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The Five Books Against Marcion

Tertullian

Book 3 · Chapter 12

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 XII.—Isaiah’s Prophecy of Emmanuel. Christ Entitled to that Name.

And challenge us first, as is your wont

‹ Book 3 · Chapter 11 Book 3 · Chapter 13 ›

,

to

consider

Isaiah’s

description

of

Christ

,

while

you

contend

that

in

no

point

does

it

suit

.

For

,

to

begin

with

,

you

say

that

Isaiah’s

Christ

will

have

to

be

called

Emmanuel

;

then

,

that

He

takes

the

riches

of

Damascus

and

the

spoils

of

Samaria

against

the

king

of

Assyria

.

But

yet

He

who

is

come

was

neither

born

under

such

a

name

,

nor

ever

engaged

in

any

warlike

enterprise

.

I

must

,

however

,

remind

you

that

you

ought

to

look

into

the

contexts

of

the

two

passages

.

For

there

is

immediately

added

the

interpretation

of

Emmanuel

,

“

God

with

us

;

”

so

that

you

have

to

consider

not

merely

the

name

as

it

is

uttered

,

but

also

its

meaning

.

The

utterance

is

Hebrew

,

Emmanuel

,

of

the

prophet’s

own

nation

;

but

the

meaning

of

the

word

,

God

with

us

,

is

by

the

interpretation

made

common

property

.

Inquire

,

then

,

whether

this

name

,

God

-

with

-

us

,

which

is

Emmanuel

,

be

not

often

used

for

the

name

of

Christ

,

from

the

fact

that

Christ

has

enlightened

the

world

.

And

I

suppose

you

will

not

deny

it

,

inasmuch

as

you

do

yourself

admit

that

He

is

called

God

-

with

-

us

,

that

is

,

Emmanuel

.

Else

if

you

are

so

foolish

,

that

,

because

with

you

He

gets

the

designation

God

-

with

-

us

,

not

Emmanuel

,

you

therefore

are

unwilling

to

grant

that

He

is

come

whose

property

it

is

to

be

called

Emmanuel

,

as

if

this

were

not

the

same

name

as

God

-

with

-

us

,

you

will

find

among

the

Hebrew

Christians

,

and

amongst

Marcionites

too

,

that

they

name

Him

Emmanuel

when

they

mean

Him

to

be

called

God

-

with

-

us

;

just

indeed

as

every

nation

,

by

whatever

word

they

would

express

God

-

with

-

us

,

has

called

Him

Emmanuel

,

completing

the

sound

in

its

sense

.

Now

since

Emmanuel

is

God

-

with

-

us

,

and

God

-

with

-

us

is

Christ

,

who

is

in

us

(

for

“

as

many

of

you

as

are

baptized

into

Christ

,

have

put

on

Christ

”

)

,

Christ

is

as

properly

implied

in

the

meaning

of

the

name

,

which

is

God

-

with

-

us

,

as

He

is

in

the

pronunciation

of

the

name

,

which

is

Emmanuel

.

And

thus

it

is

evident

that

He

is

now

come

who

was

foretold

as

Emmanuel

,

because

what

Emmanuel

signifies

is

come

,

that

is

to

say

,

God

-

with

-

us

.

Notes

1
Isa. vii. 14.
2
Isa. viii. 4. Compare adv. Judæos, 9.
3
Cohærentia.
4
Agitetur in Christo.
5
Gal. iii. 27.