Chapter I.—Introductory. The Apostle Paul Himself Not the Preacher of a New God.  Called by Jesus Christ, Although After the Other Apostles, His Mission Was from the Creator. States How. The Argument, as in the Case of the Gospel, Confining Proofs to Such Portions of St. Paul’s Writings as Marcion Allowed.

There is nothing without a beginning but God alone. Now, inasmuch as the beginning occupies the first place in the condition of all things, so it must necessarily take precedence in the treatment of them, if a clear knowledge is to be arrived at concerning their condition; for you could not find the means of examining even the quality of anything, unless you were certain of its existence, and that after discovering its origin.2869    Expeditam a nobis.    Cum cognoveris unde sit. Since therefore I am brought, in the course of my little work, to this point,2870    [The term εὐαγγέλιον was often employed for a written book, says Kaye (p. 298), who refers to Book i. cap. 1. supra, etc.]    Materiam. I require to know of Marcion the origin of his apostle2871    Interim, perhaps “occasionally.”    We have already more than once referred to Marcion’s preference for St. Paul. “The reason of the preference thus given to that apostle was his constant and strenuous opposition to the Judaizing Christians, who wished to reimpose the yoke of the Jewish ceremonies on the necks of their brethren.  This opposition the Marcionites wished to construe into a direct denial of the authority of the Mosaic law. They contended also from St. Paul’s assertion, that he received his appointment to the apostolic office not from man, but from Christ, that he alone delivered the genuine doctrines of the gospel. This deference for St. Paul accounts also for Marcion’s accepting St. Luke’s Gospel as the only authentic one, as we saw in the last book of this treatise; it was because that evangelist had been the companion of St. Paul” (Bp. Kaye, On the Writings of Tertullian, 3d edition, pp. 474–475). even—I, who am to some degree a new disciple,2872    Præstructuram.    Novus aliqui discipulus. the follower of no other master; who at the same time2873    Instrumentum. [See cap. 1, supra. And, above, note 9. Also in cap. iii. and the Apology, (cap. xlvii.) he calls the Testaments, Digests, or Sancta Digesta.]    Interim. can believe nothing, except that nothing ought to be believed hastily2874    By this canon of his, that the true Gospels must have for their authors either apostles or companions and disciples of apostles, he shuts out the false Gospels of the heretics, such as the Ebionites, Encratites, Nazarenes, and Marcionites (Le Prieur).    Temere. (and that I may further say is hastily believed, which is believed without any examination2875    Apostolicos, companions of the apostles associated in the authorship.    Agnitione. of its beginning); in short, I who have the best reason possible for bringing this inquiry to a most careful solution,2876    He means, of course, St. Mark and St. Luke.    Ad sollicitudinem. since a man is affirmed to me to be an apostle whom I do not find mentioned in the Gospel in the catalogue2877    Adsistat illi.    In albo. of the apostles. Indeed, when I hear that this man was chosen by the Lord after He had attained His rest in heaven, I feel that a kind of improvidence is imputable to Christ, for not knowing before that this man was necessary to Him; and because He thought that he must be added to the apostolic body in the way of a fortuitous encounter2878    Immo Christi.    Ex incursu: in allusion to St. Paul’s sudden conversion, Acts ix. 3–8. [On St. Paul’s Epistles, see p. 324, supra.] rather than a deliberate selection; by necessity (so to speak), and not voluntary choice, although the members of the apostolate had been duly ordained, and were now dismissed to their several missions. Wherefore, O shipmaster of Pontus,2879    Insinuant.    Marcion is frequently called “Ponticus Nauclerus,” probably less on account of his own connection with a seafaring life, than that of his countrymen, who were great sailors.  Comp. book. i. 18. (sub fin.) and book iii. 6. [pp. 284, 325.] if you have never taken on board your small craft2880    Instaurant.    In acatos tuas. any contraband goods or smuggler’s cargo, if you have never thrown overboard or tampered with a freight, you are still more careful and conscientious, I doubt not, in divine things; and so I should be glad if you would inform us under what bill of lading2881    Isdem regulis.    