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The Five Books Against Marcion

Tertullian

Book 4 · Chapter 13

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 XIII.—Christ’s Connection with the Creator Shown. Many Quotations Out of the Old Testament Prophetically Bear on Certain Events of the Life of Jesus—Such as His Ascent to Praying on the Mountain; His Selection of Twelve Apostles; His Changing Simon’s Name to Peter, and Gentiles from Tyre and Sidon Resorting to Him.

Surely to Sion He brings good tidings,

‹ Book 4 · Chapter 12 Book 4 · Chapter 14 ›

and

to

Jerusalem

peace

and

all

blessings

;

He

goes

up

into

a

mountain

,

and

there

spends

a

night

in

prayer

,

and

He

is

indeed

heard

by

the

Father

.

Accordingly

turn

over

the

prophets

,

and

learn

therefrom

His

entire

course

.

“

Into

the

high

mountain

,

”

says

Isaiah

,

“

get

Thee

up

,

who

bringest

good

tidings

to

Sion

;

lift

up

Thy

voice

with

strength

,

who

bringest

good

tidings

to

Jerusalem

.

”

“

They

were

mightily

astonished

at

His

doctrine

;

for

He

was

teaching

as

one

who

had

power

.

”

And

again

:

“

Therefore

,

my

people

shall

know

my

name

in

that

day

.

”

What

name

does

the

prophet

mean

,

but

Christ’s

?

“

That

I

am

He

that

doth

speak

—

even

I

.

”

For

it

was

He

who

used

to

speak

in

the

prophets

—

the

Word

,

the

Creator’s

Son

.

“

I

am

present

,

while

it

is

the

hour

,

upon

the

mountains

,

as

one

that

bringeth

glad

tidings

of

peace

,

as

one

that

publisheth

good

tidings

of

good

.

”

So

one

of

the

twelve

(

minor

prophets

)

,

Nahum

:

“

For

behold

upon

the

mountain

the

swift

feet

of

Him

that

bringeth

glad

tidings

of

peace

.

”

Moreover

,

concerning

the

voice

of

His

prayer

to

the

Father

by

night

,

the

psalm

manifestly

says

:

“

O

my

God

,

I

will

cry

in

the

day

-

time

,

and

Thou

shalt

hear

;

and

in

the

night

season

,

and

it

shall

not

be

in

vain

to

me

.

”

In

another

passage

touching

the

same

voice

and

place

,

the

psalm

says

:

“

I

cried

unto

the

Lord

with

my

voice

,

and

He

heard

me

out

of

His

holy

mountain

.

”

You

have

a

representation

of

the

name

;

you

have

the

action

of

the

Evangelizer

;

you

have

a

mountain

for

the

site

;

and

the

night

as

the

time

;

and

the

sound

of

a

voice

;

and

the

audience

of

the

Father

:

you

have

,

(

in

short

,

)

the

Christ

of

the

prophets

.

But

why

was

it

that

He

chose

twelve

apostles

,

and

not

some

other

number

?

In

truth

,

I

might

from

this

very

point

conclude

of

my

Christ

,

that

He

was

foretold

not

only

by

the

words

of

prophets

,

but

by

the

indications

of

facts

.

For

of

this

number

I

find

figurative

hints

up

and

down

the

Creator’s

dispensation

in

the

twelve

springs

of

Elim

;

in

the

twelve

gems

of

Aaron’s

priestly

vestment

;

and

in

the

twelve

stones

appointed

by

Joshua

to

be

taken

out

of

the

Jordan

,

and

set

up

for

the

ark

of

the

covenant

.

Now

,

the

same

number

of

apostles

was

thus

portended

,

as

if

they

were

to

be

fountains

and

rivers

which

should

water

the

Gentile

world

,

which

was

formerly

dry

and

destitute

of

knowledge

(

as

He

says

by

Isaiah

:

“

I

will

put

streams

in

the

unwatered

ground

”

)

;

as

if

they

were

to

be

gems

to

shed

lustre

upon

the

church’s

sacred

robe

,

which

Christ

,

the

High

Priest

of

the

Father

,

puts

on

;

as

if

,

also

,

they

were

to

be

stones

massive

in

their

faith

,

which

the

true

Joshua

took

out

of

the

laver

of

the

Jordan

,

and

placed

in

the

sanctuary

of

His

covenant

.

