MetaCatholic

Prompted by reading James McGrath’s post (and expanding a comment I left there) I make a brief contribution to the Blog Co-op requested by April DeConick (who I hope will yet respond to being tagged with the Excellent meme).

Tertullian indulges in rhetoric, both in saying “What has Athens to do with Jerusalem?” (Prescription against Heretics 7) and his other equally famous and as frequently quoted word “And the Son of God died; it is by all means to be believed, because it is absurd. And he was buried, and rose again; the fact is certain, because it is impossible.” (On the flesh of Christ 5). In fact, Tertullian regularly indulges in the disciplines of rhetoric and logic The death and resurrection of God’s Son should be believed, because it is so absurd and impossible nobody could possibly invent it. If someone of Tertullian’s education and skill in philosophy is saying such an absurd thing, that in itself should be enough to make the listener think twice. It is rational apologetic disguised as the refutation of reason. (One only has to read the wide ranging references of his Apology to realise how well-educated a man Tertullian was.)

Actually, and beside the point, this is my favourite example of Tertullian’s rhetoric (Apology 40):

If the Tiber rises to the heights of the city walls,
if the Nile does not rise to cover the fields,
if the heavens give no rain,
if there is an earthquake,
if there is famine or plague,
straightway the cry goes up, “The Christians to the lion!”
What! All of them?
To just one lion?

Back to the point, Tertullian is in many respects following Paul. The opening chapters of First Corinthians (and much else) are rhetorically skilful even while they deny reliance on skill. Tertullian and Paul were, I believe, both aware of and delighted in this paradox. Tertullian simply took it further. The overt denial of Athens is cloaked in Athenian dress. The apparent denial of logic is used to drive home a logical point.

There is no gospel that does not wear cultural clothes, no simple faith that owes nothing to general education for its expression and understanding. It is a necessary corollary of the Word made flesh, that the message of Jesus wears the clothes of Jerusalem and Athens, Illinois or Cambridge.

What person among you will quote Tertullian in defence of sola scriptura? That person condemns themselves.