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Against the Valentinians

Tertullian

Chapter 12

About this work

Author: Tertullian

Chapter XII.—The Strange Jumble of the Pleroma. The Frantic Delight of the Members Thereof. Their Joint Contribution of Parts Set Forth with Humorous Irony.

Thus they are all on the self-same footing in

‹ Chapter 11 Chapter 13 ›

respect

of

form

and

knowledge

,

all

of

them

having

become

what

each

of

them

severally

is

;

none

being

a

different

being

,

because

they

are

all

what

the

others

are

.

They

are

all

turned

into

Nuses

,

into

Homos

,

into

Theletuses

;

and

so

in

the

case

of

the

females

,

into

Siges

,

into

Zoes

,

into

Ecclesias

,

into

Fortunatas

,

so

that

Ovid

would

have

blotted

out

his

own

Metamorphoses

if

he

had

only

known

our

larger

one

in

the

present

day

.

Straightway

they

were

reformed

and

thoroughly

established

,

and

being

composed

to

rest

from

the

truth

,

they

celebrate

the

Father

in

a

chorus

of

praise

in

the

exuberance

of

their

joy

.

The

Father

himself

also

revelled

in

the

glad

feeling

;

of

course

,

because

his

children

and

grandchildren

sang

so

well

.

And

why

should

he

not

revel

in

absolute

delight

?

Was

not

the

Pleroma

freed

(

from

all

danger

)

?

What

ship’s

captain

fails

to

rejoice

even

with

indecent

frolic

?

Every

day

we

observe

the

uproarious

ebullitions

of

sailors

’

joys

.

Therefore

,

as

sailors

always

exult

over

the

reckoning

they

pay

in

common

,

so

do

these

Æons

enjoy

a

similar

pleasure

,

one

as

they

now

all

are

in

form

,

and

,

as

I

may

add

,

in

feeling

too

.

With

the

concurrence

of

even

their

new

brethren

and

masters

,

they

contribute

into

one

common

stock

the

best

and

most

beautiful

thing

with

which

they

are

severally

adorned

.

Vainly

,

as

I

suppose

.

For

if

they

were

all

one

by

reason

by

the

above

-

mentioned

thorough

equalization

,

there

was

no

room

for

the

process

of

a

common

reckoning

,

which

for

the

most

part

consists

of

a

pleasing

variety

.

They

all

contributed

the

one

good

thing

,

which

they

all

were

.

There

would

be

,

in

all

probability

,

a

formal

procedure

in

the

mode

or

in

the

form

of

the

very

equalization

in

question

.

Accordingly

,

out

of

the

donation

which

they

contributed

to

the

honour

and

glory

of

the

Father

,

they

jointly

fashion

the

most

beautiful

constellation

of

the

Pleroma

,

and

its

perfect

fruit

,

Jesus

.

Him

they

also

surname

Soter

(

Saviour

)

and

Christ

,

and

Sermo

(

Word

)

after

his

ancestors

;

and

lastly

Omnia

(

All

Things

)

,

as

formed

from

a

universally

culled

nosegay

,

like

the

jay

of

Æsop

,

the

Pandora

of

Hesiod

,

the

bowl

of

Accius

,

the

honey

-

cake

of

Nestor

,

the

miscellany

of

Ptolemy

.

How

much

nearer

the

mark

,

if

these

idle

title

-

mongers

had

called

him

Pancarpian

,

after

certain

Athenian

customs

.

By

way

of

adding

external

honour

also

to

their

wonderful

puppet

,

they

produce

for

him

a

bodyguard

of

angels

of

like

nature

.

If

this

be

their

mutual

condition

,

it

may

be

all

right

;

if

,

however

,

they

are

consubstantial

with

Soter

(

for

I

have

discovered

how

doubtfully

the

case

is

stated

)

,

where

will

be

his

eminence

when

surrounded

by

attendants

who

are

co

-

equal

with

himself

?

Notes

1
Nemo aliud quia alteri omnes.
2
Refunduntur.
3
The reader will, of course, see that we give a familiar English plural to these names, as better expressing Tertullian’s irony.
4
Concinunt.
5
Diffundebatur.
6
Nauclerus: “pilot.”
7
Tertullian lived in a seaport at Carthage.
8
Nedum.
9
Christ and the Holy Spirit, [i.e. blasphemously.]
10
Symbolæ ratio.
11
Ratio.
12
Ex ære collaticio. In reference to the common symbola, Tertullian adds the proverbial formula, “quod aiunt” (as they say).
13
Compingunt.
14
Cognominant.
15
De patritus. Irenæus’ word here is πατρωνυμικῶς (“patronymice”).
16
Ex omnium defloratione.
17
Patina.
18
Alluding to the olive-branch, ornamented with all sorts of fruits (compare our “Christmas tree”), which was carried about by boys in Athens on a certain festival (White and Riddle).