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Tertullian: Against Marcion, Books I–V
ANF historical edition · Edition commentary
Book V. Wherein Tertullian proves, with respect to St. Paul's epistles, what he had proved in the preceding book with respect to St. Luke's gospel. Far from being at variance, they were in perfect unison with the writings of the Old Testament, and therefore testified that the Creator was the only God, and that the Lord Jesus was his Christ. As in the preceding books, Tertullian supports his argument with profound reasoning, and many happy illustrations of Holy Scripture. — Translator and historical edition notes (part 10)
He means Levi or St. Matthew; see Luke v. 27–39 .
Profanum.
Matt. xvi. 17 .
Luke v. 31 .
Male descendit.
Homo a deo Marcionis.
See chap. vii. of this book, and chap. ii. of book. iii.
Plenum ordinem.
See below, chap. xviii.
Tuebor.
Ipsum.
Marcion’s diversitas implied an utter incompatibility between John and Christ; for it assigned John to the Creator, from whom it took Christ away.
De disciplinis: or, “about discipleships.”
De auctoritatibus; or, “about the authors thereof.”
Humiliter.
Luke v. 34, 35 .
Concessit.
Rejecturus alioquin.
Ps. xix. 5, 6 .
Isa. lxi. 10 .
Deputat.
The same, which spake again by Isaiah.
Isa. xlix. 18 .
Song of Sol. iv. 8 .
There is also in Hebrew an affinity between לֹבנה , “frankincense,” and לֹבִבוז , “Lebanon.” [Note this strange but reiterated and emphatic identification of incense with idolatry . In the Gentile church it was thoroughly identified with Paganism.]
See also book i. chap. xxix. [On this reservation of Baptism see Elucidation II.]
Alter.
Jer. iv. 3 .
His reading of (probably) Isa. xliii. 19; comp. 2 Cor. v. 17 .
Olim statuimus.
Ille.
Novitas.
Vetustas.
That is, “the oldness of the law.”
That is, “the newness of the gospel.”
Notandam.
Separatione. The more general reading is separationem .
Alienis: i.e., “things not his own.”
Amplitudinem.
Provehitur, “is developed.”
Aliud.
See Ps. lxxviii. 2 .
Circumferret.
Cur destrueret.
Deberet.
Institutione: or, teaching , perhaps.
Alium.
Intervertit.
Operatione.
Concussum est sabbatum.
Per Jesum.
Professus…sequebatur.
Isa. i. 14 .
This obscure passage runs thus in the original: “Marcion captat status controversiæ (ut aliquid ludam cum mei Domini veritate), scripti et voluntatis.” Status is a technical word in rhetoric. “Est quæstio quæ ex prima causarum conflictione nascitur.” See Cicero, Topic . c. 25, Part . c. 29; and Quinctilian, Instit. Rhetor . iii. 6. (Oehler).
Sumitur color.
Luke vi. 1–4; 1 Sam. xxi. 2–6 .
Affectum.
Tunc demum.
Statum.
Non constanter tuebatur.
Non contristandi quam vacandi.
[This adoption of an Americanism is worthy of passing notice.]
Placet illi quia Creator indulsit.
Luke vi. 7 .
That is, the Christ of another God.
Ex. xx. 16 .
It is impossible to say where Tertullian got this reading. Perhaps his LXX. copy might have had (in Ex. xx. 10 ): Οὐ ποιήσεις ἐν αὐτῇ πᾶν ἔργον σου , instead of συ ; every clause ending in σου , which follows in that verse. No critical authority, however, now known warrants such a reading. [It is probably based inferentially on verse 9 , “all thy work.”]
Ex. xii. 16 .
The LXX. of the latter clause of Ex. xii. 16 thus runs: πλὴν ὅσα ποιηθήσεται πάσῃ ψυχῇ . Tertullian probably got this reading from this clause, although the Hebrew is to this effect: “Save that which every man (or, every soul ) must eat,” which the Vulgate renders: “Exceptis his, quæ ad vescendum pertinent.”
Liberandæ animæ: perhaps saving life .
In salutem animæ: or, for saving life.
Luke vi. 9 .
Pro anima: or, for a life.
Animæ omni: or, any life.
Luke vi. 5 .
Tuebatur.
Merito.
Destructum. We have, as has been most convenient, rendered this word by annul, destroy, break .
