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The Five Books Against Marcion

Tertullian

Book 5 · 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.—The Eternal Home in Heaven. Beautiful Exposition by Tertullian of the Apostle’s Consolatory Teaching Against the Fear of Death, So Apt to Arise Under Anti-Christian Oppression. The Judgment-Seat of Christ—The Idea, Anti-Marcionite. Paradise. Judicial Characteristics of Christ Which are Inconsistent with the Heretical Views About Him; The Apostle’s Sharpness, or Severity, Shows Him to Be a Fit Preacher of the Creator’s Christ.

As to the house of this our

‹ Book 5 · Chapter 11 Book 5 · Chapter 13 ›

earthly

dwelling

-

place

,

when

he

says

that

“

we

have

an

eternal

home

in

heaven

,

not

made

with

hands

,

”

he

by

no

means

would

imply

that

,

because

it

was

built

by

the

Creator’s

hand

,

it

must

perish

in

a

perpetual

dissolution

after

death

.

He

treats

of

this

subject

in

order

to

offer

consolation

against

the

fear

of

death

and

the

dread

of

this

very

dissolution

,

as

is

even

more

manifest

from

what

follows

,

when

he

adds

,

that

“

in

this

tabernacle

of

our

earthly

body

we

do

groan

,

earnestly

desiring

to

be

clothed

upon

with

the

vesture

which

is

from

heaven

,

if

so

be

,

that

having

been

unclothed

,

we

shall

not

be

found

naked

;

”

in

other

words

,

shall

regain

that

of

which

we

have

been

divested

,

even

our

body

.

And

again

he

says

:

“

We

that

are

in

this

tabernacle

do

groan

,

not

as

if

we

were

oppressed

with

an

unwillingness

to

be

unclothed

,

but

(

we

wish

)

to

be

clothed

upon

.

”

He

here

says

expressly

,

what

he

touched

but

lightly

in

his

first

epistle

,

where

he

wrote

:

)

“

The

dead

shall

be

raised

incorruptible

(

meaning

those

who

had

undergone

mortality

)

,

“

and

we

shall

be

changed

”

(

whom

God

shall

find

to

be

yet

in

the

flesh

)

.

Both

those

shall

be

raised

incorruptible

,

because

they

shall

regain

their

body

—

and

that

a

renewed

one

,

from

which

shall

come

their

incorruptibility

;

and

these

also

shall

,

in

the

crisis

of

the

last

moment

,

and

from

their

instantaneous

death

,

whilst

encountering

the

oppressions

of

anti

-

christ

,

undergo

a

change

,

obtaining

therein

not

so

much

a

divestiture

of

body

as

“

a

clothing

upon

”

with

the

vesture

which

is

from

heaven

.

So

that

whilst

these

shall

put

on

over

their

(

changed

)

body

this

,

heavenly

raiment

,

the

dead

also

shall

for

their

part

recover

their

body

,

over

which

they

too

have

a

supervesture

to

put

on

,

even

the

incorruption

of

heaven

;

because

of

these

it

was

that

he

said

:

“

This

corruptible

must

put

on

incorruption

,

and

this

mortal

must

put

on

immortality

.

”

The

one

put

on

this

(

heavenly

)

apparel

,

when

they

recover

their

bodies

;

the

others

put

it

on

as

a

supervesture

,

when

they

indeed

hardly

lose

them

(

in

the

suddenness

of

their

change

)

.

It

was

accordingly

not

without

good

reason

that

he

described

them

as

“

not

wishing

indeed

to

be

unclothed

,

”

but

(

rather

as

wanting

)

“

to

be

clothed

upon

;

”

in

other

words

,

as

wishing

not

to

undergo

death

,

but

to

be

surprised

into

life

,

“

that

this

moral

(

body

)

might

be

swallowed

up

of

life

,

”

by

being

rescued

from

death

in

the

supervesture

of

its

changed

state

.

This

is

why

he

shows

us

how

much

better

it

is

for

us

not

to

be

sorry

,

if

we

should

be

surprised

by

death

,

and

tells

us

that

we

even

hold

of

God

“

the

earnest

of

His

Spirit

”

(

pledged

as

it

were

thereby

to

have

“

the

clothing

upon

,

”

which

is

the

object

of

our

hope

)

,

and

that

“

so

long

as

we

are

in

the

flesh

,

we

are

absent

from

the

Lord

;

”

moreover

,

that

we

ought

on

this

account

to

prefer

“

rather

to

be

absent

from

the

body

and

to

be

present

with

the

Lord

,

”

and

so

to

be

ready

to

meet

even

death

with

joy

.

In

this

view

it

is

that

he

informs

us

how

“

we

must

all

appear

before

the

judgement

-

seat

of

Christ

,

that

every

one

may

receive

the

things

done

in

his

body

,

according

as

he

hath

done

either

good

or

bad

.

”

Since

,

however

,

there

is

then

to

be

a

retribution

according

to

men’s

merits

,

how

will

any

be

able

to

reckon

with

God

?

But

by

mentioning

both

the

judgment

-

seat

and

the

distinction

between

works

good

and

bad

,

he

sets

before

us

a

Judge

who

is

to

award

both

sentences

,

and

has

thereby

affirmed

that

all

will

have

to

be

present

at

the

tribunal

in

their

bodies

.

For

it

will

be

impossible

to

pass

sentence

except

on

the

body

,

for

what

has

been

done

in

the

body

.

God

would

be

unjust

,

if

any

one

were

not

punished

or

else

rewarded

in

that

very

condition

,

wherein

the

merit

was

itself

achieved

.

“

If

therefore

any

man

be

in

Christ

,

he

is

a

new

creature

;

old

things

are

passed

away

;

behold

,

all

things

are

become

new

;

”

and

so

is

accomplished

the

prophecy

of

Isaiah

.

