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The Five Books Against Marcion

Tertullian

Book 1 · Chapter 14

About this work

A sustained refutation of Marcion’s theology and edited Scriptures, defending the unity of the Creator and Christ’s Father and reading the Gospel and Pauline letters against Marcionite claims.

Author: Tertullian
Date: Early 3rd century
Origin: Carthage, North Africa
Genre: Heresiology

Chapter XIV.—All Portions of Creation Attest the Excellence of the Creator, Whom Marcion Vilifies. His Inconsistency Herein Exposed. Marcion’s Own God Did Not Hesitate to Use the Creator’s Works in Instituting His Own Religion.

Now, when you make merry with those

‹ Book 1 · Chapter 13 Book 1 · Chapter 15 ›

minuter

animals

,

which

their

glorious

Maker

has

purposely

endued

with

a

profusion

of

instincts

and

resources

,

—

thereby

teaching

us

that

greatness

has

its

proofs

in

lowliness

,

just

as

(

according

to

the

apostle

)

there

is

power

even

in

infirmity

—

imitate

,

if

you

can

,

the

cells

of

the

bee

,

the

hills

of

the

ant

,

the

webs

of

the

spider

,

and

the

threads

of

the

silkworm

;

endure

,

too

,

if

you

know

how

,

those

very

creatures

which

infest

your

couch

and

house

,

the

poisonous

ejections

of

the

blister

-

beetle

,

the

spikes

of

the

fly

,

and

the

gnat’s

sheath

and

sting

.

What

of

the

greater

animals

,

when

the

small

ones

so

affect

you

with

pleasure

or

pain

,

that

you

cannot

even

in

their

case

despise

their

Creator

?

Finally

,

take

a

circuit

round

your

own

self

;

survey

man

within

and

without

.

Even

this

handiwork

of

our

God

will

be

pleasing

to

you

,

inasmuch

as

your

own

lord

,

that

better

god

,

loved

it

so

well

,

and

for

your

sake

was

at

the

pains

of

descending

from

the

third

heaven

to

these

poverty

-

stricken

elements

,

and

for

the

same

reason

was

actually

crucified

in

this

sorry

apartment

of

the

Creator

.

Indeed

,

up

to

the

present

time

,

he

has

not

disdained

the

water

which

the

Creator

made

wherewith

he

washes

his

people

;

nor

the

oil

with

which

he

anoints

them

;

nor

that

union

of

honey

and

milk

wherewithal

he

gives

them

the

nourishment

of

children

;

nor

the

bread

by

which

he

represents

his

own

proper

body

,

thus

requiring

in

his

very

sacraments

the

“

beggarly

elements

”

of

the

Creator

.

You

,

however

,

are

a

disciple

above

his

master

,

and

a

servant

above

his

lord

;

you

have

a

higher

reach

of

discernment

than

his

;

you

destroy

what

he

requires

.

I

wish

to

examine

whether

you

are

at

least

honest

in

this

,

so

as

to

have

no

longing

for

those

things

which

you

destroy

.

You

are

an

enemy

to

the

sky

,

and

yet

you

are

glad

to

catch

its

freshness

in

your

houses

.

You

disparage

the

earth

,

although

the

elemental

parent

of

your

own

flesh

,

as

if

it

were

your

undoubted

enemy

,

and

yet

you

extract

from

it

all

its

fatness

for

your

food

.

The

sea

,

too

,

you

reprobate

,

but

are

continually

using

its

produce

,

which

you

account

the

more

sacred

diet

.

If

I

should

offer

you

a

rose

,

you

will

not

disdain

its

Maker

.

You

hypocrite

,

however

much

of

abstinence

you

use

to

show

yourself

a

Marcionite

,

that

is

,

a

repudiator

of

your

Maker

(

for

if

the

world

displeased

you

,

such

abstinence

ought

to

have

been

affected

by

you

as

a

martyrdom

)

,

you

will

have

to

associate

yourself

with

the

Creator’s

material

production

,

into

what

element

soever

you

shall

be

dissolved

.

How

hard

is

this

obstinacy

of

yours

!

You

vilify

the

things

in

which

you

both

live

and

die

.

Notes

1
De industria ingeniis aut viribus ampliavit.
2
2 Cor. xii. 5.
3
Tertullian, it should be remembered, lived in Africa.
4
Cantharidis.
5
Adamavit.
6
Laboravit.
7
Paupertina. This and all such passages are, of course, in imitation of Marcion’s contemptuous view of the Creator’s work.
8
Cellula.
9
Infantat.
10
Mendicitatibus.
11
Matricem.
12
Medullas.
13
[The use of fish for fasting-days has no better warrant than Marcion’s example.]
14
Uteris.