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A Treatise on the Soul

Tertullian

Chapter 11

About this work

Author: Tertullian

Chapter XI.—Spirit—A Term Expressive of an Operation of the Soul, Not of Its Nature. To Be Carefully Distinguished from the Spirit of God.

But the nature of my present inquiry obliges me to call

‹ Chapter 10 Chapter 12 ›

the

soul

spirit

or

breath

,

because

to

breathe

is

ascribed

to

another

substance

.

We

,

however

,

claim

this

(

operation

)

for

the

soul

,

which

we

acknowledge

to

be

an

indivisible

simple

substance

,

and

therefore

we

must

call

it

spirit

in

a

definitive

sense

—

not

because

of

its

condition

,

but

of

its

action

;

not

in

respect

of

its

nature

,

but

of

its

operation

;

because

it

respires

,

and

not

because

it

is

spirit

in

any

especial

sense

.

For

to

blow

or

breathe

is

to

respire

.

So

that

we

are

driven

to

describe

,

by

(

the

term

which

indicates

this

respiration

—

that

is

to

say

)

spirit

—

the

soul

which

we

hold

to

be

,

by

the

propriety

of

its

action

,

breath

.

Moreover

,

we

properly

and

especially

insist

on

calling

it

breath

(

or

spirit

)

,

in

opposition

to

Hermogenes

,

who

derives

the

soul

from

matter

instead

of

from

the

afflatus

or

breath

of

God

.

He

,

to

be

sure

,

goes

flatly

against

the

testimony

of

Scripture

,

and

with

this

view

converts

breath

into

spirit

,

because

he

cannot

believe

that

the

(

creature

on

which

was

breathed

the

)

Spirit

of

God

fell

into

sin

,

and

then

into

condemnation

;

and

therefore

he

would

conclude

that

the

soul

came

from

matter

rather

than

from

the

Spirit

or

breath

of

God

.

For

this

reason

,

we

on

our

side

even

from

that

passage

,

maintain

the

soul

to

be

breath

and

not

the

spirit

,

in

the

scriptural

and

distinctive

sense

of

the

spirit

;

and

here

it

is

with

regret

that

we

apply

the

term

spirit

at

all

in

the

lower

sense

,

in

consequence

of

the

identical

action

of

respiring

and

breathing

.

In

that

passage

,

the

only

question

is

about

the

natural

substance

;

to

respire

being

an

act

of

nature

.

I

would

not

tarry

a

moment

longer

on

this

point

,

were

it

not

for

those

heretics

who

introduce

into

the

soul

some

spiritual

germ

which

passes

my

comprehension

:

(

they

make

it

to

have

been

)

conferred

upon

the

soul

by

the

secret

liberality

of

her

mother

Sophia

(

Wisdom

)

,

without

the

knowledge

of

the

Creator

.

But

(

Holy

)

Scripture

,

which

has

a

better

knowledge

of

the

soul’s

Maker

,

or

rather

God

,

has

told

us

nothing

more

than

that

God

breathed

on

man’s

face

the

breath

of

life

,

and

that

man

became

a

living

soul

,

by

means

of

which

he

was

both

to

live

and

breathe

;

at

the

same

time

making

a

sufficiently

clear

distinction

between

the

spirit

and

the

soul

,

in

such

passages

as

the

following

,

wherein

God

Himself

declares

:

“

My

Spirit

went

forth

from

me

,

and

I

made

the

breath

of

each

.

And

the

breath

of

my

Spirit

became

soul

.

”

And

again

:

“

He

giveth

breath

unto

the

people

that

are

on

the

earth

,

and

Spirit

to

them

that

walk

thereon

.

”

First

of

all

there

comes

the

(

natural

)

soul

,

that

is

to

say

,

the

breath

,

to

the

people

that

are

on

the

earth

,

—

in

other

words

,

to

those

who

act

carnally

in

the

flesh

;

then

afterwards

comes

the

Spirit

to

those

who

walk

thereon

,

—

that

is

,

who

subdue

the

works

of

the

flesh

;

because

the

apostle

also

says

,

that

“

that

is

not

first

which

is

spiritual

,

but

that

which

is

natural

,

(

or

in

possession

of

the

natural

soul

,

)

and

afterward

that

which

is

spiritual

.

”

For

,

inasmuch

as

Adam

straightway

predicted

that

“

great

mystery

of

Christ

and

the

church

,

”

when

he

said

,

“

This

now

is

bone

of

my

bones

,

and

flesh

of

my

flesh

;

therefore

shall

a

man

leave

his

father

and

his

mother

,

and

shall

cleave

unto

his

wife

,

and

they

two

shall

become

one

flesh

,

”

he

experienced

the

influence

of

the

Spirit

.

For

there

fell

upon

him

that

ecstasy

,

which

is

the

Holy

Ghost’s

operative

virtue

of

prophecy

.

And

even

the

evil

spirit

too

is

an

influence

which

comes

upon

a

man

.

Indeed

,

the

Spirit

of

God

not

more

really

“

turned

Saul

into

another

man

,

”

that

is

to

say

,

into

a

prophet

,

when

“

people

said

one

to

another

,

What

is

this

which

is

come

to

the

son

of

Kish

?

Is

Saul

also

among

the

prophets

?

”

than

did

the

evil

spirit

afterwards

turn

him

into

another

man

—

in

other

words

,

into

an

apostate

.

Judas

likewise

was

for

a

long

time

reckoned

among

the

elect

(

apostles

)

,

and

was

even

appointed

to

the

office

of

their

treasurer

;

he

was

not

yet

the

traitor

,

although

he

was

become

fraudulent

;

but

afterwards

the

devil

entered

into

him

.

Consequently

,

as

the

spirit

neither

of

God

nor

of

the

devil

is

naturally

planted

with

a

man’s

soul

at

his

birth

,

this

soul

must

evidently

exist

apart

and

alone

,

the

accession

to

it

of

either

spirit

:

if

thus

apart

and

alone

,

it

must

also

be

simple

and

uncompounded

as

regards

its

substance

;

and

therefore

it

cannot

respire

from

any

other

cause

than

from

the

actual

condition

of

its

own

substance

.

Notes

1
Proprie “by reason of its nature.”
2
See the tract Adv. Valentin., c. xxv. infra.
3
Compare Adv. Hermog. xxxii. xxxiii.; also Irenæus, v. 12, 17. [See Vol. I. p. 527, this Series.]
4
Tertullian’s reading of Isa. lvii. 16.
5
Isa. xlii. 5.
6
1 Cor. xv. 46.
7
Eph. v. 31, 32.
8
Gen. ii. 24, 25.
9
1 Sam. x. 6.
10
1 Sam. x. 11.