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The Five Books Against Marcion

Tertullian

Book 3 · Chapter 16

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 XVI.—The Sacred Name Jesus Most Suited to the Christ of the Creator. Joshua a Type of Him.

Now if he caught at the name Christ,

‹ Book 3 · Chapter 15 Book 3 · Chapter 17 ›

just

as

the

pickpocket

clutches

the

dole

-

basket

,

why

did

he

wish

to

be

called

Jesus

too

,

by

a

name

which

was

not

so

much

looked

for

by

the

Jews

?

For

although

we

,

who

have

by

God’s

grace

attained

to

the

understanding

of

His

mysteries

,

acknowledge

that

this

name

also

was

destined

for

Christ

,

yet

,

for

all

that

,

the

fact

was

not

known

to

the

Jews

,

from

whom

wisdom

was

taken

away

.

To

this

day

,

in

short

,

it

is

Christ

that

they

are

looking

for

,

not

Jesus

;

and

they

interpret

Elias

to

be

Christ

rather

than

Jesus

.

He

,

therefore

,

who

came

also

in

a

name

in

which

Christ

was

not

expected

,

might

have

come

only

in

that

name

which

was

solely

anticipated

for

Him

.

But

since

he

has

mixed

up

the

two

,

the

expected

one

and

the

unexpected

,

his

twofold

project

is

defeated

.

For

if

he

be

Christ

for

the

very

purpose

of

insinuating

himself

as

the

Creator’s

,

then

Jesus

opposes

him

,

because

Jesus

was

not

looked

for

in

the

Christ

of

the

Creator

;

or

if

he

be

Jesus

,

in

order

that

he

might

pass

as

belonging

to

the

other

(

God

)

,

then

Christ

hinders

him

,

because

Christ

was

not

expected

to

belong

to

any

other

than

the

Creator

.

I

know

not

which

one

of

these

names

may

be

able

to

hold

its

ground

.

In

the

Christ

of

the

Creator

,

however

,

both

will

keep

their

place

,

for

in

Him

a

Jesus

too

is

found

.

Do

you

ask

,

how

?

Learn

it

then

here

,

with

the

Jews

also

who

are

partakers

of

your

heresy

.

When

Oshea

the

son

of

Nun

was

destined

to

be

the

successor

of

Moses

,

is

not

his

old

name

then

changed

,

and

for

the

first

time

he

is

called

Joshua

?

It

is

true

,

you

say

.

This

,

then

,

we

first

observe

,

was

a

figure

of

Him

who

was

to

come

.

For

inasmuch

as

Jesus

Christ

was

to

introduce

a

new

generation

(

because

we

are

born

in

the

wilderness

of

this

world

)

into

the

promised

land

which

flows

with

milk

and

honey

,

that

is

,

into

the

possession

of

eternal

life

,

than

which

nothing

can

be

sweeter

;

inasmuch

,

too

,

as

this

was

to

be

brought

about

not

by

Moses

,

that

is

to

say

,

not

by

the

discipline

of

the

law

,

but

by

Joshua

,

by

the

grace

of

the

gospel

,

our

circumcision

being

effected

by

a

knife

of

stone

,

that

is

,

(

by

the

circumcision

)

of

Christ

,

for

Christ

is

a

rock

(

or

stone

)

,

therefore

that

great

man

,

who

was

ordained

as

a

type

of

this

mystery

,

was

actually

consecrated

with

the

figure

of

the

Lord’s

own

name

,

being

called

Joshua

.

This

name

Christ

Himself

even

then

testified

to

be

His

own

,

when

He

talked

with

Moses

.

For

who

was

it

that

talked

with

him

,

but

the

Spirit

of

the

Creator

,

which

is

Christ

?

When

He

therefore

spake

this

commandment

to

the

people

,

“

Behold

,

I

send

my

angel

before

thy

face

,

to

keep

thee

in

the

way

,

and

to

bring

thee

into

the

land

which

I

have

prepared

for

thee

;

attend

to

him

,

and

obey

his

voice

and

do

not

provoke

him

;

for

he

has

not

shunned

you

,

since

my

name

is

upon

him

,

”

He

called

him

an

angel

indeed

,

because

of

the

greatness

of

the

powers

which

he

was

to

exercise

,

and

because

of

his

prophetic

office

,

while

announcing

the

will

of

God

;

but

Joshua

also

(

Jesus

)

,

because

it

was

a

type

of

His

own

future

name

.

Often

did

He

confirm

that

name

of

His

which

He

had

thus

conferred

upon

(

His

servant

)

;

because

it

was

not

the

name

of

angel

,

nor

Oshea

,

but

Joshua

(

Jesus

)

,

which

He

had

commanded

him

to

bear

as

his

usual

appellation

for

the

time

to

come

.

Since

,

therefore

,

both

these

names

are

suitable

to

the

Christ

of

the

Creator

,

they

are

proportionately

unsuitable

to

the

non

-

Creator’s

Christ

;

and

so

indeed

is

all

the

rest

of

(

our

Christ’s

)

destined

course

.

In

short

,

there

must

now

for

the

future

be

made

between

us

that

certain

and

equitable

rule

,

necessary

to

both

sides

,

which

shall

determine

that

there

ought

to

be

absolutely

nothing

at

all

in

common

between

the

Christ

of

the

other

god

and

the

Creator’s

Christ

.

For

you

will

have

as

great

a

necessity

to

maintain

their

diversity

as

we

have

to

resist

it

,

inasmuch

as

you

will

be

as

unable

to

show

that

the

Christ

of

the

other

god

has

come

,

until

you

have

proved

him

to

be

a

far

different

being

from

the

Creator’s

Christ

,

as

we

,

to

claim

Him

(

who

has

come

)

as

the

Creator’s

,

until

we

have

shown

Him

to

be

such

a

one

as

the

Creator

has

appointed

.

Now

respecting

their

names

,

such

is

our

conclusion

against

(

Marcion

)

.

I

claim

for

myself

Christ

;

I

maintain

for

myself

Jesus

.

Notes

1
That is, Christ.
2
Surely it is Duo, not Deo.
3
Constare.
4
Incipit vocari.
5
Secundum populum.
6
Vir.
7
Non celavit te, “not concealed Himself from you.”
8
Ex. xxiii. 20, 21.
9
Officium prophetæ.
10
Sacramentum.
11
Identidem.
12
Reliquus ordo.
13
Obduximus.