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A Treatise on the Soul

Tertullian

Chapter 34

About this work

Author: Tertullian

Chapter XXXIV.—These Vagaries Stimulated Some Profane Corruptions of Christianity. The Profanity of Simon Magus Condemned.

No tenet, indeed, under cover of any heresy has

‹ Chapter 33 Chapter 35 ›

as

yet

burst

upon

us

,

embodying

any

such

extravagant

fiction

as

that

the

souls

of

human

beings

pass

into

the

bodies

of

wild

beasts

;

but

yet

we

have

deemed

it

necessary

to

attack

and

refute

this

conceit

,

as

a

consistent

sequel

to

the

preceding

opinions

,

in

order

that

Homer

in

the

peacock

might

be

got

rid

of

as

effectually

as

Pythagoras

in

Euphorbus

;

and

in

order

that

,

by

the

demolition

of

the

metempsychosis

and

metensomatosis

by

the

same

blow

,

the

ground

might

be

cut

away

which

has

furnished

no

inconsiderable

support

to

our

heretics

.

There

is

the

(

infamous

)

Simon

of

Samaria

in

the

Acts

of

the

Apostles

,

who

chaffered

for

the

Holy

Ghost

:

after

his

condemnation

by

Him

,

and

a

vain

remorse

that

he

and

his

money

must

perish

together

,

he

applied

his

energies

to

the

destruction

of

the

truth

,

as

if

to

console

himself

with

revenge

.

Besides

the

support

with

which

his

own

magic

arts

furnished

him

,

he

had

recourse

to

imposture

,

and

purchased

a

Tyrian

woman

of

the

name

of

Helen

out

of

a

brothel

,

with

the

same

money

which

he

had

offered

for

the

Holy

Spirit

,

—

a

traffic

worthy

of

the

wretched

man

.

He

actually

feigned

himself

to

be

the

Supreme

Father

,

and

further

pretended

that

the

woman

was

his

own

primary

conception

,

wherewith

he

had

purposed

the

creation

of

the

angels

and

the

archangels

;

that

after

she

was

possessed

of

this

purpose

she

sprang

forth

from

the

Father

and

descended

to

the

lower

spaces

,

and

there

anticipating

the

Father’s

design

had

produced

the

angelic

powers

,

which

knew

nothing

of

the

Father

,

the

Creator

of

this

world

;

that

she

was

detained

a

prisoner

by

these

from

a

(

rebellious

)

motive

very

like

her

own

,

lest

after

her

departure

from

them

they

should

appear

to

be

the

offspring

of

another

being

;

and

that

,

after

being

on

this

account

exposed

to

every

insult

,

to

prevent

her

leaving

them

anywhere

after

her

dishonour

,

she

was

degraded

even

to

the

form

of

man

,

to

be

confined

,

as

it

were

,

in

the

bonds

of

the

flesh

.

Having

during

many

ages

wallowed

about

in

one

female

shape

and

another

,

she

became

the

notorious

Helen

who

was

so

ruinous

to

Priam

,

and

afterwards

to

the

eyes

of

Stesichorus

,

whom

,

she

blinded

in

revenge

for

his

lampoons

,

and

then

restored

to

sight

to

reward

him

for

his

eulogies

.

After

wandering

about

in

this

way

from

body

to

body

,

she

,

in

her

final

disgrace

,

turned

out

a

viler

Helen

still

as

a

professional

prostitute

.

This

wench

,

therefore

,

was

the

lost

sheep

,

upon

whom

the

Supreme

Father

,

even

Simon

,

descended

,

who

,

after

he

had

recovered

her

and

brought

her

back

—

whether

on

his

shoulders

or

loins

I

cannot

tell

—

cast

an

eye

on

the

salvation

of

man

,

in

order

to

gratify

his

spleen

by

liberating

them

from

the

angelic

powers

.

Moreover

,

to

deceive

these

he

also

himself

assumed

a

visible

shape

;

and

feigning

the

appearance

of

a

man

amongst

men

,

he

acted

the

part

of

the

Son

in

Judea

,

and

of

the

Father

in

Samaria

.

O

hapless

Helen

,

what

a

hard

fate

is

yours

between

the

poets

and

the

heretics

,

who

have

blackened

your

fame

sometimes

with

adultery

,

sometimes

with

prostitution

!

Only

her

rescue

from

Troy

is

a

more

glorious

affair

than

her

extrication

from

the

brothel

.

There

were

a

thousand

ships

to

remove

her

from

Troy

;

a

thousand

pence

were

probably

more

than

enough

to

withdraw

her

from

the

stews

.

Fie

on

you

,

Simon

,

to

be

so

tardy

in

seeking

her

out

,

and

so

inconstant

in

ransoming

her

!

How

different

from

Menelaus

!

As

soon

as

he

has

lost

her

,

he

goes

in

pursuit

of

her

;

she

is

no

sooner

ravished

than

he

begins

his

search

;

after

a

ten

years

’

conflict

he

boldly

rescues

her

:

there

is

no

lurking

,

no

deceiving

,

no

cavilling

.

I

am

really

afraid

that

he

was

a

much

better

“

Father

,

”

who

laboured

so

much

more

vigilantly

,

bravely

,

and

perseveringly

,

about

the

recovery

of

his

Helen

.

Notes

1
Acts viii. 18–21. [Vol. I. pp. 171, 182, 193, 347.]