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The Prescription Against Heretics

Tertullian

Chapter 14

About this work

Tertullian argues that apostolic churches possess the proper claim to interpret Christian Scripture and that rival teachers should not be granted equal standing in debates over the inherited rule of faith.

Author: Tertullian
Date: c. AD 200–210
Origin: Carthage, North Africa
Genre: Heresiology

Chapter XIV.—Curiosity Ought Not Range Beyond the Rule of Faith. Restless Curiosity, the Feature of Heresy.

So long, however, as its form

‹ Chapter 13 Chapter 15 ›

exists

in

its

proper

order

,

you

may

seek

and

discuss

as

much

as

you

please

,

and

give

full

rein

to

your

curiosity

,

in

whatever

seems

to

you

to

hang

in

doubt

,

or

to

be

shrouded

in

obscurity

.

You

have

at

hand

,

no

doubt

,

some

learned

brother

gifted

with

the

grace

of

knowledge

,

some

one

of

the

experienced

class

,

some

one

of

your

close

acquaintance

who

is

curious

like

yourself

;

although

with

yourself

,

a

seeker

he

will

,

after

all

,

be

quite

aware

that

it

is

better

for

you

to

remain

in

ignorance

,

lest

you

should

come

to

know

what

you

ought

not

,

because

you

have

acquired

the

knowledge

of

what

you

ought

to

know

.

“

Thy

faith

,

”

He

says

,

“

hath

saved

thee

”

not

observe

your

skill

in

the

Scriptures

.

Now

,

faith

has

been

deposited

in

the

rule

;

it

has

a

law

,

and

(

in

the

observance

thereof

)

salvation

.

Skill

,

however

,

consists

in

curious

art

,

having

for

its

glory

simply

the

readiness

that

comes

from

knack

.

Let

such

curious

art

give

place

to

faith

;

let

such

glory

yield

to

salvation

.

At

any

rate

,

let

them

either

relinquish

their

noisiness

,

or

else

be

quiet

.

To

know

nothing

in

opposition

to

the

rule

(

of

faith

)

,

is

to

know

all

things

.

(

Suppose

)

that

heretics

were

not

enemies

to

the

truth

,

so

that

we

were

not

forewarned

to

avoid

them

,

what

sort

of

conduct

would

it

be

to

agree

with

men

who

do

themselves

confess

that

they

are

still

seeking

?

For

if

they

are

still

seeking

,

they

have

not

as

yet

found

anything

amounting

to

certainty

;

and

therefore

,

whatever

they

seem

for

a

while

to

hold

,

they

betray

their

own

scepticism

,

whilst

they

continue

seeking

.

You

therefore

,

who

seek

after

their

fashion

,

looking

to

those

who

are

themselves

ever

seeking

,

a

doubter

to

doubters

,

a

waverer

to

waverers

,

must

needs

be

“

led

,

blindly

by

the

blind

,

down

into

the

ditch

.

”

But

when

,

for

the

sake

of

deceiving

us

,

they

pretend

that

they

are

still

seeking

,

in

order

that

they

may

palm

their

essays

upon

us

by

the

suggestion

of

an

anxious

sympathy

,

—

when

,

in

short

(

after

gaining

an

access

to

us

)

,

they

proceed

at

once

to

insist

on

the

necessity

of

our

inquiring

into

such

points

as

they

were

in

the

habit

of

advancing

,

then

it

is

high

time

for

us

in

moral

obligation

to

repel

them

,

so

that

they

may

know

that

it

is

not

Christ

,

but

themselves

,

whom

we

disavow

.

For

since

they

are

still

seekers

,

they

have

no

fixed

tenets

yet

;

and

being

not

fixed

in

tenet

,

they

have

not

yet

believed

;

and

being

not

yet

believers

,

they

are

not

Christians

.

But

even

though

they

have

their

tenets

and

their

belief

,

they

still

say

that

inquiry

is

necessary

in

order

to

discussion

.

however

,

to

the

discussion

,

they

deny

what

they

confess

not

yet

to

have

believed

,

so

long

as

they

keep

it

an

object

of

inquiry

.

When

men

,

therefore

,

are

not

Christians

even

on

their

own

admission

,

how

much

more

(

do

they

fail

to

appear

such

)

to

us

!

What

sort

of

truth

is

that

which

they

patronize

,

when

they

commend

it

to

us

with

a

lie

?

Well

,

but

they

actually

treat

of

the

Scriptures

and

recommend

(

their

opinions

)

out

of

the

Scriptures

!

To

be

sure

they

do

.

From

what

other

source

could

they

derive

arguments

concerning

the

things

of

the

faith

,

except

from

the

records

of

the

faith

?

Notes

1
Omnem libidinem effundas, “pour out the whole desire for.”
2
Doctor, literally, “teacher.” See Eph. iv. 11; also above; chap. iii. p. 244.
3
This seems to be the more probable meaning of novissime in this rather obscure sentence. Oehler treats it adverbially as “postremo,” and refers to a similar use of the word below in chap. xxx. Dr. Routh (and, after him, the translator in The Library of the Fathers, Tertullian, p. 448) makes the word a noun, “thou newest of novices,” and refers to Tertullian’s work, against Praxeas, chap. xxvii., for a like use. This seems to us too harsh for the present context.
4
Sciet.
5
See 1 Cor. xii. 8.
6
Luke xviii. 42.
7
Exercitatio.
8
Exercitatio.
9
De peritiæ studio.
10
Non obstrepant.
11
Interim.
12
Dubitationem.
13
Matt. xv. 14.
14
Insinuent.
15
Tractatus.
16
Or, “by instilling an anxiety into us” (Dodgson).
17
Jam debemus.
18
Refutare.
19
Nondum tenent.
20
Ut defendant.
21
Nec sibi sunt.
22
Patrocinantur.
23
Ipsi.
24
Scilicet.