Prescription against Heretics 44
Summary: At the judgment heretics will have no excuse, since Christ warned against false teachers; Tertullian ironically imagines Christ recanting his teaching, and closes by promising treatises against particular heresies.
Latin text · Oehler 2:42–43
Proinde haec pressioris apud nos testimonia disciplinae ad probationem veritatis accedunt, a qua divertere nemini expedit qui meminerit futuri iudicii, quo omnes nos necesse est apud Christi tribunal adstare, reddentes rationem inprimis ipsius fidei. Quid ergo dicent qui illam stupraverint adulterio haeretico, virginem traditam a Christo? Credo, allegabunt nihil unquam sibi ab illo vel ab apostolis eius de scaevis et perversis doctrinis futuris pronuntiatum et de cavendis abominandisque praeceptum. Agnoscent suam potius culpam et suorum, qui nos non ante praestruxerunt. Adicient praeterea multa de auctoritate cuiusque doctoris haeretici; illos maxime doctrinae suae fidem confirmasse, mortuos suscitasse, debiles reformasse, futura significasse, uti merito apostoli crederentur. Quasi nec hoc scriptum sit, venturos multos qui etiam virtutes maximas ederent ad fallaciam muniendam corruptae praedicationis. Itaque veniam merebuntur. Si vero memores dominicarum et apostolicarum scripturarum et denuntiationum in fide integra steterint, credo, de venia periclitabuntur, respondente domino: Praenuntiaveram plane futuros fallaciae magistros in meo nomine et prophetarum et apostolorum etiam, et discentibus meis eadem ad vos praedicare mandaveram; scilicet cum vos non crederetis. Semel evangelium et eiusdem regulae doctrinam apostolis meis delegaveram; libuit mihi postea aliqua inde mutare. Resurrectionem promiseram, etiam carnis; sed recogitavi, ne implere non possem. Natum me ostenderam ex virgine, sed postea turpe mihi visum est. Patrem dixeram qui solem et pluvias facit; sed alius me pater melior adoptavit. Prohibueram vos aurem accommodare haereticis; sed erravi. Talia capit opinari eos qui exorbitant et fidei veritatis periculum non cavent. Sed nunc quidem generaliter actum est nobis adversus haereses omnes certis et iustis et necessariis praescriptionibus repellendas a conlatione scripturarum. De reliquo, si dei gratia adnuerit, etiam specialiter quibusdam respondebimus. Haec in fide veritatis cum otio perlegentibus pax et gratia dei nostri Iesu Christi in aeternum.
English · Claude translation
So these testimonies of the stricter discipline among us are added to the proof of the truth, from which it profits no one to turn aside who remembers the judgment to come, when we must all stand before the judgment seat of Christ, giving account first of all of faith itself. What then will they say who have defiled her by heretical adultery, the virgin handed down by Christ? They will allege, I suppose, that nothing was ever declared to them by him or by his apostles about perverse and crooked doctrines to come, and no command given that they be guarded against and abhorred. They will rather acknowledge that the fault was his and his apostles', for not having forearmed us. They will add besides much about the authority of each heretical teacher: that they most of all confirmed the credibility of their teaching, raised the dead, healed the sick, foretold the future, so that they deserved to be believed as apostles. As if it were not written that many would come who would work even the greatest miracles to fortify the deceit of a corrupt preaching! So they will deserve pardon! But if any, mindful of the Lord's and the apostles' writings and warnings, have stood firm in the whole faith, they will, I suppose, be in danger of not being pardoned, the Lord answering: “I had plainly foretold that there would be teachers of deceit in my name, and in that of the prophets and apostles too, and I had commanded my disciples to preach the same things to you; but of course you were not expected to believe it! Once for all I had entrusted the gospel and the teaching of the same rule to my apostles; afterwards it pleased me to change some of it. I had promised a resurrection, even of the flesh; but I thought better of it, in case I could not fulfill it. I had shown that I was born of a virgin; but afterwards it seemed shameful to me. I had called him Father who makes the sun and the rain; but another, better father adopted me. I had forbidden you to lend an ear to heretics; but I was wrong.” Such things those take it upon themselves to suppose who stray off course and do not guard against danger to the faith of the truth. But for now we have argued in general against all heresies, that they must be repelled from any comparison of Scriptures by sure, just, and necessary prescriptions. For the rest, if the grace of God grants it, we will also answer some of them in particular. To those who read this through at leisure in the faith of the truth, peace and the grace of our God Jesus Christ forever.
About this passage
Notes
Translation notes
- The allusions are 2 Cor 5:10, Rom 14:10, 2 Cor 11:2, Matt 24:24, 7:22, and 5:45. The sentence beginning “But if any … have stood firm” is heavily ironic; the whole speech of the Lord is ironic. “Our God Jesus Christ” is as written.
Cite this passage
Tertullian, Praescr. 44 (trans. Sophia Scriptura, https://sophiascriptura.com/fathers/tertullian-praescriptione/44/).
Plain text
Tertullian, Praescr. 44 (trans. Sophia Scriptura, https://sophiascriptura.com/fathers/tertullian-praescriptione/44/).
Download citation:BibTeX ·RIS (Zotero, EndNote)
Whole work:BibTeX ·RIS ·Markdown text