Jack777
January 27th 2005, 02:01 PM
Tertullian on Philosophy and Dialectics
Cosmogony Matters
I was going to post this about the Creator as it is another example of writing that supports early believers of the Ekklesia died because they would not betray the Father as Creator, nor Jesus as Creator and Redeemer.
Tertullian thought the issue of Who God Is was of utmost importance. The differing philosophies that either were from Athens or the new god of Marcion that was supposed to be superior to the Creator in the Bible were important to define and make known as either Revelation or heresy. Marcion was not a heretic only, but much more. He decided he did not like the God of the Bible so he invented one to his liking. This is one of the dangers of Theistic Evolution. I know some may not realize it, but it is true anyway. Our best thoughts about a matter can be uplifting and we understand what it is that we mean by something when we formulate ideas and we think that others will be as apt to see the upside of a proposition. This may seem obvious to many people, but the road to hell is paved with good intentions. People see a greater good to be accomplished and convince ourselves that an idea or plan is as obviously beneficial to others as it is to us. Marcion accomplished one thing that was good in that he forced a canon of Scripture to be adopted due to his ideas that were opposed to the Scriptural witness of what we call the Old Testament. He invented a god that was positive and different than the God we know as Christians because he felt God in the Bible was too harsh, too negative, and not perfect enough.
"These are 'the doctrines of men' and 'of demons' produced for itching ears of the spirit of this world’s wisdom: this the Lord called 'foolishness,' and 'chose the foolish things of the world' to confound even philosophy itself. For (philosophy) it is which is the material of the world’s wisdom, the rash interpreter of the nature and the dispensation of God. Indeed heresies are themselves instigated by philosophy. From this source came the Aeons, and I know not what infinite forms, and the trinity of man in the system of Valentinus, who was of Plato’s school. From the same source came Marcion’s better God, with all his tranquillity; he came of the Stoics. Then, again, the opinion that the soul dies is held by the Epicureans; while the denial of the restoration of the body is taken from the aggregate school of all the philosophers; also, when matter is made equal to God, then you have the teaching of Zeno; and when any doctrine is alleged touching a god of fire, then Heraclitus comes in. The same subject-matter is discussed over and over again by the heretics and the philosophers; the same arguments are involved. Whence comes evil? Why is it permitted? What is the origin of man? and in what way does he come? Besides the question which Valentinus has very lately proposed - Whence comes God? Which he settles with the answer: From enthymesis and ectroma. Unhappy Aristotle! who invented for these men dialectics, the art of building up and pulling down; an art so evasive in its propositions, so far-fetched in its conjectures, so harsh, in its arguments, so productive of contentions - embarrassing even to itself, retracting everything, and really treating of nothing! Whence spring those 'fables and endless genealogies,' and 'unprofitable questions, and 'words which spread like a cancer?' From all these, when the apostle would restrain us, he expressly names philosophy as that which he would have us be on our guard against. Writing to the Colossians, he says, 'See that no one beguile you through philosophy and vain deceit, after the tradition of men, and contrary to the wisdom of the Holy Ghost.' He had been at Athens, and had in his interviews (with its philosophers) become acquainted with that human wisdom which pretends to know the truth, whilst it only corrupts it, and is itself divided into its own manifold heresies, by the variety of its mutually repugnant sects. What indeed has Athens to do with Jerusalem? What concord is there between the Academy and the Church? what between heretics and Christians? Our instruction comes from 'the porch of Solomon,' who had himself taught that 'the Lord should be sought in simplicity of heart.' Away with all attempts to produce a mottled Christianity of Stoic, Platonic, and dialectic composition! We want no curious disputation after possessing Christ Jesus, no inquisition after enjoying the gospel! With our faith, we desire no further belief. For this is our palmary faith, that there is nothing which we ought to believe besides.
Tertullian, The Prescription Against Heretics, Translator, Rev. Peter Holmes, in The Ante-Nicene Fathers Volume 3, Master Christian Library Edition, Albany, OR: AGES Software Version 1.0, Copyright 1997 Ages Software, 1997.
