

where

His

Father

was

,

He

answered

them

,

that

they

had

known

neither

Himself

nor

the

Father

;

and

in

this

answer

He

plainly

told

them

of

Two

,

whom

they

were

ignorant

of

.

Granted

that

“

if

they

had

known

Him

,

they

would

have

known

the

Father

also

,

”

this

certainly

does

not

imply

that

He

was

Himself

both

Father

and

Son

;

but

that

,

by

reason

of

the

inseparability

of

the

Two

,

it

was

impossible

for

one

of

them

to

be

either

acknowledged

or

unknown

without

the

other

.

“

He

that

sent

me

,

”

says

He

,

“

is

true

;

and

I

am

telling

the

world

those

things

which

I

have

heard

of

Him

.

”

And

the

Scripture

narrative

goes

on

to

explain

in

an

exoteric

manner

,

that

“

they

understood

not

that

He

spake

to

them

concerning

the

Father

,

”

although

they

ought

certainly

to

have

known

that

the

Father’s

words

were

uttered

in

the

Son

,

because

they

read

in

Jeremiah

,

“

And

the

Lord

said

to

me

,

Behold

,

I

have

put

my

words

in

thy

mouth

;

”

and

again

in

Isaiah

,

“

The

Lord

hath

given

to

me

the

tongue

of

learning

that

I

should

understand

when

to

speak

a

word

in

season

.

”

In

accordance

with

which

,

Christ

Himself

says

:

“

Then

shall

ye

know

that

I

am

He

and

that

I

am

saying

nothing

of

my

own

self

;

but

that

,

as

my

Father

hath

taught

me

,

so

I

speak

,

because

He

that

sent

me

is

with

me

.

”

This

also

amounts

to

a

proof

that

they

were

Two

,

(

although

)

undivided

.

Likewise

,

when

upbraiding

the

Jews

in

His

discussion

with

them

,

because

they

wished

to

kill

Him

,

He

said

,

“

I

speak

that

which

I

have

seen

with

my

Father

,

and

ye

do

that

which

ye

have

seen

with

your

father

;

”

“

but

now

ye

seek

to

kill

me

,

a

man

that

hath

told

you

the

truth

which

I

have

heard

of

God

;

”

and

again

,

“

If

God

were

your

Father

,

ye

would

love

me

,

for

I

proceeded

forth

and

came

from

God

,

”

(

still

they

are

not

hereby

separated

,

although

He

declares

that

He

proceeded

forth

from

the

Father

.

Some

persons

indeed

seize

the

opportunity

afforded

them

in

these

words

to

propound

their

heresy

of

His

separation

;

but

His

coming

out

from

God

is

like

the

ray’s

procession

from

the

sun

,

and

the

river’s

from

the

fountain

,

and

the

tree’s

from

the

seed

)

;

“

I

have

not

a

devil

,

but

I

honour

my

Father

;

”

again

,

“

If

I

honour

myself

,

my

honour

is

nothing

:

it

is

my

Father

that

honoureth

me

,

of

whom

ye

say

,

that

He

is

your

God

:

yet

ye

have

not

known

Him

,

but

I

know

Him

;

and

if

I

should

say

,

I

know

Him

not

,

I

shall

be

a

liar

like

unto

you

;

but

I

know

Him

,

and

keep

His

saying

.

”

But

when

He

goes

on

to

say

,

“

Your

father

Abraham

rejoiced

to

see

my

day

;

and

he

saw

it

,

and

was

glad

,

”

He

certainly

proves

that

it

was

not

the

Father

that

appeared

to

Abraham

,

but

the

Son

.

In

like

manner

He

declares

,

in

the

case

of

the

man

born

blind

,

“

that

He

must

do

the

works

of

the

Father

which

had

sent

Him

;

”

and

after

He

had

given

the

man

sight

,

He

said

to

him

,

“

Dost

thou

believe

in

the

Son

of

God

?

”

Then

,

upon

the

man’s

inquiring

who

He

was

,

He

proceeded

to

reveal

Himself

to

him

,

as

that

Son

of

God

whom

He

had

announced

to

him

as

the

right

object

of

his

faith

.

In

a

later

passage

He

declares

that

He

is

known

by

the

Father

,

and

the

Father

by

Him

;

adding

that

He

was

so

wholly

loved

by

the

Father

,

that

He

was

laying

down

His

life

,

because

He

had

received

this

commandment

from

the

Father

.

When

He

was

asked

by

the

Jews

if

He

were

the

very

Christ

(

meaning

,

of

course

,

the

Christ

of

God

;

for

to

this

day

the

Jews

expect

not

the

Father

Himself

,

but

the

Christ

of

God

,

it

being

nowhere

said

that

the

Father

will

come

as

the

Christ

)

,

He

said

to

them

,

“

I

am

telling

you

,

and

yet

ye

do

not

believe

:

the

works

which

I

am

doing

,

in

my

Father’s

name

,

they

actually

bear

witness

of

me

.

