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A Treatise on the Soul

Tertullian

Chapter 55

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Author: Tertullian

Chapter LV.—The Christian Idea of the Position of Hades; The Blessedness of Paradise Immediately After Death. The Privilege of the Martyrs.

By ourselves the lower regions (of Hades) are not

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supposed

to

be

a

bare

cavity

,

nor

some

subterranean

sewer

of

the

world

,

but

a

vast

deep

space

in

the

interior

of

the

earth

,

and

a

concealed

recess

in

its

very

bowels

;

inasmuch

as

we

read

that

Christ

in

His

death

spent

three

days

in

the

heart

of

the

earth

,

that

is

,

in

the

secret

inner

recess

which

is

hidden

in

the

earth

,

and

enclosed

by

the

earth

,

and

superimposed

on

the

abysmal

depths

which

lie

still

lower

down

.

Now

although

Christ

is

God

,

yet

,

being

also

man

,

“

He

died

according

to

the

Scriptures

,

”

and

“

according

to

the

same

Scriptures

was

buried

.

”

With

the

same

law

of

His

being

He

fully

complied

,

by

remaining

in

Hades

in

the

form

and

condition

of

a

dead

man

;

nor

did

He

ascend

into

the

heights

of

heaven

before

descending

into

the

lower

parts

of

the

earth

,

that

He

might

there

make

the

patriarchs

and

prophets

partakers

of

Himself

.

(

This

being

the

case

)

,

you

must

suppose

Hades

to

be

a

subterranean

region

,

and

keep

at

arm’s

length

those

who

are

too

proud

to

believe

that

the

souls

of

the

faithful

deserve

a

place

in

the

lower

regions

.

These

persons

,

who

are

“

servants

above

their

Lord

,

and

disciples

above

their

Master

,

”

would

no

doubt

spurn

to

receive

the

comfort

of

the

resurrection

,

if

they

must

expect

it

in

Abraham’s

bosom

.

But

it

was

for

this

purpose

,

say

they

,

that

Christ

descended

into

hell

,

that

we

might

not

ourselves

have

to

descend

thither

.

Well

,

then

,

what

difference

is

there

between

heathens

and

Christians

,

if

the

same

prison

awaits

them

all

when

dead

?

How

,

indeed

,

shall

the

soul

mount

up

to

heaven

,

where

Christ

is

already

sitting

at

the

Father’s

right

hand

,

when

as

yet

the

archangel’s

trumpet

has

not

been

heard

by

the

command

of

God

,

—

when

as

yet

those

whom

the

coming

of

the

Lord

is

to

find

on

the

earth

,

have

not

been

caught

up

into

the

air

to

meet

Him

at

His

coming

,

in

company

with

the

dead

in

Christ

,

who

shall

be

the

first

to

arise

?

To

no

one

is

heaven

opened

;

the

earth

is

still

safe

for

him

,

I

would

not

say

it

is

shut

against

him

.

When

the

world

,

indeed

,

shall

pass

away

,

then

the

kingdom

of

heaven

shall

be

opened

.

Shall

we

then

have

to

sleep

high

up

in

ether

,

with

the

boy

-

loving

worthies

of

Plato

;

or

in

the

air

with

Arius

;

or

around

the

moon

with

the

Endymions

of

the

Stoics

?

No

,

but

in

Paradise

,

you

tell

me

,

whither

already

the

patriarchs

and

prophets

have

removed

from

Hades

in

the

retinue

of

the

Lord’s

resurrection

.

How

is

it

,

then

,

that

the

region

of

Paradise

,

which

as

revealed

to

John

in

the

Spirit

lay

under

the

altar

,

displays

no

other

souls

as

in

it

besides

the

souls

of

the

martyrs

?

How

is

it

that

the

most

heroic

martyr

Perpetua

on

the

day

of

her

passion

saw

only

her

fellow

-

martyrs

there

,

in

the

revelation

which

she

received

of

Paradise

,

if

it

were

not

that

the

sword

which

guarded

the

entrance

permitted

none

to

go

in

thereat

,

except

those

who

had

died

in

Christ

and

not

in

Adam

?

A

new

death

for

God

,

even

the

extraordinary

one

for

Christ

,

is

admitted

into

the

reception

-

room

of

mortality

,

specially

altered

and

adapted

to

receive

the

new

-

comer

.

Observe

,

then

,

the

difference

between

a

heathen

and

a

Christian

in

their

death

:

if

you

have

to

lay

down

your

life

for

God

,

as

the

Comforter

counsels

,

it

is

not

in

gentle

fevers

and

on

soft

beds

,

but

in

the

sharp

pains

of

martyrdom

:

you

must

take

up

the

cross

and

bear

it

after

your

Master

,

as

He

has

Himself

instructed

you

.

The

sole

key

to

unlock

Paradise

is

your

own

life’s

blood

.

You

have

a

treatise

by

us

,

(

on

Paradise

)

,

in

which

we

have

established

the

position

that

every

soul

is

detained

in

safe

keeping

in

Hades

until

the

day

of

the

Lord

.

Notes

1
Matt. xii. 40.
2
1 Cor. xv. 3.
3
Ver. 4.
4
1 Pet. iii. 19.
5
See Irenæus, adv. Hæres. v. [Vol. I. p. 566, this Series.]
6
Matt. x. 24.
7
1 Cor. xv. 52 and 1 Thess. iv. 16.
8
1 Thess. iv. 17.
9
Ver. 16.
10
Rev. vi. 9.
11
Paracletus.
12
Matt. xvi. 24.
13
The souls of the martyrs were, according to Tertullian, at once removed to Paradise (Bp. Kaye, p. 249).
14
De Paradiso. [Compare, p. 216, note 9, supra.]