The Five Books Against Marcion — Book 1, Chapter 8

1

Stuporem suum.

2

[Cap. xix. infra.]

3

The original of this obscure passage is: “Novum igitur audiens deum, in vetere mundo et in vetere ævo et sub vetere deo inauditum quem tantis retro seculis neminem, et ipsa ignorantia antiquum, quidam Jesus Christus, et ille in veteribus nominibus novus, revelaverit, nec alius antehac.” The harsh expression, “quidam Jesus Christus,” bears, of course, a sarcastic reference to the capricious and inconsistent novelty which Marcion broached in his heresy about Christ. [By some slight chance in punctuation and arrangement, I have endeavoured to make it a little clearer.]

4

Gloriæ. [Qu. boast?]

5

Hæc erit novitas quæ.

6

Novo semper ac novo titulo.

7

Consecravit.

8

Germana.

9

Censetur. A frequent meaning in Tertullian. See Apol. 7 and 12.

10

We cannot preserve the terseness of the Latin: Deus, si est vetus, non erit; si est novus, non fuit.

Book 1 · Chapter 8

Chapter VIII.—Specific Points. The Novelty of Marcion’s God Fatal to His Pretensions. God is from Everlasting, He Cannot Be in Any Wise New.

Notes