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A Treatise on the Soul

Tertullian

Chapter 8

About this work

Author: Tertullian

Chapter VIII.—Other Platonist Arguments Considered.

Besides, it would be a harsh and absurd proceeding to

‹ Chapter 7 Chapter 9 ›

exempt

anything

from

the

class

of

corporeal

beings

,

on

the

ground

that

it

is

not

exactly

like

the

other

constituents

of

that

class

.

And

where

individual

creatures

possess

various

properties

,

does

not

this

variety

in

works

of

the

same

class

indicate

the

greatness

of

the

Creator

,

in

making

them

at

the

same

time

different

and

yet

like

,

amicable

yet

rivals

?

Indeed

,

the

philosophers

themselves

agree

in

saying

that

the

universe

consists

of

harmonious

oppositions

,

according

to

Empedocles

’

(

theory

of

)

friendship

and

enmity

.

Thus

,

then

,

although

corporeal

essences

are

opposed

to

incorporeal

ones

,

they

yet

differ

from

each

other

in

such

sort

as

to

amplify

their

species

by

their

variety

,

without

changing

their

genus

,

remaining

all

alike

corporeal

;

contributing

to

God’s

glory

in

their

manifold

existence

by

reason

of

their

variety

;

so

various

,

by

reason

of

their

differences

;

so

diverse

,

in

that

some

of

them

possess

one

kind

of

perception

,

others

another

;

some

feeding

on

one

kind

of

aliment

,

others

on

another

;

some

,

again

,

possessing

visibility

,

while

others

are

invisible

;

some

being

weighty

,

others

light

.

They

are

in

the

habit

of

saying

that

the

soul

must

be

pronounced

incorporeal

on

this

account

,

because

the

bodies

of

the

dead

,

after

its

departure

from

them

,

become

heavier

,

whereas

they

ought

to

be

lighter

,

being

deprived

of

the

weight

of

a

body

—

since

the

soul

is

a

bodily

substance

.

But

what

,

says

Soranus

(

in

answer

to

this

argument

)

,

if

men

should

deny

that

the

sea

is

a

bodily

substance

,

because

a

ship

out

of

the

water

becomes

a

heavy

and

motionless

mass

?

How

much

truer

and

stronger

,

then

,

is

the

soul’s

corporeal

essence

,

which

carries

about

the

body

,

which

eventually

assumes

so

great

a

weight

with

the

nimblest

motion

!

Again

,

even

if

the

soul

is

invisible

,

it

is

only

in

strict

accordance

with

the

condition

of

its

own

corporeality

,

and

suitably

to

the

property

of

its

own

essence

,

as

well

as

to

the

nature

of

even

those

beings

to

which

its

destiny

made

it

to

be

invisible

.

The

eyes

of

the

owl

cannot

endure

the

sun

,

whilst

the

eagle

is

so

well

able

to

face

his

glory

,

that

the

noble

character

of

its

young

is

determined

by

the

unblinking

strength

of

their

gaze

;

while

the

eaglet

,

which

turns

away

its

eye

from

the

sun’s

ray

,

is

expelled

from

the

nest

as

a

degenerate

creature

!

So

true

is

it

,

therefore

,

than

to

one

eye

an

object

is

invisible

,

which

may

be

quite

plainly

seen

by

another

,

—

without

implying

any

incorporeality

in

that

which

is

not

endued

with

an

equally

strong

power

(

of

vision

)

.

The

sun

is

indeed

a

bodily

substance

,

because

it

is

(

composed

of

)

fire

;

the

object

,

however

,

which

the

eaglet

at

once

admits

the

existence

of

,

the

owl

denies

,

without

any

prejudice

,

nevertheless

,

to

the

testimony

of

the

eagle

.

There

is

the

selfsame

difference

in

respect

of

the

soul’s

corporeality

,

which

is

(

perhaps

)

invisible

to

the

flesh

,

but

perfectly

visible

to

the

spirit

.

Thus

John

,

being

“

in

the

Spirit

”

of

God

,

beheld

plainly

the

souls

of

the

martyrs

.

Notes

1
Rev. i. 10.
2
Rev. vi. 9.