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The Five Books Against Marcion

Tertullian

Book 4 · Chapter 28

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 XXVIII.—Examples from the Old Testament, Balaam, Moses, and Hezekiah, to Show How Completely the Instruction and Conduct of Christ Are in Keeping with the Will and Purpose of the Creator.

Justly, therefore, was the hypocrisy of

‹ Book 4 · Chapter 27 Book 4 · Chapter 29 ›

the

Pharisees

displeasing

to

Him

,

loving

God

as

they

did

with

their

lips

,

but

not

with

their

heart

.

“

Beware

,

”

He

says

to

the

disciples

,

“

of

the

leaven

of

the

Pharisees

,

which

is

hypocrisy

,

”

not

the

proclamation

of

the

Creator

.

The

Son

hates

those

who

refused

obedience

to

the

Father

;

nor

does

He

wish

His

disciples

to

show

such

a

disposition

towards

Him

—

not

(

let

it

be

observed

)

towards

another

god

,

against

whom

such

hypocrisy

indeed

might

have

been

admissible

,

as

that

which

He

wished

to

guard

His

disciples

against

.

It

is

the

example

of

the

Pharisees

which

He

forbids

.

It

was

in

respect

of

Him

against

whom

the

Pharisees

were

sinning

that

(

Christ

)

now

forbade

His

disciples

to

offend

.

Since

,

then

,

He

had

censured

their

hypocrisy

,

which

covered

the

secrets

of

the

heart

,

and

obscured

with

superficial

offices

the

mysteries

of

unbelief

,

because

(

while

holding

the

key

of

knowledge

)

it

would

neither

enter

in

itself

,

nor

permit

others

to

enter

in

,

He

therefore

adds

,

“

There

is

nothing

covered

that

shall

not

be

revealed

;

neither

hid

,

which

shall

not

be

known

,

”

in

order

that

no

one

should

suppose

that

He

was

attempting

the

revelation

and

the

recognition

of

an

hitherto

unknown

and

hidden

god

.

When

He

remarks

also

on

their

murmurs

and

taunts

,

in

saying

of

Him

,

“

This

man

casteth

out

devils

only

through

Beelzebub

,

”

He

means

that

all

these

imputations

would

come

forth

to

the

light

of

day

,

and

be

in

the

mouths

of

men

in

consequence

of

the

promulgation

of

the

Gospel

.

He

then

turns

to

His

disciples

with

these

words

,

“

I

say

unto

you

,

my

friends

,

Be

not

afraid

of

them

which

can

only

kill

the

body

,

and

after

that

have

no

more

power

over

you

.

”

They

will

,

however

,

find

Isaiah

had

already

said

,

“

See

how

the

just

man

is

taken

away

,

and

no

man

layeth

it

to

heart

.

”

“

But

I

will

show

you

whom

ye

shall

fear

:

fear

Him

who

,

after

He

hath

killed

,

hath

power

to

cast

into

hell

”

(

meaning

,

of

course

,

the

Creator

)

;

“

yea

,

I

say

unto

you

,

fear

Him

.

”

Now

,

it

would

here

be

enough

for

my

purpose

that

He

forbids

offence

being

given

to

Him

whom

He

orders

to

be

feared

;

and

that

He

orders

Him

to

be

respected

whom

He

forbids

to

be

offended

;

and

that

He

who

gives

these

commands

belongs

to

that

very

God

for

whom

He

procures

this

fear

,

this

absence

of

offence

,

and

this

respect

.

But

this

conclusion

I

can

draw

also

from

the

following

words

:

“

For

I

say

unto

you

,

Whosoever

shall

confess

me

before

men

,

him

will

I

also

confess

before

God

.

”

Now

they

who

shall

confess

Christ

will

have

to

be

slain

before

men

,

but

they

will

have

nothing

more

to

suffer

after

they

have

been

put

to

death

by

them

.

