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The Five Books Against Marcion

Tertullian

Book 2 · Chapter 10

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 X.—Another Cavil Met, I.e., the Devil Who Instigated Man to Sin Himself the Creature of God. Nay, the Primeval Cherub Only Was God’s Work. The Devilish Nature Superadded by Wilfulness. In Man’s Recovery the Devil is Vanquished in a Conflict on His Own Ground.

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‹ Book 2 · Chapter 9 Book 2 · Chapter 11 ›

the

account

of

evil

from

man

to

the

devil

as

the

instigator

of

sin

,

and

in

this

way

,

too

,

throw

the

blame

on

the

Creator

,

inasmuch

as

He

created

the

devil

,

—

for

He

maketh

those

spiritual

beings

,

the

angels

—

then

it

will

follow

that

what

was

made

,

that

is

to

say

,

the

angel

,

will

belong

to

Him

who

made

it

;

while

that

which

was

not

made

by

God

,

even

the

devil

,

or

accuser

,

cannot

but

have

been

made

by

itself

;

and

this

by

false

detraction

from

God

:

first

,

how

that

God

had

forbidden

them

to

eat

of

every

tree

;

then

,

with

the

pretence

that

they

should

not

die

if

they

ate

;

thirdly

,

as

if

God

grudged

them

the

property

of

divinity

.

Now

,

whence

originated

this

malice

of

lying

and

deceit

towards

man

,

and

slandering

of

God

?

Most

certainly

not

from

God

,

who

made

the

angel

good

after

the

fashion

of

His

good

works

.

Indeed

,

before

he

became

the

devil

,

he

stands

forth

the

wisest

of

creatures

;

and

wisdom

is

no

evil

.

If

you

turn

to

the

prophecy

of

Ezekiel

,

you

will

at

once

perceive

that

this

angel

was

both

by

creation

good

and

by

choice

corrupt

.

For

in

the

person

of

the

prince

of

Tyre

it

is

said

in

reference

to

the

devil

:

“

Moreover

,

the

word

of

the

Lord

came

unto

me

,

saying

,

Son

of

man

,

take

up

a

lamentation

upon

the

king

of

Tyrus

,

and

say

unto

him

,

Thus

saith

the

Lord

God

:

Thou

sealest

up

the

sum

,

full

of

wisdom

,

perfect

in

beauty

”

(

this

belongs

to

him

as

the

highest

of

the

angels

,

the

archangel

,

the

wisest

of

all

)

;

“

amidst

the

delights

of

the

paradise

of

thy

God

wast

thou

born

”

(

for

it

was

there

,

where

God

had

made

the

angels

in

a

shape

which

resembled

the

figure

of

animals

)

.

“

Every

precious

stone

was

thy

covering

,

the

sardius

,

the

topaz

,

and

the

diamond

,

the

beryl

,

the

onyx

,

and

the

jasper

,

the

sapphire

,

the

emerald

,

and

the

carbuncle

;

and

with

gold

hast

thou

filled

thy

barns

and

thy

treasuries

.

From

the

day

when

thou

wast

created

,

when

I

set

thee

,

a

cherub

,

upon

the

holy

mountain

of

God

,

thou

wast

in

the

midst

of

stones

of

fire

,

thou

wast

irreproachable

in

thy

days

,

from

the

day

of

thy

creation

,

until

thine

iniquities

were

discovered

.

By

the

abundance

of

thy

merchandise

thou

hast

filled

thy

storehouses

,

and

thou

hast

sinned

,

”

etc

.

This

description

,

it

is

manifest

,

properly

belongs

to

the

transgression

of

the

angel

,

and

not

to

the

prince’s

:

for

none

among

human

beings

was

either

born

in

the

paradise

of

God

,

not

even

Adam

himself

,

who

was

rather

translated

thither

;

nor

placed

with

a

cherub

upon

God’s

holy

mountain

,

that

is

to

say

,

in

the

heights

of

heaven

,

from

which

the

Lord

testifies

that

Satan

fell

;

nor

detained

amongst

the

stones

of

fire

,

and

the

flashing

rays

of

burning

constellations

,

whence

Satan

was

cast

down

like

lightning

.

No

,

it

is

none

else

than

the

very

author

of

sin

who

was

denoted

in

the

person

of

a

sinful

man

:

he

was

once

irreproachable

,

at

the

time

of

his

creation

,

formed

for

good

by

God

,

as

by

the

good

Creator

of

irreproachable

creatures

,

and

adorned

with

every

angelic

glory

,

and

associated

with

God

,

good

with

the

Good

;

but

afterwards

of

his

own

accord

removed

to

evil

.

From

the

day

when

thine

iniquities

,

says

he

,

were

discovered

,

—

attributing

to

him

those

injuries

wherewith

he

injured

man

when

he

was

expelled

from

his

allegiance

to

God

,

—

even

from

that

time

did

he

sin

,

when

he

propagated

his

sin

,

and

thereby

plied

“

the

abundance

of

his

merchandise

,

”

that

is

,

of

his

Wickedness

,

even

the

tale

of

his

transgressions

,

because

he

was

himself

as

a

spirit

no

less

(

than

man

)

created

,

with

the

faculty

of

free

-

will

.

For

God

would

in

nothing

fail

to

endow

a

being

who

was

to

be

Himself

with

a

liberty

of

this

kind

.

Nevertheless

,

by

precondemning

him

,

God

testified

that

he

had

departed

from

the

condition

of

his

created

nature

,

through

his

own

lusting

after

the

wickedness

which

was

spontaneously

conceived

within

him

;

and

at

the

same

time

,

by

conceding

a

permission

for

the

operation

of

his

designs

,

He

acted

consistently

with

the

purpose

of

His

own

goodness

,

deferring

the

devil’s

destruction

for

the

self

-

same

reason

as

He

postponed

the

restitution

of

man

.

For

He

afforded

room

for

a

conflict

,

wherein

man

might

crush

his

enemy

with

the

same

freedom

of

his

will

as

had

made

him

succumb

to

him

(

proving

that

the

fault

was

all

his

own

,

not

God’s

)

,

and

so

worthily

recover

his

salvation

by

a

victory

;

wherein

also

the

devil

might

receive

a

more

bitter

punishment

,

through

being

vanquished

by

him

whom

he

had

previously

injured

;

and

wherein

God

might

be

discovered

to

be

so

much

the

more

good

,

as

waiting

for

man

to

return

from

his

present

life

to

a

more

glorious

paradise

,

with

a

right

to

pluck

of

the

tree

of

life

.

Notes

1
Elogium.
2
Ergo.
3
Delator.
4
Deferendo, in reference to the word delator, our author’s synonyme for διάβολος.
5
Nisi.
6
Nisi.
7
Ezek. xxviii. 11–16 (Sept.).
8
Luke x. 18.
9
Læsuræ ="injuries.” ᾽Αδικήματα ἔν σοι—Iniquitates in te.”—Hieron.
10
Censum.
11
Forma.
12
Sustinens.
13
[Kaye. p. 313.]