Against Marcion 4.6
Summary: Tertullian sets his test: whatever in Marcion's own gospel shows Christ fulfilling the Creator's law, prophecies, and character proves Christ is the Creator's.
Latin text · CSEL 47:432–433
Sed alium iam hinc inimus gradum, ipsum, ut professi sumus, euangelium Marcionis prouocantes, sic quoque probaturi adulteratum. certe enim totum quod elaborauit, etiam antithesis praestruendo, in hoc cogit, ut ueteris et noui testamenti diuersitatem constitu(ens constitu)at proinde Christum suum a creatore separatum, ut dei alterius, ut alienum legis et prophetarum. certe propterea contraria quaeque sententiae suae erasit, conspirantia cum creatore, quasi (ab) adsertoribus eius intexta, competentia autem sententiae suae reseruauit. haec conueniemus, haec amplectemur: si nobiscum magis fuerint. si Marcionis praesumptionem percusserint, tunc et illa constabit eodem uitio haereticae caecitatis erasa, quo et haec reseruata. sic habebit intentio et forma opusculi nostri, sub illa utique condicione, quae ex utraque parte condicta sit. constituit Marcion alium esse Christum, qui Tiberianis temporibus a deo quondam ignoto reuelatus sit in salutem omnium gentium, alium, qui a deo creatore in restitutionem Iudaici status sit destinatus, quandoque uenturus. inter hos magnam et omnem differentiam scindit, quantam inter iustum et bonum, quantam inter legem et euangelium, quantam inter Iudaismum et Christianismum. hinc erit et nostra praescriptio, qua defigimus nihil Christo dei alterius commune esse debere cum creatore: ceterum creatoris pronuntiandum, si administrauerit dispositiones eius, si impleuerit prophetias eius, si adiuuerit leges eius, si repraesentauerit promissiones eius, si restaurauerit uirtutes eius, si sententias reformauerit, si mores, si proprietates expresserit. huius pacti et huius praescripti, quaeso te, lector, memineris ubique et incipe recognoscere aut Marcionis Christum aut creatoris.
English · Claude translation
But from here we take another step, challenging Marcion's gospel itself, as we professed, so as to prove in this way too that it has been adulterated. For certainly the whole of what he labored at, even in setting up the Antitheses in advance, is directed to this end: that, establishing a difference between the Old and the New Testament, he might likewise establish his Christ as separate from the Creator, as belonging to another god, as foreign to the law and the prophets. Certainly it was for this reason that he erased whatever was contrary to his opinion and agreed with the Creator, as having been woven in by the Creator's champions, and kept what suited his opinion. These we shall meet, these we shall embrace, if they turn out to be rather on our side, if they strike down Marcion's presumption; then it will be established that the other passages too were erased by the same fault of heretical blindness by which these were kept. Such will be the aim and plan of our little work, under the condition, of course, that has been agreed on both sides. Marcion lays down that there is one Christ who was revealed in the time of Tiberius by a god formerly unknown, for the salvation of all nations, and another who was appointed by God the Creator for the restoration of the Jewish state, and who is to come at some time. Between these he cuts a great and total difference, as great as between the just and the good, between the law and the gospel, between Judaism and Christianity. From this will come our prescription too, by which we fix it that the Christ of another god ought to have nothing in common with the Creator; and that on the other hand he must be declared the Creator's if he has administered his arrangements, fulfilled his prophecies, supported his laws, made present his promises, restored his mighty works, re-expressed his judgments, and represented his character and attributes. Remember this agreement and this prescription everywhere, I beg you, reader, and begin to discern whether it is Marcion's Christ or the Creator's.
About this passage
Notes
Translation notes
- “Establishing … establish” reflects the edition's supplement constitu(ens constitu)at.
Notes on the original text
- Digital text corrected (split word; stray character; stray letter; stray punctuation): etiam: antithesis → etiam antithesis; Christum! suum → Christum suum; legis et i prophetarum → legis et prophetarum; suae I erasit → suae erasit; in-: texta → intexta; eodem i uitio → eodem uitio; sic 1 habebit → sic habebit; con-i dicione → condicione; quon- 1 dam → quondam.
Cite this passage
Tertullian, Marc. 4.6 (trans. Sophia Scriptura, https://sophiascriptura.com/fathers/tertullian-marcionem/4/6/).
Plain text
Tertullian, Marc. 4.6 (trans. Sophia Scriptura, https://sophiascriptura.com/fathers/tertullian-marcionem/4/6/).
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