Adversus Marcionem V.13 Programmatic Refutation of Marcion’s Antitheses through His (Allegedly) Redacted Luke

Irenaeus structural phrase or clause	English translation	Tertullian Latin parallel (with exact citation: work, book, chapter, section)	English translation
secundum Lucam autem evangelium et epistolas Pauli decurtantes	mutilating Luke and the Pauline epistles	“Quantas autem foveas in ista vel maxime epistula Marcion fecerit, auferendo quae voluit, de nostri instrumenti integritate parebit.” (Tertullian, Adversus Marcionem V.13.4)	“How many gaps Marcion has made especially in this epistle, by removing what he wished, will be evident from the integrity of our text.”
hæc sola legitima esse dicant quæ ipsi minoraveruint	claiming only their reduced text is legitimate	“Mihi sufficit, quae proinde eradenda non vidit, quasi neglegentias et caecitates eius accipere.” (Adv. Marc. V.13.4)	“It is enough for me to take the things he did not see fit to erase as evidence of his negligence and blindness.”
Nos autem etiam ex his quæ adhuc apud eos custodiuntur arguemus eos	we will refute them from what they still retain	“Mihi sufficit, quae… non vidit… accipere.” (Adv. Marc. V.13.4)	“It is enough for me to use the passages he did not remove.”
Apostolos… annuntiasse Evangelium	apostolic proclamation as authority	“Non enim me pudet evangelii, virtus enim dei est in salutem omni credenti…” (Adv. Marc. V.13.2)	“For I am not ashamed of the gospel, for it is the power of God for salvation to everyone who believes…”
putaverunt semetipsos plus invenisse quam Apostoli	claiming superiority over apostolic teaching	“Erubesce, Marcion. Absit. Abominatur apostolus criminationem legis.” (Adv. Marc. V.13.13)	“Blush, Marcion. Away with it. The apostle abhors the accusation against the law.”
alterum Deum adinvenientes	inventing another god	“Sed et iudicem deum ab apostolo circumferri saepe iam ostendimus…” (Adv. Marc. V.13.2)	“We have already shown that the apostle frequently presents God as judge…”
ex his quæ adhuc apud eos custodiuntur	arguing from retained texts	“si iudicabit deus occulta hominum… secundum evangelium… per Christum.” (Adv. Marc. V.13.5)	“If God will judge the secrets of men… according to the gospel… through Christ.”

Irenaeus (parallel evidence — Adversus Haereses)	Tertullian (Adv. Marc. V.13 primary text)
“The gospel… was promised beforehand by the prophets in the Scriptures… one and the same God who announced beforehand by the prophets and fulfilled through Christ.” (Adv. Haer. III.11.8, English)	“Piget de lege adhuc congredi… concessionem eius nullum argumentum praestare diversi dei in Christo, praedicatam scilicet et repromissam in Christum apud creatorem…” “I am weary of still disputing about the Law… its concession provides no argument for a different god in Christ, since it was proclaimed and promised beforehand in Christ by the Creator.” (Adv. Marc. V.13.1)
“There is one and the same God who judges… rendering to each according to his deeds.” (Adv. Haer. IV.40.1, English)	“Quoniam et iram dicit revelari de caelo… Cuius dei ira? Utique creatoris… Scimus autem iudicium dei secundum veritatem esse.” “For he says that wrath is revealed from heaven… Whose wrath? Surely the Creator’s… ‘We know that the judgment of God is according to truth.’” (Adv. Marc. V.13.2–3)
“Those who mutilate the Scriptures… adapt them to their own opinions.” (Adv. Haer. I.8.1; III.12.12, English)	“Quantas autem foveas… Marcion fecerit, auferendo quae voluit…” “How many holes Marcion has made, removing what he wished…” (Adv. Marc. V.13.4)
“The same God who gave the Law also gave the Gospel… bringing both to fulfillment in Christ.” (Adv. Haer. IV.9.1; IV.13.1, English)	“Ergo et evangelium et Christus illius sunt cuius et lex et natura…” “Therefore both the gospel and Christ belong to him whose are the Law and nature.” (Adv. Marc. V.13.5)
“The prophets and the apostle agree… and the circumcision is that of the heart.” (Adv. Haer. IV.16.1; IV.16.5, English)	“Praefert et circumcisionem cordis… apud deum legis est facta circumcisio cordis… sicut et Moyses… sicut et Hieremias…” “He prefers circumcision of the heart… the circumcision of the heart is made by the God of the Law… as Moses and Jeremiah said.” (Adv. Marc. V.13.7)
“The Law served as preparation… leading to faith in Christ.” (Adv. Haer. IV.13.2; IV.16.2, English)	“Tunc lex, nunc iustitia dei per fidem Christi… distinctio dispositionum est, non deorum.” “Then the Law, now the righteousness of God through faith in Christ… the distinction is of dispensations, not of gods.” (Adv. Marc. V.13.8)
“Christ reconciles enemies to God… restoring peace with the Creator.” (Adv. Haer. III.18.7; V.1.1, English)	“Monet iustificatos ex fide Christi… pacem ad deum habere… ei et iustificabimur… cuius Christus.” “He urges those justified by faith in Christ to have peace with God… we shall be justified to him… whose Christ it is.” (Adv. Marc. V.13.9)
“The Law reveals sin… yet is holy and good.” (Adv. Haer. IV.15.2; IV.16.3, English)	“Quid ergo dicemus? quia lex peccatum? absit… Lex sancta, et praeceptum eius iustum et bonum.” “What then shall we say? Is the Law sin? God forbid… The Law is holy, and its commandment just and good.” (Adv. Marc. V.13.13–14)
“Christ truly assumed flesh and raised it… the resurrection pertains to the same body.” (Adv. Haer. V.2.2; V.7.1, English)	“Mortuos enim nos inquit legi per corpus Christi… non potest aliud corpus intellegi quam carnis…” “He says we died to the Law through the body of Christ… no other body can be understood than that of flesh.” (Adv. Marc. V.13.12)
“The Law contains figures and prophecies of Christ.” (Adv. Haer. IV.26.1, English)	“Si autem et spiritalem confirmat legem… Debeo enim et hinc constituere Christum in lege figurate praedicatum.” “If he confirms the Law as spiritual… I must therefore establish that Christ was figuratively preached in the Law.” (Adv. Marc. V.13.15)

In this chapter the same polemical structure reflected in the cited statement appears in Tertullian’s consistent portrayal of heresy as arising from the presumption that later interpreters possess superior insight beyond the apostles and therefore reconfigure apostolic teaching into something new. His argument repeatedly insists that Paul’s gospel cannot be separated from the Creator’s law, justice, prophecy, and judgment, thereby rejecting any claim that the apostles themselves proclaimed a limited or merely “Jewish” message subsequently corrected by more spiritual interpreters. Tertullian depicts Marcion’s approach as a distortion that invents doctrinal discontinuity—especially the separation of law and gospel or justice and goodness—thus effectively producing “another god” by misreading apostolic texts. The recurring appeal to prophetic citations, continuity of divine attributes, and the integrity of the apostolic witness implicitly counters the idea that heretics are wiser than the apostles; instead, he portrays them as innovators who manipulate scripture (e.g., through omissions or reinterpretations) and thereby abandon the God already proclaimed. In this way the chapter reproduces the broader anti-heretical logic in which doctrinal novelty stems from inflated self-understanding and a break from apostolic tradition.