Chapter I.—Introductory; A Brief Statement of the Preceding Argument in Connection with the Subject of This Book.

Following the track of my original treatise, the loss of which we are steadily proceeding771    Perseveramus. to restore, we come now, in the order of our subject, to treat of Christ, although this be a work of supererogation,772    Ex abundanti. after the proof which we have gone through that there is but one only God. For no doubt it has been already ruled with sufficient clearness, that Christ must be regarded as pertaining to773    i.e., “as the Son of, or sent by, no other God.” no other God than the Creator, when it has been determined that no other God but the Creator should be the object of our faith. Him did Christ so expressly preach, whilst the apostles one after the other also so clearly affirmed that Christ belonged to774    i.e., “was the Son of, or sent by, no other God.” no other God than Him whom He Himself preached—that is, the Creator—that no mention of a second God (nor, accordingly, of a second Christ) was ever agitated previous to Marcion’s scandal.  This is most easily proved by an examination775    Recensu. of both the apostolic and the heretical churches,776    [Surely Tertullian, when he wrote this, imagined himself not separated formally from the Apostolic churches. Of which see De Præscriptione, (p. 258) supra.] from which we are forced to declare that there is undoubtedly a subversion of the rule (of faith), where any opinion is found of later date,777    Ubi posteritas invenitur. Compare De Præscript. Hæret. 34, where Tertullian refers to “that definite rule, before laid down, touching ‘the later date’ (illo fine supra dicto posteritatis), whereby they (i.e., certain novel opinions) would at once be condemned on the ground of their age alone.”  In 31 of the same work he contrasts “posteritatem mendacitatis” with “principalitatem veritatis”—“the latter date of falsehood” with “the primary date of truth.”  [pp. 258, 260, supra.]—a point which I have inserted in my first book.778    See book i. chap. 1. A discussion of it would unquestionably be of value even now, when we are about to make a separate examination into (the subject of) Christ; because, whilst proving Christ to be the Creator’s Son, we are effectually shutting out the God of Marcion. Truth should employ all her available resources, and in no limping way.779    Non ut laborantem. “Qui enim laborant non totis sed fractis utuntur viribus.” Πανστρατιᾷ πανσυδίῃ; Anglice, “with all her might.” In our compendious rules of faith, however, she has it all her own way.780    In præscript. compendiis vincit. But I have resolved, like an earnest man,781    Ut gestientem. to meet my adversary every way and everywhere in the madness of his heresy, which is so great, that he has found it easier to assume that that Christ has come who was never heard of, than He who has always been predicted.

CAPUT PRIMUM.

Secundum vestigia pristini operis, quod amissum reformare perseveramus, jam hinc ordo de Christo, licet ex abundanti, post decursam defensionem unicae divinitatis. Satis etenim praejudicatum est, Christum non alterius Dei intelligendum, quam Creatoris, cum determinatum est, alium Deum non credendum praeter Creatorem, quem adeo Christus praedicaverit, et deinceps Apostoli non alterius Christum annuntiaverint, quam ejus Dei, quem Christus praedicavit, id est Creatoris, ut nulla mentio alterius Dei, atque ita nec alterius Christi agitata sit ante scandalum 0322D Marcionis. Facillime hoc probatur apostolicarum et haereticarum ecclesiarum recensu; illic scilicet pronuntiandam regulae interversionem, ubi posteritas invenitur, quod etiam primo libello intexui. Sed et nunc congressio ista seorsus Christum examinatura eo utique proficiet, ut dum Christum probamus Creatoris, sic quoque deus excludatur Marcionis. Decet veritatem totis viribus uti suis, non ut laborantem. 0323A Caeterum, in praescriptionum compendiis vincit. Sed decretum est, ut gestientem ubique adversario occurrere, in tantum furenti, ut facilius praesumpserit eum venisse Christum, qui nunquam sit annuntiatus, quam eum qui semper sit praedicatus.