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Against the Valentinians

Tertullian

Chapter 24

About this work

Author: Tertullian

Chapter XXIV.—The Formation of Man by the Demiurge. Human Flesh Not Made of the Ground, But of a Nondescript Philosophic Substance.

Such being their conceits respecting God, or, if you

‹ Chapter 23 Chapter 25 ›

like

,

the

gods

,

of

what

sort

are

their

figments

concerning

man

?

For

,

after

he

had

made

the

world

,

the

Demiurge

turns

his

hands

to

man

,

and

chooses

for

him

as

his

substance

not

any

portion

of

“

the

dry

land

,

”

as

they

say

,

of

which

alone

we

have

any

knowledge

(

although

it

was

,

at

that

time

,

not

yet

dried

by

the

waters

becoming

separated

from

the

earthy

residuum

,

and

only

afterwards

became

dry

)

,

but

of

the

invisible

substance

of

that

matter

,

which

philosophy

indeed

dreams

of

,

from

its

fluid

and

fusible

composition

,

the

origin

of

which

I

am

unable

to

imagine

,

because

it

exists

nowhere

.

Now

,

since

fluidity

and

fusibility

are

qualities

of

liquid

matter

,

and

since

everything

liquid

flowed

from

Sophia’s

tears

,

we

must

,

as

a

necessary

conclusion

,

believe

that

muddy

earth

is

constituted

of

Sophia’s

eye

-

rheums

and

viscid

discharges

,

which

are

just

as

much

the

dregs

of

tears

as

mud

is

the

sediment

of

waters

.

Thus

does

the

Demiurge

mould

man

as

a

potter

does

his

clay

,

and

animates

him

with

his

own

breath

.

Made

after

his

image

and

likeness

,

he

will

therefore

be

both

material

and

animal

.

A

fourfold

being

!

For

in

respect

of

his

“

image

,

”

he

must

be

deemed

clayey

,

that

is

to

say

,

material

,

although

the

Demiurge

is

not

composed

of

matter

;

but

as

to

his

“

likeness

,

”

he

is

animal

,

for

such

,

too

,

is

the

Demiurge

.

You

have

two

(

of

his

constituent

elements

)

.

Moreover

,

a

coating

of

flesh

was

,

as

they

allege

,

afterwards

placed

over

the

clayey

substratum

,

and

it

is

this

tunic

of

skin

which

is

susceptible

of

sensation

.

Notes

1
Vel.
2
Ex pituitis et gramis.
3
Choicus.