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The Five Books Against Marcion

Tertullian

Book 2 · Chapter 17

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 XVII.—Trace God’s Government in History and in His Precepts, and You Will Find It Full of His Goodness.

These considerations show that the entire order of

‹ Book 2 · Chapter 16 Book 2 · Chapter 18 ›

God

as

Judge

is

an

operative

one

,

and

(

that

I

may

express

myself

in

worthier

words

)

protective

of

His

Catholic

and

supreme

goodness

,

which

,

removed

as

it

is

from

judiciary

emotions

,

and

pure

in

its

own

condition

,

the

Marcionites

refuse

to

acknowledge

to

be

in

one

and

the

same

Deity

,

“

raining

on

the

just

and

on

the

unjust

,

and

making

His

sun

to

rise

on

the

evil

and

on

the

good

,

”

—

a

bounty

which

no

other

god

at

all

exercises

.

It

is

true

that

Marcion

has

been

bold

enough

to

erase

from

the

gospel

this

testimony

of

Christ

to

the

Creator

;

but

yet

the

world

itself

is

inscribed

with

the

goodness

of

its

Maker

,

and

the

inscription

is

read

by

each

man’s

conscience

.

Nay

,

this

very

long

-

suffering

of

the

Creator

will

tend

to

the

condemnation

of

Marcion

;

that

patience

,

(

I

mean

,

)

which

waits

for

the

sinner’s

repentance

rather

than

his

death

,

which

prefers

mercy

to

sacrifice

,

averting

from

the

Ninevites

the

ruin

which

had

been

already

denounced

against

them

,

and

vouchsafing

to

Hezekiah’s

tears

an

extension

of

his

life

,

and

restoring

his

kingly

state

to

the

monarch

of

Babylon

after

his

complete

repentance

;

that

mercy

,

too

,

which

conceded

to

the

devotion

of

the

people

the

son

of

Saul

when

about

to

die

,

and

gave

free

forgiveness

to

David

on

his

confessing

his

sins

against

the

house

of

Uriah

;

which

also

restored

the

house

of

Israel

as

often

as

it

condemned

it

,

and

addressed

to

it

consolation

no

less

frequently

than

reproof

.

Do

not

therefore

look

at

God

simply

as

Judge

,

but

turn

your

attention

also

to

examples

of

His

conduct

as

the

Most

Good

.

Noting

Him

,

as

you

do

,

when

He

takes

vengeance

,

consider

Him

likewise

when

He

shows

mercy

.

In

the

scale

,

against

His

severity

place

His

gentleness

.

When

you

shall

have

discovered

both

qualities

to

co

-

exist

in

the

Creator

,

you

will

find

in

Him

that

very

circumstance

which

induces

you

to

think

there

is

another

God

.

Lastly

,

come

and

examine

into

His

doctrine

,

discipline

,

precepts

,

and

counsels

.

You

will

perhaps

say

that

there

are

equally

good

prescriptions

in

human

laws

.

But

Moses

and

God

existed

before

all

your

Lycurguses

and

Solons

.

There

is

not

one

after

-

age

which

does

not

take

from

primitive

sources

.

At

any

rate

,

my

Creator

did

not

learn

from

your

God

to

issue

such

commandments

as

:

Thou

shalt

not

kill

;

thou

shalt

not

commit

adultery

;

thou

shalt

not

steal

;

thou

shalt

not

bear

false

witness

;

thou

shalt

not

covet

what

is

thy

neighbour’s

;

honour

thy

father

and

thy

mother

;

and

,

thou

shalt

love

thy

neighbour

as

thyself

.

To

these

prime

counsels

of

innocence

,

chastity

,

and

justice

,

and

piety

,

are

also

added

prescriptions

of

humanity

,

as

when

every

seventh

year

slaves

are

released

for

liberty

;

when

at

the

same

period

the

land

is

spared

from

tillage

;

a

place

is

also

granted

to

the

needy

;

and

from

the

treading

ox’s

mouth

the

muzzle

is

removed

,

for

the

enjoyment

of

the

fruit

of

his

labour

before

him

,

in

order

that

kindness

first

shown

in

the

case

of

animals

might

be

raised

from

such

rudiments

to

the

refreshment

of

men

.

Notes

1
Catholic, because diffused throughout creation (Pamelius).
2
Matt. v. 45. T. predicts this (by the word pluentem) strictly of the “goodness” of God, the quam.
3
Hos. vi. 6.
4
Jonah iii. 10.
5
2 Kings xx. i.
6
Dan. iv. 33.
7
1 Sam. xiv. 45.
8
2 Sam. xii. 13.
9
Optimi.
10
Indulget.
11
Posteritas.
12
Lev. xxv. 4, etc.
13
Erudiretur.
14
Refrigeria. [1 Cor. ix. 10.]