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The Prescription Against Heretics

Tertullian

Chapter 5

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 V.—Heresy, as Well as Schism and Dissension, Disapproved by St. Paul, Who Speaks of the Necessity of Heresies, Not as a Good, But, by the Will of God, Salutary Trials for Training and Approving the Faith of Christians.

Moreover, when he blames dissensions and schisms

‹ Chapter 4 Chapter 6 ›

,

which

undoubtedly

are

evils

,

he

immediately

adds

heresies

likewise

.

Now

,

that

which

he

subjoins

to

evil

things

,

he

of

course

confesses

to

be

itself

an

evil

;

and

all

the

greater

,

indeed

,

because

he

tells

us

that

his

belief

of

their

schisms

and

dissensions

was

grounded

on

his

knowledge

that

“

there

must

be

heresies

also

.

”

For

he

shows

us

that

it

was

owing

to

the

prospect

of

the

greater

evil

that

he

readily

believed

the

existence

of

the

lighter

ones

;

and

so

far

indeed

was

he

from

believing

,

in

respect

of

evils

(

of

such

a

kind

)

,

that

heresies

were

good

,

that

his

object

was

to

forewarn

us

that

we

ought

not

to

be

surprised

at

temptations

of

even

a

worse

stamp

,

since

(

he

said

)

they

tended

“

to

make

manifest

all

such

as

were

approved

;

”

in

other

words

,

those

whom

they

were

unable

to

pervert

.

In

short

,

since

the

whole

passage

points

to

the

maintenance

of

unity

and

the

checking

of

divisions

,

inasmuch

as

heresies

sever

men

from

unity

no

less

than

schisms

and

dissensions

,

no

doubt

he

classes

heresies

under

the

same

head

of

censure

as

he

does

schisms

also

and

dissensions

.

And

by

so

doing

,

he

makes

those

to

be

“

not

approved

,

”

who

have

fallen

into

heresies

;

more

especially

when

with

reproofs

he

exhorts

men

to

turn

away

from

such

,

teaching

them

that

they

should

“

all

speak

and

think

the

selfsame

thing

,

”

the

very

object

which

heresies

do

not

permit

.

Notes

1
1 Cor. xi. 19.
2
1 Cor. xi. 18.
3
Depravare.
4
Capitulum.
5
Objurget.
6
1 Cor. i. 10.