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The Five Books Against Marcion

Tertullian

Book 1 · Chapter 5

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 V.—The Dual Principle Falls to the Ground; Plurality of Gods, of Whatever Number, More Consistent. Absurdity and Injury to Piety Resulting from Marcion’s Duality.

But on what principle did Marcion confine his

‹ Book 1 · Chapter 4 Book 1 · Chapter 6 ›

supreme

powers

to

two

?

I

would

first

ask

,

If

there

be

two

,

why

not

more

?

Because

if

number

be

compatible

with

the

substance

of

Deity

,

the

richer

you

make

it

in

number

the

better

.

Valentinus

was

more

consistent

and

more

liberal

;

for

he

,

having

once

imagined

two

deities

,

Bythos

and

Sige

,

poured

forth

a

swarm

of

divine

essences

,

a

brood

of

no

less

than

thirty

Æons

,

like

the

sow

of

Æneas

.

Now

,

whatever

principle

refuses

to

admit

several

supreme

beings

,

the

same

must

reject

even

two

,

for

there

is

plurality

in

the

very

lowest

number

after

one

.

After

unity

,

number

commences

.

So

,

again

,

the

same

principle

which

could

admit

two

could

admit

more

.

After

two

,

multitude

begins

,

now

that

one

is

exceeded

.

In

short

,

we

feel

that

reason

herself

expressly

forbids

the

belief

in

more

gods

than

one

,

because

the

self

-

same

rule

lays

down

one

God

and

not

two

,

which

declares

that

God

must

be

a

Being

to

which

,

as

the

great

Supreme

,

nothing

is

equal

;

and

that

Being

to

which

nothing

is

equal

must

,

moreover

,

be

unique

.

But

further

,

what

can

be

the

use

or

advantage

in

supposing

two

supreme

beings

,

two

co

-

ordinate

powers

?

What

numerical

difference

could

there

be

when

two

equals

differ

not

from

one

?

For

that

thing

which

is

the

same

in

two

is

one

.

Even

if

there

were

several

equals

,

all

would

be

just

as

much

one

,

because

,

as

equals

,

they

would

not

differ

one

from

another

.

So

,

if

of

two

beings

neither

differs

from

the

other

,

since

both

of

them

are

on

the

supposition

supreme

,

both

being

gods

,

neither

of

them

is

more

excellent

than

the

other

;

and

so

,

having

no

pre

-

eminence

,

their

numerical

distinction

has

no

reason

in

it

.

Number

,

moreover

,

in

the

Deity

ought

to

be

consistent

with

the

highest

reason

,

or

else

His

worship

would

be

brought

into

doubt

.

For

consider

now

,

if

,

when

I

saw

two

Gods

before

me

(

who

,

being

both

Supreme

Beings

,

were

equal

to

each

other

)

,

I

were

to

worship

them

both

,

what

should

I

be

doing

?

I

should

be

much

afraid

that

the

abundance

of

my

homage

would

be

deemed

superstition

rather

than

piety

.

Because

,

as

both

of

them

are

so

equal

and

are

both

included

in

either

of

the

two

,

I

might

serve

them

both

acceptably

in

only

one

;

and

by

this

very

means

I

should

attest

their

equality

and

unity

,

provided

that

I

worshipped

them

mutually

the

one

in

the

other

,

because

in

the

one

both

are

present

to

me

.

If

I

were

to

worship

one

of

the

two

,

I

should

be

equally

conscious

of

seeming

to

pour

contempt

on

the

uselessness

of

a

numerical

distinction

,

which

was

superfluous

,

because

it

indicated

no

difference

;

in

other

words

,

I

should

think

it

the

safer

course

to

worship

neither

of

these

two

Gods

than

one

of

them

with

some

scruple

of

conscience

,

or

both

of

them

to

none

effect

.

Notes

1
Depth and silence.
2
See Virgil, Æneid, viii. 43, etc.
3
Ipso termino.
4
Paria.
5
Jam.
6
Numeri sui.
7
Ecce.