Cosmogony Matters
I was going to post this about the Creator as it is another example of writing that supports early believers of the Ekklesia died because they would not betray the Father as Creator, nor Jesus as Creator and Redeemer.
Tertullian thought the issue of Who God Is was of utmost importance. The differing philosophies that either were from Athens or the new god of Marcion that was supposed to be superior to the Creator in the Bible were important to define and make known as either Revelation or heresy. Marcion was not a heretic only, but much more. He decided he did not like the God of the Bible so he invented one to his liking. This is one of the dangers of Theistic Evolution. I know some may not realize it, but it is true anyway. Our best thoughts about a matter can be uplifting and we understand what it is that we mean by something when we formulate ideas and we think that others will be as apt to see the upside of a proposition. This may seem obvious to many people, but the road to hell is paved with good intentions. People see a greater good to be accomplished and convince ourselves that an idea or plan is as obviously beneficial to others as it is to us. Marcion accomplished one thing that was good in that he forced a canon of Scripture to be adopted due to his ideas that were opposed to the Scriptural witness of what we call the Old Testament. He invented a god that was positive and different than the God we know as Christians because he felt God in the Bible was too harsh, too negative, and not perfect enough.
"These are 'the doctrines of men' and 'of demons' produced for itching ears of the spirit of this world’s wisdom: this the Lord called 'foolishness,' and 'chose the foolish things of the world' to confound even philosophy itself. For (philosophy) it is which is the material of the world’s wisdom, the rash interpreter of the nature and the dispensation of God. Indeed heresies are themselves instigated by philosophy. From this source came the Aeons, and I know not what infinite forms, and the trinity of man in the system of Valentinus, who was of Plato’s school. From the same source came Marcion’s better God, with all his tranquillity; he came of the Stoics. Then, again, the opinion that the soul dies is held by the Epicureans; while the denial of the restoration of the body is taken from the aggregate school of all the philosophers; also, when matter is made equal to God, then you have the teaching of Zeno; and when any doctrine is alleged touching a god of fire, then Heraclitus comes in. The same subject-matter is discussed over and over again by the heretics and the philosophers; the same arguments are involved. Whence comes evil? Why is it permitted? What is the origin of man? and in what way does he come? Besides the question which Valentinus has very lately proposed - Whence comes God? Which he settles with the answer: From enthymesis and ectroma. Unhappy Aristotle! who invented for these men dialectics, the art of building up and pulling down; an art so evasive in its propositions, so far-fetched in its conjectures, so harsh, in its arguments, so productive of contentions - embarrassing even to itself, retracting everything, and really treating of nothing! Whence spring those 'fables and endless genealogies,' and 'unprofitable questions, and 'words which spread like a cancer?' From all these, when the apostle would restrain us, he expressly names philosophy as that which he would have us be on our guard against. Writing to the Colossians, he says, 'See that no one beguile you through philosophy and vain deceit, after the tradition of men, and contrary to the wisdom of the Holy Ghost.' He had been at Athens, and had in his interviews (with its philosophers) become acquainted with that human wisdom which pretends to know the truth, whilst it only corrupts it, and is itself divided into its own manifold heresies, by the variety of its mutually repugnant sects. What indeed has Athens to do with Jerusalem? What concord is there between the Academy and the Church? what between heretics and Christians? Our instruction comes from 'the porch of Solomon,' who had himself taught that 'the Lord should be sought in simplicity of heart.' Away with all attempts to produce a mottled Christianity of Stoic, Platonic, and dialectic composition! We want no curious disputation after possessing Christ Jesus, no inquisition after enjoying the gospel! With our faith, we desire no further belief. For this is our palmary faith, that there is nothing which we ought to believe besides.
Tertullian, The Prescription Against Heretics, Translator, Rev. Peter Holmes, in The Ante-Nicene Fathers Volume 3, Master Christian Library Edition, Albany, OR: AGES Software Version 1.0, Copyright 1997 Ages Software, 1997.