Quo symbolo. you admitted the Apostle Paul on board, who ticketed him,2882    Supplementum.    Quis illum tituli charactere percusserit. what owner forwarded him,2883    Viderit.    Quis transmiserit tibi. who handed him to you,2884    De capite.    Quis imposuerit. that so you may land him without any misgiving,2885    Scilicet.    Constanter. lest he should turn out to belong to him,2886    Evertere.    Ne illius probetur, i.e., to the Catholic, for Marcion did not admit all St. Paul’s epistles (Semler). who can substantiate his claim to him by producing all his apostolic writings.2887    Congredi.    Omnia apostolatus ejus instrumenta. He professes himself to be “an apostle”—to use his own words—“not of men, nor by man, but by Jesus Christ.”2888    Dissimulamus.    Gal. i. 1. Of course, any one may make a profession concerning himself; but his profession is only rendered valid by the authority of a second person. One man signs, another countersigns;2889    Ex nostro.    Subscribit. one man appends his seal, another registers in the public records.2890    Compare Irenæus, Adversus Hæreses (Harvey), i. 25 and iii. 11; also Epiphanius, Hær. xlii. See also the editor’s notes on the passages in Irenæus, who quotes other authorities also, and shows the particulars of Marcion’s mutilations.  [Vol. I. 429.]    Actis refert. No one is at once a proposer and a seconder to himself. Besides, you have read, no doubt, that “many shall come, saying, I am Christ.”2891    Quem cæderet.    Luke xxi. 8. Now if any one can pretend that he is Christ, how much more might a man profess to be an apostle of Christ! But still, for my own part, I appear2892    Posterior.    Conversor. in the character of a disciple and an inquirer; that so I may even thus2893    See Hieronymi, Catal. Scriptt. Eccles. 7, and Fabricius’ notes.    Jam hinc. both refute your belief, who have nothing to support it, and confound your shamelessness, who make claims without possessing the means of establishing them. Let there be a Christ, let there be an apostle, although of another god; but what matter? since they are only to draw their proofs out of the Testament of the Creator. Because even the book of Genesis so long ago promised me the Apostle Paul. For among the types and prophetic blessings which he pronounced over his sons, Jacob, when he turned his attention to Benjamin, exclaimed, “Benjamin shall ravin as a wolf; in the morning he shall devour the prey, and at night he shall impart nourishment.”2894    Instrumenti.    Gen. xlix. 27, Septuagint, the latter clause being καὶ εἰς τὸ ἑσπέρας δίδωσι τροφήν. He foresaw that Paul would arise out of the tribe of Benjamin, a voracious wolf, devouring his prey in the morning: in order words, in the early period of his life he would devastate the Lord’s sheep, as a persecutor of the churches; but in the evening he would give them nourishment, which means that in his declining years he would educate the fold of Christ, as the teacher of the Gentiles. Then, again, in Saul’s conduct towards David, exhibited first in violent persecution of him, and then in remorse and reparation,2895    Gal. ii. 2.    Satisfactio. on his receiving from him good for evil, we have nothing else than an anticipation2896    [Dr. Holmes not uniformly, yet constantly inserts the prefix St. before the name of Paul, and brackets it, greatly disfiguring the page.  It is not in our author’s text, but I venture to dispense with the ever-recurring brackets.]    Non aliud portendebat quam. of Paul in Saul—belonging, too, as they did, to the same tribe—and of Jesus in David, from whom He descended according to the Virgin’s genealogy.2897    Secundum Virginis censum. Should you, however, disapprove of these types,2898    Figurarum sacramenta. the Acts of the Apostles,2899    Although St. Luke wrote the Acts of the Apostles, Marcion does not seem to have admitted this book into his New Testament. “It is clearly excluded from his catalogue, as given by Epiphanius. The same thing appears from the more ancient authority of Tertullian, who begins his Book v. against Marcion with showing the absurdity of his conduct in rejecting the history and acts of the apostles, and yet receiving St. Paul as the chief of the apostles, whose name is never mentioned in the Gospel with the other apostles, especially since the account given by Paul himself in Gal. i.