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Against the Valentinians

Tertullian

Chapter 11

About this work

Author: Tertullian

Chapter XI.—The Profane Account Given of the Origin of Christ and the Holy Ghost Sternly Rebuked. An Absurdity Respecting the Attainment of the Knowledge of God Ably Exposed.

Accordingly, after the banishment of the Enthymesis, and

‹ Chapter 10 Chapter 12 ›

the

return

of

her

mother

Sophia

to

her

husband

,

the

(

illustrious

)

Monogenes

,

the

Nus

,

released

indeed

from

all

care

and

concern

of

the

Father

,

in

order

that

he

might

consolidate

all

things

,

and

defend

and

at

last

fix

the

Pleroma

,

and

so

prevent

any

concussion

of

the

kind

again

,

once

more

emits

a

new

couple

(

blasphemously

named

)

.

I

should

suppose

the

coupling

of

two

males

to

be

a

very

shameful

thing

,

or

else

the

one

must

be

a

female

,

and

so

the

male

is

discredited

by

the

female

.

One

divinity

is

assigned

in

the

case

of

all

these

,

to

procure

a

complete

adjustment

among

the

Æons

.

Even

from

this

fellowship

in

a

common

duty

two

schools

actually

arise

,

two

chairs

,

and

,

to

some

extent

,

the

inauguration

of

a

division

in

the

doctrine

of

Valentinus

.

It

was

the

function

of

Christ

to

instruct

the

Æons

in

the

nature

of

their

conjugal

relations

(

you

see

what

the

whole

thing

was

,

of

course

!

)

,

and

how

to

form

some

guess

about

the

unbegotten

,

and

to

give

them

the

capacity

of

generating

within

themselves

the

knowledge

of

the

Father

;

it

being

impossible

to

catch

the

idea

of

him

,

or

comprehend

him

,

or

,

in

short

,

even

to

enjoy

any

perception

of

him

,

either

by

the

eye

or

the

ear

,

except

through

Monogenes

(

the

Only

-

begotten

)

.

Well

,

I

will

even

grant

them

what

they

allege

about

knowing

the

Father

,

so

that

they

do

not

refuse

us

(

the

attainment

of

)

the

same

.

I

would

rather

point

out

what

is

perverse

in

their

doctrine

,

how

they

were

taught

that

the

incomprehensible

part

of

the

Father

was

the

cause

of

their

own

perpetuity

,

whilst

that

which

might

be

comprehended

of

him

was

the

reason

of

their

generation

and

formation

.

Now

by

these

several

positions

the

tenet

,

I

suppose

,

is

insinuated

,

that

it

is

expedient

for

God

not

to

be

apprehended

,

on

the

very

ground

that

the

incomprehensibility

of

His

character

is

the

cause

of

perpetuity

;

whereas

what

in

Him

is

comprehensible

is

productive

,

not

of

perpetuity

,

but

rather

of

conditions

which

lack

perpetuity

—

namely

,

nativity

and

formation

.

The

Son

,

indeed

,

they

made

capable

of

comprehending

the

Father

.

The

manner

in

which

He

is

comprehended

,

the

recently

produced

Christ

fully

taught

them

.

To

the

Holy

Spirit

,

however

,

belonged

the

special

gifts

,

whereby

they

,

having

been

all

set

on

a

complete

par

in

respect

of

their

earnestness

to

learn

,

should

be

enabled

to

offer

up

their

thanksgiving

,

and

be

introduced

to

a

true

tranquillity

.

Notes

1
Ille nus.
2
Iterum: above.
3
Copulationem: The profane reference is to Christ and the Spirit.
4
[A shocking reference to the Spirit which I modify to one of the Divine Persons.]
5
Vulneratur.
6
Cathedræ.
7
Quædam.
8
Conjugiorum.
9
Innati conjectationem.
10
Perpetuitatis: i.e. “what was unchangeable in their condition and nature.”
11
Rationem: perhaps “the means.”
12
Hac dispositione.