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On the Flesh of Christ

Tertullian

Chapter 21

About this work

Author: Tertullian

Chapter XXI.—The Word of God Did Not Become Flesh Except in the Virgin’s Womb and of Her Substance. Through His Mother He is Descended from Her Great Ancestor David. He is Described Both in the Old and in the New Testament as “The Fruit of David’s Loins.”

Whereas, then, they contend that the novelty (

‹ Chapter 20 Chapter 22 ›

of

Christ’s

birth

)

consisted

in

this

,

that

as

the

Word

of

God

became

flesh

without

the

seed

of

a

human

father

,

so

there

should

be

no

flesh

of

the

virgin

mother

(

assisting

in

the

transaction

)

,

why

should

not

the

novelty

rather

be

confined

to

this

,

that

His

flesh

,

although

not

born

of

seed

,

should

yet

have

proceeded

from

flesh

?

I

should

like

to

go

more

closely

into

this

discussion

.

“

Behold

,

”

says

he

,

“

a

virgin

shall

conceive

in

the

womb

.

”

Conceive

what

?

I

ask

.

The

Word

of

God

,

of

course

,

and

not

the

seed

of

man

,

and

in

order

,

certainly

,

to

bring

forth

a

son

.

“

For

,

”

says

he

,

“

she

shall

bring

forth

a

son

.

”

Therefore

,

as

the

act

of

conception

was

her

own

,

so

also

what

she

brought

forth

was

her

own

,

also

,

although

the

cause

of

conception

was

not

.

If

,

on

the

other

hand

,

the

Word

became

flesh

of

Himself

,

then

He

both

conceived

and

brought

forth

Himself

,

and

the

prophecy

is

stultified

.

For

in

that

case

a

virgin

did

not

conceive

,

and

did

not

bring

forth

;

since

whatever

she

brought

forth

from

the

conception

of

the

Word

,

is

not

her

own

flesh

.

But

is

this

the

only

statement

of

prophecy

which

will

be

frustrated

?

Will

not

the

angel’s

announcement

also

be

subverted

,

that

the

virgin

should

“

conceive

in

her

womb

and

bring

forth

a

son

?

”

And

will

not

in

fact

every

scripture

which

declares

that

Christ

had

a

mother

?

For

how

could

she

have

been

His

mother

,

unless

He

had

been

in

her

womb

?

But

then

He

received

nothing

from

her

womb

which

could

make

her

a

mother

in

whose

womb

He

had

been

.

Such

a

name

as

this

a

strange

flesh

ought

not

to

assume

.

No

flesh

can

speak

of

a

mother’s

womb

but

that

which

is

itself

the

offspring

of

that

womb

;

nor

can

any

be

the

offspring

of

the

said

womb

if

it

owe

its

birth

solely

to

itself

.

Therefore

even

Elisabeth

must

be

silent

although

she

is

carrying

in

her

womb

the

prophetic

babe

,

which

was

already

conscious

of

his

Lord

,

and

is

,

moreover

,

filled

with

the

Holy

Ghost

.

For

without

reason

does

she

say

,

“

and

whence

is

this

to

me

that

the

mother

of

my

Lord

should

come

to

me

?

”

If

it

was

not

as

her

son

,

but

only

as

a

stranger

that

Mary

carried

Jesus

in

her

womb

,

how

is

it

she

says

,

“

Blessed

is

the

fruit

of

thy

womb

”

?

What

is

this

fruit

of

the

womb

,

which

received

not

its

germ

from

the

womb

,

which

had

not

its

root

in

the

womb

,

which

belongs

not

to

her

whose

is

the

womb

,

and

which

is

no

doubt

the

real

fruit

of

the

womb

—

even

Christ

?

Now

,

since

He

is

the

blossom

of

the

stem

which

sprouts

from

the

root

of

Jesse

;

since

,

moreover

,

the

root

of

Jesse

is

the

family

of

David

,

and

the

stem

of

the

root

is

Mary

descended

from

David

,

and

the

blossom

of

the

stem

is

Mary’s

son

,

who

is

called

Jesus

Christ

,

will

not

He

also

be

the

fruit

?

For

the

blossom

is

the

fruit

,

because

through

the

blossom

and

from

the

blossom

every

product

advances

from

its

rudimental

condition

to

perfect

fruit

.

What

then

?

They

,

deny

to

the

fruit

its

blossom

,

and

to

the

blossom

its

stem

,

and

to

the

stem

its

root

;

so

that

the

root

fails

to

secure

for

itself

,

by

means

of

the

stem

,

that

special

product

which

comes

from

the

stem

,

even

the

blossom

and

the

fruit

;

for

every

step

indeed

in

a

genealogy

is

traced

from

the

latest

up

to

the

first

,

so

that

it

is

now

a

well

-

known

fact

that

the

flesh

of

Christ

is

inseparable

,

not

merely

from

Mary

,

but

also

from

David

through

Mary

,

and

from

Jesse

through

David

.

“

This

fruit

,

”

therefore

,

“

of

David’s

loins

,

”

that

is

to

say

,

of

his

posterity

in

the

flesh

,

God

swears

to

him

that

“

He

will

raise

up

to

sit

upon

his

throne

.

”

If

“

of

David’s

loins

,

”

how

much

rather

is

He

of

Mary’s

loins

,

by

virtue

of

whom

He

is

in

“

the

loins

of

David

?

”

Notes

1
Isa. vii. 14; Matt. i. 23.
2
See the same passages.
3
Ipsius.
4
Quod concepit: or, “what she conceived.”
5
Evacuabitur.
6
Luke i. 31.
7
An objection.
8
The rejoinder.
9
Luke i. 41.
10
Ver. 43.
11
Ver. 42.
12
Eruditur.
13
Quominus vindicet.
14
Adhærere.
15
Ps. cxxxii. 11; also Acts ii. 30.