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On the Flesh of Christ

Tertullian

Chapter 2

About this work

Author: Tertullian

Chapter II.—Marcion, Who Would Blot Out the Record of Christ’s Nativity, is Rebuked for So Startling a Heresy.

Clearly enough is the nativity announced by Gabriel. But what

‹ Chapter 1 Chapter 3 ›

has

he

to

do

with

the

Creator’s

angel

?

The

conception

in

the

virgin’s

womb

is

also

set

plainly

before

us

.

But

what

concern

has

he

with

the

Creator’s

prophet

,

Isaiah

?

He

will

not

brook

delay

,

since

suddenly

(

without

any

prophetic

announcement

)

did

he

bring

down

Christ

from

heaven

.

“

Away

,

”

says

he

,

“

with

that

eternal

plaguey

taxing

of

Cæsar

,

and

the

scanty

inn

,

and

the

squalid

swaddling

-

clothes

,

and

the

hard

stable

.

We

do

not

care

a

jot

for

that

multitude

of

the

heavenly

host

which

praised

their

Lord

at

night

.

Let

the

shepherds

take

better

care

of

their

flock

,

and

let

the

wise

men

spare

their

legs

so

long

a

journey

;

let

them

keep

their

gold

to

themselves

.

Let

Herod

,

too

,

mend

his

manners

,

so

that

Jeremy

may

not

glory

over

him

.

Spare

also

the

babe

from

circumcision

,

that

he

may

escape

the

pain

thereof

;

nor

let

him

be

brought

into

the

temple

,

lest

he

burden

his

parents

with

the

expense

of

the

offering

;

nor

let

him

be

handed

to

Simeon

,

lest

the

old

man

be

saddened

at

the

point

of

death

.

Let

that

old

woman

also

hold

her

tongue

,

lest

she

should

bewitch

the

child

.

”

After

such

a

fashion

as

this

,

I

suppose

you

have

had

,

O

Marcion

,

the

hardihood

of

blotting

out

the

original

records

(

of

the

history

)

of

Christ

,

that

His

flesh

may

lose

the

proofs

of

its

reality

.

But

,

prithee

,

on

what

grounds

(

do

you

do

this

)

?

Show

me

your

authority

.

If

you

are

a

prophet

,

foretell

us

a

thing

;

if

you

are

an

apostle

,

open

your

message

in

public

;

if

a

follower

of

apostles

,

side

with

apostles

in

thought

;

if

you

are

only

a

(

private

)

Christian

,

believe

what

has

been

handed

down

to

us

:

if

,

however

,

you

are

nothing

of

all

this

,

then

(

as

I

have

the

best

reason

to

say

)

cease

to

live

.

For

indeed

you

are

already

dead

,

since

you

are

no

Christian

,

because

you

do

not

believe

that

which

by

being

believed

makes

men

Christian

,

—

nay

,

you

are

the

more

dead

,

the

more

you

are

not

a

Christian

;

having

fallen

away

,

after

you

had

been

one

,

by

rejecting

what

you

formerly

believed

,

even

as

you

yourself

acknowledge

in

a

certain

letter

of

yours

,

and

as

your

followers

do

not

deny

,

whilst

our

(

brethren

)

can

prove

it

.

Rejecting

,

therefore

,

what

you

once

believed

,

you

have

completed

the

act

of

rejection

,

by

now

no

longer

believing

:

the

fact

,

however

,

of

your

having

ceased

to

believe

has

not

made

your

rejection

of

the

faith

right

and

proper

;

nay

,

rather

,

by

your

act

of

rejection

you

prove

that

what

you

believed

the

said

act

was

of

a

different

character

.

What

you

believed

to

be

of

a

different

character

,

had

been

handed

down

just

as

you

believed

it

.

Now

that

which

had

been

handed

down

was

true

,

inasmuch

as

it

had

been

transmitted

by

those

whose

duty

it

was

to

hand

it

down

.

Therefore

,

when

rejecting

that

which

had

been

handed

down

,

you

rejected

that

which

was

true

.

You

had

no

authority

for

what

you

did

.

However

,

we

have

already

in

another

treatise

availed

ourselves

more

fully

of

these

prescriptive

rules

against

all

heresies

.

Our

repetition

of

them

hereafter

that

large

(

treatise

)

is

superfluous

,

when

we

ask

the

reason

why

you

have

formed

the

opinion

that

Christ

was

not

born

.

Notes

1
Luke i. 26–38.
2
This is said in opposition to Marcion, who held the Creator’s angel, and everything else pertaining to him, to be evil.
3
A reference to Isa. vii. 14.
4
Marcion.
5
See also our Anti-Marcion, iv. 7.
6
Luke ii. 1–7.
7
Viderit.
8
Luke ii. 13.
9
Luke ii. 8.
10
Matt. ii. 1.
11
Matt. ii. 11.
12
Matt. ii. 16–18, and Jer. xxxi. 15.
13
Luke ii. 22–24.
14
Luke ii. 25–35.
15
Luke ii. 36–38.
16
Apostolicus.
17
Morere.
18
Rescindendo.
19
Compare our Anti-Marcion, i. 1, iv. 4 and de Præscr. Hær. c. xxx.
20
Atquin.
21
Aliter fuisse.
22
Porro.
23
Ex abundanti. [Dr. Holmes, in this sentence actually uses the word lengthy, for which I have said large.]