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The Five Books Against Marcion

Tertullian

Book 2 · Chapter 26

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 XXVI.—The Oath of God: Its Meaning. Moses, When Deprecating God’s Wrath Against Israel, a Type of Christ.

But God also swears. Well, is it

‹ Book 2 · Chapter 25 Book 2 · Chapter 27 ›

,

I

wonder

,

by

the

God

of

Marcion

?

No

,

no

,

he

says

;

a

much

vainer

oath

—

by

Himself

!

What

was

He

to

do

,

when

He

knew

of

no

other

God

;

especially

when

He

was

swearing

to

this

very

point

,

that

besides

himself

there

was

absolutely

no

God

?

Is

it

then

of

swearing

falsely

that

you

convict

Him

,

or

of

swearing

a

vain

oath

?

But

it

is

not

possible

for

him

to

appear

to

have

sworn

falsely

,

when

he

was

ignorant

,

as

you

say

he

was

,

that

there

was

another

God

.

For

when

he

swore

by

that

which

he

knew

,

he

really

committed

no

perjury

.

But

it

was

not

a

vain

oath

for

him

to

swear

that

there

was

no

other

God

.

It

would

indeed

be

a

vain

oath

,

if

there

had

been

no

persons

who

believed

that

there

were

other

Gods

,

like

the

worshippers

of

idols

then

,

and

the

heretics

of

the

present

day

.

Therefore

He

swears

by

Himself

,

in

order

that

you

may

believe

God

,

even

when

He

swears

that

there

is

besides

Himself

no

other

God

at

all

.

But

you

have

yourself

,

O

Marcion

,

compelled

God

to

do

this

.

For

even

so

early

as

then

were

you

foreseen

.

Hence

,

if

He

swears

both

in

His

promises

and

His

threatenings

,

and

thus

extorts

faith

which

at

first

was

difficult

,

nothing

is

unworthy

of

God

which

causes

men

to

believe

in

God

.

But

(

you

say

)

God

was

even

then

mean

enough

in

His

very

fierceness

,

when

,

in

His

wrath

against

the

people

for

their

consecration

of

the

calf

,

He

makes

this

request

of

His

servant

Moses

:

“

Let

me

alone

,

that

my

wrath

may

wax

hot

against

them

,

and

that

I

may

consume

them

;

and

I

will

make

of

thee

a

great

nation

.

”

Accordingly

,

you

maintain

that

Moses

is

better

than

his

God

,

as

the

deprecator

,

nay

the

averter

,

of

His

anger

.

“

For

,

”

said

he

,

“

Thou

shalt

not

do

this

;

or

else

destroy

me

along

with

them

.

”

Pitiable

are

ye

also

,

as

well

as

the

people

,

since

you

know

not

Christ

,

prefigured

in

the

person

of

Moses

as

the

deprecator

of

the

Father

,

and

the

offerer

of

His

own

life

for

the

salvation

of

the

people

.

It

is

enough

,

however

,

that

the

nation

was

at

the

instant

really

given

to

Moses

.

That

which

he

,

as

a

servant

,

was

able

to

ask

of

the

Lord

,

the

Lord

required

of

Himself

.

For

this

purpose

did

He

say

to

His

servant

,

“

Let

me

alone

,

that

I

may

consume

them

,

”

in

order

that

by

his

entreaty

,

and

by

offering

himself

,

he

might

hinder

(

the

threatened

judgment

)

,

and

that

you

might

by

such

an

instance

learn

how

much

privilege

is

vouchsafed

with

God

to

a

faithful

man

and

a

prophet

.

Notes

1
See Jer. xxii. 5.
2
Isa. xliv. 8.
3
Deprehendis.
4
Extorquens.
5
Pusillus.
6
Ex. xxxii. 10.
7
An allusion to, rather than a quotation of, Ex. xxxii. 32.
8
Non sineret.
9
Quantum liceat.