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The Five Books Against Marcion

Tertullian

Book 2 · Chapter 1

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 I.—The Methods of Marcion’s Argument Incorrect and Absurd. The Proper Course of the Argument.

The occasion of reproducing this little work,

‹ Book 1 · Chapter 29 Book 2 · Chapter 2 ›

the

fortunes

of

which

we

noticed

in

the

preface

of

our

first

book

,

has

furnished

us

with

the

opportunity

of

distinguishing

,

in

our

treatment

of

the

subject

of

two

Gods

in

opposition

to

Marcion

,

each

of

them

with

a

description

and

section

of

his

own

,

according

to

the

division

of

the

subject

-

matter

,

defining

one

of

the

gods

to

have

no

existence

at

all

,

and

maintaining

of

the

Other

that

He

is

rightly

God

;

thus

far

keeping

pace

with

the

heretic

of

Pontus

,

who

has

been

pleased

to

admit

one

unto

,

and

exclude

the

other

.

For

he

could

not

build

up

his

mendacious

scheme

without

pulling

down

the

system

of

truth

.

He

found

it

necessary

to

demolish

some

other

thing

,

in

order

to

build

up

the

theory

which

he

wished

.

This

process

,

however

,

is

like

constructing

a

house

without

preparing

suitable

materials

.

The

discussion

ought

to

have

been

directed

to

this

point

alone

,

that

he

is

no

god

who

supersedes

the

Creator

.

Then

,

when

the

false

god

had

been

excluded

by

certain

rules

which

prescriptively

settle

what

is

the

character

of

the

One

only

perfect

Divinity

,

there

could

have

remained

no

longer

any

question

as

to

the

true

God

.

The

proof

of

His

existence

would

have

been

clear

,

and

that

,

too

,

amid

the

failure

of

all

evidence

in

support

of

any

other

god

;

and

still

clearer

would

have

seemed

the

point

as

to

the

honour

in

which

He

ought

without

controversy

to

be

held

:

that

He

ought

to

be

worshipped

rather

than

judged

;

served

reverentially

rather

than

handled

critically

,

or

even

dreaded

for

His

severity

.

For

what

was

more

fully

needed

by

man

than

a

careful

estimate

of

the

true

God

,

on

whom

,

so

to

speak

,

he

had

alighted

,

because

there

was

no

other

god

?

Notes

2
Digne.
3
From the dignity of the supreme Godhead.
4
Snbruere.
5
Propria paratura.
6
With the tanto (answering to the previous quanto) should be understood magis, a frequent omission in our author.
7
Cura in.
8
Inciderat.