Opening the library…

Search the Bible

A Treatise on the Soul

Tertullian

Chapter 53

About this work

Author: Tertullian

Chapter LIII.—The Entire Soul Being Indivisible Remains to the Last Act of Vitality; Never Partially or Fractionally Withdrawn from the Body.

But where at last will the soul have to lodge,

‹ Chapter 52 Chapter 54 ›

when

it

is

bare

and

divested

of

the

body

?

We

must

certainly

not

hesitate

to

follow

it

thither

,

in

the

order

of

our

inquiry

.

We

must

,

however

,

first

of

all

fully

state

what

belongs

to

the

topic

before

us

,

in

order

that

no

one

,

because

we

have

mentioned

the

various

issues

of

death

,

may

expect

from

us

a

special

description

of

these

,

which

ought

rather

to

be

left

to

medical

men

,

who

are

the

proper

judges

of

the

incidents

which

appertain

to

death

,

or

its

causes

,

and

the

actual

conditions

of

the

human

body

.

Of

course

,

with

the

view

of

preserving

the

truth

of

the

soul’s

immortality

,

whilst

treating

this

topic

,

I

shall

have

,

on

mentioning

death

,

to

introduce

phrases

about

dissolution

of

such

a

purport

as

seems

to

intimate

that

the

soul

escapes

by

degrees

,

and

piece

by

piece

;

for

it

withdraws

(

from

the

body

)

with

all

the

circumstances

of

a

decline

,

seeming

to

suffer

consumption

,

and

suggests

to

us

the

idea

of

being

annihilated

by

the

slow

process

of

its

departure

.

But

the

entire

reason

of

this

phenomenon

is

in

the

body

,

and

arises

from

the

body

.

For

whatever

be

the

kind

of

death

(

which

operates

on

man

)

,

it

undoubtedly

produces

the

destruction

either

of

the

matter

,

or

of

the

region

,

or

of

the

passages

of

vitality

:

of

the

matter

,

such

as

the

gall

and

the

blood

;

of

the

region

,

such

as

the

heart

and

the

liver

;

of

the

passages

,

such

as

the

veins

and

the

arteries

.

Inasmuch

,

then

,

as

these

parts

of

the

body

are

severally

devastated

by

an

injury

proper

to

each

of

them

,

even

to

the

very

last

ruin

and

annulling

of

the

vital

powers

—

in

other

words

,

of

the

ends

,

the

sites

,

and

the

functions

of

nature

—

it

must

needs

come

to

pass

,

amidst

the

gradual

decay

of

its

instruments

,

domiciles

,

and

spaces

,

that

the

soul

also

itself

,

being

driven

to

abandon

each

successive

part

,

assumes

the

appearance

of

being

lessened

to

nothing

;

in

some

such

manner

as

a

charioteer

is

assumed

to

have

himself

failed

,

when

his

horses

,

through

fatigue

,

withdraw

from

him

their

energies

.

But

this

assumption

applies

only

to

the

circumstances

of

the

despoiled

person

,

not

to

any

real

condition

of

suffering

.

Likewise

the

body’s

charioteer

,

the

animal

spirit

,

fails

on

account

of

the

failure

of

its

vehicle

,

not

of

itself

—

abandoning

its

work

,

but

not

its

vigour

—

languishing

in

operation

,

but

not

in

essential

condition

—

bankrupt

in

solvency

,

not

in

substance

—

because

ceasing

to

put

in

an

appearance

,

but

not

ceasing

to

exist

.

Thus

every

rapid

death

—

such

as

a

decapitation

,

or

a

breaking

of

the

neck

,

which

opens

at

once

a

vast

outlet

for

the

soul

;

or

a

sudden

ruin

,

which

at

a

stroke

crushes

every

vital

action

,

like

that

inner

ruin

apoplexy

—

retards

not

the

soul’s

escape

,

nor

painfully

separates

its

departure

into

successive

moments

.

Where

,

however

,

the

death

is

a

lingering

one

,

the

soul

abandons

its

position

in

the

way

in

which

it

is

itself

abandoned

.

And

yet

it

is

not

by

this

process

severed

in

fractions

:

it

is

slowly

drawn

out

;

and

whilst

thus

extracted

,

it

causes

the

last

remnant

to

seem

to

be

but

a

part

of

itself

.

No

portion

,

however

,

must

be

deemed

separable

,

because

it

is

the

last

;

nor

,

because

it

is

a

small

one

,

must

it

be

regarded

as

susceptible

of

dissolution

.

Accordant

with

a

series

is

its

end

,

and

the

middle

is

prolonged

to

the

extremes

;

and

the

remnants

cohere

to

the

mass

,

and

are

waited

for

,

but

never

abandoned

by

it

.

And

I

will

even

venture

to

say

,

that

the

last

of

a

whole

is

the

whole

;

because

while

it

is

less

,

and

the

latest

,

it

yet

belongs

to

the

whole

,

and

completes

it

.

Hence

,

indeed

,

many

times

it

happens

that

the

soul

in

its

actual

separation

is

more

powerfully

agitated

with

a

more

anxious

gaze

,

and

a

quickened

loquacity

;

whilst

from

the

loftier

and

freer

position

in

which

it

is

now

placed

,

it

enunciates

,

by

means

of

its

last

remnant

still

lingering

in

the

flesh

,

what

it

sees

,

what

it

hears

,

and

what

it

is

beginning

to

know

.

In

Platonic

phrase

,

indeed

,

the

body

is

a

prison

,

but

in

the

apostle’s

it

is

“

the

temple

of

God

,

”

because

it

is

in

Christ

.

Still

,

(

as

must

be

admitted

,

)

by

reason

of

its

enclosure

it

obstructs

and

obscures

the

soul

,

and

sullies

it

by

the

concretion

of

the

flesh

;

whence

it

happens

that

the

light

which

illumines

objects

comes

in

upon

the

soul

in

a

more

confused

manner

,

as

if

through

a

window

of

horn

.

Undoubtedly

,

when

the

soul

,

by

the

power

of

death

,

is

released

from

its

concretion

with

the

flesh

,

it

is

by

the

very

release

cleansed

and

purified

:

it

is

,

moreover

,

certain

that

it

escapes

from

the

veil

of

the

flesh

into

open

space

,

to

its

clear

,

and

pure

,

and

intrinsic

light

;

and

then

finds

itself

enjoying

its

enfranchisement

from

matter

,

and

by

virtue

of

its

liberty

it

recovers

its

divinity

,

as

one

who

awakes

out

of

sleep

passes

from

images

to

verities

.

Then

it

tells

out

what

it

sees

;

then

it

exults

or

it

fears

,

according

as

it

finds

what

lodging

is

prepared

for

it

,

as

soon

as

it

sees

the

very

angel’s

face

,

that

arraigner

of

souls

,

the

Mercury

of

the

poets

.

Notes

1
We have made Tertullian’s “cervicum messis” include both these modes of instantaneous death.
2
Phædo, p. 62, c. 6.
3
1 Cor. iii. 16; vi. 19; 2 Cor. vi. 16.