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Sources & method

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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 4)

Read in this edition: source locators and uncertainty marks are retained. Square brackets can mark gaps or editorial interventions; headings and supplied subtitles belong to the edition. Coverage and cautions

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See above, book i. chap. xxiii. p. 288.

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Utique.

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Rationale, or, “consistent with His purpose.”

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Suæ potestatis.

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Substantia.

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Accommodata.

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Status.

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Suæ potestatis.

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Sed et alias.

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Quale erat.

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Animi sui possessione.

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Dignatione.

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Ex dispositione. The same as the “universa disponendo” above.

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Institutione.

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Bonum jam suum, not bonitatem .

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Emancipatum.

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Libripens. The language here is full of legal technicalities, derived from the Roman usage in conveyance of property. “Libripens quasi arbiter mancipationis” (Rigalt.).

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Quoniam (with a subj.) et hoc.

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Bonus consisteret.

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Ita demum.

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Proinde.

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Fortior.

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Meritis.

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Constituta est.

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Our author’s word invenitur (in the singular) combines the bonitas and ratio in one view.

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The verb is subj ., “deceret.”

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Sed, with oportet understood.

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Recogitata. [Again, a noble Theodicy.]

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Salva.

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Gravitatem.

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Sed, for scilicet, not unfrequent with our author.

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That is, from the Marcionite position referred to in the second sentence of this chapter, in opposition to that of Tertullian which follows.

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Si non bene dispunxisset.

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Peroraturus.

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Tibi insusurra pro Creatore.

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Functo.

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Ut non, “as if he were not,” etc.

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Ezek. xviii. 23 .

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Ps. civ. 4 .

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[On capp. viii. and ix. See Kaye’s references in notes p. 178 et seqq .]

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Anima, for animus . This meaning seems required throughout this passage, where afterwards occurs the phrase immortalis anima .

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Qualitas.

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Πνοήν , not πνεῦμα ; so the Vulgate has spiraculum , not spiritum . [Kaye (p. 247) again refers to Profr. Andrews Norton of Harvard for valuable remarks concerning the use of the word spiritus by the ancients. Evidences, Vol. III. p. 160, note 7.]

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Infuscandi.

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Aurulam.

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Veritati.

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Plerumque.

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Non deliquendi felicitatem.

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Ceterum.

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Et alias autem.

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Denique.

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Gen. ii. 7 .

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Heb. i. 14 .

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1 Cor. vi. 3 .

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Hoc ipsum, referring to the noluit of the preceding clause.

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Agitatum.

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Dispositio.

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Utique.

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Elogium.

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Ergo.

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Delator.

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Deferendo, in reference to the word delator , our author’s synonyme for διάβολος .

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Nisi.

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Nisi.

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Ezek. xxviii. 11–16 (Sept.).

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Luke x. 18 .

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Læsuræ ="injuries.” ᾽Αδικήματα ἔν σοι — Iniquitates in te.”— Hieron .

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Censum.

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Forma.

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Sustinens.

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[Kaye. p. 313.]

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Gen. iii. 16 .

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Gen. iii. 18 .

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Secura.

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Secundum.

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Secundum.

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Accommodata.

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Rei.

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Æmulum.

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Tutela.

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Cavere. This is Oehler’s reading, and best suits the sense of the passage and the style of our author.

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Habitus.

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Auctrice.

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Obventiciam.

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Secundum adversionem.

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Procuratio.

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Sævit.

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Commendari.

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Matt. vii. 13 .

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Prospicit.

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De ejusmodi.

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Hos. vi. 6 .

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Ezek. xxxiii. 11 .

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Matt. xxii. 37 f.

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Condens.

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See Isa. xlv. 7 .

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Hospitis populi conflictatricem.

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Subministrari. In Apol . ii., the verb ministrare is used to indicate Satan’s power in influencing men. [The translator here corrects his own word seduced and I have substituted his better word influenced . The Lord gave him over to Satan’s influence.]

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Num. xi. and xxi .

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2 Kings ii. 23, 24 . [See notes 4, 5, 9, following.]

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Dispice.

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Ratio.

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Nam et si.

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Compulerat.

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Sine adhuc.

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Jer. xxxi. 29 .

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Edomita, cf. chap. xix. sub init . and xxix.

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Matt. xxvii. 25 .

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Omnis providentia.

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Æmulatio.

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Sævitia.

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Debita.

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Exprobrari.

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Proinde est enim.

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Erudimur.

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Habitus.

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Curare.

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[See Vol. II. p. 71 (this series), for an early example of this Communicatio idiomatum .]