–ii. confirms the account which we have in the Acts. But the reason why he rejected this book is (as Tertullian says) very evident, since from it we can plainly show that the God of the Christians and the God of the Jews, or the Creator, was the same being and that Christ was sent by Him, and by no other” (Lardner’s Works, Hist. of Heretics, chap. x. sec. 41). at all events, have handed down to me this career of Paul, which you must not refuse to accept. Thence I demonstrate that from a persecutor he became “an apostle, not of men, neither by man;”2900    Gal. i. 1. thence am I led to believe the Apostle himself; thence do I find reason for rejecting your defence of him,2901    Inde te a defensione ejus expello. and for bearing fearlessly your taunt.  “Then you deny the Apostle Paul.”  I do not calumniate him whom I defend.2902    An insinuation that Marcion’s defence of Paul was, in fact, a calumny of the apostle. I deny him, to compel you to the proof of him. I deny him, to convince you that he is mine. If you have regard to our belief you should admit the particulars which comprise it. If you challenge us to your belief, (pray) tell us what things constitute its basis.2903    Præstruant eam. Either prove the truth of what you believe, or failing in your proof, (tell us) how you believe. Else what conduct is yours,2904    Qualis es. believing in opposition to Him from whom alone comes the proof of that which you believe? Take now from my point of view2905    Habe nunc de meo. the apostle, in the same manner as you have received the Christ—the apostle shown to be as much mine as the Christ is. And here, too, we will fight within the same lines, and challenge our adversary on the mere ground of a simple rule,2906    In ipso gradu præscriptionis. that even an apostle who is said not to belong to the Creator—nay, is displayed as in actual hostility to the Creator—can be fairly regarded as teaching2907    Oportere docere…sapere…velle. nothing, knowing nothing, wishing nothing in favour of the Creator whilst it would be a first principle with him to set forth2908    Edicere. another god with as much eagerness as he would use in withdrawing us from the law of the Creator. It is not at all likely that he would call men away from Judaism without showing them at the same time what was the god in whom he invited them to believe; because nobody could possibly pass from allegiance to the Creator without knowing to whom he had to cross over. For either Christ had already revealed another god—in which case the apostle’s testimony would also follow to the same effect, for fear of his not being else regarded2909    Ne non haberetur. as an apostle of the god whom Christ had revealed, and because of the impropriety of his being concealed by the apostle who had been already revealed by Christ—or Christ had made no such revelation concerning God; then there was all the greater need why the apostle should reveal a God who could now be made known by no one else, and who would undoubtedly be left without any belief at all, if he were revealed not even by an apostle. We have laid down this as our first principle, because we wish at once to profess that we shall pursue the same method here in the apostle’s case as we adopted before in Christ’s case, to prove that he proclaimed no new god;2910    Nullum alium deum circumlatum. that is, we shall draw our evidence from the epistles of St. Paul himself. Now, the garbled form in which we have found the heretic’s Gospel will have already prepared us to expect to find2911    Præjudicasse debebit. the epistles also mutilated by him with like perverseness—and that even as respects their number.2912    Marcion only received ten of St. Paul’s epistles, and these altered by himself.

CAPUT PRIMUM.

