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A Treatise on the Soul

Tertullian

Chapter 13

About this work

Author: Tertullian

Chapter XIII.—The Soul’s Supremacy.

It next remains to examine where lies the supremacy; in

‹ Chapter 12 Chapter 14 ›

other

words

,

which

of

the

two

is

superior

to

the

other

,

so

that

with

which

the

supremacy

clearly

lies

shall

be

the

essentially

superior

substance

;

whilst

that

over

which

this

essentially

superior

substance

shall

have

authority

shall

be

considered

as

the

natural

functionary

of

the

superior

substance

.

Now

who

will

hesitate

to

ascribe

this

entire

authority

to

the

soul

,

from

the

name

of

which

the

whole

man

has

received

his

own

designation

in

common

phraseology

?

How

many

souls

,

says

the

rich

man

,

do

I

maintain

?

not

how

many

minds

.

The

pilot’s

desire

,

also

,

is

to

rescue

so

many

souls

from

shipwreck

,

not

so

many

minds

;

the

labourer

,

too

,

in

his

work

,

and

the

soldier

on

the

field

of

battle

,

affirms

that

he

lays

down

his

soul

(

or

life

)

,

not

his

mind

.

Which

of

the

two

has

its

perils

or

its

vows

and

wishes

more

frequently

on

men’s

lips

—

the

mind

or

the

soul

?

Which

of

the

two

are

dying

persons

,

said

to

have

to

do

with

the

mind

or

the

soul

?

In

short

,

philosophers

themselves

,

and

medical

men

,

even

when

it

is

their

purpose

to

discourse

about

the

mind

,

do

in

every

instance

inscribe

on

their

title

-

page

and

table

of

contents

,

“

De

Anima

”

(

“

A

treatise

on

the

soul

”

)

.

And

that

you

may

also

have

God’s

voucher

on

the

subject

,

it

is

the

soul

which

He

addresses

;

it

is

the

soul

which

He

exhorts

and

counsels

,

to

turn

the

mind

and

intellect

to

Him

.

It

is

the

soul

which

Christ

came

to

save

;

it

is

the

soul

which

He

threatens

to

destroy

in

hell

;

it

is

the

soul

(

or

life

)

which

He

forbids

being

made

too

much

of

;

it

is

His

soul

,

too

(

or

life

)

,

which

the

good

Shepherd

Himself

lays

down

for

His

sheep

.

It

is

to

the

soul

,

therefore

,

that

you

ascribe

the

supremacy

;

in

it

also

you

possess

that

union

of

substance

,

of

which

you

perceive

the

mind

to

be

the

instrument

,

not

the

ruling

power

.

Notes

1
Substantiæ massa.
2
Faciem operis.
3
Fontem materiæ.