" ("[Greek: to pan eis hena
anatrechei]").[535] The only difference is that Tertullian and
Hippolytus limit the "economy of God" ([Greek: oikonomia tou Theou]) to
Father, Son, and Holy Ghost, while the Gnostics exceed this number.[536]
According to Tertullian "a rational conception of the Trinity
constitutes truth, an irrational idea of the unity makes heresy"
("trinitas rationaliter expensa veritatem constituit, unitas
irrationaliter collecta haeresim facit") is already the watchword of the
Christian dogmatic. Now what he considers a rational conception is
keeping in view the different stages of God's economy, and
distinguishing between _dispositio_, _distinctio_, _numerus_ on the one
hand and _divisio_ on the other. At the beginning God was alone, but
_ratio_ and _sermo_ existed within him. In a certain sense then, he was
never alone, for he thought and spoke inwardly. If even men can carry on
conversations with themselves and make themselves objects of reflection,
how much more is this possible with God.[537] But as yet he was the only
_person_.[538] The moment, however, that he chose to reveal himself and
sent forth from himself the word of creation, the Logos came into
existence as a real being, before the world and for the sake of the
world. For "that which proceeds from such a great substance and has
created such substances cannot itself be devoid of substance." He is
therefore to be conceived as permanently separate from God "secundus a
deo consititutus, perseverans in sua forma"; but as unity of substance
is to be preserved ("_alius pater, alius filius, alius non
aliud_"--"_ego et pater unum sumus ad substantiae unitatem, non ad numeri
singularitatem dictum est_"--"_tres unum sunt, non unus_"--"the Father
is one person and the Son is another, different persons not different
things", "_I and the Father are one_ refers to unity of substance, not
to singleness in number"--"the three are one thing not one person"), the
Logos must be related to the Father as the ray to the sun, as the stream
to the source, as the stem to the root (see also Hippolytus, c. Noetum
10).[539] For that very reason "Son" is the most suitable expression for
the Logos that has emanated in this way ([Greek: kata merismon]).
Moreover, since he (as well as the Spirit) has the same substance as the
Father ("unius substantia" = [Greek: homoousios]) he has also the same
_power_[540] as regards the world. He has all might in heaven and earth,
and he