These

therefore

will

be

they

whom

He

forewarns

above

not

to

be

afraid

of

being

only

killed

;

and

this

forewarning

He

offers

,

in

order

that

He

might

subjoin

a

clause

on

the

necessity

of

confessing

Him

:

“

Every

one

that

denieth

me

before

men

shall

be

denied

before

God

”

—

by

Him

,

of

course

,

who

would

have

confessed

him

,

if

he

had

only

confessed

God

.

Now

,

He

who

will

confess

the

confessor

is

the

very

same

God

who

will

also

deny

the

denier

of

Himself

.

Again

,

if

it

is

the

confessor

who

will

have

nothing

to

fear

after

his

violent

death

,

it

is

the

denier

to

whom

everything

will

become

fearful

after

his

natural

death

.

Since

,

therefore

,

that

which

will

have

to

be

feared

after

death

,

even

the

punishment

of

hell

,

belongs

to

the

Creator

,

the

denier

,

too

,

belongs

to

the

Creator

.

As

with

the

denier

,

however

,

so

with

the

confessor

:

if

he

should

deny

God

,

he

will

plainly

have

to

suffer

from

God

,

although

from

men

he

had

nothing

more

to

suffer

after

they

had

put

him

to

death

.

And

so

Christ

is

the

Creator’s

,

because

He

shows

that

all

those

who

deny

Him

ought

to

fear

the

Creator’s

hell

.

After

deterring

His

disciples

from

denial

of

Himself

,

He

adds

an

admonition

to

fear

blasphemy

:

“

Whosoever

shall

speak

against

the

Son

of

man

,

it

shall

be

forgiven

him

;

but

whosoever

shall

speak

against

the

Holy

Ghost

,

it

shall

not

be

forgiven

him

.

”

Now

,

if

both

the

remission

and

the

retention

of

sin

savour

of

a

judicial

God

,

the

Holy

Ghost

,

who

is

not

to

be

blasphemed

,

will

belong

to

Him

,

who

will

not

forgive

the

blasphemy

;

just

as

He

who

,

in

the

preceding

passage

,

was

not

to

be

denied

,

belonged

to

,

Him

who

would

,

after

He

had

killed

,

also

cast

into

hell

.

Now

,

since

it

is

Christ

who

averts

blasphemy

from

the

Creator

,

I

am

at

a

loss

to

know

in

what

manner

His

adversary

could

have

come

.

Else

,

if

by

these

sayings

He

throws

a

black

cloud

of

censure

over

the

severity

of

Him

who

will

not

forgive

blasphemy

and

will

kill

even

to

hell

,

it

follows

that

the

very

spirit

of

that

rival

god

may

be

blasphemed

with

impunity

,

and

his

Christ

denied

;

and

that

there

is

no

difference

,

in

fact

,

between

worshipping

and

despising

him

;

but

that

,

as

there

is

no

punishment

for

the

contempt

,

so

there

is

no

reward

for

the

worship

,

which

men

need

expect

.

When

“

brought

before

magistrates

,

”

and

examined

,

He

forbids

them

“

to

take

thought

how

they

shall

answer

;

”

“

for

,

”

says

He

,

“

the

Holy

Ghost

shall

teach

you

in

that

very

hour

what

ye

ought

to

say

.

”

If

such

an

injunction

as

this

comes

from

the

Creator

,

the

precept

will

only

be

His

by

whom

an

example

was

previously

given

.

The

prophet

Balaam

,

in

Numbers

,

when

sent

forth

by

king

Balak

to

curse

Israel

,

with

whom

he

was

commencing

war

,

was

at

the

same

moment

filled

with

the

Spirit

.

Instead

of

the

curse

which

he

was

come

to

pronounce

,

he

uttered

the

blessing

which

the

Spirit

at

that

very

hour

inspired

him

with

;

having

previously

declared

to

the

king’s

messengers

,

and

then

to

the

king

himself

,

that

he

could

only

speak

forth

that

which

God

should

put

into

his

mouth

.

The

novel

doctrines

of

the

new

Christ

are

such

as

the

Creator’s

servants

initiated

long

before

!

