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The Five Books Against Marcion

Tertullian

Book 4 · Chapter 31

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 XXXI.—Christ’s Advice to Invite the Poor in Accordance with Isaiah. The Parable of the Great Supper a Pictorial Sketch of the Creator’s Own Dispensations of Mercy and Grace. The Rejections of the Invitation Paralleled by Quotations from the Old Testament. Marcion’s Christ Could Not Fulfil the Conditions Indicated in This Parable. The Absurdity of the Marcionite Interpretation.

What kind of persons does He bid

‹ Book 4 · Chapter 30 Book 4 · Chapter 32 ›

should

be

invited

to

a

dinner

or

a

supper

?

Precisely

such

as

he

had

pointed

out

by

Isaiah

:

“

Deal

thy

bread

to

the

hungry

man

;

and

the

beggars

—

even

such

as

have

no

home

—

bring

in

to

thine

house

,

”

because

,

no

doubt

,

they

are

“

unable

to

recompense

”

your

act

of

humanity

.

Now

,

since

Christ

forbids

the

recompense

to

be

expected

now

,

but

promises

it

“

at

the

resurrection

,

”

this

is

the

very

plan

of

the

Creator

,

who

dislikes

those

who

love

gifts

and

follow

after

reward

.

Consider

also

to

which

deity

is

better

suited

the

parable

of

him

who

issued

invitations

:

“

A

certain

man

made

a

great

supper

,

and

bade

many

.

”

The

preparation

for

the

supper

is

no

doubt

a

figure

of

the

abundant

provision

of

eternal

life

.

I

first

remark

,

that

strangers

,

and

persons

unconnected

by

ties

of

relationship

,

are

not

usually

invited

to

a

supper

;

but

that

members

of

the

household

and

family

are

more

frequently

the

favoured

guests

.

To

the

Creator

,

then

,

it

belonged

to

give

the

invitation

,

to

whom

also

appertained

those

who

were

to

be

invited

—

whether

considered

as

men

,

through

their

descent

from

Adam

,

or

as

Jews

,

by

reason

of

their

fathers

;

not

to

him

who

possessed

no

claim

to

them

either

by

nature

or

prerogative

.

My

is

,

if

He

issues

the

invitations

who

has

prepared

the

supper

,

then

,

in

this

sense

the

supper

is

the

Creator’s

,

who

sent

to

warn

the

guests

.

These

had

been

indeed

previously

invited

by

the

fathers

,

but

were

to

be

admonished

by

the

prophets

.

It

certainly

is

not

the

feast

of

him

who

never

sent

a

messenger

to

warn

—

who

never

did

a

thing

before

towards

issuing

an

invitation

,

but

came

down

himself

on

a

sudden

—

only

then

beginning

to

be

known

,

when

already

giving

his

invitation

;

only

then

inviting

,

when

already

compelling

to

his

banquet

;

appointing

one

and

the

same

hour

both

for

the

supper

and

the

invitation

.

But

when

invited

,

they

excuse

themselves

.

And

fairly

enough

,

if

the

invitation

came

from

the

other

god

,

because

it

was

so

sudden

;

if

,

however

,

the

excuse

was

not

a

fair

one

,

then

the

invitation

was

not

a

sudden

one

.

Now

,

if

the

invitation

was

not

a

sudden

one

,

it

must

have

been

given

by

the

Creator

—

even

by

Him

of

old

time

,

whose

call

they

had

at

last

refused

.

They

first

refused

it

when

they

said

to

Aaron

,

“

Make

us

gods

,

which

shall

go

before

us

;

”

and

again

,

afterwards

,

when

“

they

heard

indeed

with

the

ear

,

but

did

not

understand

”

their

calling

of

God

.

In

a

manner

most

germane

to

this

parable

,

He

said

by

Jeremiah

:

“

Obey

my

voice

,

and

I

will

be

your

God

,

and

ye

shall

be

my

people

;

and

ye

shall

walk

in

all

my

ways

,

which

I

have

commanded

you

.

”

This

is

the

invitation

of

God

.

“

But

,

”

says

He

,

“

they

hearkened

not

,

nor

inclined

their

ear

.

”

This

is

the

refusal

of

the

people

.

“

They

departed

,

and

walked

every

one

in

the

imagination

of

their

evil

heart

.

”

“

I

have

bought

a

field

—

and

I

have

bought

some

oxen

—

and

I

have

married

a

wife

.

”

And

still

He

urges

them

:

“

I

have

sent

unto

you

all

my

servants

the

prophets

,

rising

early

even

before

daylight

.

”

The

Holy

Spirit

is

here

meant

,

the

admonisher

of

the

guests

.

“

Yet

my

people

hearkened

not

unto

me

,

nor

inclined

their

ear

,

but

hardened

their

neck

.

”

This

was

reported

to

the

Master

of

the

family

.

Then

He

was

moved

(

He

did

well

to

be

moved

;

for

,

as

Marcion

denies

emotion

to

his

god

,

He

must

be

therefore

my

God

)

,

and

commanded

them

to

invite

out

of

“

the

streets

and

lanes

of

the

city

.

”

Let

us

see

whether

this

is

not

the

same

in

purport

as

His

words

by

Jeremiah

:

“

Have

I

been

a

wilderness

to

the

house

of

Israel

,

or

a

land

left

uncultivated

?

