Opening the library…

Search the Bible

A Treatise on the Soul

Tertullian

Chapter 1

About this work

Author: Tertullian

IX. A Treatise on the Soul.

[Translated by Peter Holmes, D.D.]

Chapter I.—It is Not to the Philosophers that We Resort for Information About the Soul But to God.

Having discussed with Hermogenes the single point of the

Chapter 2 ›

origin

of

the

soul

,

so

far

as

his

assumption

led

me

,

that

the

soul

consisted

rather

in

an

adaptation

of

matter

than

of

the

inspiration

of

God

,

I

now

turn

to

the

other

questions

incidental

to

the

subject

;

and

(

in

my

treatment

of

these

)

I

shall

evidently

have

mostly

to

contend

with

the

philosophers

.

In

the

very

prison

of

Socrates

they

skirmished

about

the

state

of

the

soul

.

I

have

my

doubts

at

once

whether

the

time

was

an

opportune

one

for

their

(

great

)

master

—

(

to

say

nothing

of

the

place

)

,

although

that

perhaps

does

not

much

matter

.

For

what

could

the

soul

of

Socrates

then

contemplate

with

clearness

and

serenity

?

The

sacred

ship

had

returned

(

from

Delos

)

,

the

hemlock

draft

to

which

he

had

been

condemned

had

been

drunk

,

death

was

now

present

before

him

:

(

his

mind

)

was

,

as

one

may

suppose

,

naturally

excited

at

every

emotion

;

or

if

nature

had

lost

her

influence

,

it

must

have

been

deprived

of

all

power

of

thought

.

Or

let

it

have

been

as

placid

and

tranquil

so

you

please

,

inflexible

,

in

spite

of

the

claims

of

natural

duty

,

at

the

tears

of

her

who

was

so

soon

to

be

his

widow

,

and

at

the

sight

of

his

thenceforward

orphan

children

,

yet

his

soul

must

have

been

moved

even

by

its

very

efforts

to

suppress

emotion

;

and

his

constancy

itself

must

have

been

shaken

,

as

he

struggled

against

the

disturbance

of

the

excitement

around

him

.

Besides

,

what

other

thoughts

could

any

man

entertain

who

had

been

unjustly

condemned

to

die

,

but

such

as

should

solace

him

for

the

injury

done

to

him

?

Especially

would

this

be

the

case

with

that

glorious

creature

,

the

philosopher

,

to

whom

injurious

treatment

would

not

suggest

a

craving

for

consolation

,

but

rather

the

feeling

of

resentment

and

indignation

.

Accordingly

,

after

his

sentence

,

when

his

wife

came

to

him

with

her

effeminate

cry

,

O

Socrates

,

you

are

unjustly

condemned

!

he

seemed

already

to

find

joy

in

answering

,

Would

you

then

wish

me

justly

condemned

?

It

is

therefore

not

to

be

wondered

at

,

if

even

in

his

prison

,

from

a

desire

to

break

the

foul

hands

of

Anytus

and

Melitus

,

he

,

in

the

face

of

death

itself

,

asserts

the

immortality

of

the

soul

by

a

strong

assumption

such

as

was

wanted

to

frustrate

the

wrong

(

they

had

inflicted

upon

him

)

.

So

that

all

the

wisdom

of

Socrates

,

at

that

moment

,

proceeded

from

the

affectation

of

an

assumed

composure

,

rather

than

the

firm

conviction

of

ascertained

truth

.

For

by

whom

has

truth

ever

been

discovered

without

God

?

By

whom

has

God

ever

been

found

without

Christ

?

By

whom

has

Christ

ever

been

explored

without

the

Holy

Spirit

?

By

whom

has

the

Holy

Spirit

ever

been

attained

without

the

mysterious

gift

of

faith

?

Socrates

,

as

none

can

doubt

,

was

actuated

by

a

different

spirit

.

For

they

say

that

a

demon

clave

to

him

from

his

boyhood

—

the

very

worst

teacher

certainly

,

notwithstanding

the

high

place

assigned

to

it

by

poets

and

philosophers

—

even

,

(

nay

,

along

with

)

the

gods

themselves

.

The

teachings

of

the

power

of

Christ

had

not

yet

been

given

—

(

that

power

)

which

alone

can

confute

this

most

pernicious

influence

of

evil

that

has

nothing

good

in

it

,

but

is

rather

the

author

of

all

error

,

and

the

seducer

from

all

truth

.

Now

if

Socrates

was

pronounced

the

wisest

of

men

by

the

oracle

of

the

Pythian

demon

,

which

,

you

may

be

sure

,

neatly

managed

the

business

for

his

friend

,

of

how

much

greater

dignity

and

constancy

is

the

assertion

of

the

Christian

wisdom

,

before

the

very

breath

of

which

the

whole

host

of

demons

is

scattered

!

This

wisdom

of

the

school

of

heaven

frankly

and

without

reserve

denies

the

gods

of

this

world

,

and

shows

no

such

inconsistency

as

to

order

a

“

cock

to

be

sacrificed

to

Æsculapius

:

”

no

new

gods

and

demons

does

it

introduce

,

but

expels

the

old

ones

;

it

corrupts

not

youth

,

but

instructs

them

in

all

goodness

and

moderation

;

and

so

it

bears

the

unjust

condemnation

not

of

one

city

only

,

but

of

all

the

world

,

in

the

cause

of

that

truth

which

incurs

indeed

the

greater

hatred

in

proportion

to

its

fulness

:

so

that

it

tastes

death

not

out

of

a

(

poisoned

)

cup

almost

in

the

way

of

jollity

;

but

it

exhausts

it

in

every

kind

of

bitter

cruelty

,

on

gibbets

and

in

holocausts

.

Meanwhile

,

in

the

still

gloomier

prison

of

the

world

amongst

your

Cebeses

and

Phædos

,

in

every

investigation

concerning

(

man’s

)

soul

,

it

directs

its

inquiry

according

to

the

rules

of

God

.

At

all

events

,

you

can

show

us

no

more

powerful

expounder

of

the

soul

than

the

Author

thereof

.

From

God

you

may

learn

about

that

which

you

hold

of

God

;

but

from

none

else

will

you

get

this

knowledge

,

if

you

get

it

not

from

God

.

For

who

is

to

reveal

that

which

God

has

hidden

?

To

that

quarter

must

we

resort

in

our

inquiries

whence

we

are

most

safe

even

in

deriving

our

ignorance

.

For

it

is

really

better

for

us

not

to

know

a

thing

,

because

He

has

not

revealed

it

to

us

,

than

to

know

it

according

to

man’s

wisdom

,

because

he

has

been

bold

enough

to

assume

it

.

Notes

3
Suggestu. [Kaye, pp. 60 and 541.]
4
Flatu “the breath.”
5
Utique.
6
Consternata.
7
Consternata.
8
Externata. “Externatus = ἐκτὸς φρενῶν. Gloss. Philox.
9
Pietatis.
10
Fidei sacramento.
11
The allusion is to the inconsistency of the philosopher, who condemned the gods of the vulgar, and died offering a gift to one of them.
12
Vivicomburio.