---
title: "Fathers of the Third Century: Tertullian, Minucius Felix, Commodian and Origen"
author: "Various Church Fathers"
translator: "S. Thelwall and others; A. Cleveland Coxe (ed.)"
languages: [en]
shelf: "Church Fathers"
section: 92 of 199
url: https://scriptura.si/works/church-fathers-tertullian-minucius-felix-commodian-origen/92/
cite: "Various Church Fathers, tr. S. Thelwall and others; A. Cleveland Coxe (ed.), Fathers of the Third Century: Tertullian, Minucius Felix, Commodian and Origen, section 92. Scriptura (scriptura.si), https://scriptura.si/works/church-fathers-tertullian-minucius-felix-commodian-origen/92/"
---

# Fathers of the Third Century: Tertullian, Minucius Felix, Commodian and Origen

*Various Church Fathers, tr. S. Thelwall and others; A. Cleveland Coxe (ed.)*

Tertullian, Minucius Felix, Commodian, and Origen's On First Principles and Against Celsus.

## 92. General Reply to Sundry of Marcion's Heresies · 1 of 8

Source: https://scriptura.si/works/church-fathers-tertullian-minucius-felix-commodian-origen/92/ · cite a paragraph as https://scriptura.si/works/church-fathers-tertullian-minucius-felix-commodian-origen/92/#p-N

[¶0] Book V.—General Reply to Sundry of Marcion’s Heresies.

[¶1] The first Book did the enemy’s words recall

[¶2] In order, which the senseless renegade

[¶3] Composed and put forth lawlessly; hence, too,

[¶4] Touched briefly flesh’s hope, Christ’s victory,

[¶5] 5 And false ways’ speciousness. The next doth teach

[¶6] The Law’s conjoined mysteries, and what

[¶7] In the new covenant the one God hath

[¶8] Delivered. The third shows the race, create

[¶9] From freeborn mother, to be ministers

[¶10] 10 Sacred to seers and patriarchs; whom Thou,

[¶11] O Christ, in number twice six out of all,

[¶12] Chosest; and, with their names, the lustral times

[¶13] Of our own elders noted, (times preserved

[¶14] On record,) showing in whose days appeared

[¶15] 15 The author of this wickedness, unknown,

[¶16] Lawless, and roaming, cast forth with his brood.

[¶17] The fourth, too, the piacular rites recalls

[¶18] Of the old Law themselves, and shows them types

[¶19] In which the Victim True appeared, by saints

[¶20] 20 Expected long since, with the holy Seed.

[¶21] This fifth doth many twists and knots untie,

[¶22] Rolls wholly into sight what ills soe’er

[¶23] Were lurking; drawing arguments, but not

[¶24] Without attesting prophet.

[¶25] And although

[¶26] 25 With strong arms fortified we vanquish foes,

[¶27] Yet hath the serpent mingled so at once

[¶28] All things polluted, impious, unallowed,

[¶29] Commaculate,—the blind’s path without light!

[¶30] A voice contaminant!—that, all the while

[¶31] 30 We are contending the world’s Maker is

[¶32] Himself sole God, who also spake by voice

[¶33] Of seers, and proving that there is none else

[¶34] Unknown; and, while pursuing Him with praise,

[¶35] Who is by various endearment known,

[¶36] 35 Are blaming—among other fallacies—

[¶37] The Unknown’s tardy times: our subject’s fault

[¶38] Will scarce keep pure our tongue. Yet, for all that,

[¶39] Guile’s many hidden venoms us enforce

[¶40] (Although with double risk) to ope our words.

[¶41] 40 Who, then, the God whom ye say is the true,

[¶42] Unknown to peoples, alien, in a word,

[¶43] To all the world? Him whom none knew before?

[¶44] Came he from high? If ’tis his own he seeks,