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The Five Books Against Marcion

Tertullian

Book 3 · Chapter 14

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 XIV.—Figurative Style of Certain Messianic Prophecies in the Psalms. Military Metaphors Applied to Christ.

This interpretation of ours will derive confirmation,

‹ Book 3 · Chapter 13 Book 3 · Chapter 15 ›

when

,

on

your

supposing

that

Christ

is

in

any

passage

called

a

warrior

,

from

the

mention

of

certain

arms

and

expressions

of

that

sort

,

you

weigh

well

the

analogy

of

their

other

meanings

,

and

draw

your

conclusions

accordingly

.

“

Gird

on

Thy

sword

,

”

says

David

,

“

upon

Thy

thigh

.

”

But

what

do

you

read

about

Christ

just

before

?

“

Thou

art

fairer

than

the

children

of

men

;

grace

is

poured

forth

upon

Thy

lips

.

”

It

amuses

me

to

imagine

that

blandishments

of

fair

beauty

and

graceful

lips

are

ascribed

to

one

who

had

to

gird

on

His

sword

for

war

!

So

likewise

,

when

it

is

added

,

“

Ride

on

prosperously

in

Thy

majesty

,

”

the

reason

is

subjoined

:

“

Because

of

truth

,

and

meekness

,

and

righteousness

.

”

But

who

shall

produce

these

results

with

the

sword

,

and

not

their

opposites

rather

—

deceit

,

and

harshness

,

and

injury

—

which

,

it

must

be

confessed

,

are

the

proper

business

of

battles

?

Let

us

see

,

therefore

,

whether

that

is

not

some

other

sword

,

which

has

so

different

an

action

.

Now

the

Apostle

John

,

in

the

Apocalypse

,

describes

a

sword

which

proceeded

from

the

mouth

of

God

as

“

a

doubly

sharp

,

two

-

edged

one

.

”

This

may

be

understood

to

be

the

Divine

Word

,

who

is

doubly

edged

with

the

two

testaments

of

the

law

and

the

gospel

—

sharpened

with

wisdom

,

hostile

to

the

devil

,

arming

us

against

the

spiritual

enemies

of

all

wickedness

and

concupiscence

,

and

cutting

us

off

from

the

dearest

objects

for

the

sake

of

God’s

holy

name

.

If

,

however

,

you

will

not

acknowledge

John

,

you

have

our

common

master

Paul

,

who

“

girds

our

loins

about

with

truth

,

and

puts

on

us

the

breastplate

of

righteousness

,

and

shoes

us

with

the

preparation

of

the

gospel

of

peace

,

not

of

war

;

who

bids

us

take

the

shield

of

faith

,

wherewith

we

may

be

able

to

quench

all

the

fiery

darts

of

the

devil

,

and

the

helmet

of

salvation

,

and

the

sword

of

the

Spirit

,

which

(

he

says

)

is

the

word

of

God

.

”

This

sword

the

Lord

Himself

came

to

send

on

earth

,

and

not

peace

.

If

he

is

your

Christ

,

then

even

he

is

a

warrior

.

If

he

is

not

a

warrior

,

and

the

sword

he

brandishes

is

an

allegorical

one

,

then

the

Creator’s

Christ

in

the

psalm

too

may

have

been

girded

with

the

figurative

sword

of

the

Word

,

without

any

martial

gear

.

The

above

-

mentioned

“

fairness

”

of

His

beauty

and

“

grace

of

His

lips

”

would

quite

suit

such

a

sword

,

girt

as

it

even

then

was

upon

His

thigh

in

the

passage

of

David

,

and

sent

as

it

would

one

day

be

by

Him

on

earth

.

For

this

is

what

He

says

:

“

Ride

on

prosperously

in

Thy

majesty

”

—

advancing

His

word

into

every

land

,

so

as

to

call

all

nations

:

destined

to

prosper

in

the

success

of

that

faith

which

received

Him

,

and

reigning

,

from

the

fact

that

He

conquered

death

by

His

resurrection

.

“

Thy

right

hand

,

”

says

He

,

“

shall

wonderfully

lead

Thee

forth

,

”

even

the

might

of

Thy

spiritual

grace

,

whereby

the

knowledge

of

Christ

is

spread

.

“

Thine

arrows

are

sharp

;

”

everywhere

Thy

precepts

fly

about

,

Thy

threatenings

also

,

and

convictions

of

heart

,

pricking

and

piercing

each

conscience

.

“

The

people

shall

fall

under

Thee

,

”

that

is

,

in

adoration

.

Thus

is

the

Creator’s

Christ

mighty

in

war

,

and

a

bearer

of

arms

;

thus

also

does

He

now

take

the

spoils

,

not

of

Samaria

alone

,

but

of

all

nations

.

Acknowledge

,

then

,

that

His

spoils

are

figurative

,

since

you

have

learned

that

His

arms

are

allegorical

.

Since

,

therefore

,

both

the

Lord

speaks

and

His

apostle

writes

such

things

in

a

figurative

style

,

we

are

not

rash

in

using

His

interpretations

,

the

records

of

which

even

our

adversaries

admit

;

and

thus

in

so

far

will

it

be

Isaiah’s

Christ

who

has

come

,

in

as

far

as

He

was

not

a

warrior

,

because

it

is

not

of

such

a

character

that

He

is

described

by

Isaiah

.

Notes

1
Ps. xlv. 3.
2
Ps. xlv. 2.
3
Literally, “Advance, and prosper, and reign.”
4
Ps. xlv. 4.
5
Rev. i. 16.
6
Eph. vi. 14–17.
7
Matt. x. 34.
8
“Advance, and prosper, and reign.”
9
Exinde qua.
10
Ps. xlv. 4, but changed.
11
Ps. xlv. 5.
12
Traductiones.
13
Ps. xlv. 5.
14
Ejusmodi.
15
Exempla.