What

equally

good

defence

of

such

a

number

has

Marcion’s

Christ

to

show

?

It

is

impossible

that

anything

can

be

shown

to

have

been

done

by

him

unconnectedly

,

which

cannot

be

shown

to

have

been

done

by

my

Christ

in

connection

(

with

preceding

types

)

.

To

him

will

appertain

the

event

in

whom

is

discovered

the

preparation

for

the

same

.

Again

,

He

changes

the

name

of

Simon

to

Peter

,

inasmuch

as

the

Creator

also

altered

the

names

of

Abram

,

and

Sarai

,

and

Oshea

,

by

calling

the

latter

Joshua

,

and

adding

a

syllable

to

each

of

the

former

.

But

why

Peter

?

If

it

was

because

of

the

vigour

of

his

faith

,

there

were

many

solid

materials

which

might

lend

a

name

from

their

strength

.

Was

it

because

Christ

was

both

a

rock

and

a

stone

?

For

we

read

of

His

being

placed

“

for

a

stone

of

stumbling

and

for

a

rock

of

offence

.

”

I

omit

the

rest

of

the

passage

.

Therefore

He

would

fain

impart

to

the

dearest

of

His

disciples

a

name

which

was

suggested

by

one

of

His

own

especial

designations

in

figure

;

because

it

was

,

I

suppose

,

more

peculiarly

fit

than

a

name

which

might

have

been

derived

from

no

figurative

description

of

Himself

.

There

come

to

Him

from

Tyre

,

and

from

other

districts

even

,

a

transmarine

multitude

.

This

fact

the

psalm

had

in

view

:

“

And

behold

tribes

of

foreign

people

,

and

Tyre

,

and

the

people

of

the

Ethiopians

;

they

were

there

.

Sion

is

my

mother

,

shall

a

man

say

;

and

in

her

was

born

a

man

”

(

forasmuch

as

the

God

-

man

was

born

)

,

and

He

built

her

by

the

Father’s

will

;

that

you

may

know

how

Gentiles

then

flocked

to

Him

,

because

He

was

born

the

God

-

man

who

was

to

build

the

church

according

to

the

Father’s

will

—

even

of

other

races

also

.

So

says

Isaiah

too

:

“

Behold

,

these

come

from

far

;

and

these

from

the

north

and

from

the

west

;

and

these

from

the

land

of

the

Persians

.

”

Concerning

whom

He

says

again

:

“

Lift

up

thine

eyes

round

about

,

and

behold

,

all

these

have

gathered

themselves

together

.

”

And

yet

again

:

“

Thou

seest

these

unknown

and

strange

ones

;

and

thou

wilt

say

in

thine

heart

,

Who

hath

begotten

me

these

?

But

who

hath

brought

me

up

these

?

And

these

,

where

have

they

been

?

”

Will

such

a

Christ

not

be

(

the

Christ

)

of

the

prophets

?

And

what

will

be

the

Christ

of

the

Marcionites

?

Since

perversion

of

truth

is

their

pleasure

,

he

could

not

be

(

the

Christ

)

of

the

prophets

.

Notes

1
Luke vi. 12.
2
Ordinem.
3
Isa. xl. 9.
4
In vigore. Or this phrase may qualify the noun thus: “They were astonished at His doctrine, in its might.”
5
Luke iv. 32.
6
Isa. lii. 6.
7
Our author’s reading of Isa. lii. 7.
8
Nahum i. 15.
9
Ps. xxii. 2.
10
Ps. iii. 4.
11
Luke vi. 13–19.
12
Næ.
13
Interpretari.
14
Apud creatorem.
15
Num. xxxiii. 9.
16
Ex. xxviii. 13–21.
17
Isa. xliii. 20.
18
Simpliciter: i.e., simply or without relation to any types or prophecies.
19
Non simpliciter.
20
Res.
21
Rei præparatura.
22
Luke vi. 14. [Elucidation III.]
23
Isa. viii. 14; Rom. ix. 33; 1 Pet. ii. 8.
24
Cætera.
25
Affectavit.
26
De non suis; opposed to the de figuris suis peculiariter. [St. Peter was not the dearest of the Apostles though he was the foremost.]
27
Ps. lxxxvii. 4, 5, according to the Septuagint.
28
Mari.
29
Isa. xlix. 12.
30
Isa. xlix. 18.
31
Isa. xlix. 21.