The library · Edition and sources
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 11)
Creatori docere.
Ratas habet.
Divitum causas.
Gloriam.
Erit par creatoris.
Austerioris.
Aspernatorem.
Advocatorem.
1 Kings iii. 5–13 .
Vitia.
Luke vi. 24 . [See Southey’s Wesley , on “Riches,” vol. ii. p. 310.]
Deut. viii. 12–14 .
Tertullian says, ex Perside .
Insilit.
Isa. xxxix. 6 .
Jer. ix. 23, 24 .
Isa. iii. 16–24 .
Homo: “the mean man,” A.V.
Vir.
Isa. v. 14 .
Isa. x. 33 .
Ps. xlix. 16, 17 .
Relucent.
Ps. lxii. 11 .
Amos vi. 1–6 .
Luke vi. 25 .
Isa. lxv. 13 .
Ps. cxxvi. 5 .
Distinguendo.
Luke vi. 26 .
Isa. iii. 12 .
Jer. xvii. 5 .
Ps. cxviii. 8, 9 .
Nedum benedictionem.
Non pertinuissent ad.
2 Esdras xv. 1 and comp. Luke vi. 27, 28 .
Benedicite. St. Luke’s word, however, is καλῶς ποιεῖτε , “do good.”
Calumniantur. St. Luke’s word applies to injury of speech as well as of act .
Isa. lxvi. 5 .
“We have here the sense of Marcion’s objection. I do not suppose Tertullian quotes his very words.”— Le Prieur .
Le Prieur refers to a similar passage in Tertullian’s De Patientia , chap. vi. Oehler quotes an eloquent passage in illustration from Valerianus Episc. Hom . xiii.
Ex. xxi. 24 .
Luke vi. 29 .
Renuntiandum est.
Penes.
Zech. vii. 10 .
Zech. viii. 17 .
Deut. xxxii. 35; comp. Rom. xii. 19 and Heb. x. 30 .
Fidem non capit.
Talione, opposito.
Leges talionis. [Judicial, not personal, reprisals.]
Voluntatem.
Compotem facit. That is, says Oehler, intellectus sui .
Prophetia.
Disciplinas: or, “lessons.”
Denique.
Considerem, or, as some of the editions have it, consideremus .
Alioquin.
In vacuum.
Præstare, i.e., debuerat præstare.
Passim.
Excitatura.
Luke vi. 30 .
Datori.
The author’s reading of Deut. xv. 4 .
Cura ultro ne sit.
Præjudicat.
Deut. xv. 7, 8 .
De fenore.
Below, in the next chapter.
This obscure passage runs thus: “Immo unum erit ex his per quæ lex Creatoris erit in Christo.”
Prior ea.
This is the idea, apparently, of Tertullian’s question: “Quis enim poterit diligere extraneos?” But a different turn is given to the sense in the older reading of the passage: Quis enim non diligens proximos poterit diligere extraneos? “For who that loveth not his neighbours will be able to love strangers?” The inserted words, however, were inserted conjecturally by Fulvius Ursinus without ms. authority.
Gradus.
Cujus non extitit primus.
In proximos.
Sacramentum.
The sense rather than the words of Hos. i. 6, 9 .
Luke vi. 31 .
Passivitatem sententiæ meæ.
Parem factum.
Possim.
Præstare.
Hac inconvenientia voluntatis et facti. Will and action.
Non agitur.
Strictum.
Pro meo arbitrio.
At enim. The Greek ἀλλὰ γάρ .
Isa. lviii. 7 .
Ezek. xviii. 7 .
Ex. xx. 13–16 .
Merito.
“Recisum sermonem facturus in terris Dominus.” This reading of Isa. x. 23 is very unlike the original, but (as frequently happens in Tertullian) is close upon the Septuagint version: ῞Οτι λόγον συντετμημένον Κύριος ποιήσει ἐν τῇ οἰκουμένῃ ὅλῃ . [ Rom. ix. 28 .]
Luke vi. 34 . [Bossuet, Traité de l’usure , Opp. ix. 48.]
Ezek. xviii. 8 . [Huet, Règne Social , etc., p. 334. Paris, 1858.]
Literally, what redounds to the loan.
Fructum fenoris: the interest.
Quorundam tunc fidem.
Primis quibusque præceptis.
Balbutientis adhuc benignitatis. [Elucidation IV.]
Pignus reddes dati (i.e., fenoris) is his reading of a clause in Ezek. xviii. 16 .
