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On the Flesh of Christ

Tertullian

Chapter 12

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Author: Tertullian

Chapter XII.—The True Functions of the Soul. Christ Assumed It in His Perfect Human Nature, Not to Reveal and Explain It, But to Save It. Its Resurrection with the Body Assured by Christ.

Well, now, let it be granted that the soul

‹ Chapter 11 Chapter 13 ›

is

made

apparent

by

the

flesh

,

on

the

assumption

that

it

was

evidently

necessary

that

it

should

be

made

apparent

in

some

way

or

other

,

that

is

,

as

being

incognizable

to

itself

and

to

us

:

there

is

still

an

absurd

distinction

in

this

hypothesis

,

which

implies

that

we

are

ourselves

separate

from

our

soul

,

when

all

that

we

are

is

soul

.

Indeed

,

without

the

soul

we

are

nothing

;

there

is

not

even

the

name

of

a

human

being

,

only

that

of

a

carcase

.

If

,

then

,

we

are

ignorant

of

the

soul

,

it

is

in

fact

the

soul

that

is

ignorant

of

itself

.

Thus

the

only

remaining

question

left

for

us

to

look

into

is

,

whether

the

soul

was

in

this

matter

so

ignorant

of

itself

that

it

became

known

in

any

way

it

could

.

The

soul

,

in

my

opinion

,

is

sensual

.

Nothing

,

therefore

,

pertaining

to

the

soul

is

unconnected

with

sense

,

nothing

pertaining

to

sense

is

unconnected

with

the

soul

.

And

if

I

may

use

the

expression

for

the

sake

of

emphasis

,

I

would

say

,

“

Animœ

anima

sensus

est

”

—

“

Sense

is

the

soul’s

very

soul

.

”

Now

,

since

it

is

the

soul

that

imparts

the

faculty

of

perception

to

all

(

that

have

sense

)

,

and

since

it

is

itself

that

perceives

the

very

senses

,

not

to

say

properties

,

of

them

all

,

how

is

it

likely

that

it

did

not

itself

receive

sense

as

its

own

natural

constitution

?

Whence

is

it

to

know

what

is

necessary

for

itself

under

given

circumstances

,

from

the

very

necessity

of

natural

causes

,

if

it

knows

not

its

own

property

,

and

what

is

necessary

for

it

?

To

recognise

this

indeed

is

within

the

competence

of

every

soul

;

it

has

,

I

mean

,

a

practical

knowledge

of

itself

,

without

which

knowledge

of

itself

no

soul

could

possibly

have

exercised

its

own

functions

.

I

suppose

,

too

,

that

it

is

especially

suitable

that

man

,

the

only

rational

animal

,

should

have

been

furnished

with

such

a

soul

as

would

make

him

the

rational

animal

,

itself

being

pre

-

eminently

rational

.

Now

,

how

can

that

soul

which

makes

man

a

rational

animal

be

itself

rational

if

it

be

itself

ignorant

of

its

rationality

,

being

ignorant

of

its

own

very

self

?

So

far

,

however

,

is

it

from

being

ignorant

,

that

it

knows

its

own

Author

,

its

own

Master

,

and

its

own

condition

.

Before

it

learns

anything

about

God

,

it

names

the

name

of

God

.

Before

it

acquires

any

knowledge

of

His

judgment

,

it

professes

to

commend

itself

to

God

.

There

is

nothing

one

oftener

hears

of

than

that

there

is

no

hope

after

death

;

and

yet

what

imprecations

or

deprecations

does

not

the

soul

use

according

as

the

man

dies

after

a

well

or

ill

spent

life

!

These

reflections

are

more

fully

pursued

in

a

short

treatise

which

we

have

written

,

“

On

the

Testimony

of

the

Soul

.

”

Besides

,

if

the

soul

was

ignorant

of

itself

from

the

beginning

,

there

is

nothing

it

could

have

learnt

of

Christ

except

its

own

quality

.

It

was

not

its

own

form

that

it

learnt

of

Christ

,

but

its

salvation

.

For

this

cause

did

the

Son

of

God

descend

and

take

on

Him

a

soul

,

not

that

the

soul

might

discover

itself

in

Christ

,

but

Christ

in

itself

.

For

its

salvation

is

endangered

,

not

by

its

being

ignorant

of

itself

,

but

of

the

word

of

God

.

“

The

life

,

”

says

He

,

“

was

manifested

,

”

not

the

soul

.

And

again

,

“

I

am

come

to

save

the

soul

.

”

He

did

not

say

,

“

to

explain

”

it

.

We

could

not

know

,

of

course

,

that

the

soul

,

although

an

invisible

essence

,

is

born

and

dies

,

unless

it

were

exhibited

corporeally

.

We

certainly

were

ignorant

that

it

was

to

rise

again

with

the

flesh

.

This

is

the

truth

which

it

will

be

found

was

manifested

by

Christ

.

But

even

this

He

did

not

manifest

in

Himself

in

a

different

way

than

in

some

Lazarus

,

whose

flesh

was

no

more

composed

of

soul

than

his

soul

was

of

flesh

.

What

further

knowledge

,

therefore

,

have

we

received

of

the

structure

of

the

soul

which

we

were

ignorant

of

before

?

What

invisible

part

was

there

belonging

to

it

which

wanted

to

be

made

visible

by

the

flesh

?

Notes

1
Ostensa sit.
2
Si constiterit.
3
Denique.
4
Quoquo modo.
5
Opinor.
6
Sensualis: endowed with sense.
7
Nihil animale sine sensu.
8
Nihil sensuale sine anima.
9
We should have been glad of a shorter phrase for sentire (“to use sense”), had the whole course of the passage permitted it.
10
Se ministrare.
11
See especially chap. iv. supra.
12
Debuerat.
13
Nisi qualis esset.
14
1 John i. 2.
15
Ostendere; see Luke ix. 56.
16
Nimirum.
17
Animalis.
18
Carnalis.
19
Dispositione.