Thursday, February 18, 2010

thought of the day.400

Tertullian, said it is “shameful” to reason that the Son of God was born, “monstrously absurd” to think he died and “manifestly impossible” to believe he rose again... Yet he “happily” acted the fool and swallowed it all — hook, line and sinker. Such reasoning prowess!... How did this esteemed Church Father manage to dress himself?

“I find no other means to prove myself to be impudent with success, and happily a fool, than by my contempt of shame, - as, for instance, I maintain that the Son of God was born. Why am I not ashamed of maintaining such a thing? Why, but because it is itself a shameful thing. I maintain that the Son of God died. Well, that is wholly credible, because it is monstrously absurd. I maintain that after having been buried he rose again; and that I take to be mainly true, because it was manifestly impossible.”

~ Tertullian

1 comment:

homesicksooner said...

From which work of Tertullian are you quoting?

I'd like to know the section of the work as well. I have copies of just about everything he's written, so I'd like to check it out.