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On the Flesh of Christ

Tertullian

Chapter 14

About this work

Author: Tertullian

Chapter XIV.—Christ Took Not on Him an Angelic Nature, But the Human. It Was Men, Not Angels, Whom He Came to Save.

But Christ, they say, bare (the nature of

‹ Chapter 13 Chapter 15 ›

)

an

angel

.

For

what

reason

?

The

same

which

induced

Him

to

become

man

?

Christ

,

then

,

was

actuated

by

the

motive

which

led

Him

to

take

human

nature

.

Man’s

salvation

was

the

motive

,

the

restoration

of

that

which

had

perished

.

Man

had

perished

;

his

recovery

had

become

necessary

.

No

such

cause

,

however

,

existed

for

Christ’s

taking

on

Him

the

nature

of

angels

.

For

although

there

is

assigned

to

angels

also

perdition

in

“

the

fire

prepared

for

the

devil

and

his

angels

,

”

yet

a

restoration

is

never

promised

to

them

.

No

charge

about

the

salvation

of

angels

did

Christ

ever

receive

from

the

Father

;

and

that

which

the

Father

neither

promised

nor

commanded

,

Christ

could

not

have

undertaken

.

For

what

object

,

therefore

,

did

He

bear

the

angelic

nature

,

if

it

were

not

(

that

He

might

have

it

)

as

a

powerful

helper

wherewithal

to

execute

the

salvation

of

man

?

The

Son

of

God

,

in

sooth

,

was

not

competent

alone

to

deliver

man

,

whom

a

solitary

and

single

serpent

had

overthrown

!

There

is

,

then

,

no

longer

but

one

God

,

but

one

Saviour

,

if

there

be

two

to

contrive

salvation

,

and

one

of

them

in

need

of

the

other

.

But

was

it

His

object

indeed

to

deliver

man

by

an

angel

?

Why

,

then

,

come

down

to

do

that

which

He

was

about

to

expedite

with

an

angel’s

help

?

If

by

an

angel’s

aid

,

why

come

Himself

also

?

If

He

meant

to

do

all

by

Himself

,

why

have

an

angel

too

?

He

has

been

,

it

is

true

,

called

“

the

Angel

of

great

counsel

,

”

that

is

,

a

messenger

,

by

a

term

expressive

of

official

function

,

not

of

nature

.

For

He

had

to

announce

to

the

world

the

mighty

purpose

of

the

Father

,

even

that

which

ordained

the

restoration

of

man

.

But

He

is

not

on

this

account

to

be

regarded

as

an

angel

,

as

a

Gabriel

or

a

Michael

.

For

the

Lord

of

the

Vineyard

sends

even

His

Son

to

the

labourers

to

require

fruit

,

as

well

as

His

servants

.

Yet

the

Son

will

not

therefore

be

counted

as

one

of

the

servants

because

He

undertook

the

office

of

a

servant

.

I

may

,

then

,

more

easily

say

,

if

such

an

expression

is

to

be

hazarded

,

that

the

Son

is

actually

an

angel

,

that

is

,

a

messenger

,

from

the

Father

,

than

that

there

is

an

angel

in

the

Son

.

Forasmuch

,

however

,

as

it

has

been

declared

concerning

the

Son

Himself

,

“

Thou

hast

made

Him

a

little

lower

than

the

angels

”

how

will

it

appear

that

He

put

on

the

nature

of

angels

if

He

was

made

lower

than

the

angels

,

having

become

man

,

with

flesh

and

soul

as

the

Son

of

man

?

As

“

the

Spirit

of

God

,

”

however

,

and

“

the

Power

of

the

Highest

,

”

can

He

be

regarded

as

lower

than

the

angels

,

—

He

who

is

verily

God

,

and

the

Son

of

God

?

Well

,

but

as

bearing

human

nature

,

He

is

so

far

made

inferior

to

the

angels

;

but

as

bearing

angelic

nature

,

He

to

the

same

degree

loses

that

inferiority

.

This

opinion

will

be

very

suitable

for

Ebion

,

who

holds

Jesus

to

be

a

mere

man

,

and

nothing

more

than

a

descendant

of

David

,

and

not

also

the

Son

of

God

;

although

He

is

,

to

be

sure

,

in

one

respect

more

glorious

than

the

prophets

,

inasmuch

as

he

declares

that

there

was

an

angel

in

Him

,

just

as

there

was

in

Zechariah

.

Only

it

was

never

said

by

Christ

,

“

And

the

angel

,

which

spake

within

me

,

said

unto

me

.

”

Neither

,

indeed

,

was

ever

used

by

Christ

that

familiar

phrase

of

all

the

prophets

,

“

Thus

saith

the

Lord

.

”

For

He

was

Himself

the

Lord

,

who

openly

spake

by

His

own

authority

,

prefacing

His

words

with

the

formula

,

“

Verily

,

verily

,

I

say

unto

you

.

”

What

need

is

there

of

further

argument

?

Hear

what

Isaiah

says

in

emphatic

words

,

“

It

was

no

angel

,

nor

deputy

,

but

the

Lord

Himself

who

saved

them

.

”

Notes

1
Gestavit.
2
Matt. xxv. 41.
3
Satellitem.
4
Si forte.
5
Ps. viii. 5.
6
For this designation of the divine nature in Christ, see our Anti-Marcion, p. 247, note 7, Edin.
7
Luke i. 35.
8
Hebioni.
9
Plane.
10
Zech. i. 14.
11
Isa. lxiii. 9.