”

That

is

to

say

:

“

Then

have

I

none

whom

I

may

call

to

me

;

have

I

no

place

whence

I

may

bring

them

?

”

“

Since

my

people

have

said

,

We

will

come

no

more

unto

thee

.

”

Therefore

He

sent

out

to

call

others

,

but

from

the

same

city

.

My

third

remark

is

this

,

that

although

the

place

abounded

with

people

,

He

yet

commanded

that

they

gather

men

from

the

highways

and

the

hedges

.

In

other

words

,

we

are

now

gathered

out

of

the

Gentile

strangers

;

with

that

jealous

resentment

,

no

doubt

,

which

He

expressed

in

Deuteronomy

:

“

I

will

hide

my

face

from

them

,

and

I

will

show

them

what

shall

happen

in

the

last

days

(

how

that

others

shall

possess

their

place

)

;

for

they

are

a

froward

generation

,

children

in

whom

is

no

faith

.

They

have

moved

me

to

jealousy

by

that

which

is

no

god

,

and

they

have

provoked

me

to

anger

with

their

idols

;

and

I

will

move

them

to

jealousy

with

those

which

are

not

a

people

:

I

will

provoke

them

to

anger

with

a

foolish

nation

”

—

even

with

us

,

whose

hope

the

Jews

still

entertain

.

But

this

hope

the

Lord

says

they

should

not

realize

;

“

Sion

being

left

as

a

cottage

in

a

vineyard

,

as

a

lodge

in

a

garden

of

cucumbers

,

”

since

the

nation

rejected

the

latest

invitation

to

Christ

.

(

Now

,

I

ask

,

)

after

going

through

all

this

course

of

the

Creator’s

dispensation

and

prophecies

,

what

there

is

in

it

which

can

possibly

be

assigned

to

him

who

has

done

all

his

work

at

one

hasty

stroke

,

and

possesses

neither

the

Creator’s

course

nor

His

dispensation

in

harmony

with

the

parable

?

Or

,

again

in

what

will

consist

his

first

invitation

,

and

what

his

admonition

at

the

second

stage

?

Some

at

first

would

surely

decline

;

others

afterwards

must

have

accepted

.

”

But

now

he

comes

to

invite

both

parties

promiscuously

out

of

the

city

,

out

of

the

hedges

,

contrary

to

the

drift

of

the

parable

.

It

is

impossible

for

him

now

to

condemn

as

scorners

of

his

invitation

those

whom

he

has

never

yet

invited

,

and

whom

he

is

approaching

with

so

much

earnestness

.

If

,

however

,

he

condemns

them

beforehand

as

about

to

reject

his

call

,

then

beforehand

he

also

predicts

the

election

of

the

Gentiles

in

their

stead

.

Certainly

he

means

to

come

the

second

time

for

the

very

purpose

of

preaching

to

the

heathen

.

But

even

if

he

does

mean

to

come

again

,

I

imagine

it

will

not

be

with

the

intention

of

any

longer

inviting

guests

,

but

of

giving

to

them

their

places

.

Meanwhile

,

you

who

interpret

the

call

to

this

supper

as

an

invitation

to

a

heavenly

banquet

of

spiritual

satiety

and

pleasure

,

must

remember

that

the

earthly

promises

also

of

wine

and

oil

and

corn

,

and

even

of

the

city

,

are

equally

employed

by

the

Creator

as

figures

of

spiritual

things

.

Notes

1
Luke xiv. 12–14.
2
Isa. lviii. 7.
3
Forma.
4
Cui parti.
5
Luke xiv. 16.
6
Saturitatem.
7
Dehinc.
8
Tantum quod…jam.
9
Tantum quod…jam.
10
Luke xiv. 18.
11
Ex. xxxii. 1.
12
Isa. vi. 10.
13
Pertinentissime.
14
Jer. vii. 23.
15
Jer. vii. 24.
16
Jer. xi. 8.
17
Luke xiv. 18–20.
18
Jer. vii. 25; also xxv. 4, xxvi. 5, xxxv. 15, xliv. 4.
19
Jer. vii. 26.
20
Luke xiv. 21.
21
Jer. ii. 31.
22
Jer. ii. 31.
23
Luke xiv. 23.
24
Dehinc.
25
ἐπ᾽ ἐσχάτων ἡμερῶν, Septuagint.
26
Deut. xxxii. 20, 21.
27
Gerunt: although vainly at present (“jam vana in Judæis”—Oehler); Semler conjectures “gemunt, bewail.”
28
Gustaturos.
29
Specula, “a look-out;” σκηνή is the word in LXX.
30
Isa. i. 8.
31
Semel.
32
This is probably the meaning of a very involved sentence: “Quid ex hoc ordine secundum dispensationem et prædicationes Creatoris recensendo competit illi, cujus (“Creatoris”—Oehler) nec ordinem habet nec dispositionem ad parabolæ conspirationem qui totum opus semel facit?”
33
“By the fathers.” See above.
34
“By the prophets.” See also above.
35
An obscure sentence, which thus runs in the original: “Ante debent alii excusare, postea alii convenisse.”
36
The Jews.
37
The Gentiles.
38
Speculum.
39
Fastidiosos.
40
Portendit.
41
Plane: This is a Marcionite position (Oehler).