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Status.

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Pariter.

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Præsumitis. [So of generation, Sonship, etc.]

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Periclitabitur.

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Evertetur.

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Præstantiam, “Qua scilicet præstat præmia vel supplicia” (Rigalt.).

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Condecet.

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Catholic , because diffused throughout creation (Pamelius).

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Matt. v. 45 . T. predicts this (by the word pluentem ) strictly of the “ goodness ” of God, the quam .

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Hos. vi. 6 .

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Jonah iii. 10 .

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2 Kings xx. i .

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Dan. iv. 33 .

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1 Sam. xiv. 45 .

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2 Sam. xii. 13 .

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Optimi.

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Indulget.

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Posteritas.

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Lev. xxv. 4 , etc.

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Erudiretur.

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Refrigeria. [ 1 Cor. ix. 10 .]

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Ex. xxi. 24 .

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Deut. xxxii. 35; Rom. xii. 19 .

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Repastinaretur.

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Æstuata.

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Qua et alias.

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Ventris.

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Ex. xxxii. 6 .

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Operationes.

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Isa. i. 11, 12 .

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Industriam.

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Ps. i. 2 .

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Edomantis, cf. chap. xv. sub fin . and xxix.

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Pupillo.

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Isa. i. 16, 17 .

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Quæstiones, alluding to Isa. i. 18 : δεῦτε καὶ διαλεχθῶμεν, λέγει Κύριος .

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Alluding to Isa. lviii. 6 : “Loose the bands of wickedness.”

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Isa. lviii. 6 .

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A lax quotation, perhaps, of the next clause in the same verse: “Break every yoke.”

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Isa. lviii. 7 , slightly changed from the second to the third person.

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Ps. xxxiv. 13, 14 .

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Comp. Ps. iv. 4 .

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Ps. i. 1 .

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Ps. cxxxiii. 1 .

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Ps. cxviii. 4 .

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Ps. i. 3 .

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Ps. xxiv. 4, 5 . He has slightly misquoted the passage.

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Ps. xxxiii. 18, 19 , slightly altered.

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Ps. xxxiv. 19 .

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Ps. cxvi. 15 .

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Ps. xxxiv. 20 , modified.

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Ps. xxxiv. 22 .

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Præmissa.

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Sepiæ isti . Pliny, in his Nat. Hist . ix. 29, says: “The males of the cuttles kind are spotted with sundry colours more dark and blackish, yes, and more firme and steady, than the female. If the female be smitted with the trout-speare, they will come to succour her; but she again is not so kind to them: for if the male be stricken, she will not stand to it, but runs away. But both of them, if they perceive that they be taken in such streights that they cannot escape, shed from them a certain black humor like to ink; and when the water therewith is troubled and made duskish, therein they hide themselves, and are no more seen” (Holland’s Translation , p. 250). Our epithet “ saucy cuttle” comes from Shakespeare, 2 Henry iv 2, 4, where, however, the word seems employed in a different sense.

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Deut. xiv .

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Relucentem, “rekindled” by the confutation.

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Vasa = the jewels and the raiment mentioned in Ex. iii. 22 .

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Nomine. [Here our author exhibits his tact as a jurisconsult.]

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Villis.

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Elector.

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For a discussion of the spoiling of the Egyptians by the Israelites, the reader is referred to Calmet’s Commentary , on Ex. iii. 22 , where he adduces, besides this passage of Tertullian, the opinions of Irenæus, adv. Hæres . iv. 49; Augustine, contra Faust . ii. 71; Theodoret, Quæst. in Exod . xxiii.; Clement of Alex. Stromat . i. 1; of Philo, De Vita Moysis , i.; Josephus, Antiqq . ii. 8, who says that “the Egyptians freely gave all to the Israelites;” of Melchior Canus, Loc. Theoll . i. 4. He also refers to the book of Wisdom, x. 17–20. These all substantially agree with our author. See also a full discussion in Selden, De Jure Nat. et Gentium , vii. 8, who quotes from the Gemara, Sanhedrin , c. ii. f. 91a; and Bereshith Rabba , par. 61 f., 68, col. 2, where such a tribunal as Tertullian refers to is mentioned as convened by Alexander the Great, who, after hearing the pleadings, gave his assent to the claims of the advocates of Israel.

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Tamen.

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Amplius.

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Singulis nummis. [Clem. Alex. Strom . i. 23. Vol. II., p. 336, supra .]

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Gratia Hebræorum, either a reference to Ex. iii. 21 , or meaning, perhaps, “the unpaid services of the Hebrews.”