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On the Flesh of Christ

Tertullian

Chapter 11

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Author: Tertullian

Chapter XI.—The Opposite Extravagance Exposed. That is Christ with a Soul Composed of Flesh—Corporeal, Though Invisible. Christ’s Soul, Like Ours, Distinct from Flesh, Though Clothed in It.

But we meet another argument of theirs, when we raise

‹ Chapter 10 Chapter 12 ›

the

question

why

Christ

,

in

assuming

a

flesh

composed

of

soul

,

should

seem

to

have

had

a

soul

that

was

made

of

flesh

?

For

God

,

they

say

,

desired

to

make

the

soul

visible

to

men

,

by

enduing

it

with

a

bodily

nature

,

although

it

was

before

invisible

;

of

its

own

nature

,

indeed

,

it

was

incapable

of

seeing

anything

,

even

its

own

self

,

by

reason

of

the

obstacle

of

this

flesh

,

so

that

it

was

even

a

matter

of

doubt

whether

it

was

born

or

not

.

The

soul

,

therefore

(

they

further

say

)

,

was

made

corporeal

in

Christ

,

in

order

that

we

might

see

it

when

undergoing

birth

,

and

death

,

and

(

what

is

more

)

resurrection

.

But

yet

,

how

was

this

possible

,

that

by

means

of

the

flesh

the

soul

should

demonstrate

itself

to

itself

or

to

us

,

when

it

could

not

possibly

be

ascertained

that

it

would

offer

this

mode

of

exhibiting

itself

by

the

flesh

,

until

the

thing

came

into

existence

to

which

it

was

unknown

,

that

is

to

say

,

the

flesh

?

It

received

darkness

,

forsooth

,

in

order

to

be

able

to

shine

!

Now

,

let

us

first

turn

our

attention

to

this

point

,

whether

it

was

requisite

that

the

soul

should

exhibit

itself

in

the

manner

contended

for

;

and

whether

their

be

that

the

soul

is

wholly

invisible

(

inquiring

further

)

whether

this

invisibility

is

the

result

of

its

incorporeality

,

or

whether

it

actually

possesses

some

sort

of

body

peculiar

to

itself

.

And

yet

,

although

they

say

that

it

is

invisible

,

they

determine

it

to

be

corporeal

,

but

having

somewhat

that

is

invisible

.

For

if

it

has

nothing

invisible

how

can

it

be

said

to

be

invisible

?

But

even

its

existence

is

an

impossibility

,

unless

it

has

that

which

is

instrumental

to

its

existence

.

Since

,

however

,

it

exists

,

it

must

needs

have

a

something

through

which

it

exists

.

If

it

has

this

something

,

it

must

be

its

body

.

Everything

which

exists

is

a

bodily

existence

sui

generis

.

Nothing

lacks

bodily

existence

but

that

which

is

non

-

existent

.

If

,

then

,

the

soul

has

an

invisible

body

,

He

who

had

proposed

to

make

it

visible

would

certainly

have

done

His

work

better

if

He

had

made

that

part

of

it

which

was

accounted

invisible

,

visible

;

because

then

there

would

have

been

no

untruth

or

weakness

in

the

case

,

and

neither

of

these

flaws

is

suitable

to

God

.

(

But

as

the

case

stands

in

the

hypothesis

)

there

is

untruth

,

since

He

has

set

forth

the

soul

as

being

a

different

thing

from

what

it

really

is

;

and

there

is

weakness

,

since

He

was

unable

to

make

it

appear

to

be

that

which

it

is

.

No

one

who

wishes

to

exhibit

a

man

covers

him

with

a

veil

or

a

mask

.

This

,

however

,

is

precisely

what

has

been

done

to

the

soul

,

if

it

has

been

clothed

with

a

covering

belonging

to

something

else

,

by

being

converted

into

flesh

.

But

even

if

the

soul

is

,

on

their

hypothesis

,

supposed

to

be

incorporeal

,

so

that

the

soul

,

whatever

it

is

,

should

by

some

mysterious

force

of

the

reason

be

quite

unknown

,

only

not

be

a

body

,

then

in

that

case

it

were

not

beyond

the

power

of

God

—

indeed

it

would

be

more

consistent

with

His

plan

—

if

He

displayed

the

soul

in

some

new

sort

of

body

,

different

from

that

which

we

all

have

in

common

,

one

of

which

we

should

have

quite

a

different

notion

,

(

being

spared

the

idea

that

)

He

had

set

His

mind

on

making

,

without

an

adequate

cause

,

a

visible

soul

instead

of

an

invisible

one

—

a

fit

incentive

,

no

doubt

,

for

such

questions

as

they

start

,

by

their

maintenance

of

a

human

flesh

for

it

.

Christ

,

however

,

could

not

have

appeared

among

men

except

as

a

man

.

Restore

,

therefore

,

to

Christ

,

His

faith

;

believe

that

He

who

willed

to

walk

the

earth

as

a

man

exhibited

even

a

soul

of

a

thoroughly

human

condition

,

not

making

it

of

flesh

,

but

clothing

it

with

flesh

.

Notes

1
Demonstraretur: or, “should become apparent.”
2
Cui latebat.
3
Denique.
4
Isto modo.
5
An retro allegent.
6
Per quod sit.
7
Eam: the soul.
8
Dignius: i.e., “in a manner more worthy of Himself.”
9
Demonstrare.
10
Cassidem.
11
Deputetur.
12
Aliqua vi rationis: or, “by some power of its own condition.”
13
Demonstrare.
14
Notitiæ.
15
Ne.
16
Gestisset.
17
Ex.
18
Istis.
19
In illam: perhaps “in it,” as if an ablative case, not an unusual construction in Tertullian.