Nihil sine origine, nisi Deus solus: quae quantum praecedit in statu omnium rerum, tantum praecedat necesse est etiam in retractatu earum, ut constare 0468D de statu possit. Quia nec habeas dispicere quid quale sit, nisi certus an sit, cum cognoveris unde sit. Et ideo ex opusculi ordine ad hanc materiam devolutus, apostoli quoque Pauli originem a Marcione desidero, novus aliqui discipulus, nec ullius alterius auditor, qui nihil interim credam, nisi nihil temere credendum. Temere porro credi quodcumque sine originis agnitione creditur, quique dignissime ad sollicitudinem redigam istam inquisitionem, cum is mihi affirmatur apostolus, quem in albo apostolorum 0469A apud Evangelium non deprehendo. Denique audiens postea eum a Domino allectum jam in coelis quiescente, quasi improvidentiam existimo, si non ante scivit illum sibi necessarium Christus; sed jam ordinato officio apostolatus, et in sua opera dimisso, ex incursu, non ex prospectu adjiciendum existimavit; necessitate, ut ita dixerim, non voluntate. Quamobrem, Pontice nauclere, si nunquam furtivas merces vel illicitas in acatos tuas recepisti; si nullum omnino onus avertisti vel adulterasti, cautior utique et fidelior in Dei rebus, edas velim nobis quo symbolo susceperis apostolum Paulum? quis illum tituli charactere percusserit? quis transmiserit tibi? quis imposuerit, ut possis eum constanter exponere? ne illius probetur, qui omnia 0469B apostolatus ejus instrumenta protulerit. Ipse se, inquit, apostolum est professus (Gal. I, 1), et quidem non ab hominibus, nec per hominem, sed per Jesum Christum. Plane profiteri potest semetipsum quivis. Verum professio ejus alterius auctoritate conficitur: alius scribit, alius subscribit, alius obsignat, alius actis refert. Nemo sibi et professor et testis est. Praeter haec utique legisti (Luc. XXI, 8), multos venturos qui dicant: Ego sum Christus. Si est qui se Christum mentiatur, quanto magis qui se apostolum praedicet Christi? Adhuc ego in persona discipuli et inquisitoris conversor, ut jam hinc et fidem tuam obtundam, qui unde eam probes non habes; et impudentiam suffundam, qui vindicas, et unde possis vindicare non recipis. Sit Christus, 0469C sit Apostolus, ut alterius dum non probantur nisi de instrumento Creatoris. Nam mihi Paulum etiam Genesis olim repromisit. Inter illas enim figuras et propheticas super filios suos benedictiones, Jacob cum ad Benjamin direxisset , Benjamin, inquit (Gen. XLIX, 27), lupus rapax, ad matutinum comedet adhuc, et ad vesperam dabit escam. Ex tribu enim Benjamin oriturum Paulum providebat, lupum rapacem, ad matutinum comedentem, id est, prima aetate vastaturum pecora Domini, ut persecutorem Ecclesiarum; dehinc ad vesperam escam daturum, id est, devergente jam aetate oves Christi educaturum, ut doctorem nationum. Nam et Saulis primo asperitas insectationis erga David, dehinc poenitentia 0470A et satisfactio, bona pro malis recipientis, non aliud portendebat quam Paulum in Saule, secundum tribus; et Jesum in David, secundum virginis censum. Haec figurarum sacramenta si tibi displicent, certe Acta apostolorum (Act. IX) hunc mihi ordinem Pauli tradiderunt, a te quoque non negandum. Inde apostolum ostendo persecutorem, non ab hominibus, neque per hominem; inde et ipsi credere inducor; inde te a defensione ejus expello; nec timeo dicentem: Tu ergo negas apostolum Paulum? non blasphemo quem tueor. Nego, ut te probare compellam. Nego, ut meum esse convincam. Aut si ad nostram fidem spectas, recipe quae eam faciunt. Si ad tuam provocas, ede quae eam praestruunt. Aut proba esse, quae credis; aut si non probas, quomodo 0470B credis? Aut qualis es adversus eum credens, a quo solo probatur esse quod credis? Habe nunc et apostolum de meo, sicut et Christum; tam meum apostolum, quam et Christum. Iisdem et hic dimicabimus lineis, in ipso gradu provocabimus praescriptionis, oportere scilicet et apostolum qui Creatoris negetur, imo et adversus Creatorem proferatur, nihil docere, nihil sapere, nihil velle secundum Creatorem, et in primis tanta constantia alium Deum edicere, quanta a lege Creatoris abrupit. Neque enim versimile est, ut avertens a judaismo, non pariter ostenderet in cujus Dei fidem averteret: quia nemo transire posset a Creatore, nesciens ad quem transeundum sibi esset. Sive enim Christus jam alium Deum revelaverat, sequebatur etiam apostoli testatio; vel 0470C ne non ejus Dei apostolus haberetur, quem Christus revelaverat; et quia non licebat abscondi ab apostolo, qui jam revelatus fuisset a Christo. Sive nihil tale de Deo Christus revelaverat, tanto magis ab apostolo debuerat revelari, qui jam non posset ab alio; non credendus sine dubio, si nec ab apostolo revelatus. Quod idcirco praestruximus, ut jam hinc profiteamur nos proinde probaturos, nullum alium Deum ab apostolo circumlatum, sicut probavimus, nec a Christo; ex ipsis utique Epistolis Pauli, quas proinde mutilatas etiam de numero, forma jam haeretici Evangelii praejudicasse debebit.