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The Five Books Against Marcion

Tertullian

Book 3 · Chapter 20

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 XX.—The Subsequent Influence of Christ’s Death in the World Predicted. The Sure Mercies of David. What These are.

It is sufficient for my purpose to have

‹ Book 3 · Chapter 19 Book 3 · Chapter 21 ›

traced

thus

far

the

course

of

Christ’s

dispensation

in

these

particulars

.

This

has

proved

Him

to

be

such

a

one

as

prophecy

announced

He

should

be

,

so

that

He

ought

not

to

be

regarded

in

any

other

character

than

that

which

prediction

assigned

to

Him

;

and

the

result

of

this

agreement

between

the

facts

of

His

course

and

the

Scriptures

of

the

Creator

should

be

the

restoration

of

belief

in

them

from

that

prejudice

which

has

,

by

contributing

to

diversity

of

opinion

,

either

thrown

doubt

upon

,

or

led

to

a

denial

of

,

a

considerable

part

of

them

.

And

now

we

go

further

and

build

up

the

superstructure

of

those

kindred

events

out

of

the

Scriptures

of

the

Creator

which

were

predicted

and

destined

to

happen

after

Christ

.

For

the

dispensation

would

not

be

found

complete

,

if

He

had

not

come

after

whom

it

had

to

run

on

its

course

.

Look

at

all

nations

from

the

vortex

of

human

error

emerging

out

of

it

up

to

the

Divine

Creator

,

the

Divine

Christ

,

and

deny

Him

to

be

the

object

of

prophecy

,

if

you

dare

.

At

once

there

will

occur

to

you

the

Father’s

promise

in

the

Psalms

:

“

Thou

art

my

Son

,

this

day

have

I

begotten

Thee

.

Ask

of

me

,

and

I

shall

give

Thee

the

heathen

for

Thine

inheritance

,

and

the

uttermost

parts

of

the

earth

for

Thy

possession

.

”

You

will

not

be

able

to

put

in

a

claim

for

some

son

of

David

being

here

meant

,

rather

than

Christ

;

or

for

the

ends

of

the

earth

being

promised

to

David

,

whose

kingdom

was

confined

to

the

Jewish

nation

simply

,

rather

than

to

Christ

,

who

now

embraces

the

whole

world

in

the

faith

of

His

gospel

.

So

again

He

says

by

Isaiah

:

“

I

have

given

Thee

for

a

dispensation

of

the

people

,

for

a

light

of

the

Gentiles

,

to

open

the

eyes

of

the

blind

,

”

that

is

,

those

that

be

in

error

,

“

to

bring

out

the

prisoners

from

the

prison

,

”

that

is

,

to

free

them

from

sin

,

“

and

from

the

prison

-

house

,

”

that

is

,

of

death

,

“

those

that

sit

in

darkness

”

—

even

that

of

ignorance

.

If

these

things

are

accomplished

through

Christ

,

they

would

not

have

been

designed

in

prophecy

for

any

other

than

Him

through

whom

they

have

their

accomplishment

.

In

another

passage

He

also

says

:

“

Behold

,

I

have

set

Him

as

a

testimony

to

the

nations

,

a

prince

and

commander

to

the

nations

;

nations

which

know

Thee

not

shall

invoke

Thee

,

and

peoples

shall

run

together

unto

Thee

.

”

You

will

not

interpret

these

words

of

David

,

because

He

previously

said

,

“

I

will

make

an

everlasting

covenant

with

you

,

even

the

sure

mercies

of

David

.

”

Indeed

,

you

will

be

obliged

from

these

words

all

the

more

to

understand

that

Christ

is

reckoned

to

spring

from

David

by

carnal

descent

,

by

reason

of

His

birth

of

the

Virgin

Mary

.

Touching

this

promise

of

Him

,

there

is

the

oath

to

David

in

the

psalm

,

“

Of

the

fruit

of

thy

body

will

I

set

upon

thy

throne

.

”

What

body

is

meant

?

David’s

own

?

Certainly

not

.

For

David

was

not

to

give

birth

to

a

son

.

Nor

his

wife’s

either

.

For

instead

of

saying

,

“

Of

the

fruit

of

thy

body

,

”

he

would

then

have

rather

said

,

“

Of

the

fruit

of

thy

wife’s

body

.

