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The Five Books Against Marcion

Tertullian

Book 2 · Chapter 21

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 XXI.—The Law of the Sabbath-Day Explained. The Eight Days’ Procession Around Jericho. The Gathering of Sticks a Violation.

Similarly on other points also, you reproach

‹ Book 2 · Chapter 20 Book 2 · Chapter 22 ›

Him

with

fickleness

and

instability

for

contradictions

in

His

commandments

,

such

as

that

He

forbade

work

to

be

done

on

Sabbath

-

days

,

and

yet

at

the

siege

of

Jericho

ordered

the

ark

to

be

carried

round

the

walls

during

eight

days

;

in

other

words

,

of

course

,

actually

on

a

Sabbath

.

You

do

not

,

however

,

consider

the

law

of

the

Sabbath

:

they

are

human

works

,

not

divine

,

which

it

prohibits

.

For

it

says

,

“

Six

days

shalt

thou

labour

,

and

do

all

thy

work

;

but

the

seventh

day

is

the

Sabbath

of

the

Lord

thy

God

:

in

it

thou

shalt

not

do

any

work

.

”

What

work

?

Of

course

your

own

.

The

conclusion

is

,

that

from

the

Sabbath

-

day

He

removes

those

works

which

He

had

before

enjoined

for

the

six

days

,

that

is

,

your

own

works

;

in

other

words

,

human

works

of

daily

life

.

Now

,

the

carrying

around

of

the

ark

is

evidently

not

an

ordinary

daily

duty

,

nor

yet

a

human

one

;

but

a

rare

and

a

sacred

work

,

and

,

as

being

then

ordered

by

the

direct

precept

of

God

,

a

divine

one

.

And

I

might

fully

explain

what

this

signified

,

were

it

not

a

tedious

process

to

open

out

the

forms

of

all

the

Creator’s

proofs

,

which

you

would

,

moreover

,

probably

refuse

to

allow

.

It

is

more

to

the

point

,

if

you

be

confuted

on

plain

matters

by

the

simplicity

of

truth

rather

than

curious

reasoning

.

Thus

,

in

the

present

instance

,

there

is

a

clear

distinction

respecting

the

Sabbath’s

prohibition

of

human

labours

,

not

divine

ones

.

Accordingly

,

the

man

who

went

and

gathered

sticks

on

the

Sabbath

-

day

was

punished

with

death

.

For

it

was

his

own

work

which

he

did

;

and

this

the

law

forbade

.

They

,

however

,

who

on

the

Sabbath

carried

the

ark

round

Jericho

,

did

it

with

impunity

.

For

it

was

not

their

own

work

,

but

God’s

,

which

they

executed

,

and

that

too

,

from

His

express

commandment

.

Notes

1
Ex. xx. 9, 10.
2
Figuras.
3
De absolutis.
4
[He was not punished for gathering sticks, but for setting an example of contempt of the Divine Law.]