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 16)
Causas.
Luke xvii. 17 .
Schisma illud ex novem tribubus. There is another reading which substitutes the word decem . “It is, however, immaterial; either number will do roundly . If ‘ten’ be the number, it must be understood that the tenth is divided, accurately making nine and a half tribes. If ‘nine’ be read, the same amount is still made up, for Simeon was reckoned with Judah , and half of the tribe of Benjamin remained loyal” (Fr. Junius).
Avulsas.
1 Kings xi. 29–39 and xii. 15 .
Næ.
John iv. 12, 20 .
Amos vi. 1 .
Subiciens: or “subjecting.”
John iv. 22 .
Tota promissio Christus.
Matricem.
Fontem non puteum salutis.
Agnovisse.
Justificandos.
Luke xvii. 19 .
Luke xvii. 15 .
Luke xvii. 19 .
Luke xvii. 20, 21 .
Una sententia.
Excelsum: Sept. ὑπέρογχος .
Deut. xxx. 11–13 .
Luke xvii. 21 .
Luke xvii. 25 .
Substantialiter.
Assumi.
Ps. cxviii. 21 .
See Isa. viii. 14 and 1 Cor. x. 4 .
Luke xvii. 26–30 .
Luke xvii. 32 .
Ut ille.
Ille: emphatic.
That is, the Creator’s Christ from the Marcionite point of view.
Luke xviii. 1–8 .
Luke xviii. 7, 8 .
Meliorem Deum.
Reprobatum.
Luke xviii. 10–14 .
Sive reprobatricem superbiæ, sive justificatricem humilitatis.
Destructorem.
See above, chap. xxvi. p. 392.
Luke xviii. 19 .
Utique.
Matt. v. 45 .
Ad contestandum.
Luke xviii. 18–20 .
Luke xviii. 21, 22 .
See above, chap. ix., near the beginning.
Adjecit quod deerat.
Ubique.
Traduceretur.
Matt. v. 17 .
Mic. vi. 8 . The last clause agrees with the Septuagint: καὶ ἕτοιμον εἶναι τοῦ πορεύεσθαι μετὰ Κυρίου Θεοῦ σου .
The clauses of Christ’s words, which are here adapted to Micah’s, are in every case broken with an inquit .
Tunc pendentibus: i.e., at the time mentioned in the story of the blind man.
Notitiam.
Luke xviii. 38 .
Non temere.
Luke xviii. 39 .
Luke xviii. 40 .
Atquin.
Infameretis.
Luke xviii. 42 .
Remunerator.
That is, in the sound only, and phantom of the word; an allusion to the Docetic absurdity of Marcion.
That is, that He was “Son of David,” etc.
Censum: that is, must believe Him born of her.
This, perhaps, is the meaning in a clause which is itself more antithetical than clear: “Ruens in antithesim, ruentem et ipsam antithesim.”
In book iii. chap. vii. (at the beginning), occurs the same proverb of Marcion and the Jews. See p. 327.
See 2 Sam. v. 6–8 .
The Marcionites.
See 2 Sam. v. 8 .
Fidei equidem pravæ: see preceding page, note 3.
Atquin.
Et hoc filius David: i.e., præstitit , “showed Himself good,” perhaps.
De suo retundendam. Instead of contrast , he shows the similarity of the cases.
Ejusdem carnis: i.e., infirmæ (Oehler).
Exorandum sibi.
Luke xix. 9 .
The older reading, which we here follow, is: “Enimvero Zacchæus etsi allophylus fortasse,” etc. Oehler, however, points the passage thus: “Enimvero Zacchæus etsi allophylus, fortasse,” etc., removing the doubt, and making Zacchæus “of another race” than the Jewish, for certain. This is probably more than Tertullian meant to say.
Aliqua notitia afflatus.
Isa. lviii. 7 .
In the same passage.
For the history of Zacchæus, see Luke xix. 1–10 .
Isa. lviii. 6 .
Luke xix. 8 .
Luke xix. 9 .
Salutaria esse.
Luke xix. 10 .
Substantiis.
Caro: “the flesh,” here a synonym with the corpus of the previous clauses.
Elisa est.
Secundum rationem feneratæ.
Ex parte severitatis.
This phrase comes not from the present passage, but from Luke viii. 18 , where the words are ὅ δοκεῖ ἔχειν ; here the expression is ὅ ἔχει only.
