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“Tertullian on Apostolic Tradition - Original Latin Text with English translation”
from De Praescriptione Haereticorum, 20, 21 and 32
Tertullian emphasises the importance of the tradition going back to the
apostles. "Let them produce the original records of their churches; let
them unfold the roll of their bishops, running down in due succession from the
beginning".
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Christ Jesus our Lord (may He bear with me a moment in
thus expressing myself!), whosoever He is, of what God soever He is the Son, of
what substance soever He is man and God, of what faith soever He is the teacher,
of what reward soever He is the Promiser, did, whilst He lived on earth, Himself
declare what He was, what He had been, what the Father’s will was which He was
administering, what the duty of man was which He was prescribing; (and this
declaration He made,) either openly to the people, or privately to His
disciples, of whom He had chosen the twelve chief ones to be at His side, and
whom He destined to be the teachers of the nations. Accordingly, after one of
these had been struck off, He commanded the eleven others, on His departure to
the Father, to “go and teach all nations, who were to be baptized into
the Father, and into the Son, and into the Holy Ghost.” Immediately, therefore,
so did the apostles, whom this designation indicates as “the sent.”
Having, on the authority of a prophecy, which occurs in a psalm of David, chosen
Matthias by lot as the twelfth, into the place of Judas, they obtained the
promised power of the Holy Ghost for the gift of miracles and of utterance; and
after first bearing witness to the faith in Jesus Christ throughout Judæa, and
founding churches (there), they next went forth into the world and preached the
same doctrine of the same faith to the nations. They then in like manner founded
churches in every city, from which all the other churches, one after another,
derived the tradition of the faith, and the seeds of doctrine, and are every day
deriving them, that they may become churches. Indeed, it is on this account only
that they will be able to deem themselves apostolic, as being the offspring of
apostolic churches. Every sort of thing must necessarily revert to its original
for its classification. Therefore the churches, although they are so many and so
great, comprise but the one primitive church, (founded) by the apostles, from
which they all (spring). In this way all are primitive, and all are apostolic,
whilst they are all proved to be one, in (unbroken) unity, by their peaceful
communion, and title of brotherhood, and bond of hospitality,—privileges which
no other rule directs than the one tradition of the selfsame mystery. |
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Tertullian
On the Prescription of Heretics
Tradition
Apostles
Bishops
Episcopacy
Apostolic Tradition
Apostolic Teaching
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