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A Treatise on the Soul

Tertullian

Chapter 9

About this work

Author: Tertullian

Chapter IX.—Particulars of the Alleged Communication to a Montanist Sister.

When we aver that the soul has a body of a

‹ Chapter 8 Chapter 10 ›

quality

and

kind

peculiar

to

itself

,

in

this

special

condition

of

it

we

shall

be

already

supplied

with

a

decision

respecting

all

the

other

accidents

of

its

corporeity

;

how

that

they

belong

to

it

,

because

we

have

shown

it

to

be

a

body

,

but

that

even

they

have

a

quality

peculiar

to

themselves

,

proportioned

to

the

special

nature

of

the

body

(

to

which

they

belong

)

;

or

else

,

if

any

accidents

(

of

a

body

)

are

remarkable

in

this

instance

for

their

absence

,

then

this

,

too

,

results

from

the

peculiarity

of

the

condition

of

the

soul’s

corporeity

,

from

which

are

absent

sundry

qualities

which

are

present

to

all

other

corporeal

beings

.

And

yet

,

notwithstanding

all

this

,

we

shall

not

be

at

all

inconsistent

if

we

declare

that

the

more

usual

characteristics

of

a

body

,

such

as

invariably

accrue

to

the

corporeal

condition

,

belong

also

to

the

soul

—

such

as

form

and

limitation

;

and

that

triad

of

dimensions

—

I

mean

length

,

and

breadth

and

height

—

by

which

philosophers

gauge

all

bodies

.

What

now

remains

but

for

us

to

give

the

soul

a

figure

?

Plato

refuses

to

do

this

,

as

if

it

endangered

the

soul’s

immortality

.

For

everything

which

has

figure

is

,

according

to

him

,

compound

,

and

composed

of

parts

;

whereas

the

soul

is

immortal

;

and

being

immortal

,

it

is

therefore

indissoluble

;

and

being

indissoluble

,

it

is

figureless

:

for

if

,

on

the

contrary

,

it

had

figure

,

it

would

be

of

a

composite

and

structural

formation

.

He

,

however

,

in

some

other

manner

frames

for

the

soul

an

effigy

of

intellectual

forms

,

beautiful

for

its

just

symmetry

and

tuitions

of

philosophy

,

but

misshapen

by

some

contrary

qualities

.

As

for

ourselves

,

indeed

,

we

inscribe

on

the

soul

the

lineaments

of

corporeity

,

not

simply

from

the

assurance

which

reasoning

has

taught

us

of

its

corporeal

nature

,

but

also

from

the

firm

conviction

which

divine

grace

impresses

on

us

by

revelation

.

For

,

seeing

that

we

acknowledge

spiritual

charismata

,

or

gifts

,

we

too

have

merited

the

attainment

of

the

prophetic

gift

,

although

coming

after

John

(

the

Baptist

)

.

We

have

now

amongst

us

a

sister

whose

lot

it

has

been

to

be

favoured

with

sundry

gifts

of

revelation

,

which

she

experiences

in

the

Spirit

by

ecstatic

vision

amidst

the

sacred

rites

of

the

Lord’s

day

in

the

church

:

she

converses

with

angels

,

and

sometimes

even

with

the

Lord

;

she

both

sees

and

hears

mysterious

communications

;

some

men’s

hearts

she

understands

,

and

to

them

who

are

in

need

she

distributes

remedies

.

Whether

it

be

in

the

reading

of

Scriptures

,

or

in

the

chanting

of

psalms

,

or

in

the

preaching

of

sermons

,

or

in

the

offering

up

of

prayers

,

in

all

these

religious

services

matter

and

opportunity

are

afforded

to

her

of

seeing

visions

.

It

may

possibly

have

happened

to

us

,

whilst

this

sister

of

ours

was

rapt

in

the

Spirit

,

that

we

had

discoursed

in

some

ineffable

way

about

the

soul

.

After

the

people

are

dismissed

at

the

conclusion

of

the

sacred

services

,

she

is

in

the

regular

habit

of

reporting

to

us

whatever

things

she

may

have

seen

in

vision

(

for

all

her

communications

are

examined

with

the

most

scrupulous

care

,

in

order

that

their

truth

may

be

probed

)

.

“

Amongst

other

things

,

”

says

she

,

“

there

has

been

shown

to

me

a

soul

in

bodily

shape

,

and

a

spirit

has

been

in

the

habit

of

appearing

to

me

;

not

,

however

,

a

void

and

empty

illusion

,

but

such

as

would

offer

itself

to

be

even

grasped

by

the

hand

,

soft

and

transparent

and

of

an

etherial

colour

,

and

in

form

resembling

that

of

a

human

being

in

every

respect

.