Luke xix. 22 .
The original of this obscure sentence is as follows: “Aut si et hic Creatorem finxerit austerum…..hic quoque me ille instruit eujus pecuniam ut fenerem edocet.
Luke xx. 4 .
Luke xx. 6 .
Existeret.
Ipse.
“Of knowledge of good and evil.” The “ law ” thereof occurs in Gen. iii. 3 .
Luke xx. 5 .
Increpaturus.
Certe. [The word sacrament not technical here.]
Luke xx. 8 .
Luke xx. 25 .
Materia.
Monetam.
Non alieno.
Quo magis absit a Christo.
Luke xx. 27–33 .
Ut videatur.
Subostendisse.
Luke xx. 34 .
Luke xx. 35, 36 .
Surely Oehler’s responsio ought to be responsionis , as the older books have it.
Absolvitur.
Ex abundanti.
We have translated here, post præscriptionem , according to the more frequent sense of the word, præscriptio . But there is another meaning of the word, which is not unknown to our author, equivalent to our objection or demurrer , or (to quote Oehler’s definition) “clausula qua reus adversarii intentionem oppugnat—the form by which the defendant rebuts the plaintiff’s charge.” According to this sense, we read: “I shall now proceed…and after putting in a demurrer (or taking exception) against the tactics of my opponent.”
Cohærentes.
Decucurrerunt in legendo: or, “they ran through it, by thus reading.”
We have adapted , rather than translated, Tertullian’s words in this parenthesis. His words of course suit the order of the Latin, which differs from the English. The sentence in Latin is, “Quos autem dignatus est Deus illius ævi possessione et resurrectione a mortuis.” The phrase in question is illius ævi . Where shall it stand? The Marcionites placed it after “ Deus ” in government, but Tertullian (following the undoubted meaning of the sentence) says it depends on “ possessione et resurrectione ,” i.e., “worthy of the possession, etc., of that world.” To effect this construction, he says, “Ut facta hic distinctione post deum ad sequentia pertineat illius ævi;” i.e., he requests that a stop be placed after the word “deus,” whereby the phrase “illius ævi” will belong to the words which follow—“ possessione et resurrectione a mortuis .”
Luke xx. 33 .
Luke xx. 39 .
Formam: “its conditions” or “process.”
Luke xx. 41–44 .
Non obtundebat.
Luke xviii. 38 .
Luke xx. 41 .
Tueretur.
See above: book iii. chap. xv. and xvi. pp. 333, 334.
The illam here refers to the nominum proprietas, i.e., His title Christ and His name Jesus .
Transnominaret.
Proinde.
Luke xxi. 8 .
Consimilem: of course Marcion’s Christ; the Marcionite being challenged in the “ you .”
Luke xxi. 9–11 .
Compare, in Luke xxi., verses 9, 22, 28, 31–33, 35, and 36 .
Verses 12, 13 .
Omnipotens: παντοκράτωρ (Sept.); of hosts—A.V.
Zech. ix. 15, 16 (Septuagint).
Allophylis.
Eph. ii. 20 .
Luke xxi. 12–14 .
Num. xxii.–xxiv .
Ex. iv. 10–12 .
Isa. xliv. 5 .
Exserta.
See Gen. xxxii. 28 .
Isa. l. 4 .
Luke xxi. 16, 17 .
Per tolerantiam: “ endurance .”
Comp. Luke xxi. 19 with Matt. xxiv. 13 .
Ps. ix. 18 .
After the Septuagint he makes a plural appellative (“eis qui toleraverint,” LXX. τοῖς ὑπομένονσι ) of the Hebrew לְחֵלֶמ , which in A.V. and the Vulgate (and also Gesenius and Fuerst) is the dative of a proper name.
Luke xxi. 20 .
Luke xxi. 25, 26 .
Luke xxi. 26 .
Joel iii. 30, 31 .
Elata: “fear was raised to its very highest.”
Hab. iii. 9–12 (Septuagint).
Luke xxi. 27, 28 .
Luke xxi. 31 .
Dan. vii. 13 .
Dan. vii. 14 .
Luke xix. 12, 13 , etc.
Ps. ii. 8 .
Dan. vii. 14 .
Luke xx. 35, 36 .
Hab. iii. 13 .
In Luke xxi. 7 .
Luke xxi. 33 .
Luke xxi. 29–31 .