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The Five Books Against Marcion

Tertullian

Book 4 · Chapter 27

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 XXVII.—Christ’s Reprehension of the Pharisees Seeking a Sign. His Censure of Their Love of Outward Show Rather Than Inward Holiness. Scripture Abounds with Admonitions of a Similar Purport. Proofs of His Mission from the Creator.

I prefer elsewhere refuting the faults which the

‹ Book 4 · Chapter 26 Book 4 · Chapter 28 ›

Marcionites

find

in

the

Creator

.

It

is

here

enough

that

they

are

also

found

in

Christ

.

Behold

how

unequal

,

inconsistent

,

and

capricious

he

is

!

Teaching

one

thing

and

doing

another

,

he

enjoins

“

giving

to

every

one

that

seeks

;

”

and

yet

he

himself

refuses

to

give

to

those

“

who

seek

a

sign

.

”

For

a

vast

age

he

hides

his

own

light

from

men

,

and

yet

says

that

a

candle

must

not

be

hidden

,

but

affirms

that

it

ought

to

be

set

upon

a

candlestick

,

that

it

may

give

light

to

all

.

He

forbids

cursing

again

,

and

cursing

much

more

of

course

;

and

yet

he

heaps

his

woe

upon

the

Pharisees

and

doctors

of

the

law

.

Who

so

closely

resembles

my

God

as

His

own

Christ

?

We

have

often

already

laid

it

down

for

certain

,

that

He

could

not

have

been

branded

as

the

destroyer

of

the

law

if

He

had

promulged

another

god

.

Therefore

even

the

Pharisee

,

who

invited

Him

to

dinner

in

the

passage

before

us

,

expressed

some

surprise

in

His

presence

that

He

had

not

washed

before

He

sat

down

to

meat

,

in

accordance

with

the

law

,

since

it

was

the

God

of

the

law

that

He

was

proclaiming

.

Jesus

also

interpreted

the

law

to

him

when

He

told

him

that

they

“

made

clean

the

outside

of

the

cup

and

the

platter

,

whereas

their

inward

part

was

full

of

ravening

and

wickedness

.

”

This

He

said

,

to

signify

that

by

the

cleansing

of

vessels

was

to

be

understood

before

God

the

purification

of

men

,

inasmuch

as

it

was

about

a

man

,

and

not

about

an

unwashed

vessel

,

that

even

this

Pharisee

had

been

treating

in

His

presence

.

He

therefore

said

:

“

You

wash

the

outside

of

the

cup

,

”

that

is

,

the

flesh

,

“

but

you

do

not

cleanse

your

inside

part

,

”

that

is

,

the

soul

;

adding

:

“

Did

not

He

that

made

the

outside

,

”

that

is

,

the

flesh

,

“

also

make

the

inward

part

,

”

that

is

to

say

,

the

soul

?

—

by

which

assertion

He

expressly

declared

that

to

the

same

God

belongs

the

cleansing

of

a

man’s

external

and

internal

nature

,

both

alike

being

in

the

power

of

Him

who

prefers

mercy

not

only

to

man’s

washing

,

but

even

to

sacrifice

.

For

He

subjoins

the

command

:

“

Give

what

ye

possess

as

alms

,

and

all

things

shall

be

clean

unto

you

.

”

Even

if

another

god

could

have

enjoined

mercy

,

he

could

not

have

done

so

his

becoming

known

.

Furthermore

,

it

is

in

this

passage

evident

that

they

were

not

reproved

concerning

their

God

,

but

concerning

a

point

of

His

instruction

to

them

,

when

He

prescribed

to

them

figuratively

the

cleansing

of

their

vessels

,

but

really

the

works

of

merciful

dispositions

.

In

like

manner

,

He

upbraids

them

for

tithing

paltry

herbs

,

but

at

the

same

time

“

passing

over

hospitality

and

the

love

of

God

.

”

The

vocation

and

the

love

of

what

God

,

but

Him

by

whose

law

of

tithes

they

used

to

offer

their

rue

and

mint

?

For

the

whole

point

of

the

rebuke

lay

in

this

,

that

they

cared

about

small

matters

in

His

service

of

course

,

to

whom

they

failed

to

exhibit

their

weightier

duties

when

He

commanded

them

:

“

Thou

shalt

love

with

all

thine

heart

,

and

with

all

thy

soul

,

and

with

all

thy

strength

,

the

Lord

thy

God

,

who

hath

called

thee

out

of

Egypt

.

”

Besides

,

time

enough

had

not

yet

passed

to

admit

of

Christ’s

requiring

so

premature

—

nay

,

as

yet

so

distasteful

—

a

love

towards

a

new

and

recent

,

not

to

say

a

hardly

yet

developed

,

deity

.

When

,

again

,

He

upbraids

those

who

caught

at

the

uppermost

places

and

the

honour

of

public

salutations

,

He

only

follows

out

the

Creator’s

course

,

who

calls

ambitious

persons

of

this

character

“

rulers

of

Sodom

,

”

who

forbids

us

“

to

put

confidence

even

in

princes

,

”

and

pronounces

him

to

be

altogether

wretched

who

places

his

confidence

in

man

.

But

whoever

aims

at

high

position

,

because

he

would

glory

in

the

officious

attentions

of

other

people

,

(

in

every

such

case

,

)

inasmuch

as

He

forbade

such

attentions

(

in

the

shape

)

of

placing

hope

and

confidence

in

man

,

He

at

the

same

time

censured

all

who

were

ambitious

of

high

positions

.

