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A Treatise on the Soul

Tertullian

Chapter 21

About this work

Author: Tertullian

Chapter XXI.—As Free-Will Actuates an Individual So May His Character Change.

Now, if the soul possessed this uniform and simple nature

‹ Chapter 20 Chapter 22 ›

from

the

beginning

in

Adam

,

so

many

mental

dispositions

(

being

developed

out

of

it

)

,

it

is

not

rendered

multiform

by

such

various

development

,

nor

by

the

triple

form

predicated

of

it

in

“

the

Valentinian

trinity

”

(

that

we

may

still

keep

the

condemnation

of

that

heresy

in

view

)

,

for

not

even

this

nature

is

discoverable

in

Adam

.

What

had

he

that

was

spiritual

?

Is

it

because

he

prophetically

declared

“

the

great

mystery

of

Christ

and

the

church

?

”

“

This

is

bone

of

my

bone

,

and

flesh

of

my

flesh

:

she

shall

be

called

Woman

.

Therefore

shall

a

man

leave

his

father

and

mother

,

and

he

shall

cleave

unto

his

wife

;

and

they

two

shall

be

one

flesh

.

”

But

this

(

gift

of

prophecy

)

only

came

on

him

afterwards

,

when

God

infused

into

him

the

ecstasy

,

or

spiritual

quality

,

in

which

prophecy

consists

.

If

,

again

,

the

evil

of

sin

was

developed

in

him

,

this

must

not

be

accounted

as

a

natural

disposition

:

it

was

rather

produced

by

the

instigation

of

the

(

old

)

serpent

as

far

from

being

incidental

to

his

nature

as

it

was

from

being

material

in

him

,

for

we

have

already

excluded

belief

in

“

Matter

.

”

Now

,

if

neither

the

spiritual

element

,

nor

what

the

heretics

call

the

material

element

,

was

properly

inherent

in

him

(

since

,

if

he

had

been

created

out

of

matter

,

the

germ

of

evil

must

have

been

an

integral

part

of

his

constitution

)

,

it

remains

that

the

one

only

original

element

of

his

nature

was

what

is

called

the

animal

(

the

principle

of

vitality

,

the

soul

)

,

which

we

maintain

to

be

simple

and

uniform

in

its

condition

.

Concerning

this

,

it

remains

for

us

to

inquire

whether

,

as

being

called

natural

,

it

ought

to

be

deemed

subject

to

change

.

(

The

heretics

whom

we

have

referred

to

)

deny

that

nature

is

susceptible

of

any

change

,

in

order

that

they

may

be

able

to

establish

and

settle

their

threefold

theory

,

or

“

trinity

,

”

in

all

its

characteristics

as

to

the

several

natures

,

because

“

a

good

tree

cannot

produce

evil

fruit

,

nor

a

corrupt

tree

good

fruit

;

and

nobody

gathers

figs

of

thorns

,

nor

grapes

of

brambles

.

”

If

so

,

then

“

God

will

not

be

able

any

longer

to

raise

up

from

the

stones

children

unto

Abraham

;

nor

to

make

a

generation

of

vipers

bring

forth

fruits

of

repentance

.

”

And

if

so

,

the

apostle

too

was

in

error

when

he

said

in

his

epistle

,

“

Ye

were

at

one

time

darkness

,

(

but

now

are

ye

light

in

the

Lord

:

)

”

and

,

“

We

also

were

by

nature

children

of

wrath

;

”

and

,

“

Such

were

some

of

you

,

but

ye

are

washed

.

”

The

statements

,

however

,

of

holy

Scripture

will

never

be

discordant

with

truth

.

A

corrupt

tree

will

never

yield

good

fruit

,

unless

the

better

nature

be

grafted

into

it

;

nor

will

a

good

tree

produce

evil

fruit

,

except

by

the

same

process

of

cultivation

.

Stones

also

will

become

children

of

Abraham

,

if

educated

in

Abraham’s

faith

;

and

a

generation

of

vipers

will

bring

forth

the

fruits

of

penitence

,

if

they

reject

the

poison

of

their

malignant

nature

.

This

will

be

the

power

of

the

grace

of

God

,

more

potent

indeed

than

nature

,

exercising

its

sway

over

the

faculty

that

underlies

itself

within

us

—

even

the

freedom

of

our

will

,

which

is

described

as

αὐτεξούσιος

(

of

independent

authority

)

;

and

inasmuch

as

this

faculty

is

itself

also

natural

and

mutable

,

in

whatsoever

direction

it

turns

,

it

inclines

of

its

own

nature

.

Now

,

that

there

does

exist

within

us

naturally

this

independent

authority

(

τὸ

αὐτεξούσιον

)

,

we

have

already

shown

in

opposition

both

to

Marcion

and

to

Hermogenes

.

If

,

then

,

the

natural

condition

has

to

be

submitted

to

a

definition

,

it

must

be

determined

to

be

twofold

—

there

being

the

Notes

1
i.e., the carnal, the animal, and the spiritual. Comp. Adv. Valentin. xxv., and De Resur. Carnis, lv.
2
Eph. v. 32.
3
Gen. ii. 23, 24.
4
See Adv. Hermog. xiii.
5
See Adv. Valentin. xxix.
6
Luke vi. 43, 44.
7
Matt. iii. 7–9.
8
Eph. v. 8.
9
Eph. ii. 3.
10
1 Cor. vi. 11.
11
See our Anti-Marcion, ii. 5–7.
12
In his work against this man, entitled De Censu Animæ, not now extant.