Opening the library…

Search the Bible

The Prescription Against Heretics

Tertullian

Chapter 24

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 XXIV.—St. Peter’s Further Vindication. St. Paul Not Superior to St. Peter in Teaching. Nothing Imparted to the Former in the Third Heaven Enabled Him to Add to the Faith. Heretics Boast as If Favoured with Some of the Secrets Imparted to Him.

I have not the good fortune, or

‹ Chapter 23 Chapter 25 ›

,

as

I

must

rather

say

,

I

have

not

the

unenviable

task

,

of

setting

apostles

by

the

ears

.

But

,

inasmuch

as

our

very

perverse

cavillers

obtrude

the

rebuke

in

question

for

the

set

purpose

of

bringing

the

earlier

doctrine

into

suspicion

,

I

will

put

in

a

defence

,

as

it

were

,

for

Peter

,

to

the

effect

that

even

Paul

said

that

he

was

“

made

all

things

to

all

men

—

to

the

Jews

a

Jew

,

”

to

those

who

were

not

Jews

as

one

who

was

not

a

Jew

—

“

that

he

might

gain

all

.

”

Therefore

it

was

according

to

times

and

persons

and

causes

that

they

used

to

censure

certain

practices

,

which

they

would

not

hesitate

themselves

to

pursue

,

in

like

conformity

to

times

and

persons

and

causes

.

Just

(

e

.

g

.

)

as

if

Peter

too

had

censured

Paul

,

because

,

whilst

forbidding

circumcision

,

he

actually

circumcised

Timothy

himself

.

Never

mind

those

who

pass

sentence

on

apostles

!

It

is

a

happy

fact

that

Peter

is

on

the

same

level

with

Paul

in

the

very

glory

of

martyrdom

.

Now

,

although

Paul

was

carried

away

even

to

the

third

heaven

,

and

was

caught

up

to

paradise

,

and

heard

certain

revelations

there

,

yet

these

cannot

possibly

seem

to

have

qualified

him

for

(

teaching

)

another

doctrine

,

seeing

that

their

very

nature

was

such

as

to

render

them

communicable

to

no

human

being

.

If

,

however

,

that

unspeakable

mystery

did

leak

out

,

and

become

known

to

any

man

,

and

if

any

heresy

affirms

that

it

does

itself

follow

the

same

,

(

then

)

either

Paul

must

be

charged

with

having

betrayed

the

secret

,

or

some

other

man

must

actually

be

shown

to

have

been

afterwards

“

caught

up

into

paradise

,

”

who

had

permission

to

speak

out

plainly

what

Paul

was

not

allowed

(

even

)

to

mutter

.

Notes

1
Non mihi tam bene est.
2
Immo.
3
Non mihi tam male est.
4
Ut committam.
5
Superiorem, “that which Peter had preached.”
6
1 Cor. ix. 20, 22.
7
Viderint.
8
Et in martyrio.
9
2 Cor. xii. 4.
10
Nulli hominum.
11
Nescio quid illud.
12
Emanavit.
13
Et.