Deut. xxiv. 12, 13 .
Deut. xv. 2 .
Luke vi. 35 . In the original the phrase is, υἱοὶ τοῦ ύψίστου .
One of the flagrant errors of Marcion’s belief of God. See above, chap. xi.
Quam spado.
Hoc eram ejus.
Ante duos unum. Before God made Adam and Eve one flesh, “I was created Adam, not became so by birth.”— Fr. Junius .
Denuo.
Me enixus est.
Non in animam sed in spiritum.
Luke vi. 35 .
Euge.
Suavis.
Eloquia.
Ps. xix. 11 .
Suggillavit.
Reading of Luke vi. 36 .
Isa. lviii. 7 .
Isa. i. 17 .
Hos. vi. 6 .
Luke vi. 37, 38 .
Apud quem.
Mensus fuerit.
Luke vi. 39 .
Luke vi. 40 .
De discipulo.
Revincat.
Luke vi. 41–45 . Cerdon is here referred to as Marcion’s master, and Apelles as Marcion’s pupil.
Scandalum. See above, book i. chap. ii., for Marcion’s perverse application of the figure of the good and the corrupt tree.
In hoc solo adulterium Marcionis manus stupuisse miror. He means that this passage has been left uncorrupted by M. (as if his hand failed in the pruning process), foolishly for him .
Videbitur.
Luke vi. 46 .
Editus.
Temptabat. Perhaps, “was tampering with them.”
Eloquia.
Isa. xxix. 13 .
Luke vii. 1–10 .
Comp. Epiphanius, Hæres . xlii., Refut . 7, for the same argument: Εἰ οὐδὲ ἐν τῷ ᾽Ισραὴλ τοιαύτην πίστιν εὖρεν, κ.τ.λ . “If He found not so great faith, even in Israel, as He discovered in this Gentile centurion, He does not therefore condemn the faith of Israel. For if He were alien from Israel’s God, and did not pertain to Him, even as His father, He would certainly not have inferentially praised Israel’s faith” (Oehler).
Nec exinde. This points to Christ’s words, “I have not found such faith in Israel.”— Oehler .
Alienæ fidei.
Ceterum.
Suggillasset.
Æmulus.
Eam talem, that is, the faith of Israel.
Luke vii. 11–17 .
Documentum.
Luke vii. 16 .
Et quidem adhuc orantes.
Comp. Epiphanius, Hæres . xlii., Schol . 8, cum Refut.; Tertullian, De Præscript Hæret. 8; and De Bapt . 10.
Ut ulterius. This is the absurd allegation of Marcion. So Epiphanius (Le Prieur).
Ego.
Scandalum. Playing on the word “ scandalum ” in its application to the Baptist and to Marcion.
“It is most certain that the Son of God, the second Person of the Godhead, is in the writings of the fathers throughout called by the title of Spirit, Spirit of God , etc.; with which usage agree the Holy Scriptures. See Mark ii. 8; Rom. i. 3, 4; 1 Tim. iii. 16; Heb. ix. 14; 1 Pet. iii. 18–20 ; also John vi. 63, compared with 56 .”— Bp. Bull , Def. Nic. Creed (translated by the translator of this work), vol. i. p. 48 and note X. [The whole passage should be consulted.]
Ex forma prophetici moduli.
Tertullian stands alone in the notion that St. John’s inquiry was owing to any withdrawal of the Spirit, so soon before his martyrdom, or any diminution of his faith. The contrary is expressed by Origen, Homil . xxvii., on Luke vii. ; Chrysostom on Matt. xi. ; Augustine, Sermon . 66, de Verbo ; Hilary on Matthew; Jerome on Matthew, and Epist . 121, ad Algas .; Ambrose on Luke, book v. § 93. They say mostly that the inquiry was for the sake of his disciples. (Oxford Library of the Fathers , vol. x. p. 267, note e ). [Elucidation V.]
Ut in massalem suam summam.
Unus jam de turba.
Eundem.
Etiam prophetes.
Facilius.
Jesus.
Luke vii. 20 .
Sperabat.
Documentorum.
Major.
Scandalum.
Luke vii. 21, 22 .
That is, not the Creator’s Christ—whose prophet John was—therefore a different Christ from Him whom John announced. This is said, of course, on the Marcionite hypothesis (Oehler).
Angelum.
Luke vii. 26, 27, and Mal. iii. 1–3 .
Eleganter.
Scrupulum.
Luke vii. 28 .
That is, Christ , according to Epiphanius. See next note.