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Against Praxeas

Tertullian

Chapter 31

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 XXXI.—Retrograde Character of the Heresy of Praxeas. The Doctrine of the Blessed Trinity Constitutes the Great Difference Between Judaism and Christianity.

But, (this doctrine of yours bears a likeness

‹ Chapter 30

)

to

the

Jewish

faith

,

of

which

this

is

the

substance

—

so

to

believe

in

One

God

as

to

refuse

to

reckon

the

Son

besides

Him

,

and

after

the

Son

the

Spirit

.

Now

,

what

difference

would

there

be

between

us

and

them

,

if

there

were

not

this

distinction

which

you

are

for

breaking

down

?

What

need

would

there

be

of

the

gospel

,

which

is

the

substance

of

the

New

Covenant

,

laying

down

(

as

it

does

)

that

the

Law

and

the

Prophets

lasted

until

John

the

Baptist

,

if

thenceforward

the

Father

,

the

Son

,

and

the

Spirit

are

not

both

believed

in

as

Three

,

and

as

making

One

Only

God

?

God

was

pleased

to

renew

His

covenant

with

man

in

such

a

way

as

that

His

Unity

might

be

believed

in

,

after

a

new

manner

,

through

the

Son

and

the

Spirit

,

in

order

that

God

might

now

be

known

openly

,

in

His

proper

Names

and

Persons

,

who

in

ancient

times

was

not

plainly

understood

,

though

declared

through

the

Son

and

the

Spirit

.

Away

,

then

,

with

those

“

Antichrists

who

deny

the

Father

and

the

Son

.

”

For

they

deny

the

Father

,

when

they

say

that

He

is

the

same

as

the

Son

;

and

they

deny

the

Son

,

when

they

suppose

Him

to

be

the

same

as

the

Father

,

by

assigning

to

Them

things

which

are

not

Theirs

,

and

taking

away

from

Them

things

which

are

Theirs

.

But

“

whosoever

shall

confess

that

(

Jesus

)

Christ

is

the

Son

of

God

”

(

not

the

Father

)

,

“

God

dwelleth

in

him

,

and

he

in

God

.

”

We

believe

not

the

testimony

of

God

in

which

He

testifies

to

us

of

His

Son

.

“

He

that

hath

not

the

Son

,

hath

not

life

.

”

And

that

man

has

not

the

Son

,

who

believes

Him

to

be

any

other

than

the

Son

.

Notes

1
Coram.
2
Viderint.
3
1 John iv. 15.
4
1 John v. 12.