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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 15)
passage. Tertullian no doubt professes to quote all along from the Gospel of Luke, according to Marcion’s reading.
St. Luke’s word being διαμερισμόν ( division ), not μάχαιραν ( sword ).
Luke xii. 53 .
Parentes.
Mic. vii. 6 .
Luke xii. 56 .
Luke xii. 57 .
Zech. viii. 16 .
Jer. xxii. 3 .
Isa. i. 17 .
Tertullian calls by a proper name the vineyard which Isaiah (in his chap. v .) designates “the vineyard of the Lord of hosts,” and interprets to be “the house of Israel” ( ver. 7 ). The designation comes from ver. 2 , where the original clause וַיִטַעַהז שׂר־ is translated in the Septuagint, Καὶ ἐφύτευσα ἄμπελον Σωρήκ . Tertullian is most frequently in close agreement with the LXX.
Isa. v. 7 .
Ex præcepto.
Ex arbitrio.
Luke xii. 58, 59 .
Eodem gradu.
Luke xiii. 15 .
Omni animæ.
Recognoscor.
Utique.
Puta.
Laqueum.
Materia.
Lacrimosa austeritate, see Luke xiii. 28 .
Forte.
Luke xiii. 20, 21 .
Vanitatem vanitate.
Vel.
Luke xiii. 25 .
Isa. ii. 19 .
Luke xiii. 25–28 .
Quid ergo illuc Creatori.
Si stique.
Luke xiv. 12–14 .
Isa. lviii. 7 .
Forma.
Cui parti.
Luke xiv. 16 .
Saturitatem.
Dehinc.
Tantum quod…jam.
Tantum quod…jam.
Luke xiv. 18 .
Ex. xxxii. 1 .
Isa. vi. 10 .
Pertinentissime.
Jer. vii. 23 .
Jer. vii. 24 .
Jer. xi. 8 .
Luke xiv. 18–20 .
Jer. vii. 25; also xxv. 4, xxvi. 5, xxxv. 15, xliv. 4 .
Jer. vii. 26 .
Luke xiv. 21 .
Jer. ii. 31 .
Jer. ii. 31 .
Luke xiv. 23 .
Dehinc.
ἐπ᾽ ἐσχάτων ἡμερῶν , Septuagint.
Deut. xxxii. 20, 21 .
Gerunt: although vainly at present (“jam vana in Judæis”—Oehler); Semler conjectures “ gemunt , bewail.”
Gustaturos.
Specula, “a look-out;” σκηνή is the word in LXX.
Isa. i. 8 .
Semel.
This is probably the meaning of a very involved sentence: “Quid ex hoc ordine secundum dispensationem et prædicationes Creatoris recensendo competit illi, cujus (“ Creatoris ”—Oehler) nec ordinem habet nec dispositionem ad parabolæ conspirationem qui totum opus semel facit?”
“By the fathers.” See above.
“By the prophets.” See also above.
An obscure sentence, which thus runs in the original: “Ante debent alii excusare, postea alii convenisse.”
The Jews.
The Gentiles.
Speculum.
Fastidiosos.
Portendit.
Plane: This is a Marcionite position (Oehler).
Luke xv. 1–10 .
Habuit.
Cujus fuit: i.e., each of the things respectively.
Argumentum.
Vacat circa eum.
Luke xvi. 13 .
Defendi.
Offendi.
What in the Punic language is called Mammon , says Rigaltius, the Latins call lucrum , “gain or lucre.” See Augustine, Serm . xxxv. de Verbo domini . I would add Jerome, On the VI. of Matthew where he says: “In the Syriac tongue, riches are called mammon .” And Augustine, in another passage, book ii., On the Lord’s Sermon on the Mount , says: “ Riches in Hebrew are said to be called mammon . This is evidently a Punic word, for in that language the synonyme for gain ( lucrum ) is mammon .” Compare the same author on Ps. ciii. (Oehler).
Ab actu.
Auctorem.
Famulatam.
Ammentavit.
Luke xvi. 13 .
Magis destinabantur: middle voice.
Utique.
Nominaturus.
Alius.
Quem non posuit.
Luke xvi. 11 .
Meum: Luke xvi. 12 , where, however, the word is τὸ ὑμέτερον, t hat which is your own.”
Notando.
