Against Marcion 2.19
Summary: The law kept Israel mindful of God in every part of life, and the prophets taught justice, mercy, and care for the poor, while the Psalms promise blessing to the righteous: proof of a supremely good God.
Latin text · CSEL 47:360–362
Sed et in ipsis commerciis uitae et conuersationis humanae domi ac foris adusque curam uasculorum omnifariam distinxit, ut istis legalibus disciplinis occurrentibus ubique nec ullo momento uacarent a dei respectu. quid enim faceret beatum hominem quam: in lege domini uoluntas eius et in lege domini meditabitur die ac nocte? quam legem non duritia promulgauit auctoris, sed ratio summae benignitatis, populi potius duritiam edomantis et rudem obsequio fidem operosis officiis dedolantis, ut nihil de arcanis adtingam significantiis legis, spiritalis scilicet et propheticae et in omnibus paene argumentis figuratae. sufficit enim in praesenti, si simpliciter hominem deo obligabat, ut nemo eam reprobare debeat, nisi cui non placet deo deseruire. ad hoc beneficium, non onus, legis adiuuandum etiam prophetas eadem bonitas dei ordinauit, docentes deo digna: auferre nequitias de anima, discere benefacere, exquirere iudicium, iudicare pupillo et iustificare uiduam, diligere quaestiones, fugere improborum contactum, dimittere conflictam integram, dissipare scripturam iniustam, infringere panem esurienti et tectum non habentem inducere in domum tuam, nudum si uideris, contegere et domesticos seminis tui non despicere, compescere linguam a malo et labia, ne loquantur dolum, declinare a malo et facere bonum, quaerere pacem et sectari eam, irasci et non delinquere, id est in ira non perseuerare siue saeuire, non abire in concilium impiorum nec stare in uia peccatorum nec in cathedra pestilentium sedere. sed ubi? uide quam bonum et iocundum habitare fratres in unum, meditantes die ac nocte in lege domini, quia bonum scilicet fidere in deum quam fidere in hominem et sperare in deum quam sperare in hominem. qualis enim apud deum merces homini? et erit tamquam lignum, quod plantatum est iuxta exitus aquarum, quod fructum suum dabit in tempore suo, et folium eius non decidet et omnia, quaecumque faciet, prosperabuntur illi. innocens autem et purus corde. qui non accipiet in uanum nomen dei et non iurabit ad proximum suum in dolo, iste accipiet benedictionem a domino et misericordiam a deo salutificatore suo. oculi enim domini super timentes eum, sperantes in misericordiam ipsius, ad deliberandas animas eorum de morte, utique aeterna, et nutricandos eos in fame, utique uitae aeternae. multae enim pressurae iustorum, et ex omnibus liberabit eos dominus. honorabilis mors in conspectu domini sanctorum eius. dominus custodibit omnia ossa eorum et non comminuentur. redimet dominus animas seruorum suorum. pauca ista de tantis scripturis creatoris intulimus, et nihil, puto, iam ad testimonium dei optimi deest. quod satis et praecepta bonitatis et promissa consignant.
English · Claude translation
And in the very dealings of life and of human conduct, at home and abroad, down to the care of vessels, he made distinctions in every way, so that, as these legal disciplines met them everywhere, they might not for a single moment be free from regard for God. For what would make a man blessed more than this: “his will is in the law of the Lord, and in the law of the Lord he will meditate day and night”? This law was not promulgated by the hardness of its author but by the reason of supreme kindness, taming rather the hardness of the people and hewing into shape, by laborious duties, a faith still rough in obedience — to say nothing of the hidden meanings of the law, which is spiritual and prophetic and figurative in nearly all its matters. For the present it is enough that it simply bound man to God, so that no one ought to reject it but one who does not care to serve God. To aid this benefit — not burden — of the law, the same goodness of God also ordained the prophets, teaching things worthy of God: to remove wickedness from the soul, to learn to do good, to seek judgment, to judge for the orphan and do justice to the widow, to love inquiry, to shun contact with the wicked, to let the oppressed go free, to tear up unjust contracts, to break bread for the hungry, to bring the homeless into your house, if you see the naked to cover him, and not to despise the members of your own family; to keep the tongue from evil and the lips from speaking deceit; to turn from evil and do good; to seek peace and pursue it; to be angry and not sin, that is, not to persist in anger or rage; not to walk in the counsel of the ungodly, nor stand in the way of sinners, nor sit in the seat of the pestilent.
But where, then? “Behold how good and pleasant it is for brothers to dwell in unity,” meditating day and night in the law of the Lord, since it is good to trust in God rather than to trust in man, and to hope in God rather than to hope in man. For what reward has man with God? “And he will be like a tree planted by the channels of water, which will yield its fruit in its season, and its leaf will not fall, and whatever he does will prosper.” “But the innocent and pure in heart, who does not take the name of God in vain and does not swear deceitfully to his neighbour, he will receive a blessing from the Lord and mercy from God his saviour.” “For the eyes of the Lord are on those who fear him, who hope in his mercy, to deliver their souls from death” — surely eternal death — “and to nourish them in famine” — surely of eternal life. “Many are the afflictions of the righteous, and the Lord will deliver them out of them all.” “Precious in the sight of the Lord is the death of his saints.” “The Lord keeps all their bones; not one of them will be broken.” “The Lord will redeem the souls of his servants.” These few passages we have brought in from the great Scriptures of the Creator, and nothing, I think, is now lacking to the testimony of a supremely good God, which his precepts of goodness and his promises sufficiently seal.
About this passage
Notes
Translation notes
- The quotations are Ps 1:2, 1:1, 1:3; Ps 133:1 (132:1 Vulg.); Ps 118:8–9 (117:8–9 Vulg.); Ps 24:4–5 (23:4–5 Vulg.); Ps 33:18–19 (32:18–19 Vulg.); Ps 34:19–20, 22 (33:20–21, 23 Vulg.); Ps 116:15 (115:15 Vulg.). The prophetic precepts are from Isa 1:16–17, Isa 58:6–7, Ps 34:13–14 (33:14–15 Vulg.), and Ps 4:4 (cf. Eph 4:26). “The law is spiritual” recalls Rom 7:14. The Latin “custodibit” is kept as printed.
Cite this passage
Tertullian, Marc. 2.19 (trans. Sophia Scriptura, https://sophiascriptura.com/fathers/tertullian-marcionem/2/19/).
Plain text
Tertullian, Marc. 2.19 (trans. Sophia Scriptura, https://sophiascriptura.com/fathers/tertullian-marcionem/2/19/).
Download citation:BibTeX ·RIS (Zotero, EndNote)
Whole work:BibTeX ·RIS ·Markdown text