”

But

by

mentioning

his

body

,

it

follows

that

He

pointed

to

some

one

of

his

race

of

whose

body

the

flesh

of

Christ

was

to

be

the

fruit

,

which

bloomed

forth

from

Mary’s

womb

.

He

named

the

fruit

of

the

body

(

womb

)

alone

,

because

it

was

peculiarly

fruit

of

the

womb

,

of

the

womb

only

in

fact

,

and

not

of

the

husband

also

;

and

he

refers

the

womb

(

body

)

to

David

,

as

to

the

chief

of

the

race

and

father

of

the

family

.

Because

it

could

not

consist

with

a

virgin’s

condition

to

consort

her

with

a

husband

,

He

therefore

attributed

the

body

(

womb

)

to

the

father

.

That

new

dispensation

,

then

,

which

is

found

in

Christ

now

,

will

prove

to

be

what

the

Creator

then

promised

under

the

appellation

of

“

the

sure

mercies

of

David

,

”

which

were

Christ’s

,

inasmuch

as

Christ

sprang

from

David

,

or

rather

His

very

flesh

itself

was

David’s

“

sure

mercies

,

”

consecrated

by

religion

,

and

“

sure

”

after

its

resurrection

.

Accordingly

the

prophet

Nathan

,

in

the

first

of

Kings

,

makes

a

promise

to

David

for

his

seed

,

“

which

shall

proceed

,

”

says

he

,

“

out

of

thy

bowels

.

”

Now

,

if

you

explain

this

simply

of

Solomon

,

you

will

send

me

into

a

fit

of

laughter

.

For

David

will

evidently

have

brought

forth

Solomon

!

But

is

not

Christ

here

designated

the

seed

of

David

,

as

of

that

womb

which

was

derived

from

David

,

that

is

,

Mary’s

?

Now

,

because

Christ

rather

than

any

other

was

to

build

the

temple

of

God

,

that

is

to

say

,

a

holy

manhood

,

wherein

God’s

Spirit

might

dwell

as

in

a

better

temple

,

Christ

rather

than

David’s

son

Solomon

was

to

be

looked

for

as

the

Son

of

God

.

Then

,

again

,

the

throne

for

ever

with

the

kingdom

for

ever

is

more

suited

to

Christ

than

to

Solomon

,

a

mere

temporal

king

.

From

Christ

,

too

,

God’s

mercy

did

not

depart

,

whereas

on

Solomon

even

God’s

anger

alighted

,

after

his

luxury

and

idolatry

.

For

Satan

stirred

up

an

Edomite

as

an

enemy

against

him

.

Since

,

therefore

,

nothing

of

these

things

is

compatible

with

Solomon

,

but

only

with

Christ

,

the

method

of

our

interpretations

will

certainly

be

true

;

and

the

very

issue

of

the

facts

shows

that

they

were

clearly

predicted

of

Christ

.

And

so

in

Him

we

shall

have

“

the

sure

mercies

of

David

.

”

Him

,

not

David

,

has

God

appointed

for

a

testimony

to

the

nations

;

Him

,

for

a

prince

and

commander

to

the

nations

,

not

David

,

who

ruled

over

Israel

alone

.

It

is

Christ

whom

all

nations

now

invoke

,

which

knew

Him

not

;

Christ

to

whom

all

races

now

betake

themselves

,

whom

they

were

ignorant

of

before

.

It

is

impossible

that

should

be

said

to

be

future

,

which

you

see

(

daily

)

coming

to

pass

.

Notes

2
Ea paria.
3
Evenire.
4
Ps. ii. 7.
5
Isa. xlii. 6, 7.
6
Isa. lv. 4, 5.
7
Isa. lv. 3.
8
Censum. [Kaye, p. 149.]
9
Ventris, “womb.”
10
Ps. cxxxii. 11.
11
He treats “body” as here meaning womb.
12
Ipsius.
13
Floruit ex.
14
Viro deputare.
15
The four books of the Kings were sometimes regarded as two, “the first” of which contained 1 and 2 Samuel, “the second” 1 and 2 Kings. The reference in this place is to 2 Samuel vii. 12.
16
He here again makes bowels synonymous with womb.
17
Magis.
18
Habendus in.
19
In 1 Kings xi. 14, “the Lord” is said to have done this. Comp. 2 Sam. xxiv. 1 with 1 Chron. xxi. i.