He

also

inveighs

against

the

doctors

of

the

law

themselves

,

because

they

were

“

lading

men

with

burdens

grievous

to

be

borne

,

which

they

did

not

venture

to

touch

with

even

a

finger

of

their

own

;

”

but

not

as

if

He

made

a

mock

of

the

burdens

of

the

law

with

any

feeling

of

detestation

towards

it

.

For

how

could

He

have

felt

aversion

to

the

law

,

who

used

with

so

much

earnestness

to

upbraid

them

for

passing

over

its

weightier

matters

,

alms

—

giving

,

hospitality

,

and

the

love

of

God

?

Nor

,

indeed

,

was

it

only

these

great

things

(

which

He

recognized

)

,

but

even

the

tithes

of

rue

and

the

cleansing

of

cups

.

But

,

in

truth

,

He

would

rather

have

deemed

them

excusable

for

being

unable

to

carry

burdens

which

could

not

be

borne

.

What

,

then

,

are

the

burdens

which

He

censures

?

None

but

those

which

they

were

accumulating

of

their

own

accord

,

when

they

taught

for

commandments

the

doctrines

of

men

;

for

the

sake

of

private

advantage

joining

house

to

house

,

so

as

to

deprive

their

neighbour

of

his

own

;

cajoling

the

people

,

loving

gifts

,

pursuing

rewards

,

robbing

the

poor

of

the

rights

of

judgment

,

that

they

might

have

the

widow

for

a

prey

and

the

fatherless

for

a

spoil

.

Of

these

Isaiah

also

says

,

“

Woe

unto

them

that

are

strong

in

Jerusalem

!

”

and

again

,

“

They

that

demand

you

shall

rule

over

you

.

”

And

who

did

this

more

than

the

lawyers

?

Now

,

if

these

offended

Christ

,

it

was

as

belonging

to

Him

that

they

offended

Him

.

He

would

have

aimed

no

blow

at

the

teachers

of

an

alien

law

.

But

why

is

a

“

woe

”

pronounced

against

them

for

“

building

the

sepulchres

of

the

prophets

whom

their

fathers

had

killed

?

”

They

rather

deserved

praise

,

because

by

such

an

act

of

piety

they

seemed

to

show

that

they

did

not

allow

the

deeds

of

their

fathers

.

Was

it

not

because

(

Christ

)

was

jealous

of

such

a

disposition

as

the

Marcionites

denounce

,

visiting

the

sins

of

the

fathers

upon

the

children

unto

the

fourth

generation

?

What

“

key

,

”

indeed

,

was

it

which

these

lawyers

had

,

but

the

interpretation

of

the

law

?

Into

the

perception

of

this

they

neither

entered

themselves

,

even

because

they

did

not

believe

(

for

“

unless

ye

believe

,

ye

shall

not

understand

”

)

;

nor

did

they

permit

others

to

enter

,

because

they

preferred

to

teach

them

for

commandments

even

the

doctrines

of

men

.

When

,

therefore

,

He

reproached

those

who

did

not

themselves

enter

in

,

and

also

shut

the

door

against

others

,

must

He

be

regarded

as

a

disparager

of

the

law

,

or

as

a

supporter

of

it

?

If

a

disparager

,

those

who

were

hindering

the

law

ought

to

have

been

pleased

;

if

a

supporter

,

He

is

no

longer

an

enemy

of

the

law

.

But

all

these

imprecations

He

uttered

in

order

to

tarnish

the

Creator

as

a

cruel

Being

,

against

whom

such

as

offended

were

destined

to

have

a

“

woe

.

”

And

who

would

not

rather

have

feared

to

provoke

a

cruel

Being

,

by

withdrawing

allegiance

from

Him

?

Therefore

the

more

He

represented

the

Creator

to

be

an

object

of

fear

,

the

more

earnestly

would

He

teach

that

He

ought

to

be

served

.

Thus

would

it

behove

the

Creator’s

Christ

to

act

.

Notes

1
Purgare.
2
From the Marcionite point of view.
3
Luke xi. 29.
4
Luke xi. 33.
5
Luke vi. 28, also xi. 37–52.
6
Fiximus.
7
Denotari.
8
Tunc.
9
Retractabat.
10
Circumferret.
11
Luke xi. 39.
12
Lavacro.
13
Matt. ix. 13, xii. 7; comp. Hos. viii. 6.
14
Luke xi. 41.
15
The Pharisees and lawyers.
16
Holuscula.
17
Marcion’s gospel had κλῆσιν (vocationem, perhaps a general word for hospitality) instead of κρίσιν, judgment,—a quality which M. did not allow in his god. See Epiphanius, Hæres. xlii., Schol. 26 (Oehler and Fr. Junius).
18
Luke xi. 42.
19
Deut. vi. 5.
20
Amaxam.
21
Nondum palam facto.
22
Sectam administrat.
23
Isa. i. 10.
24
Ps. cxviii. 9.
25
Quodsiquis.
26
Officiis.
27
Idem.
28
Luke xi. 46.
29
Suggillans.
30
Vocationem: Marcion’s κλῆσιν.
31
Nedum.
32
Taxat.
33
Clamantes.
34
See Isa. v. 5, 23, and x. 2.
35
Isa. xxviii. 14.
36
The books point to Isa. iii. 3, 4 for this; but there is only a slight similarity in the latter clause, even in the Septuagint.
37
Legis doctores: the νομικοί of the Gospels.
38
Luke xi. 47.
39
Zelotes.
40
Arguunt.
41
Luke xi. 52.
42
As Marcion held Him to be.
43
A Marcionite position.
44
Sævum.
45
Deficiendo.