Et.
Isa. i. 13, 14 .
Isa. xxix. 13 .
Isa. lviii. 13 and lvi. 2 .
Matt. v. 17 .
Obstruxit.
“Destroy”…It was hardly necessary for Oehler to paraphrase our author’s characteristically strong sentence by, “since Marcion thought that he had gagged,” etc.
In other words, “permits to be done on the Sabbath.”
Præsidia.
Quod, not quæ , as if in apposition with præsidia .
See 2 Kings iv. 23 .
Olim.
Forma.
Repræsentat.
Isa. xxxv. 3 .
Luke vi. 12 .
Ordinem.
Isa. xl. 9 .
In vigore. Or this phrase may qualify the noun thus: “They were astonished at His doctrine, in its might .”
Luke iv. 32 .
Isa. lii. 6 .
Our author’s reading of Isa. lii. 7 .
Nahum i. 15 .
Ps. xxii. 2 .
Ps. iii. 4 .
Luke vi. 13–19 .
Næ.
Interpretari.
Apud creatorem.
Num. xxxiii. 9 .
Ex. xxviii. 13–21 .
Isa. xliii. 20 .
Simpliciter: i.e., simply or without relation to any types or prophecies.
Non simpliciter.
Res.
Rei præparatura.
Luke vi. 14 . [Elucidation III.]
Isa. viii. 14; Rom. ix. 33; 1 Pet. ii. 8 .
Cætera.
Affectavit.
De non suis; opposed to the de figuris suis peculiariter . [St. Peter was not the dearest of the Apostles though he was the foremost .]
Ps. lxxxvii. 4, 5 , according to the Septuagint.
Mari.
Isa. xlix. 12 .
Isa. xlix. 18 .
Isa. xlix. 21 .
Proprietatem.
The original runs thus: “Venio nunc ad ordinarias sententias ejus, per quas proprietatem doctrinæ suæ inducit ad edictum, ut ita dixerim, Christi.” There is here an allusion to the edict of the Roman prætor, that is, his public announcement , in which he states (when entering on his office) the rules by which he will be guided in the administration of the same (see White and Riddle, Latin Dict. s. v. Edictum).
οί πτωχοι , not πένητες
Luke vi. 20 .
Ps. xlv. 1 . [And see Vol. I. p. 213, supra .]
Affectibus.
Prout incidit.
Ps. lxxxii. 3, 4 .
Ps. lxxii. 4 .
Ps. lxxii. 11 .
Ps. lxxii. 12, 13, 14 .
Ps. ix. 17, 18 .
Ps. cxiii. 5–8 .
The books of “Samuel” were also called the books of “Kings.”
1 Sam. ii. 8 .
Isa. iii. 14, 15 .
Isa. x. 1, 2 .
Solatii.
Tertullian seems to have read διαλλαχθῶμεν instead of διαλεχθῶμεν , let us reason together , in his LXX.
Isa. i. 17, 18 .
Jamdudum pertinent.
Luke vi. 21 .
In evangelii scilicet sui præstructionem.
Isa. v. 26 .
Isa. lxv. 13 .
An Christo præministrentur.
Luke vi. 21 .
Isa. lxv. 13, 14 .
Ps. cxxvi. 5 .
Gestivit.
Isa. lxi. 1 .
Luke vi. 20 .
Isa. lxi. 1 .
Luke vi. 21 .
Isa. lxi. 2 .
Luke vi. 21 .
Isa. lxi. 3 .
Statim admissus.
Said in irony, as if Marcion’s Christ deserved the rejection.
Luke vi. 22 .
His reading of Isa. li. 7 .
Isa. lii. 5 .
Sancite.
Circumscribit.
Famulis et magistratibus. It is uncertain what passage this quotation represents. It sounds like some of the clauses of Isa. liii .
Personam nominis.
Sancitur.
Luke vi. 26 .
Versipellem. An indignant exclamation on Marcion’s Christ.
Suggillans.
Porro.
Hic.
Suggillaverunt. This is Oehler’s emendation; the common reading is figuraverunt .
Motus est.
Deus optimus.
That is, apathetic, inert, and careless about human affairs.
Demutat.
Ejus erunt.
Sufferentiam.
Benignitatem.
Ad maledictionem præcavendam.
Deut. xxx. 19 .
Portendebat in.
Opposuit.
Timendum.