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The Five Books Against Marcion

Tertullian

Book 2 · Chapter 18

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 XVIII.—Some of God’s Laws Defended as Good, Which the Marcionites Impeached, Such as the Lex Talionis. Useful Purposes in a Social and Moral Point of View of This, and Sundry Other Enactments.

But what parts of the law can I

‹ Book 2 · Chapter 17 Book 2 · Chapter 19 ›

defend

as

good

with

a

greater

confidence

than

those

which

heresy

has

shown

such

a

longing

for

?

—

as

the

statute

of

retaliation

,

requiring

eye

for

eye

,

tooth

for

tooth

,

and

stripe

for

stripe

.

Now

there

is

not

here

any

smack

of

a

permission

to

mutual

injury

;

but

rather

,

on

the

whole

,

a

provision

for

restraining

violence

.

To

a

people

which

was

very

obdurate

,

and

wanting

in

faith

towards

God

,

it

might

seem

tedious

,

and

even

incredible

,

to

expect

from

God

that

vengeance

which

was

subsequently

to

be

declared

by

the

prophet

:

“

Vengeance

is

mine

;

I

will

repay

,

saith

the

Lord

.

”

Therefore

,

in

the

meanwhile

,

the

commission

of

wrong

was

to

be

checked

by

the

fear

of

a

retribution

immediately

to

happen

;

and

so

the

permission

of

this

retribution

was

to

be

the

prohibition

of

provocation

,

that

a

stop

might

thus

be

put

to

all

hot

-

blooded

injury

,

whilst

by

the

permission

of

the

second

the

first

is

prevented

by

fear

,

and

by

this

deterring

of

the

first

the

second

fails

to

be

committed

.

By

the

same

law

another

result

is

also

obtained

,

even

the

more

ready

kindling

of

the

fear

of

retaliation

by

reason

of

the

very

savour

of

passion

which

is

in

it

.

There

is

no

more

bitter

thing

,

than

to

endure

the

very

suffering

which

you

have

inflicted

upon

others

.

When

,

again

,

the

law

took

somewhat

away

from

men’s

food

,

by

pronouncing

unclean

certain

animals

which

were

once

blessed

,

you

should

understand

this

to

be

a

measure

for

encouraging

continence

,

and

recognise

in

it

a

bridle

imposed

on

that

appetite

which

,

while

eating

angels

’

food

,

craved

after

the

cucumbers

and

melons

of

the

Egyptians

.

Recognise

also

therein

a

precaution

against

those

companions

of

the

appetite

,

even

lust

and

luxury

,

which

are

usually

chilled

by

the

chastening

of

the

appetite

.

For

“

the

people

sat

down

to

eat

and

to

drink

,

and

rose

up

to

play

.

”

Furthermore

,

that

an

eager

wish

for

money

might

be

restrained

,

so

far

as

it

is

caused

by

the

need

of

food

,

the

desire

for

costly

meat

and

drink

was

taken

out

of

their

power

.

Lastly

,

in

order

that

man

might

be

more

readily

educated

by

God

for

fasting

,

he

was

accustomed

to

such

articles

of

food

as

were

neither

plentiful

nor

sumptuous

,

and

not

likely

to

pamper

the

appetite

of

the

luxurious

.

Of

course

the

Creator

deserved

all

the

greater

blame

,

because

it

was

from

His

own

people

that

He

took

away

food

,

rather

than

from

the

more

ungrateful

Marcionites

.

As

for

the

burdensome

sacrifices

also

,

and

the

troublesome

scrupulousness

of

their

ceremonies

and

oblations

,

no

one

should

blame

them

,

as

if

God

specially

required

them

for

Himself

:

for

He

plainly

asks

,

“

To

what

purpose

is

the

multitude

of

your

sacrifices

unto

me

?

”

and

,

“

Who

hath

required

them

at

your

hand

?

”

But

he

should

see

herein

a

careful

provision

on

God’s

part

,

which

showed

His

wish

to

bind

to

His

own

religion

a

people

who

were

prone

to

idolatry

and

transgression

by

that

kind

of

services

wherein

consisted

the

superstition

of

that

period

;

that

He

might

call

them

away

therefrom

,

while

requesting

it

to

be

performed

to

Himself

,

as

if

He

desired

that

no

sin

should

be

committed

in

making

idols

.

Notes

1
Ex. xxi. 24.
2
Deut. xxxii. 35; Rom. xii. 19.
3
Repastinaretur.
4
Æstuata.
5
Qua et alias.
6
Ventris.
7
Ex. xxxii. 6.
8
Operationes.
9
Isa. i. 11, 12.
10
Industriam.