Tertullian - Did he say it and, if so, where?

I have often heard it said and seen it quoted that Tertullian said, "Suddenly a son, suddenly sent, and suddenly a saviour!" I have also heard that Mr T(ertullian) said this in reference to the Marcion controversy. And, whilst I pity the fool who does not properly cite their sources, it does happen.

So far my own humble undertakings have failed to produce results. Does anyone know if Tertullian ever said anything remotely like this and, if so, where?

Thanks so much. Liam

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SineNomine

Does anyone know if Tertullian ever said anything remotely like this and, if so, where?

I don't know (I did do some looking and found nothing), but my studies in patristics lead me to highly doubt it. If I'm wrong, I'm wrong.

MJ. Smith

https://community.logos.com/discussion/comment/1075907#Comment_1075907

Never heard it - initial searches find nothing close ...http://www.tertullian.org/ would be a good starting point for a search

DMB

Five Books Against Marcion > Book III > #4

Suddenly a Son, suddenly Sent, and suddenly Christ!

Tertullian was a suddenly guy. Tip-off.

There's something odd about the search ... the suddenly's surrounding (before and after) this show in search results, the suddenly's are highlighted in the text (this sentence), but the search results don't list this sentence. And I have my search to all forms/equivalents. I found it, looking at an earlier usage in Against Marcion.

MJ. Smith

https://community.logos.com/discussion/comment/1075944#Comment_1075944

Report the bug ... gains you merit in bug-heaven

DMB

https://community.logos.com/discussion/comment/1075946#Comment_1075946

I'm consigned to the Diabolos of Logos Chicken-Little Old-Version Owners. I'm an El Sevener. No bug-heaven for me, though the El Seven notes (that I don't us) are great.

My imagining: "Please update your Logos software to the current version 8.456392.7, and report back, if this should remain a problem."

Francis

https://ref.ly/logosres/anf03?ref=Tertullian.Adv.+Marc.+3.2&off=1429

mab

https://community.logos.com/discussion/comment/1075970#Comment_1075970

This is a great thread. Never thought of Tertullian as Mr. T.[8-|]

SineNomine

https://community.logos.com/discussion/comment/1075979#Comment_1075979

In context, it makes sense to me now: Tertullian is asserting this line as an absurd consequence of a theological error.

DMB

https://community.logos.com/discussion/comment/1075979#Comment_1075979

This is a great thread. Never thought of Tertullian as Mr. T.

Tertullian should have been Mr Apologetics, but spent his time at the cross-roads of the major Christian traditions .... the Spirit, Bishoprics, jewish integration, and congregations. He was like the high school diagram of circles intersecting. And so, each tradition refused him, finding 'someone else' for their theological threads.

Liam Maguire

https://community.logos.com/discussion/comment/1076041#Comment_1076041

Yes! The three horsepersons of the Patristics come to my rescue again! Thank you, MJ, Denise, and Sinenomine for speedy replies, and further clarifications.

Thank you, Francis, for the screenshot.

This is a great thread. Never thought of Tertullian as Mr. T.

You're welcome [Y]

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Mike Childs

The context to the quote is interesting to me. If one simply quoted Mr. T as saying, "Suddenly a son, suddenly sent, and suddenly a saviour!" would that be true to his real meaning?

"Now (Christ) will neither be acknowledged as Son if the Father never named Him, nor be believed in as the Sent One if no Sender gave Him a commission: the Father, if any, purposely naming Him; and the Sender, if any, purposely commissioning Him. Everything will be open to suspicion which transgresses a rule. Now the primary order of all things will not allow that the Father should come after the Son in recognition, or the Sender after the Sent, or God after Christ. Nothing can take precedence of its own original in being acknowledged, nor in like manner can it in its ordering. Suddenly a Son, suddenly Sent, and suddenly Christ! On the contrary, I should suppose that from God nothing comes suddenly, because there is nothing which is not ordered and arranged by God. And if ordered, why not also foretold, that it may be proved to have been ordered by the prediction, and by the ordering to be divine? And indeed so great a work, which (we may be sure) required preparation, as being for the salvation of man, could not have been on that very account a sudden thing, because it was through faith that it was to be of avail.6 Inasmuch, then, as it had to be believed in order to be of use, so far did it require, for the securing of this faith, a preparation built upon the foundations of pre-arrangement and fore-announcement."

The Chapter Title in which this quote is found is "WHY CHRIST’S COMING SHOULD BE PREVIOUSLY ANNOUNCED".

DAL

https://community.logos.com/discussion/comment/1076196#Comment_1076196

“Suddenly a Son, suddenly Sent, and suddenly Christ! On the contrary, I should suppose that from God nothing comes suddenly, because there is nothing which is not ordered and arranged by God.

Ante-Nicene Fathers 3. Latin Christianity: Its founder Tertullian; page 322 Logos Catholic Edition.