Tertullian — Against Marcion 3.13
You are equally led by the sound of names when you take the strength of Damascus and spoils of Samaria and king of the Assyrians as if they portend the Creator’s Christ as a warrior—not noticing what Scripture prefixes: For before the boy knows to call father and mother, he will receive Damascus’s strength and Samaria’s spoils against the Assyrian king. First you must inspect the age’s demonstration—whether it can already exhibit Christ as a man, much less a commander.
Of course an infant would be about to call to arms by wailing, and give war’s signals not by trumpet but rattle, and aim the enemy not from horse or chariot or wall but from nurse’s or carrier’s neck or back, and so subdue Damascus and Samaria for nipples! It is another matter if among Pontics barbarian infants burst into battle—I believe first oiled to the sun, then armed with swaddling and paid in butter—who know how to lance before they suck. But if nature nowhere grants this—to soldier before making a man, to take Damascus’s strength before knowing father and mother’s name—it follows the pronouncement seems figured.
But ‘a virgin,’ he says, ‘nature does not allow to bear, and yet the prophet is believed.’ And deservedly. For he prefaced faith for an incredible thing by giving the reason that it would be for a sign: Therefore the Lord will give you a sign: behold a virgin will conceive in the womb and bear a son. But a sign from God, unless some monstrous novelty, would already not have been a sign. Finally Jews, if ever they dare lie to cast us down as if Scripture contained not a virgin but a young woman about to conceive and bear, are refuted from this—that a daily thing cannot seem a sign, namely a young woman’s pregnancy and birth. So a virgin mother disposed for a sign will deservedly be believed; but a warrior infant not equally—for here the reason of a sign does not turn.
But with the sign ascribed to the new nativity, thereafter after the sign elsewhere the infant’s order is already declared—about to eat honey and butter (not this for a sign either; for this too is infancy’s)—but also about to receive Damascus’s strength and Samaria’s spoils against the Assyrian king. Keep the age’s measure and seek the preaching’s sense—nay restore to the gospel of truth what you stripped from a later one—and the prophecy is as understood as it is reported fulfilled.
For let those eastern Magi remain, gifting Christ’s fresh infancy with gold and frankincense: and the infant received Damascus’s strength without battle and arms. For besides that all know the East’s strength—force and powers—is used to thrive by gold and scents, certainly it is the Creator’s to set gold as the strength of other nations too, as through Zechariah… From that gold gift also David: And there will be given him from Arabia’s gold… For the East generally held Magi as kings, and Damascus was formerly counted to Arabia… whose strength Christ then received by receiving its insignia—gold of course and scents—but Samaria’s spoils the Magi themselves, who when they had recognized him and honored with gifts and worshiped on bended knee as God and king under the star’s witness, were made Samaria’s spoils—that is of idolatry—believing in Christ. Against the Assyrian king understand against Herod, whom the Magi opposed by not reporting about Christ whom he sought to intercept.
Latin
Aeque sono nominum duceris, cum uirtutem Damasci et spolia Samariae et regem Assyriorum sic accipis, quasi bellatorem portendant Christum creatoris, non animaduertens quid scriptura praemittat: quoniam priusquam cognoscat (puer) uocare patrem et matrem, accipiet uirtutem Damasci et spolia Samariae aduersus regem Assyriorum. ante est enim inspicias aetatis demonstrationem, an hominem iam Christum exhibere possit, nedum imperatorem. scilicet uagitu ad arma esset conuocaturus infans, et signa belli non tuba sed crepitacillo daturus, nec ex equo uel de curru uel de muro sed de nutricis aut gerulae suae collo siue dorso hostem destinaturus, atque ita Damascum et Samariam pro mammillis subacturus! aliud est, si penes Ponticos barbaricae gentis infantes in proelium erumpunt, credo, ad solem uncti prius, dehinc pannis armati et butyro stipendiati, qui ante norint lanceare quam lancinare. enimuero, si nusquam hoc natura concedit, ante militare quam uirum facere, ante uirtutem Damasci sumere quam patris et matris uocabulum nosse. sequitur, ut figurata pronuntiatio uideatur. sed et uirginem\'. inquit, \'parere natura non patitur, et tamen creditur prophetae\'. et merito. praestruxit enim fidem incredibili rei rationem edendo, quod in signum esset futura: propterea, inquit, dabit uobis dominus signo: ecce uirgo concipiet in utero et pariet filium. signum autem a deo, nisi nouitas aliqua monstruosa, iam signum non fuisset. denique Iudaei, si quando ad nos deiciendos mentiri audent, quasi non uirginem, sed iuuenculam concepturam et parituram scriptura contineat, hinc reuincuntur, quod nihil signi uideri possit res cotidiana, iuuenculae scilicet praegnatus et partus. in signum ergo disposita uirgo mater merito credetur, infans uero bellator non aeque; non enim et hic signi ratio uersatur. sed signo natiuitati nouae adscripto exinde post signum alibi ordo iam infantis edicitur, meI et butirum manducaturi, — nec hoc utique in signum: [est: malitiae non assentaturi] et hoc enim infantiae est — sed (et) accepturi uirtutem Damasci et spolia Samariae aduersus regem Assyriorum, serua modum aetatis et quaere sensum praedicationis, immo redde euangelio ueritatis quae posteriori detraxisti: et tam intellegitur prophetia quam renuntiatur expu-ncta. maneant enim orientales illi magi infantiam Christi recentem auro et ture munerantes: et accepit infans uirtutem Damasci sine proelio et armis. nam praeter quod omnibus notum est orientis uirtutem, id est uim et uires, auro et odoribus pollere solitam, certe est creatoris uirtutem ceterarum quoque gentium aurum constituere, sicut per Zachariam: et ludas praetendet apud Hierusalem et congregabit omnem ualentiam populorum per circuitum, aurum et argentum. de illo autem tunc auri munere etiam Dauid: et dabitur illi ex auro Arabiae, et rursus: reges Arabum et Saba munera offerent illi. nam et magos reges habuit fere oriens et Damascus Arabiae retro deputabatur, antequam transcripta esset in Syrophoenicen ex distinctione Syriarum, cuius tunc uirtutem Christus accepit accipiendo insignia eius, aurum scilicet et odores, spolia autem Samariae ipsos magos, qui cum illum cognouissent et muneribus honorassent et genu posito adorassent quasi deum et regem sub testimonio indicis et ducis stellae, spolia sunt facti Samariae, id est idolatriae, credentes uidelicet in Christum. idolatriam enim Samariae nomine notauit, ut ignominiosae ob idolatriam, qua desciuerat tunc a deo sub rege Hieroboam. nec hoc enim nouum est creatori, figurate uti translatione nominum ex comparatione criminum. nam et archontas Sodomorum appellat archontas Iudaeorum et populum ipsum populum Gomorrae uocat, et idem alibi: pater, inquit, tuus Amorreus et mater tua Cethea, ob consimilem impietatem, quos aliquando etiam suos filios dixerat: filios generaui et exaltaui. sic et Aegyptus nonnumquam totus orbis intellegitur apud illum superstitionis et maledictionis elogio. sic et Babylon etiam apud Iohannem nostrum Romanae urbis figura est, proinde magnae et regno superbae et sanctorum dei debellatricis. hoc itaque usu magos quoque Samaritarum appellatione titulauit, despoliatos quod habuerant cum Samaritis, ut diximus, idolatriam. aduersus regem autem Assyriorum aduersus Herodem intellege, cui utique aduersati sunt magi tunc non renuntiando de Christo, quem intercipere quaerebat.