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Tertullian, Against Hermogenes
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Chapter IV.—Hermogenes Gives Divine Attributes to Matter, and So Makes Two Gods.
Chapter VIII.—On His Own Principles, Hermogenes Makes Matter, on the Whole, Superior to God.
Chapter IX.—Sundry Inevitable But Intolerable Conclusions from the Principles of Hermogenes.
Chapter XIII.—Another Ground of Hermogenes that Matter Has Some Good in It. Its Absurdity.
Chapter XIV.—Tertullian Pushes His Opponent into a Dilemma.
Chapter XVIII.—An Eulogy on the Wisdom and Word of God, by Which God Made All Things of Nothing.
Chapter XXIV.—Earth Does Not Mean Matter as Hermogenes Would Have It.
Chapter XXVII.—Some Hair-Splitting Use of Words in Which His Opponent Had Indulged.
Chapter XXXV.—Contradictory Propositions Advanced by Hermogenes Respecting Matter and Its Qualities.
Chapter XXXV.—Contradictory Propositions Advanced by Hermogenes Respecting Matter and Its Qualities.
As regards all other points touching Matter, although there is no necessity why we should treat of them (for our first point was the manifest proof of its existence), we must for all that pursue our discussion just as if it did exist, in order that its non-existence may be the more apparent, when these other points concerning it prove inconsistent with each other, and in order at the same time that Hermogenes may acknowledge his own contradictory positions. Matter, says he, at first sight seems to us to be incorporeal; but when examined by the light of right reason, it is found to be neither corporeal nor incorporeal. What is this right reason of yours,378 Ista. which declares nothing right, that is, nothing certain? For, if I mistake not, everything must of necessity be either corporeal or incorporeal (although I may for the moment379 Interim. allow that there is a certain incorporeality in even substantial things,380 De substantiis duntaxat. although their very substance is the body of particular things); at all events, after the corporeal and the incorporeal there is no third state. But if it be contended381 Age nunc sit: “But grant that there is this third state.” that there is a third state discovered by this right reason of Hermogenes, which makes Matter neither corporeal nor incorporeal, (I ask,) Where is it? what sort of thing is it? what is it called? what is its description? what is it understood to be? This only has his reason declared, that Matter is neither corporeal nor incorporeal.
CAPUT XXXV.
De caetero vero statu materiae, etsi non est retractandum, prius enim erat ut eam esse constaret, tamen ac si constiterit, persequendus est ordo: quo 0229C magis eam non esse constet, cujus nec reliquus status consistat, simul ut contrarietates suas agnoscat Hermogenes. Prima, inquit, facie videtur nobis incorporalis esse materia: exquisita autem ratione recta, invenitur neque corporalis, neque incorporalis. Quae est ista ratio recta, quae nihil recti renuntiat, id est nihil certi? Nisi fallor enim, omnis res aut 0230A corporalis aut incorporalis sit necesse est (ut concedam interim esse aliquid incorporale de substantiis dumtaxat, cum ipsa substantia corpus sit rei cujusque) certe post corporale et incorporale nihil tertium. Age nunc sit et tertium, quod illa recta ratio Hermogeniana compererit, quae neque corporalem neque incorporalem materiam facit: ubi est? quale est? quid vocatur? quid describitur? quid intelligitur? Tantum hoc ratio renuntiavit, nec corporalem materiam nec incorporalem.