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The Five Books Against Marcion

Tertullian

Book 1 · Chapter 7

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 VII.—Other Beings Besides God are in Scripture Called God. This Objection Frivolous, for It is Not a Question of Names. The Divine Essence is the Thing at Issue. Heresy, in Its General Terms, Thus Far Treated.

But this argument you will try to shake

‹ Book 1 · Chapter 6 Book 1 · Chapter 8 ›

with

an

objection

from

the

name

of

God

,

by

alleging

that

name

is

a

vague

one

,

and

applied

to

other

beings

also

;

as

it

is

written

,

“

God

standeth

in

the

congregation

of

the

mighty

;

He

judgeth

among

the

gods

.

”

And

again

,

“

I

have

said

,

Ye

are

gods

.

”

As

therefore

the

attribute

of

supremacy

would

be

inappropriate

to

these

,

although

they

are

called

gods

,

so

is

it

to

the

Creator

.

This

is

a

foolish

objection

;

and

my

answer

to

it

is

,

that

its

author

fails

to

consider

that

quite

as

strong

an

objection

might

be

urged

against

the

(

superior

)

god

of

Marcion

:

he

too

is

called

god

,

but

is

not

on

that

account

proved

to

be

divine

,

as

neither

are

angels

nor

men

,

the

Creator’s

handiwork

.

If

an

identity

of

names

affords

a

presumption

in

support

of

equality

of

condition

,

how

often

do

worthless

menials

strut

insolently

in

the

names

of

kings

—

your

Alexanders

,

Cæsars

,

and

Pompeys

!

This

fact

,

however

,

does

not

detract

from

the

real

attributes

of

the

royal

persons

.

Nay

more

,

the

very

idols

of

the

Gentiles

are

called

gods

.

Yet

not

one

of

them

is

divine

because

he

is

called

a

god

.

It

is

not

,

therefore

,

for

the

name

of

god

,

for

its

sound

or

its

written

form

,

that

I

am

claiming

the

supremacy

in

the

Creator

,

but

for

the

essence

to

which

the

name

belongs

;

and

when

I

find

that

essence

alone

is

unbegotten

and

unmade

—

alone

eternal

,

and

the

maker

of

all

things

—

it

is

not

to

its

name

,

but

its

state

,

not

to

its

designation

,

but

its

condition

,

that

I

ascribe

and

appropriate

the

attribute

of

the

supremacy

.

And

so

,

because

the

essence

to

which

I

ascribe

it

has

come

to

be

called

god

,

you

suppose

that

I

ascribe

it

to

the

name

,

because

I

must

needs

use

a

name

to

express

the

essence

,

of

which

indeed

that

Being

consists

who

is

called

God

,

and

who

is

accounted

the

great

Supreme

because

of

His

essence

,

not

from

His

name

.

In

short

,

Marcion

himself

,

when

he

imputes

this

character

to

his

god

,

imputes

it

to

the

nature

,

not

to

the

word

.

That

supremacy

,

then

,

which

we

ascribe

to

God

in

consideration

of

His

essence

,

and

not

because

of

His

name

,

ought

,

as

we

maintain

,

to

be

equal

in

both

the

beings

who

consist

of

that

substance

for

which

the

name

of

God

is

given

;

because

,

in

as

far

as

they

are

called

gods

(

i

.

e

.

supreme

beings

,

on

the

strength

,

of

course

,

of

their

unbegotten

and

eternal

,

and

therefore

great

and

supreme

essence

)

,

in

so

far

the

attribute

of

being

the

great

Supreme

cannot

be

regarded

as

less

or

worse

in

one

than

in

another

great

Supreme

.

If

the

happiness

,

and

sublimity

,

and

perfection

of

the

Supreme

Being

shall

hold

good

of

Marcion’s

god

,

it

will

equally

so

of

ours

;

and

if

not

of

ours

,

it

will

equally

not

hold

of

Marcion’s

.

Therefore

two

supreme

beings

will

be

neither

equal

nor

unequal

:

not

equal

,

because

the

principle

which

we

have

just

expounded

,

that

the

Supreme

Being

admits

of

no

comparison

with

Himself

,

forbids

it

;

not

unequal

,

because

another

principle

meets

us

respecting

the

Supreme

Being

,

that

He

is

capable

of

no

diminution

.

So

,

Marcion

,

you

are

caught

in

the

midst

of

your

own

Pontic

tide

.

The

waves

of

truth

overwhelm

you

on

every

side

.

You

can

neither

set

up

equal

gods

nor

unequal

ones

.

For

there

are

not

two

;

so

far

as

the

question

of

number

is

properly

concerned

.

Although

the

whole

matter

of

the

two

gods

is

at

issue

,

we

have

yet

confined

our

discussion

to

certain

bounds

,

within

which

we

shall

now

have

to

contend

about

separate

peculiarities

.

Notes

1
Passivo.
2
לא”־תרַעַבְּ. Tertullian’s version is: In ecclesia deorum. The Vulgate: In synagoga deorum.
3
Ps. lxxxii. 1, 6.
4
The now less obvious nicknames of “Alex. Darius and Olofernes,” are in the text.
5
Substantiæ.
6
Vocari obtinuit.
7
Statum.
8
Ex pari.
9
Integritas.
10
Hæsisti.