When

also

he

(

in

a

later

passage

)

enjoins

us

“

to

cleanse

ourselves

from

all

filthiness

of

flesh

and

blood

”

(

since

this

substance

enters

not

the

kingdom

of

God

)

;

when

,

again

,

he

“

espouses

the

church

as

a

chaste

virgin

to

Christ

,

”

a

spouse

to

a

spouse

in

very

deed

,

an

image

cannot

be

combined

and

compared

with

what

is

opposed

to

the

real

nature

of

the

thing

(

with

which

it

is

compared

)

.

So

when

he

designates

“

false

apostles

,

deceitful

workers

transforming

themselves

”

into

likenesses

of

himself

,

of

course

by

their

hypocrisy

,

he

charges

them

with

the

guilt

of

disorderly

conversation

,

rather

than

of

false

doctrine

.

The

contrariety

,

therefore

,

was

one

of

conduct

,

not

of

gods

.

If

“

Satan

himself

,

too

,

is

transformed

into

an

angel

of

light

,

”

such

an

assertion

must

not

be

used

to

the

prejudice

of

the

Creator

.

The

Creator

is

not

an

angel

,

but

God

.

Into

a

god

of

light

,

and

not

an

angel

of

light

,

must

Satan

then

have

been

said

to

be

transformed

,

if

he

did

not

mean

to

call

him

“

the

angel

,

”

which

both

we

and

Marcion

know

him

to

be

.

On

Paradise

is

the

title

of

a

treatise

of

ours

,

in

which

is

discussed

all

that

the

subject

admits

of

.

I

shall

here

simply

wonder

,

in

connection

with

this

matter

,

whether

a

god

who

has

no

dispensation

of

any

kind

on

earth

could

possibly

have

a

paradise

to

call

his

own

—

without

perchance

availing

himself

of

the

paradise

of

the

Creator

,

to

use

it

as

he

does

His

world

—

much

in

the

character

of

a

mendicant

.

And

yet

of

the

removal

of

a

man

from

earth

to

heaven

we

have

an

instance

afforded

us

by

the

Creator

in

Elijah

.

But

what

will

excite

my

surprise

still

more

is

the

case

(

by

Marcion

)

,

that

a

God

so

good

and

gracious

,

and

so

averse

to

blows

and

cruelty

,

should

have

suborned

the

angel

Satan

—

not

his

own

either

,

but

the

Creator’s

—

“

to

buffet

”

the

apostle

,

and

then

to

have

refused

his

request

,

when

thrice

entreated

to

liberate

him

!

It

would

seem

,

therefore

,

that

Marcion’s

god

imitates

the

Creator’s

conduct

,

who

is

an

enemy

to

the

proud

,

even

“

putting

down

the

mighty

from

their

seats

.

”

Is

he

then

the

same

God

as

He

who

gave

Satan

power

over

the

person

of

Job

that

his

“

strength

might

be

made

perfect

in

weakness

?

”

How

is

it

that

the

censurer

of

the

Galatians

still

retains

the

very

formula

of

the

law

:

“

In

the

mouth

of

two

or

three

witnesses

shall

every

word

be

established

?

”

How

again

is

it

that

he

threatens

sinners

“

that

he

will

not

spare

”

them

—

he

,

the

preacher

of

a

most

gentle

god

?

Yea

,

he

even

declares

that

“

the

Lord

hath

given

to

him

the

power

of

using

sharpness

in

their

presence

!

”

Deny

now

,

O

heretic

,

(

at

your

cost

,

)

that

your

god

is

an

object

to

be

feared

,

when

his

apostle

was

for

making

himself

so

formidable

!

Notes

1
2 Cor. v. 1.
2
As Marcion would have men believe.
3
2 Cor. v. 2, 3.
4
Despoliati.
5
Gravemur.
6
2 Cor. v. 4.
7
Strinxit.
8
1 Cor. xv. 52.
9
Superinduti magis quod de cœlo quam exuti corpus.
10
Utique et mortui.
11
De cœlo.
12
1 Cor. xv. 53.
13
Induunt.
14
Superinduunt.
15
2 Cor. v. 4.
16
Vita præveniri.
17
2 Cor. v. 4; and see his treatise, De Resurrect. Carnis, cap. xlii.
18
2 Cor. v. 5.
19
2 Cor. v. 6.
20
Boni ducere.
21
2 Cor. v. 8.
22
2 Cor. v. 10.
23
Deputari cum.
24
2 Cor. v. 10.
25
Per id, per quod, i.e., corpus.
26
2 Cor. v. 17.
27
Isa. xliii. 19.
28
His reading of 2 Cor. vii. 1.
29
1 Cor. xv. 50.
30
2 Cor. xi. 2.
31
Utique ut sponsam sponso.
32
2 Cor. xi. 13.
33
Prædicationis adulteratæ.
34
A reference to Marcion’s other god of the New Testament, of which he tortured the epistles (and this passage among them) to produce the evidence.
35
2 Cor. xi. 14.
36
Patitur. The work here referred to is not extant; it is, however, referred to in the De Anima, c. lv.
37
Precario; “that which one must beg for.” See, however, above, book iv. chap. xxii. p. 384, note 8, for a different turn to this word.
38
2 Kings ii. 11.
39
2 Cor. xii. 7, 8.
40
1 Sam. ii. 7, 8; Ps. cxlvii. 6; Luke i. 52.
41
Job i. 12 and 2 Cor. xii. 9.
42
Gal. i. 6–9.
43
2 Cor. xiii. 1.
44
2 Cor. xiii. 2.
45
2 Cor. xiii. 10.