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The Five Books Against Marcion

Tertullian

Book 2 · Chapter 13

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 XIII.—Further Description of the Divine Justice; Since the Fall of Man It Has Regulated the Divine Goodness. God’s Claims on Our Love and Our Fear Reconciled.

But yet, when evil afterwards broke out

‹ Book 2 · Chapter 12 Book 2 · Chapter 14 ›

,

and

the

goodness

of

God

began

now

to

have

an

adversary

to

contend

against

,

God’s

justice

also

acquired

another

function

,

even

that

of

directing

His

goodness

according

to

men’s

application

for

it

.

And

this

is

the

result

:

the

divine

goodness

,

being

interrupted

in

that

free

course

whereby

God

was

spontaneously

good

,

is

now

dispensed

according

to

the

deserts

of

every

man

;

it

is

offered

to

the

worthy

,

denied

to

the

unworthy

,

taken

away

from

the

unthankful

,

and

also

avenged

on

all

its

enemies

.

Thus

the

entire

office

of

justice

in

this

respect

becomes

an

agency

for

goodness

:

whatever

it

condemns

by

its

judgment

,

whatever

it

chastises

by

its

condemnation

,

whatever

(

to

use

your

phrase

)

it

ruthlessly

pursues

,

it

,

in

fact

,

benefits

with

good

instead

of

injuring

.

Indeed

,

the

fear

of

judgment

contributes

to

good

,

not

to

evil

.

For

good

,

now

contending

with

an

enemy

,

was

not

strong

enough

to

recommend

itself

by

itself

alone

.

At

all

events

,

if

it

could

do

so

much

,

it

could

not

keep

its

ground

;

for

it

had

lost

its

impregnability

through

the

foe

,

unless

some

power

of

fear

supervened

,

such

as

might

compel

the

very

unwilling

to

seek

after

good

,

and

take

care

of

it

.

But

who

,

when

so

many

incentives

to

evil

were

assailing

him

,

would

desire

that

good

,

which

he

could

despise

with

impunity

?

Who

,

again

,

would

take

care

of

what

he

could

lose

without

danger

?

You

read

how

broad

is

the

road

to

evil

,

how

thronged

in

comparison

with

the

opposite

:

would

not

all

glide

down

that

road

were

there

nothing

in

it

to

fear

?

We

dread

the

Creator’s

tremendous

threats

,

and

yet

scarcely

turn

away

from

evil

.

What

,

if

He

threatened

not

?

Will

you

call

this

justice

an

evil

,

when

it

is

all

unfavourable

to

evil

?

Will

you

deny

it

to

be

a

good

,

when

it

has

its

eye

towards

good

?

What

sort

of

being

ought

you

to

wish

God

to

be

?

Would

it

be

right

to

prefer

that

He

should

be

such

,

that

sins

might

flourish

under

Him

,

and

the

devil

make

mock

at

Him

?

Would

you

suppose

Him

to

be

a

good

God

,

who

should

be

able

to

make

a

man

worse

by

security

in

sin

?

Who

is

the

author

of

good

,

but

He

who

also

requires

it

?

In

like

manner

who

is

a

stranger

to

evil

,

except

Him

who

is

its

enemy

?

Who

its

enemy

,

besides

Him

who

is

its

conqueror

?

Who

else

its

conqueror

,

than

He

who

is

its

punisher

?

Thus

God

is

wholly

good

,

because

in

all

things

He

is

on

the

side

of

good

.

In

fact

,

He

is

omnipotent

,

because

able

both

to

help

and

to

hurt

.

Merely

to

profit

is

a

comparatively

small

matter

,

because

it

can

do

nothing

else

than

a

good

turn

.

From

such

a

conduct

with

what

confidence

can

I

hope

for

good

,

if

this

is

its

only

ability

?

How

can

I

follow

after

the

reward

of

innocence

,

if

I

have

no

regard

to

the

requital

of

wrong

-

doing

?

I

must

needs

have

my

doubts

whether

he

might

not

fail

in

recompensing

one

or

other

alternative

,

who

was

unequal

in

his

resources

to

meet

both

.

Thus

far

,

then

,

justice

is

the

very

fulness

of

the

Deity

Himself

,

manifesting

God

as

both

a

perfect

father

and

a

perfect

master

:

a

father

in

His

mercy

,

a

master

in

His

discipline

;

a

father

in

the

mildness

of

His

power

,

a

master

in

its

severity

;

a

father

who

must

be

loved

with

dutiful

affection

,

a

master

who

must

needs

be

feared

;

be

loved

,

because

He

prefers

mercy

to

sacrifice

;

be

feared

because

He

dislikes

sin

;

be

loved

,

because

He

prefers

the

sinner’s

repentance

to

his

death

;

be

feared

,

because

He

dislikes

the

sinners

who

do

not

repent

.

Accordingly

,

the

divine

law

enjoins

duties

in

respect

of

both

these

attributes

:

Thou

shalt

love

God

,

and

,

Thou

shalt

fear

God

.

It

proposed

one

for

the

obedient

man

,

the

other

for

the

transgressor

.

Notes

1
Secundum adversionem.
2
Procuratio.
3
Sævit.
4
Commendari.
5
Matt. vii. 13.
6
Prospicit.
7
De ejusmodi.
8
Hos. vi. 6.
9
Ezek. xxxiii. 11.
10
Matt. xxii. 37 f.