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The Five Books Against Marcion

Tertullian

Book 2 · Chapter 7

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 VII.—If God Had Anyhow Checked Man’s Liberty, Marcion Would Have Been Ready with Another and Opposite Cavil. Man’s Fall Foreseen by God. Provision Made for It Remedially and Consistently with His Truth and Goodness.

By such a conclusion all is reserved unimpaired

‹ Book 2 · Chapter 6 Book 2 · Chapter 8 ›

to

God

;

both

His

natural

goodness

,

and

the

purposes

of

His

governance

and

foreknowledge

,

and

the

abundance

of

His

power

.

You

ought

,

however

,

to

deduct

from

God’s

attributes

both

His

supreme

earnestness

of

purpose

and

most

excellent

truth

in

His

whole

creation

,

if

you

would

cease

to

inquire

whether

anything

could

have

happened

against

the

will

of

God

.

For

,

while

holding

this

earnestness

and

truth

of

the

good

God

,

which

are

indeed

capable

of

proof

from

the

rational

creation

,

you

will

not

wonder

at

the

fact

that

God

did

not

interfere

to

prevent

the

occurrence

of

what

He

wished

not

to

happen

,

in

order

that

He

might

keep

from

harm

what

He

wished

.

For

,

since

He

had

once

for

all

allowed

(

and

,

as

we

have

shown

,

worthily

allowed

)

to

man

freedom

of

will

and

mastery

of

himself

,

surely

He

from

His

very

authority

in

creation

permitted

these

gifts

to

be

enjoyed

:

to

be

enjoyed

,

too

,

so

far

as

lay

in

Himself

,

according

to

His

own

character

as

God

,

that

is

,

for

good

(

for

who

would

permit

anything

hostile

to

himself

?

)

;

and

,

so

far

as

lay

in

man

,

according

to

the

impulses

of

his

liberty

(

for

who

does

not

,

when

giving

anything

to

any

one

to

enjoy

,

accompany

the

gift

with

a

permission

to

enjoy

it

with

all

his

heart

and

will

?

)

.

The

necessary

consequence

,

therefore

,

was

,

that

God

must

separate

from

the

liberty

which

He

had

once

for

all

bestowed

upon

man

(

in

other

words

,

keep

within

Himself

)

,

both

His

foreknowledge

and

power

,

through

which

He

might

have

prevented

man’s

falling

into

danger

when

attempting

wrongly

to

enjoy

his

liberty

.

Now

,

if

He

had

interposed

,

He

would

have

rescinded

the

liberty

of

man’s

will

,

which

He

had

permitted

with

set

purpose

,

and

in

goodness

.

But

,

suppose

God

had

interposed

;

suppose

Him

to

have

abrogated

man’s

liberty

,

by

warning

him

from

the

tree

,

and

keeping

off

the

subtle

serpent

from

his

interview

with

the

woman

;

would

not

Marcion

then

exclaim

,

What

a

frivolous

,

unstable

,

and

faithless

Lord

,

cancelling

the

gifts

He

had

bestowed

!

Why

did

He

allow

any

liberty

of

will

,

if

He

afterwards

withdrew

it

?

Why

withdraw

it

after

allowing

it

?

Let

Him

choose

where

to

brand

Himself

with

error

,

either

in

His

original

constitution

of

man

,

or

in

His

subsequent

abrogation

thereof

!

If

He

had

checked

(

man’s

freedom

)

,

would

He

not

then

seem

to

have

been

rather

deceived

,

through

want

of

foresight

into

the

future

?

But

in

giving

it

full

scope

,

who

would

not

say

that

He

did

so

in

ignorance

of

the

issue

of

things

?

God

,

however

,

did

foreknow

that

man

would

make

a

bad

use

of

his

created

constitution

;

and

yet

what

can

be

so

worthy

of

God

as

His

earnestness

of

purpose

,

and

the

truth

of

His

created

works

,

be

they

what

they

may

?

Man

must

see

,

if

he

failed

to

make

the

most

of

the

good

gift

he

had

received

,

how

that

he

was

himself

guilty

in

respect

of

the

law

which

he

did

not

choose

to

keep

,

and

not

that

the

Lawgiver

was

committing

a

fraud

against

His

own

law

,

by

not

permitting

its

injunctions

to

be

fulfilled

.

Whenever

you

are

inclined

to

indulge

in

such

censure

(

and

it

is

the

most

becoming

for

you

)

against

the

Creator

,

recall

gently

to

your

mind

in

His

behalf

His

earnestness

,

and

endurance

,

and

truth

,

in

having

given

completeness

to

His

creatures

both

as

rational

and

good

.

Notes

1
Salva.
2
Gravitatem.
3
Sed, for scilicet, not unfrequent with our author.
4
That is, from the Marcionite position referred to in the second sentence of this chapter, in opposition to that of Tertullian which follows.
5
Si non bene dispunxisset.
6
Peroraturus.
7
Tibi insusurra pro Creatore.
8
Functo.