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A Treatise on the Soul

Tertullian

Chapter 26

About this work

Author: Tertullian

Chapter XXVI.—Scripture Alone Offers Clear Knowledge on the Questions We Have Been Controverting.

Now there is no end to the uncertainty and irregularity of

‹ Chapter 25 Chapter 27 ›

human

opinion

,

until

we

come

to

the

limits

which

God

has

prescribed

.

I

shall

at

last

retire

within

our

own

lines

and

firmly

hold

my

ground

there

,

for

the

purpose

of

proving

to

the

Christian

(

the

soundness

of

)

my

answers

to

the

Philosophers

and

the

Physicians

.

Brother

(

in

Christ

)

,

on

your

own

foundation

build

up

your

faith

.

Consider

the

wombs

of

the

most

sainted

women

instinct

with

the

life

within

them

,

and

their

babes

which

not

only

breathed

therein

,

but

were

even

endowed

with

prophetic

intuition

.

See

how

the

bowels

of

Rebecca

are

disquieted

,

though

her

child

-

bearing

is

as

yet

remote

,

and

there

is

no

impulse

of

(

vital

)

air

.

Behold

,

a

twin

offspring

chafes

within

the

mother’s

womb

,

although

she

has

no

sign

as

yet

of

the

twofold

nation

.

Possibly

we

might

have

regarded

as

a

prodigy

the

contention

of

this

infant

progeny

,

which

struggled

before

it

lived

,

which

had

animosity

previous

to

animation

,

if

it

had

simply

disturbed

the

mother

by

its

restlessness

within

her

.

But

when

her

womb

opens

,

and

the

number

of

her

offspring

is

seen

,

and

their

presaged

condition

known

,

we

have

presented

to

us

a

proof

not

merely

of

the

(

separate

)

souls

of

the

infants

,

but

of

their

hostile

struggles

too

.

He

who

was

the

first

to

be

born

was

threatened

with

detention

by

him

who

was

anticipated

in

birth

,

who

was

not

yet

fully

brought

forth

,

but

whose

hand

only

had

been

born

.

Now

if

he

actually

imbibed

life

,

and

received

his

soul

,

in

Platonic

style

,

at

his

first

breath

;

or

else

,

after

the

Stoic

rule

,

had

the

earliest

taste

of

animation

on

touching

the

frosty

air

;

what

was

the

other

about

,

who

was

so

eagerly

looked

for

,

who

was

still

detained

within

the

womb

,

and

was

trying

to

detain

(

the

other

)

outside

?

I

suppose

he

had

not

yet

breathed

when

he

seized

his

brother’s

heel

;

and

was

still

warm

with

his

mother’s

warmth

,

when

he

so

strongly

wished

to

be

the

first

to

quit

the

womb

.

What

an

infant

!

so

emulous

,

so

strong

,

and

already

so

contentious

;

and

all

this

,

I

suppose

,

because

even

now

full

of

life

!

Consider

,

again

,

those

extraordinary

conceptions

,

which

were

more

wonderful

still

,

of

the

barren

woman

and

the

virgin

:

these

women

would

only

be

able

to

produce

imperfect

offspring

against

the

course

of

nature

,

from

the

very

fact

that

one

of

them

was

too

old

to

bear

seed

,

and

the

other

was

pure

from

the

contact

of

man

.

If

there

was

to

be

bearing

at

all

in

the

case

,

it

was

only

fitting

that

they

should

be

born

without

a

soul

,

(

as

the

philosopher

would

say

,

)

who

had

been

irregularly

conceived

.

However

,

even

these

have

life

,

each

of

them

in

his

mother’s

womb

.

Elizabeth

exults

with

joy

,

(

for

)

John

had

leaped

in

her

womb

;

Mary

magnifies

the

Lord

,

(

for

)

Christ

had

instigated

her

within

.

The

mothers

recognise

each

their

own

offspring

,

being

moreover

each

recognised

by

their

infants

,

which

were

therefore

of

course

alive

,

and

were

not

souls

merely

,

but

spirits

also

.

Accordingly

you

read

the

word

of

God

which

was

spoken

to

Jeremiah

,

“

Before

I

formed

thee

in

the

belly

,

I

knew

thee

.

”

Since

God

forms

us

in

the

womb

,

He

also

breathes

upon

us

,

as

He

also

did

at

the

first

creation

,

when

“

the

Lord

God

formed

man

,

and

breathed

into

him

the

breath

of

life

.

”

Nor

could

God

have

known

man

in

the

womb

,

except

in

his

entire

nature

:

“

And

before

thou

camest

forth

out

of

the

womb

,

I

sanctified

thee

.

”

Well

,

was

it

then

a

dead

body

at

that

early

stage

?

Certainly

not

.

For

“

God

is

not

the

God

of

the

dead

,

but

of

the

living

.

”

Notes

1
Of the Scriptures.
2
Gen. xxv. 22, 23.
3
Gen. xxv. 26.
4
Luke i. 41–45.
5
Luke i. 46.
6
Jer. i. 5.
7
Gen. ii. 7.
8
Jer. i. 5.