Tertullian: Against Marcion, Books I–V

Chapter XIII.—Christ’s Connection with the Creator Shown. Many Quotations Out of the Old Testament Prophetically Bear on Certain Events of the Life of Jesus—Such as His Ascent to Praying on the Mountain; His Selection of Twelve Apostles; His Changing Simon’s Name to Peter, and Gentiles from Tyre and Sidon Resorting to Him.

Surely to Sion He brings good tidings, and to Jerusalem peace and all blessings; He goes up into a mountain, and there spends a night in prayer, ^{Edition note 1} and He is indeed heard by the Father. Accordingly turn over the prophets, and learn therefrom His entire course. ^{Edition note 2} “Into the high mountain,” says Isaiah, “get Thee up, who bringest good tidings to Sion; lift up Thy voice with strength, who bringest good tidings to Jerusalem.” ^{Edition note 3} “They were mightily ^{Edition note 4} astonished at His doctrine; for He was teaching as one who had power.” ^{Edition note 5} And again: “Therefore, my people shall know my name in that day.”

What name does the prophet mean, but Christ’s? “That I am He that doth speak—even I.” ^{Edition note 6} For it was He who used to speak in the prophets—the Word, the Creator’s Son. “I am present, while it is the hour, upon the mountains, as one that bringeth glad tidings of peace, as one that publisheth good tidings of good.” ^{Edition note 7} So one of the twelve (minor prophets), Nahum: “For behold upon the mountain the swift feet of Him that bringeth glad tidings of peace.” ^{Edition note 8} Moreover, concerning the voice of His prayer to the Father by night, the psalm manifestly says: “O my God, I will cry in the day-time, and Thou shalt hear; and in the night season, and it shall not be in vain to me.” ^{Edition note 9} In another passage touching the same voice and place, the psalm says: “I cried unto the Lord with my voice, and He heard me out of His holy mountain.” ^{Edition note 10} You have a representation of the name; you have the action of the Evangelizer; you have a mountain for the site; and the night as the time; and the sound of a voice; and the audience of the Father: you have, (in short,) the Christ of the prophets.

But why was it that He chose twelve apostles, ^{Edition note 11} and not some other number? In truth, ^{Edition note 12} I might from this very point conclude ^{Edition note 13} of my Christ, that He was foretold not only by the words of prophets, but by the indications of facts. For of this number I find figurative hints up and down the Creator’s dispensation ^{Edition note 14} in the twelve springs of Elim; ^{Edition note 15} in the twelve gems of Aaron’s priestly vestment; ^{Edition note 16} and in the twelve stones appointed by Joshua to be taken out of the Jordan, and set up for the ark of the covenant.

Now, the same number of apostles was thus portended, as if they were to be fountains and rivers which should water the Gentile world, which was formerly dry and destitute of knowledge (as He says by Isaiah: “I will put streams in the unwatered ground” ^{Edition note 17} ); as if they were to be gems to shed lustre upon the church’s sacred robe, which Christ, the High Priest of the Father, puts on; as if, also, they were to be stones massive in their faith, which the true Joshua took out of the laver of the Jordan, and placed in the sanctuary of His covenant.

What equally good defence of such a number has Marcion’s Christ to show? It is impossible that anything can be shown to have been done by him unconnectedly, ^{Edition note 18} which cannot be shown to have been done by my Christ in connection (with preceding types). ^{Edition note 19} To him will appertain the event ^{Edition note 20} in whom is discovered the preparation for the same. ^{Edition note 21} Again, He changes the name of Simon to Peter, ^{Edition note 22} inasmuch as the Creator also altered the names of Abram, and Sarai, and Oshea, by calling the latter Joshua, and adding a syllable to each of the former.

But why Peter? If it was because of the vigour of his faith, there were many solid materials which might lend a name from their strength. Was it because Christ was both a rock and a stone? For we read of His being placed “for a stone of stumbling and for a rock of offence.” ^{Edition note 23} I omit the rest of the passage. ^{Edition note 24} Therefore He would fain ^{Edition note 25} impart to the dearest of His disciples a name which was suggested by one of His own especial designations in figure; because it was, I suppose, more peculiarly fit than a name which might have been derived from no figurative description of Himself. ^{Edition note 26} There come to Him from Tyre, and from other districts even, a transmarine multitude.

This fact the psalm had in view: “And behold tribes of foreign people, and Tyre, and the people of the Ethiopians; they were there. Sion is my mother, shall a man say; and in her was born a man” (forasmuch as the God-man was born), and He built her by the Father’s will; that you may know how Gentiles then flocked to Him, because He was born the God-man who was to build the church according to the Father’s will—even of other races also. ^{Edition note 27} So says Isaiah too: “Behold, these come from far; and these from the north and from the west; ^{Edition note 28} and these from the land of the Persians.” ^{Edition note 29} Concerning whom He says again: “Lift up thine eyes round about, and behold, all these have gathered themselves together.” ^{Edition note 30} And yet again: “Thou seest these unknown and strange ones; and thou wilt say in thine heart, Who hath begotten me these?

But who hath brought me up these? And these, where have they been?” ^{Edition note 31} Will such a Christ not be (the Christ) of the prophets? And what will be the Christ of the Marcionites? Since perversion of truth is their pleasure, he could not be (the Christ) of the prophets.