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The Prescription Against Heretics

Tertullian

Chapter 4

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 IV.—Warnings Against Heresy Given Us in the New Testament. Sundry Passages Adduced. These Imply the Possibility of Falling into Heresy.

But let us rather be mindful of the

‹ Chapter 3 Chapter 5 ›

sayings

of

the

Lord

,

and

of

the

letters

of

the

apostles

;

for

they

have

both

told

us

beforehand

that

there

shall

be

heresies

,

and

have

given

us

,

in

anticipation

,

warnings

to

avoid

them

;

and

inasmuch

as

we

are

not

alarmed

because

they

exist

,

so

we

ought

not

to

wonder

that

they

are

capable

of

doing

that

,

on

account

of

which

they

must

be

shunned

.

The

Lord

teaches

us

that

many

“

ravening

wolves

shall

come

in

sheep’s

clothing

.

”

Now

,

what

are

these

sheep’s

clothing’s

,

but

the

external

surface

of

the

Christian

profession

?

Who

are

the

ravening

wolves

but

those

deceitful

senses

and

spirits

which

are

lurking

within

to

waste

the

flock

of

Christ

?

Who

are

the

false

prophets

but

deceptive

predictors

of

the

future

?

Who

are

the

false

apostles

but

the

preachers

of

a

spurious

gospel

?

Who

also

are

the

Antichrists

,

both

now

and

evermore

,

but

the

men

who

rebel

against

Christ

?

Heresies

,

at

the

present

time

,

will

no

less

rend

the

church

by

their

perversion

of

doctrine

,

than

will

Antichrist

persecute

her

at

that

day

by

the

cruelty

of

his

attacks

,

except

that

persecution

make

seven

martyrs

,

(

but

)

heresy

only

apostates

.

And

therefore

“

heresies

must

needs

be

in

order

that

they

which

are

approved

might

be

made

manifest

,

”

both

those

who

remained

stedfast

under

persecution

,

and

those

who

did

not

wander

out

of

their

way

into

heresy

.

For

the

apostle

does

not

mean

that

those

persons

should

be

deemed

approved

who

exchange

their

creed

for

heresy

;

although

they

contrariously

interpret

his

words

to

their

own

side

,

when

he

says

in

another

passage

,

“

Prove

all

things

;

hold

fast

that

which

is

good

;

”

as

if

,

after

proving

all

things

amiss

,

one

might

not

through

error

make

a

determined

choice

of

some

evil

thing

.

Notes

1
Matt. vii. 15.
2
Adulteri evangelizatores, the spurious preachers of the gospel. [Galat. i. 8, 9, an example of Apostolic præscription.]
3
Hoc scil. “tempore.”
4
Oehler’s “persecutionem” ought of course to be “persecutionum.”
5
1 Cor. xi. 19.
6
Exorbitaverint.
7
Juvat.
8
1 Thess. v. 21. [But Truth is to be demonstrated as a theorem, not treated as a problem of which we must seek the solution.]