”

This

was

her

vision

,

and

for

her

witness

there

was

God

;

and

the

apostle

most

assuredly

foretold

that

there

were

to

be

“

spiritual

gifts

”

in

the

church

.

Now

,

can

you

refuse

to

believe

this

,

even

if

indubitable

evidence

on

every

point

is

forthcoming

for

your

conviction

?

Since

,

then

,

the

soul

is

a

corporeal

substance

,

no

doubt

it

possesses

qualities

such

as

those

which

we

have

just

mentioned

,

amongst

them

the

property

of

colour

,

which

is

inherent

in

every

bodily

substance

.

Now

what

colour

would

you

attribute

to

the

soul

but

an

etherial

transparent

one

?

Not

that

its

substance

is

actually

the

ether

or

air

(

although

this

was

the

opinion

of

Ænesidemus

and

Anaximenes

,

and

I

suppose

of

Heraclitus

also

,

as

some

say

of

him

)

,

nor

transparent

light

(

although

Heraclides

of

Pontus

held

it

to

be

so

)

.

“

Thunder

-

stones

,

”

indeed

,

are

not

of

igneous

substance

,

because

they

shine

with

ruddy

redness

;

nor

are

beryls

composed

of

aqueous

matter

,

because

they

are

of

a

pure

wavy

whiteness

.

How

many

things

also

besides

these

are

there

which

their

colour

would

associate

in

the

same

class

,

but

which

nature

keeps

widely

apart

!

Since

,

however

,

everything

which

is

very

attenuated

and

transparent

bears

a

strong

resemblance

to

the

air

,

such

would

be

the

case

with

the

soul

,

since

in

its

material

nature

it

is

wind

and

breath

,

(

or

spirit

)

;

whence

it

is

that

the

belief

of

its

corporeal

quality

is

endangered

,

in

consequence

of

the

extreme

tenuity

and

subtilty

of

its

essence

.

Likewise

,

as

regards

the

figure

of

the

human

soul

from

your

own

conception

,

you

can

well

imagine

that

it

is

none

other

than

the

human

form

;

indeed

,

none

other

than

the

shape

of

that

body

which

each

individual

soul

animates

and

moves

about

.

This

we

may

at

once

be

induced

to

admit

from

contemplating

man’s

original

formation

.

For

only

carefully

consider

,

after

God

hath

breathed

upon

the

face

of

man

the

breath

of

life

,

and

man

had

consequently

become

a

living

soul

,

surely

that

breath

must

have

passed

through

the

face

at

once

into

the

interior

structure

,

and

have

spread

itself

throughout

all

the

spaces

of

the

body

;

and

as

soon

as

by

the

divine

inspiration

it

had

become

condensed

,

it

must

have

impressed

itself

on

each

internal

feature

,

which

the

condensation

had

filled

in

,

and

so

have

been

,

as

it

were

,

congealed

in

shape

,

(

or

stereotyped

)

.

Hence

,

by

this

densifying

process

,

there

arose

a

fixing

of

the

soul’s

corporeity

;

and

by

the

impression

its

figure

was

formed

and

moulded

.

This

is

the

inner

man

,

different

from

the

outer

,

but

yet

one

in

the

twofold

condition

.

It

,

too

,

has

eyes

and

ears

of

its

own

,

by

means

of

which

Paul

must

have

heard

and

seen

the

Lord

;

it

has

,

moreover

all

the

other

members

of

the

body

by

the

help

of

which

it

effects

all

processes

of

thinking

and

all

activity

in

dreams

.

Thus

it

happens

that

the

rich

man

in

hell

has

a

tongue

and

poor

(

Lazarus

)

a

finger

and

Abraham

a

bosom

.

By

these

features

also

the

souls

of

the

martyrs

under

the

altar

are

distinguished

and

known

.

The

soul

indeed

which

in

the

beginning

was

associated

with

Adam’s

body

,

which

grew

with

its

growth

and

was

moulded

after

its

form

proved

to

be

the

germ

both

of

the

entire

substance

(

of

the

human

soul

)

and

of

that

(

part

of

)

creation

.

Notes

1
Habitum.
2
Illud trifariam distantivum (Τριχῶς διαστηματικόν) Fr. Junius.
3
Effigiem.
4
See his Phædo, pp. 105, 106.
5
Structile.
6
Sacramenta.
7
1 Cor. xii. 1–11. [A key to our author’s
8
Cerauniis gemmis.
9
Tradux.
10
Dupliciter unus.
11
2 Cor. xii. 2–4.
12
Luke xvi. 23, 24.