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A Treatise on the Soul

Tertullian

Chapter 50

About this work

Author: Tertullian

Chapter L.—The Absurd Opinion of Epicurus and the Profane Conceits of the Heretic Menander on Death, Even Enoch and Elijah Reserved for Death.

We have by this time said enough about sleep, the

‹ Chapter 49 Chapter 51 ›

mirror

and

image

of

death

;

and

likewise

about

the

occupations

of

sleep

,

even

dreams

.

Let

us

now

go

on

to

consider

the

cause

of

our

departure

hence

—

that

is

,

the

appointment

and

course

of

death

—

because

we

must

not

leave

even

it

unquestioned

and

unexamined

,

although

it

is

itself

the

very

end

of

all

questions

and

investigations

.

According

to

the

general

sentiment

of

the

human

race

,

we

declare

death

to

be

“

the

debt

of

nature

.

”

So

much

has

been

settled

by

the

voice

of

God

;

such

is

the

contract

with

everything

which

is

born

:

so

that

even

from

this

the

frigid

conceit

of

Epicurus

is

refuted

,

who

says

that

no

such

debt

is

due

from

us

;

and

not

only

so

,

but

the

insane

opinion

of

the

Samaritan

heretic

Menander

is

also

rejected

,

who

will

have

it

that

death

has

not

only

nothing

to

do

with

his

disciples

,

but

in

fact

never

reaches

them

.

He

pretends

to

have

received

such

a

commission

from

the

secret

power

of

One

above

,

that

all

who

partake

of

his

baptism

become

immortal

,

incorruptible

and

instantaneously

invested

with

resurrection

-

life

.

We

read

,

no

doubt

,

of

very

many

wonderful

kinds

of

waters

:

how

,

for

instance

,

the

vinous

quality

of

the

stream

intoxicates

people

who

drink

of

the

Lyncestis

;

how

at

Colophon

the

waters

of

an

oracle

-

inspiring

fountain

affect

men

with

madness

;

how

Alexander

was

killed

by

the

poisonous

water

from

Mount

Nonacris

in

Arcadia

.

Then

,

again

,

there

was

in

Judea

before

the

time

of

Christ

a

pool

of

medicinal

virtue

.

It

is

well

known

how

the

poet

has

commemorated

the

marshy

Styx

as

preserving

men

from

death

;

although

Thetis

had

,

in

spite

of

the

preservative

,

to

lament

her

son

.

And

for

the

matter

of

that

,

were

Menander

himself

to

take

a

plunge

into

this

famous

Styx

,

he

would

certainly

have

to

die

after

all

;

for

you

must

come

to

the

Styx

,

placed

as

it

is

by

all

accounts

in

the

regions

of

the

dead

.

Well

,

but

what

and

where

are

those

blessed

and

charming

waters

which

not

even

John

Baptist

ever

used

in

his

preministrations

,

nor

Christ

after

him

ever

revealed

to

His

disciples

?

What

was

this

wondrous

bath

of

Menander

?

He

is

a

comical

fellow

,

I

ween

.

But

why

(

was

such

a

font

)

so

seldom

in

request

,

so

obscure

,

one

to

which

so

very

few

ever

resorted

for

their

cleansing

?

I

really

see

something

to

suspect

in

so

rare

an

occurrence

of

a

sacrament

to

which

is

attached

so

very

much

security

and

safety

,

and

which

dispenses

with

the

ordinary

law

of

dying

even

in

the

service

of

God

Himself

,

when

,

on

the

contrary

,

all

nations

have

“

to

ascend

to

the

mount

of

the

Lord

and

to

the

house

of

the

God

of

Jacob

,

”

who

demands

of

His

saints

in

martyrdom

that

death

which

He

exacted

even

of

His

Christ

.

No

one

will

ascribe

to

magic

such

influence

as

shall

exempt

from

death

,

or

which

shall

refresh

and

vivify

life

,

like

the

vine

by

the

renewal

of

its

condition

.

Such

power

was

not

accorded

to

the

great

Medea

herself

—

over

a

human

being

at

any

rate

,

if

allowed

her

over

a

silly

sheep

.

Enoch

no

doubt

was

translated

,

and

so

was

Elijah

;

nor

did

they

experience

death

:

it

was

postponed

,

(

and

only

postponed

,

)

most

certainly

:

they

are

reserved

for

the

suffering

of

death

,

that

by

their

blood

they

may

extinguish

Antichrist

.

Even

John

underwent

death

,

although

concerning

him

there

had

prevailed

an

ungrounded

expectation

that

he

would

remain

alive

until

the

coming

of

the

Lord

.

Heresies

,

indeed

,

for

the

most

part

spring

hurriedly

into

existence

,

from

examples

furnished

by

ourselves

:

they

procure

their

defensive

armour

from

the

very

place

which

they

attack

.

The

whole

question

resolves

itself

,

in

short

,

into

this

challenge

:

Where

are

to

be

found

the

men

whom

Menander

himself

has

baptized

?

whom

he

has

plunged

into

his

Styx

?

Let

them

come

forth

and

stand

before

us

—

those

apostles

of

his

whom

he

has

made

immortal

?

Let

my

(

doubting

)

Thomas

see

them

,

let

him

hear

them

,

let

him

handle

them

—

and

he

is

convinced

.

Notes

1
Gen. ii. 17. [Not ex natura, but as penalty.]
2
Scaturigo dæmonica.
3
It is difficult to say what Tertullian means by his “comicum credo.” Is it a playful parody on the heretic’s name, the same as the comic poet’s (Menander)?
4
Gen. v. 24; Heb. xi. 5.
5
2 Kings ii. 11.
6
Rev. xi. 3.
7
John xxi. 23.