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The Prescription Against Heretics

Tertullian

Chapter 31

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 XXXI.—Truth First, Falsehood Afterwards, as Its Perversion. Christ’s Parable Puts the Sowing of the Good Seed Before the Useless Tares.

Let me return, however, from this

‹ Chapter 30 Chapter 32 ›

digression

to

discuss

the

priority

of

truth

,

and

the

comparative

lateness

of

falsehood

,

deriving

support

for

my

argument

even

from

that

parable

which

puts

in

the

first

place

the

sowing

by

the

Lord

of

the

good

seed

of

the

wheat

,

but

introduces

at

a

later

stage

the

adulteration

of

the

crop

by

its

enemy

the

devil

with

the

useless

weed

of

the

wild

oats

.

For

herein

is

figuratively

described

the

difference

of

doctrines

,

since

in

other

passages

also

the

word

of

God

is

likened

unto

seed

.

From

the

actual

order

,

therefore

,

it

becomes

clear

,

that

which

was

first

delivered

is

of

the

Lord

and

is

true

,

whilst

that

is

strange

and

false

which

was

afterwards

introduced

.

This

sentence

will

keep

its

ground

in

opposition

to

all

later

heresies

,

which

have

no

consistent

quality

of

kindred

knowledge

inherent

in

them

—

to

claim

the

truth

as

on

their

side

.

Notes

1
Ab excessu.
2
Disputandam. Another reading has deputandam, i.e., “to attribute.”
3
Posteritatem.
4
Nulla constantia de conscientia, “no conscientious ground of confidence” (Dodgson).