Opening the library…

Search the Bible

The Five Books Against Marcion

Tertullian

Book 2 · Chapter 15

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 XV.—The Severity of God Compatible with Reason and Justice. When Inflicted, Not Meant to Be Arbitrary, But Remedial.

Consider well, then, before all things

‹ Book 2 · Chapter 14 Book 2 · Chapter 16 ›

the

justice

of

the

Judge

;

and

if

its

purpose

be

clear

,

then

the

severity

thereof

,

and

the

operations

of

the

severity

in

its

course

,

will

appear

compatible

with

reason

and

justice

.

Now

,

that

we

may

not

linger

too

long

on

the

point

,

(

I

would

challenge

you

to

)

assert

the

other

reasons

also

,

that

you

may

condemn

the

Judge’s

sentences

;

extenuate

the

delinquencies

of

the

sinner

,

that

you

may

blame

his

judicial

conviction

.

Never

mind

censuring

the

Judge

;

rather

prove

Him

to

be

an

unjust

one

.

Well

,

then

,

even

though

He

required

the

sins

of

the

fathers

at

the

hands

of

the

children

,

the

hardness

of

the

people

made

such

remedial

measures

necessary

for

them

,

in

order

that

,

having

their

posterity

in

view

,

they

might

obey

the

divine

law

.

For

who

is

there

that

feels

not

a

greater

care

for

his

children

than

for

himself

?

Again

,

if

the

blessing

of

the

fathers

was

destined

likewise

for

their

offspring

,

any

merit

on

the

part

of

these

,

why

might

not

the

guilt

of

the

fathers

also

redound

to

their

children

?

As

was

the

grace

,

so

was

the

offence

;

so

that

the

grace

and

the

offence

equally

ran

down

through

the

whole

race

,

with

the

reservation

,

indeed

,

of

that

subsequent

ordinance

by

which

it

became

possible

to

refrain

from

saying

,

that

“

the

fathers

had

eaten

a

sour

grape

,

and

the

children’s

teeth

were

set

on

edge

:

”

in

other

words

,

that

the

father

should

not

bear

the

iniquity

of

the

son

,

nor

the

son

the

iniquity

of

the

father

,

but

that

every

man

should

be

chargeable

with

his

own

sin

;

so

that

the

harshness

of

the

law

having

been

reduced

after

the

hardness

of

the

people

,

justice

was

no

longer

to

judge

the

race

,

but

individuals

.

If

,

however

,

you

accept

the

gospel

of

truth

,

you

will

discover

on

whom

recoils

the

sentence

of

the

Judge

,

when

requiting

on

sons

the

sins

of

their

fathers

,

even

on

those

who

had

been

(

hardened

enough

)

to

imprecate

spontaneously

on

themselves

this

condemnation

:

“

His

blood

be

on

us

,

and

on

our

children

.

”

This

,

therefore

,

the

providence

of

God

has

ordered

throughout

its

course

,

even

as

it

had

heard

it

.

Notes

1
Dispice.
2
Ratio.
3
Nam et si.
4
Compulerat.
5
Sine adhuc.
6
Jer. xxxi. 29.
7
Edomita, cf. chap. xix. sub init. and xxix.
8
Matt. xxvii. 25.
9
Omnis providentia.