But

see

how

clear

a

difference

there

is

between

the

example

of

Moses

and

of

Christ

.

Moses

voluntarily

interferes

with

brothers

who

were

quarrelling

,

and

chides

the

offender

:

“

Wherefore

smitest

thou

thy

fellow

?

”

He

is

,

however

,

rejected

by

him

:

“

Who

made

thee

a

prince

or

a

judge

over

us

?

”

Christ

,

on

the

contrary

,

when

requested

by

a

certain

man

to

compose

a

strife

between

him

and

his

brother

about

dividing

an

inheritance

,

refused

His

assistance

,

although

in

so

honest

a

cause

.

Well

,

then

,

my

Moses

is

better

than

your

Christ

,

aiming

as

he

did

at

the

peace

of

brethren

,

and

obviating

their

wrong

.

But

of

course

the

case

must

be

different

with

Christ

,

for

he

is

the

Christ

of

the

simply

good

and

non

-

judicial

god

.

“

Who

,

”

says

he

,

“

made

me

a

judge

over

you

?

”

No

other

word

of

excuse

was

he

able

to

find

,

without

using

that

with

which

the

wicked

,

man

and

impious

brother

had

rejected

the

defender

of

probity

and

piety

!

In

short

,

he

approved

of

the

excuse

,

although

a

bad

one

,

by

his

use

of

it

;

and

of

the

act

,

although

a

bad

one

,

by

his

refusal

to

make

peace

between

brothers

.

Or

rather

,

would

He

not

show

His

resentment

at

the

rejection

of

Moses

with

such

a

word

?

And

therefore

did

He

not

wish

in

a

similar

case

of

contentious

brothers

,

to

confound

them

with

the

recollection

of

so

harsh

a

word

?

Clearly

so

.

For

He

had

Himself

been

present

in

Moses

,

who

heard

such

a

rejection

—

even

He

,

the

Spirit

of

the

Creator

.

I

think

that

we

have

already

,

in

another

passage

,

sufficiently

shown

that

the

glory

of

riches

is

condemned

by

our

God

,

“

who

putteth

down

the

mighty

from

their

throne

,

and

exalts

the

poor

from

the

dunghill

.

”

From

Him

,

therefore

,

will

proceed

the

parable

of

the

rich

man

,

who

flattered

himself

about

the

increase

of

his

fields

,

and

to

Whom

God

said

:

“

Thou

fool

,

this

night

shall

they

require

thy

soul

of

thee

;

then

whose

shall

those

things

be

which

thou

hast

provided

?

”

It

was

just

in

the

like

manner

that

the

king

Hezekiah

heard

from

Isaiah

the

sad

doom

of

his

kingdom

,

when

he

gloried

,

before

the

envoys

of

Babylon

,

in

his

treasures

and

the

deposits

of

his

precious

things

.

Notes

2
Contumaces.
3
Luke xii. 2.
4
Luke xii. 4.
5
Isa. lvii. 1.
6
Luke xii. 5.
7
Demereri.
8
Luke xii. 8.
9
Occidi habebunt.
10
Luke xii. 9.
11
Post occisionem.
12
Luke xii. 10.
13
So full of blasphemy, as he is, against the Creator.
14
Infuscat.
15
Luke xii. 11, 12.
16
Documentum.
17
Simul.
18
Num. xxii.–xxiv.
19
A Marcionite objection.
20
“Two men of the Hebrews.”—A.V.
21
Ex. ii. 13, 14.
22
Luke xii. 13, 14.
23
Ne uteretur.
24
Excusserat. Oehler interprets the word by temptaverat.
25
Nunquid indigne tulerit.
26
This is an instance of the title “Spirit” being applied to the divine nature of the Son. See Bp. Bull’s Def. Nic. Fid. (by the translator). [See note 13, p. 375, supra.]
27
Above, chap. xv. of this book, p. 369, supra.
28
Comp. 1 Sam. ii. 8 with Ps. cxiii. 7 and Luke i. 52.
29
Luke xii. 16–20.
30
Apud Persas.
31
Isa. xxxix.