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The Five Books Against Marcion

Tertullian

Book 2 · Chapter 9

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 IX.—Another Cavil Answered, I.e., the Fall Imputable to God, Because Man’s Soul is a Portion of the Spiritual Essence of the Creator. The Divine Afflatus Not in Fault in the Sin of Man, But the Human Will Which Was Additional to It.

But, you say, in what way

‹ Book 2 · Chapter 8 Book 2 · Chapter 10 ›

soever

the

substance

of

the

Creator

is

found

to

be

susceptible

of

fault

,

when

the

afflatus

of

God

,

that

is

to

say

,

the

soul

,

offends

in

man

,

it

cannot

but

be

that

fault

of

the

portion

is

refferible

to

the

original

whole

.

Now

,

to

meet

this

objection

,

we

must

explain

the

nature

of

the

soul

.

We

must

at

the

outset

hold

fast

the

meaning

of

the

Greek

scripture

,

which

has

afflatus

,

not

spirit

.

Some

interpreters

of

the

Greek

,

without

reflecting

on

the

difference

of

the

words

,

and

careless

about

their

exact

meaning

,

put

spirit

for

afflatus

;

they

thus

afford

to

heretics

an

opportunity

of

tarnishing

the

Spirit

of

God

,

that

is

to

say

,

God

Himself

,

with

default

.

And

now

comes

the

question

.

Afflatus

,

observe

then

,

is

less

than

spirit

,

although

it

comes

from

spirit

;

it

is

the

spirit’s

gentle

breeze

,

but

it

is

not

the

spirit

.

Now

a

breeze

is

rarer

than

the

wind

;

and

although

it

proceeds

from

wind

,

yet

a

breeze

is

not

the

wind

.

One

may

call

a

breeze

the

image

of

the

spirit

.

In

the

same

manner

,

man

is

the

image

of

God

,

that

is

,

of

spirit

;

for

God

is

spirit

.

Afflatus

is

therefore

the

image

of

the

spirit

.

Now

the

image

is

not

in

any

case

equal

to

the

very

thing

.

It

is

one

thing

to

be

like

the

reality

,

and

another

thing

to

be

the

reality

itself

.

So

,

although

the

afflatus

is

the

image

of

the

spirit

,

it

is

yet

not

possible

to

compare

the

image

of

God

in

such

a

way

,

that

,

because

the

reality

—

that

is

,

the

spirit

,

or

in

other

words

,

the

Divine

Being

—

is

faultless

,

therefore

the

afflatus

also

,

that

is

to

say

,

the

image

,

ought

not

by

any

possibility

to

have

done

wrong

.

In

this

respect

will

the

image

be

less

than

the

reality

,

and

the

afflatus

inferior

to

the

spirit

,

in

that

,

while

it

possesses

beyond

doubt

the

true

lineaments

of

divinity

,

such

as

an

immortal

soul

,

freedom

and

its

own

mastery

over

itself

,

foreknowledge

in

a

great

degree

,

reasonableness

,

capacity

of

understanding

and

knowledge

,

it

is

even

in

these

respects

an

image

still

,

and

never

amounts

to

the

actual

power

of

Deity

,

nor

to

absolute

exemption

from

fault

,

—

a

property

which

is

only

conceded

to

God

,

that

is

,

to

the

reality

,

and

which

is

simply

incompatible

with

an

image

.

An

image

,

although

it

may

express

all

the

lineaments

of

the

reality

,

is

yet

wanting

in

its

intrinsic

power

;

it

is

destitute

of

motion

.

In

like

manner

,

the

soul

,

the

image

of

the

spirit

,

is

unable

to

express

the

simple

power

thereof

,

that

is

to

say

,

its

happy

exemption

from

sinning

.

Were

it

otherwise

,

it

would

not

be

soul

,

but

spirit

;

not

man

,

who

received

a

soul

,

but

God

.

Besides

,

to

take

another

view

of

the

matter

,

not

everything

which

pertains

to

God

will

be

regarded

as

God

,

so

that

you

would

not

maintain

that

His

afflatus

was

God

,

that

is

,

exempt

from

fault

,

because

it

is

the

breath

of

God

.

And

in

an

act

of

your

own

,

such

as

blowing

into

a

flute

,

you

would

not

thereby

make

the

flute

human

,

although

it

was

your

own

human

breath

which

you

breathed

into

it

,

precisely

as

God

breathed

of

His

own

Spirit

.

