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The Five Books Against Marcion

Tertullian

Book 1 · Chapter 16

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 XVI.—Marcion Assumes the Existence of Two Gods from the Antithesis Between Things Visible and Things Invisible. This Antithetical Principle in Fact Characteristic of the Works of the Creator, the One God—Maker of All Things Visible and Invisible.

Since, then, that other world does

‹ Book 1 · Chapter 15 Book 1 · Chapter 17 ›

not

appear

,

nor

its

god

either

,

the

only

resource

left

to

them

is

to

divide

things

into

the

two

classes

of

visible

and

invisible

,

with

two

gods

for

their

authors

,

and

so

to

claim

the

invisible

for

their

own

,

(

the

supreme

)

God

.

But

who

,

except

an

heretical

spirit

,

could

ever

bring

his

mind

to

believe

that

the

invisible

part

of

creation

belongs

to

him

who

had

previously

displayed

no

visible

thing

,

rather

than

to

Him

who

,

by

His

operation

on

the

visible

world

,

produced

a

belief

in

the

invisible

also

,

since

it

is

far

more

reasonable

to

give

one’s

assent

after

some

samples

(

of

a

work

)

than

after

none

?

We

shall

see

to

what

author

even

(

your

favourite

)

apostle

attributes

the

invisible

creation

,

when

we

come

to

examine

him

.

At

present

(

we

withhold

his

testimony

)

,

for

we

are

for

the

most

part

engaged

in

preparing

the

way

,

by

means

of

common

sense

and

fair

arguments

,

for

a

belief

in

the

future

support

of

the

Scriptures

also

.

We

affirm

,

then

,

that

this

diversity

of

things

visible

and

invisible

must

on

this

ground

be

attributed

to

the

Creator

,

even

because

the

whole

of

His

work

consists

of

diversities

—

of

things

corporeal

and

incorporeal

;

of

animate

and

inanimate

;

of

vocal

and

mute

of

moveable

and

stationary

;

of

productive

and

sterile

;

of

arid

and

moist

;

of

hot

and

cold

.

Man

,

too

,

is

himself

similarly

tempered

with

diversity

,

both

in

his

body

and

in

his

sensation

.

Some

of

his

members

are

strong

,

others

weak

;

some

comely

,

others

uncomely

;

some

twofold

,

others

unique

;

some

like

,

others

unlike

.

In

like

manner

there

is

diversity

also

in

his

sensation

:

now

joy

,

then

anxiety

;

now

love

,

then

hatred

;

now

anger

,

then

calmness

.

Since

this

is

the

case

,

inasmuch

as

the

whole

of

this

creation

of

ours

has

been

fashioned

with

a

reciprocal

rivalry

amongst

its

several

parts

,

the

invisible

ones

are

due

to

the

visible

,

and

not

to

be

ascribed

to

any

other

author

than

Him

to

whom

their

counterparts

are

imputed

,

marking

as

they

do

diversity

in

the

Creator

Himself

,

who

orders

what

He

forbade

,

and

forbids

what

He

ordered

;

who

also

strikes

and

heals

.

Why

do

they

take

Him

to

be

uniform

in

one

class

of

things

alone

,

as

the

Creator

of

visible

things

,

and

only

them

;

whereas

He

ought

to

be

believed

to

have

created

both

the

visible

and

the

invisible

,

in

just

the

same

way

as

life

and

death

,

or

as

evil

things

and

peace

?

And

verily

,

if

the

invisible

creatures

are

greater

than

the

visible

,

which

are

in

their

own

sphere

great

,

so

also

is

it

fitting

that

the

greater

should

be

His

to

whom

the

great

belong

;

because

neither

the

great

,

nor

indeed

the

greater

,

can

be

suitable

property

for

one

who

seems

to

possess

not

even

the

smallest

things

.

Notes

1
Consequens est ut.
2
Defendant.
3
Col. i. 16.
4
Nunc enim. The elliptical νῦν γάρ of Greek argumentation.
5
Modulata.
6
“I make peace, and create evil,” Isa. xlv. 7.