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A Treatise on the Soul

Tertullian

Chapter 5

About this work

Author: Tertullian

Chapter V.—Probable View of the Stoics, that the Soul Has a Corporeal Nature.

Suppose one summons a Eubulus to his assistance, and a

‹ Chapter 4 Chapter 6 ›

Critolaus

,

and

a

Zenocrates

,

and

on

this

occasion

Plato’s

friend

Aristotle

.

They

may

very

possibly

hold

themselves

ready

for

stripping

the

soul

of

its

corporeity

,

unless

they

happen

to

see

other

philosophers

opposed

to

them

in

their

purpose

—

and

this

,

too

,

in

greater

numbers

—

asserting

for

the

soul

a

corporeal

nature

.

Now

I

am

not

referring

merely

to

those

who

mould

the

soul

out

of

manifest

bodily

substances

,

as

Hipparchus

and

Heraclitus

(

do

)

out

of

fire

;

as

Hippon

and

Thales

(

do

)

out

of

water

;

as

Empedocles

and

Critias

(

do

)

out

of

blood

;

as

Epicurus

(

does

)

out

of

atoms

,

since

even

atoms

by

their

coherence

form

corporeal

masses

;

as

Critolaus

and

his

Peripatetics

(

do

)

out

of

a

certain

indescribable

quintessence

,

if

that

may

be

called

a

body

which

rather

includes

and

embraces

bodily

substances

;

—

but

I

call

on

the

Stoics

also

to

help

me

,

who

,

while

declaring

almost

in

our

own

terms

that

the

soul

is

a

spiritual

essence

(

inasmuch

as

breath

and

spirit

are

in

their

nature

very

near

akin

to

each

other

)

,

will

yet

have

no

difficulty

in

persuading

(

us

)

that

the

soul

is

a

corporeal

substance

.

Indeed

,

Zeno

,

defining

the

soul

to

be

a

spirit

generated

with

(

the

body

,

)

constructs

his

argument

in

this

way

:

That

substance

which

by

its

departure

causes

the

living

being

to

die

is

a

corporeal

one

.

Now

it

is

by

the

departure

of

the

spirit

,

which

is

generated

with

(

the

body

,

)

that

the

living

being

dies

;

therefore

the

spirit

which

is

generated

with

(

the

body

)

is

a

corporeal

substance

.

But

this

spirit

which

is

generated

with

(

the

body

)

is

the

soul

:

it

follows

,

then

,

that

the

soul

is

a

corporeal

substance

.

Cleanthes

,

too

,

will

have

it

that

family

likeness

passes

from

parents

to

their

children

not

merely

in

bodily

features

,

but

in

characteristics

of

the

soul

;

as

if

it

were

out

of

a

mirror

of

(

a

man’s

)

manners

,

and

faculties

,

and

affections

,

that

bodily

likeness

and

unlikeness

are

caught

and

reflected

by

the

soul

also

.

It

is

therefore

as

being

corporeal

that

it

is

susceptible

of

likeness

and

unlikeness

.

Again

,

there

is

nothing

in

common

between

things

corporeal

and

things

incorporeal

as

to

their

susceptibility

.

But

the

soul

certainly

sympathizes

with

the

body

,

and

shares

in

its

pain

,

whenever

it

is

injured

by

bruises

,

and

wounds

,

and

sores

:

the

body

,

too

,

suffers

with

the

soul

,

and

is

united

with

it

(

whenever

it

is

afflicted

with

anxiety

,

distress

,

or

love

)

in

the

loss

of

vigour

which

its

companion

sustains

,

whose

shame

and

fear

it

testifies

by

its

own

blushes

and

paleness

.

The

soul

,

therefore

,

is

(

proved

to

be

)

corporeal

from

this

inter

-

communion

of

susceptibility

.

Chrysippus

also

joins

hands

in

fellowship

with

Cleanthes

when

he

lays

it

down

that

it

is

not

at

all

possible

for

things

which

are

endued

with

body

to

be

separated

from

things

which

have

not

body

;

because

they

have

no

such

relation

as

mutual

contact

or

coherence

.

Accordingly

Lucretius

says

:

“Tangere enim et tangi nisi corpus nulla potest res.”

“For nothing but body is capable of touching or of being touched.”

(Such severance, however, is quite natural between the soul and the body); for when the body is deserted by the soul, it is overcome by death. The soul, therefore, is endued with a body; for if it were not corporeal, it could not desert the body.

Notes

1
Ex quinta nescio qua substantia. Comp. Cicero’s Tuscul. i. 10.
2
Consitum.
3
De Nat. Rer. i. 305.