In

fact

,

the

Scripture

,

by

expressly

saying

that

God

breathed

into

man’s

nostrils

the

breath

of

life

,

and

that

man

became

thereby

a

living

soul

,

not

a

life

-

giving

spirit

,

has

distinguished

that

soul

from

the

condition

of

the

Creator

.

The

work

must

necessarily

be

distinct

from

the

workman

,

and

it

is

inferior

to

him

.

The

pitcher

will

not

be

the

potter

,

although

made

by

the

potter

;

nor

in

like

manner

,

will

the

afflatus

,

because

made

by

the

spirit

,

be

on

that

account

the

spirit

.

The

soul

has

often

been

called

by

the

same

name

as

the

breath

.

You

should

also

take

care

that

no

descent

be

made

from

the

breath

to

a

still

lower

quality

.

So

you

have

granted

(

you

say

)

the

infirmity

of

the

soul

,

which

you

denied

before

!

Undoubtedly

,

when

you

demand

for

it

an

equality

with

God

,

that

is

,

a

freedom

from

fault

,

I

contend

that

it

is

infirm

.

But

when

the

comparison

is

challenged

with

an

angel

,

I

am

compelled

to

maintain

that

the

head

over

all

things

is

the

stronger

of

the

two

,

to

whom

the

angels

are

ministers

,

who

is

destined

to

be

the

judge

of

angels

,

if

he

shall

stand

fast

in

the

law

of

God

—

an

obedience

which

he

refused

at

first

.

Now

this

disobedience

it

was

possible

for

the

afflatus

of

God

to

commit

:

it

was

possible

,

but

it

was

not

proper

.

The

possibility

lay

in

its

slenderness

of

nature

,

as

being

the

breath

and

not

the

spirit

;

the

impropriety

,

however

,

arose

from

its

power

of

will

,

as

being

free

,

and

not

a

slave

.

It

was

furthermore

assisted

by

the

warning

against

committing

sin

under

the

threat

of

incurring

death

,

which

was

meant

to

be

a

support

for

its

slender

nature

,

and

a

direction

for

its

liberty

of

choice

.

So

that

the

soul

can

no

longer

appear

to

have

sinned

,

because

it

has

an

affinity

with

God

,

that

is

to

say

,

through

the

afflatus

,

but

rather

through

that

which

was

an

addition

to

its

nature

,

that

is

,

through

its

free

-

will

,

which

was

indeed

given

to

it

by

God

in

accordance

with

His

purpose

and

reason

,

but

recklessly

employed

by

man

according

as

he

chose

.

This

,

then

,

being

the

case

,

the

entire

course

of

God’s

action

is

purged

from

all

imputation

to

evil

.

For

the

liberty

of

the

will

not

retort

its

own

wrong

on

Him

by

whom

it

was

bestowed

,

but

on

him

by

whom

it

was

improperly

used

.

What

is

the

evil

,

then

,

which

you

want

to

impute

to

the

Creator

?

If

it

is

man’s

sin

,

it

will

not

be

God’s

fault

,

because

it

is

man’s

doing

;

nor

is

that

Being

to

be

regarded

as

the

author

of

the

sin

,

who

turns

out

to

be

its

forbidder

,

nay

,

its

condemner

.

If

death

is

the

evil

,

death

will

not

give

the

reproach

of

being

its

own

author

to

Him

who

threatened

it

,

but

to

him

who

despised

it

.

For

by

his

contempt

he

introduced

it

,

which

assuredly

would

not

have

appeared

had

man

not

despised

it

.

Notes

1
Anima, for animus. This meaning seems required throughout this passage, where afterwards occurs the phrase immortalis anima.
2
Qualitas.
3
Πνοήν, not πνεῦμα; so the Vulgate has spiraculum, not spiritum. [Kaye (p. 247) again refers to Profr. Andrews Norton of Harvard for valuable remarks concerning the use of the word spiritus by the ancients. Evidences, Vol. III. p. 160, note 7.]
4
Infuscandi.
5
Aurulam.
6
Veritati.
7
Plerumque.
8
Non deliquendi felicitatem.
9
Ceterum.
10
Et alias autem.
11
Denique.
12
Gen. ii. 7.
13
Heb. i. 14.
14
1 Cor. vi. 3.
15
Hoc ipsum, referring to the noluit of the preceding clause.
16
Agitatum.
17
Dispositio.
18
Utique.