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The Five Books Against Marcion

Tertullian

Book 1 · Chapter 6

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 VI.—Marcion Untrue to His Theory. He Pretends that His Gods are Equal, But He Really Makes Them Diverse. Then, Allowing Their Divinity, Denies This Diversity.

Thus far our discussion seems to imply that

‹ Book 1 · Chapter 5 Book 1 · Chapter 7 ›

Marcion

makes

his

two

gods

equal

.

For

while

we

have

been

maintaining

that

God

ought

to

be

believed

as

the

one

only

great

Supreme

Being

,

excluding

from

Him

every

possibility

of

equality

,

we

have

treated

of

these

topics

on

the

assumption

of

two

equal

Gods

;

but

nevertheless

,

by

teaching

that

no

equals

can

exist

according

to

the

law

of

the

Supreme

Being

,

we

have

sufficiently

affirmed

the

impossibility

that

two

equals

should

exist

.

For

the

rest

,

however

,

we

know

full

well

that

Marcion

makes

his

gods

unequal

:

one

judicial

,

harsh

,

mighty

in

war

;

the

other

mild

,

placid

,

and

simply

good

and

excellent

.

Let

us

with

similar

care

consider

also

this

aspect

of

the

question

,

whether

diversity

(

in

the

Godhead

)

can

at

any

rate

contain

two

,

since

equality

therein

failed

to

do

so

.

Here

again

the

same

rule

about

the

great

Supreme

will

protect

us

,

inasmuch

as

it

settles

the

entire

condition

of

the

Godhead

.

Now

,

challenging

,

and

in

a

certain

sense

arresting

the

meaning

of

our

adversary

,

who

does

not

deny

that

the

Creator

is

God

,

I

most

fairly

object

against

him

that

he

has

no

room

for

any

diversity

in

his

gods

,

because

,

having

once

confessed

that

they

are

on

a

par

,

he

cannot

now

pronounce

them

different

;

not

indeed

that

human

beings

may

not

be

very

different

under

the

same

designation

,

but

because

the

Divine

Being

can

be

neither

said

nor

believed

to

be

God

,

except

as

the

great

Supreme

.

Since

,

therefore

,

he

is

obliged

to

acknowledge

that

the

God

whom

he

does

not

deny

is

the

great

Supreme

,

it

is

inadmissible

that

he

should

predicate

of

the

Supreme

Being

such

a

diminution

as

should

subject

Him

to

another

Supreme

Being

.

For

He

ceases

(

to

be

Supreme

)

,

if

He

becomes

subject

to

any

.

Besides

,

it

is

not

the

characteristic

of

God

to

cease

from

any

attribute

of

His

divinity

—

say

,

from

His

supremacy

.

For

at

this

rate

the

supremacy

would

be

endangered

even

in

Marcion’s

more

powerful

god

,

if

it

were

capable

of

depreciation

in

the

Creator

.

When

,

therefore

,

two

gods

are

pronounced

to

be

two

great

Supremes

,

it

must

needs

follow

that

neither

of

them

is

greater

or

less

than

the

other

,

neither

of

them

loftier

or

lowlier

than

the

other

.

If

you

deny

him

to

be

God

whom

you

call

inferior

,

you

deny

the

supremacy

of

this

inferior

being

.

But

when

you

confessed

both

gods

to

be

divine

,

you

confessed

them

both

to

be

supreme

.

Nothing

will

you

be

able

to

take

away

from

either

of

them

;

nothing

will

you

be

able

to

add

.

By

allowing

their

divinity

,

you

have

denied

their

diversity

.

Notes

1
Parilitatem.
2
Formam.
3
Alioquin.
4
Certi (sumus).
5
Tantummodo.
6
Vindicet.
7
Injecta manu detinens.
8
Præscribo.
9
Ex æquo deos confessus.
10
De statu suo.
11
Nega.
12
Nega.