”

Witness

of

what

?

Of

that

very

thing

,

to

be

sure

,

of

which

they

were

making

inquiry

—

whether

He

were

the

Christ

of

God

.

Then

,

again

,

concerning

His

sheep

,

and

(

the

assurance

)

that

no

man

should

pluck

them

out

of

His

hand

,

He

says

,

“

My

Father

,

which

gave

them

to

me

,

is

greater

than

all

;

”

adding

immediately

,

“

I

am

and

my

Father

are

one

.

”

Here

,

then

,

they

take

their

stand

,

too

infatuated

,

nay

,

too

blind

,

to

see

in

the

first

place

that

there

is

in

this

passage

an

intimation

of

Two

Beings

—

“

I

and

my

Father

;

”

then

that

there

is

a

plural

predicate

,

“

are

,

”

inapplicable

to

one

person

only

;

and

lastly

,

that

(

the

predicate

terminates

in

an

abstract

,

not

a

personal

noun

)

—

“

we

are

one

thing

”

Unum

,

not

“

one

person

”

Unus

.

For

if

He

had

said

“

one

Person

,

”

He

might

have

rendered

some

assistance

to

their

opinion

.

Unus

,

no

doubt

,

indicates

the

singular

number

;

but

(

here

we

have

a

case

where

)

“

Two

”

are

still

the

subject

in

the

masculine

gender

.

He

accordingly

says

Unum

,

a

neuter

term

,

which

does

not

imply

singularity

of

number

,

but

unity

of

essence

,

likeness

,

conjunction

,

affection

on

the

Father’s

part

,

who

loves

the

Son

,

and

submission

on

the

Son’s

,

who

obeys

the

Father’s

will

.

When

He

says

,

“

I

and

my

Father

are

one

”

in

essence

—

Unum

—

He

shows

that

there

are

Two

,

whom

He

puts

on

an

equality

and

unites

in

one

.

He

therefore

adds

to

this

very

statement

,

that

He

“

had

showed

them

many

works

from

the

Father

,

”

for

none

of

which

did

He

deserve

to

be

stoned

.

And

to

prevent

their

thinking

Him

deserving

of

this

fate

,

as

if

He

had

claimed

to

be

considered

as

God

Himself

,

that

is

,

the

Father

,

by

having

said

,

“

I

and

my

Father

are

One

,

”

representing

Himself

as

the

Father’s

divine

Son

,

and

not

as

God

Himself

,

He

says

,

“

If

it

is

written

in

your

law

,

I

said

,

Ye

are

gods

;

and

if

the

Scripture

cannot

be

broken

,

say

ye

of

Him

whom

the

Father

hath

sanctified

and

sent

into

the

world

,

that

He

blasphemeth

,

because

He

said

,

I

am

the

Son

of

God

?

If

I

do

not

the

works

of

my

Father

,

believe

me

not

;

but

if

I

do

,

even

if

ye

will

not

believe

me

,

still

believe

the

works

;

and

know

that

I

am

in

the

Father

,

and

the

Father

in

me

.

”

It

must

therefore

be

by

the

works

that

the

Father

is

in

the

Son

,

and

the

Son

in

the

Father

;

and

so

it

is

by

the

works

that

we

understand

that

the

Father

is

one

with

the

Son

.

All

along

did

He

therefore

strenuously

aim

at

this

conclusion

,

that

while

they

were

of

one

power

and

essence

,

they

should

still

be

believed

to

be

Two

;

for

otherwise

,

unless

they

were

believed

to

be

Two

,

the

Son

could

not

possibly

be

believed

to

have

any

existence

at

all

.

Notes

1
See John vii. passim.
2
Ver. 28, 29.
3
Ver. 33.
4
John viii. 16.
5
Ver. 17.
6
Ver. 18.
7
Ver. 19.
8
Ver. 19.
9
John viii. 26.
10
Ver. 27.
11
Jer. i. 9.
12
Isa. l. 4.
13
John viii. 28, 29.
14
Ver. 38.
15
Ver. 40.
16
Ver. 42.
17
Ver. 49.
18
John viii. 54, 55.
19
Ver. 56.
20
John ix. 4.
21
Vers. 35–38.
22
John x. 15.
23
Vers. 15, 17, 18.
24
Ver. 24.
25
Ver. 25.
26
Vers. 26–28.
27
Ver. 29.
28
Ver. 30.
29
John x. 32.
30
Vers. 34–38.