Ad hoc ut seperatur.
Luke xvi. 15 .
Jer. xvii. 5 .
Jer. xvii. 10 , in sense but not in letter.
Jer. xx. 12 .
Luke xvi. 15 .
Isa. ii. 12 (Sept).
Luke xvi. 16 .
Sedatio: literally, “a setting to rest,” ἠρέμησις .
Ut undeunde magis probetur…regnum Dei.
Luke xvi. 17 and xxi. 23 .
Isa. xl. 8 .
See above, note on chap. xxviii., towards the end, on this designation of Christ’s divine nature.
Isa. xl. 3 .
Luke xvi. 18 .
Deut. xxiv. 1 .
A Marcionite challenge.
Plane.
St. Matthew’s Gospel.
Matt. xix. 8 .
Matt. xix. 4, 6 .
Direxit.
Gestans.
Excusaverit.
Ideo ut.
Luke xvi. 18 .
Nubere. This verb is here used of both sexes, in a general sense.
Alias.
Etiam: first word of the sentence.
Alicubi.
Nondum.
Tu.
Alibi: i.e., than in the Marcionite connection.
Apud te.
Scilicet.
1 Cor. vi. 15 .
Justitia divortii.
Matt. v. 32 .
Deut. xxii. 28, 29 .
Mal. ii. 15 .
Debeo.
Sententiam.
Literally, “Moses.”
Illiberis. [N.B. He supposes Philip to have been dead.]
Costa: literally, “rib” or “side.”
Deut. xxv. 5, 6 .
Jaculatus est.
The condition being that the deceased brother should have left “ no child ” see ( Deut. xxv. 5 ).
Ad subsequens argumentum divitis.
Luke xvi. 19–31 .
Ipsum.
Suggillati Herodis male maritati.
Deformans.
Luke xvi. 29 .
Apud inferos. [Note the origin of this doctrine.]
Revincente: perhaps “reproves his eyesight,” in the sense of refutation .
Luke xvi. 23 .
Sublimiorem inferis. [Elucidation VIII.]
Compare Heb. ii. 2 with x. 35 and xi. 26 .
Ascensum in cœlum: Sept. ἀνάβασιν εἰς τὸν οὐρανόν , Amos ix. 6 . See on this passage the article Heaven in Kitto’s Cyclopædia (3d edit.), vol. ii. p. 245, where the present writer has discussed the probable meaning of the verse.
Isa. xxxiii. 14–16 , according to the Septuagint, which has but slight resemblance to the Hebrew.
Cur non capiat.
Candida quædam prospiciatur: where candida is a noun substantive (see above, chap. vii. p. 353).
There seems to be here an allusion to Luke ix. 35 .
Nec accepisset.
Luke ix. 20 .
See Isa. lii. 7, xxxiii. 14 (Sept.), and Amos ix. 6 .
Omnino.
See 1 Sam. ii. 6–8, Ps. cxiii. 7, and Luke i. 52 .
Divinitatum; “divine powers.”
Ipsarum materiarum.
Luke xvii. 1, 2 .
Zech. ii. 8 .
Luke xvii. 3 .
Ex acceptione personæ. The Greek προσωποληψία , “respect of persons.”
Lev. xix. 17 . The last clause in A.V. runs, “And not suffer sin upon him;” but the Sept gives this reading, καὶ οὐ λήψῃ δι᾽ αὐτὸν ἁμαρτίαν ; nor need the Hebrew mean other than this. The prenominal particle עיֹיו may be well rendered δι᾽ αὐτόι on his account.
Luke xvii. 4 .
Lev. xix. 18 .
Dones.
Erga: i.q. circa.
See Lev. xiii. and xiv .
Morositatem.
Prævenientem.
Luke xvii. 11–19 .
Or, perhaps, “had proved the prophecy true by His accomplishment of it.”
Retractari.
See above in chap. ix.
Præfatus est: see Luke iv. 27 .
Destructionem.
Authenticus. “He was the true , the original Priest, of whom the priests under the Mosaic law were only copies” (Bp. Kaye, On the Writings of Tertullian , pp. 293, 294, and note 8).
Luke xvii. 14 .
Et utique viderit.
Tam opiniosus.
Qua: “I should prefer quia ” (Oehler).
Pristino leproso: but doubtful.