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A Treatise on the Soul

Tertullian

Chapter 20

About this work

Author: Tertullian

Chapter XX.—The Soul, as to Its Nature Uniform, But Its Faculties Variously Developed. Varieties Only Accidental.

And here, therefore, we draw our conclusion, that

‹ Chapter 19 Chapter 21 ›

all

the

natural

properties

of

the

soul

are

inherent

in

it

as

parts

of

its

substance

;

and

that

they

grow

and

develope

along

with

it

,

from

the

very

moment

of

its

own

origin

at

birth

.

Just

as

Seneca

says

,

whom

we

so

often

find

on

our

side

:

“

There

are

implanted

within

us

the

seeds

of

all

the

arts

and

periods

of

life

.

And

God

,

our

Master

,

secretly

produces

our

mental

dispositions

;

”

that

is

,

from

the

germs

which

are

implanted

and

hidden

in

us

by

means

of

infancy

,

and

these

are

the

intellect

:

for

from

these

our

natural

dispositions

are

evolved

.

Now

,

even

the

seeds

of

plants

have

,

one

form

in

each

kind

,

but

their

development

varies

:

some

open

and

expand

in

a

healthy

and

perfect

state

,

while

others

either

improve

or

degenerate

,

owing

to

the

conditions

of

weather

and

soil

,

and

from

the

appliance

of

labour

and

care

;

also

from

the

course

of

the

seasons

,

and

from

the

occurrence

of

casual

circumstances

.

In

like

manner

,

the

soul

may

well

be

uniform

in

its

seminal

origin

,

although

multiform

by

the

process

of

nativity

.

And

here

local

influences

,

too

,

must

be

taken

into

account

.

It

has

been

said

that

dull

and

brutish

persons

are

born

at

Thebes

;

and

the

most

accomplished

in

wisdom

and

speech

at

Athens

,

where

in

the

district

of

Colythus

children

speak

—

such

is

the

precocity

of

their

tongue

—

before

they

are

a

month

old

.

Indeed

,

Plato

himself

tells

us

,

in

the

Timæus

,

that

Minerva

,

when

preparing

to

found

her

great

city

,

only

regarded

the

nature

of

the

country

which

gave

promise

of

mental

dispositions

of

this

kind

;

whence

he

himself

in

The

Laws

instructs

Megillus

and

Clinias

to

be

careful

in

their

selection

of

a

site

for

building

a

city

.

Empedocles

,

however

,

places

the

cause

of

a

subtle

or

an

obtuse

intellect

in

the

quality

of

the

blood

,

from

which

he

derives

progress

and

perfection

in

learning

and

science

.

The

subject

of

national

peculiarities

has

grown

by

this

time

into

proverbial

notoriety

.

Comic

poets

deride

the

Phrygians

for

their

cowardice

;

Sallust

reproaches

the

Moors

for

their

levity

,

and

the

Dalmatians

for

their

cruelty

;

even

the

apostle

brands

the

Cretans

as

“

liars

.

”

Very

likely

,

too

,

something

must

be

set

down

to

the

score

of

bodily

condition

and

the

state

of

the

health

.

Stoutness

hinders

knowledge

,

but

a

spare

form

stimulates

it

;

paralysis

prostrates

the

mind

,

a

decline

preserves

it

.

How

much

more

will

those

accidental

circumstances

have

to

be

noticed

,

which

,

in

addition

to

the

state

of

one’s

body

or

one’s

health

,

tend

to

sharpen

or

to

dull

the

intellect

!

It

is

sharpened

by

learned

pursuits

,

by

the

sciences

,

the

arts

,

by

experimental

knowledge

,

business

habits

,

and

studies

;

it

is

blunted

by

ignorance

,

idle

habits

,

inactivity

,

lust

,

inexperience

,

listlessness

,

and

vicious

pursuits

.

Then

,

besides

these

influences

,

there

must

perhaps

be

added

the

supreme

powers

.

Now

these

are

the

supreme

powers

:

according

to

our

(

Christian

)

notions

,

they

are

the

Lord

God

and

His

adversary

the

devil

;

but

according

to

men’s

general

opinion

about

providence

,

they

are

fate

and

necessity

;

and

about

fortune

,

it

is

man’s

freedom

of

will

.

Even

the

philosophers

allow

these

distinctions

;

whilst

on

our

part

we

have

already

undertaken

to

treat

of

them

,

on

the

principles

of

the

(

Christian

)

faith

,

in

a

separate

work

.

It

is

evident

how

great

must

be

the

influences

which

so

variously

affect

the

one

nature

of

the

soul

,

since

they

are

commonly

regarded

as

separate

“

natures

.

”

Still

they

are

not

different

species

,

but

casual

incidents

of

one

nature

and

substance

—

even

of

that

which

God

conferred

on

Adam

,

and

made

the

mould

of

all

(

subsequent

ones

)

.

Casual

incidents

will

they

always

remain

,

but

never

will

they

become

specific

differences

.

However

great

,

too

,

at

present

is

the

variety

of

men’s

maunders

,

it

was

not

so

in

Adam

,

the

founder

of

their

race

.

But

all

these

discordances

ought

to

have

existed

in

him

as

the

fountainhead

,

and

thence

to

have

descended

to

us

in

an

unimpaired

variety

,

if

the

variety

had

been

due

to

nature

.

Notes

1
Sæpe noster.
2
Licebit.
3
Fetu.
4
Tertullian perhaps mentions this “demus” of Athens as the birthplace of Plato (Oehler).
5
Tit. i. 12.
6
Si et alia.
7
Tertullian wrote a work De Fato, which is lost. Fulgentius, p. 561, gives a quotation from it.