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On the Flesh of Christ

Tertullian

Chapter 5

About this work

Author: Tertullian

Chapter V.—Christ Truly Lived and Died in Human Flesh. Incidents of His Human Life on Earth, and Refutation of Marcion’s Docetic Parody of the Same.

There are, to be sure, other things also quite

‹ Chapter 4 Chapter 6 ›

as

foolish

(

as

the

birth

of

Christ

)

,

which

have

reference

to

the

humiliations

and

sufferings

of

God

.

Or

else

,

let

them

call

a

crucified

God

“

wisdom

.

”

But

Marcion

will

apply

the

knife

to

this

doctrine

also

,

and

even

with

greater

reason

.

For

which

is

more

unworthy

of

God

,

which

is

more

likely

to

raise

a

blush

of

shame

,

that

God

should

be

born

,

or

that

He

should

die

?

that

He

should

bear

the

flesh

,

or

the

cross

?

be

circumcised

,

or

be

crucified

?

be

cradled

,

or

be

coffined

?

be

laid

in

a

manger

,

or

in

a

tomb

?

Talk

of

“

wisdom

!

”

You

will

show

more

of

that

if

you

refuse

to

believe

this

also

.

But

,

after

all

,

you

will

not

be

“

wise

”

unless

you

become

a

“

fool

”

to

the

world

,

by

believing

“

the

foolish

things

of

God

.

”

Have

you

,

then

,

cut

away

all

sufferings

from

Christ

,

on

the

ground

that

,

as

a

mere

phantom

,

He

was

incapable

of

experiencing

them

?

We

have

said

above

that

He

might

possibly

have

undergone

the

unreal

mockeries

of

an

imaginary

birth

and

infancy

.

But

answer

me

at

once

,

you

that

murder

truth

:

Was

not

God

really

crucified

?

And

,

having

been

really

crucified

,

did

He

not

really

die

?

And

,

having

indeed

really

died

,

did

He

not

really

rise

again

?

Falsely

did

Paul

“

determine

to

know

nothing

amongst

us

but

Jesus

and

Him

crucified

;

”

falsely

has

he

impressed

upon

us

that

He

was

buried

;

falsely

inculcated

that

He

rose

again

.

False

,

therefore

,

is

our

faith

also

.

And

all

that

we

hope

for

from

Christ

will

be

a

phantom

.

O

thou

most

infamous

of

men

,

who

acquittest

of

all

guilt

the

murderers

of

God

!

For

nothing

did

Christ

suffer

from

them

,

if

He

really

suffered

nothing

at

all

.

Spare

the

whole

world’s

one

only

hope

,

thou

who

art

destroying

the

indispensable

dishonour

of

our

faith

.

Whatsoever

is

unworthy

of

God

,

is

of

gain

to

me

.

I

am

safe

,

if

I

am

not

ashamed

of

my

Lord

.

“

Whosoever

,

”

says

He

,

“

shall

be

ashamed

of

me

,

of

him

will

I

also

be

ashamed

.

”

Other

matters

for

shame

find

I

none

which

can

prove

me

to

be

shameless

in

a

good

sense

,

and

foolish

in

a

happy

one

,

by

my

own

contempt

of

shame

.

The

Son

of

God

was

crucified

;

I

am

not

ashamed

because

men

must

needs

be

ashamed

of

it

.

And

the

Son

of

God

died

;

it

is

by

all

means

to

be

believed

,

because

it

is

absurd

.

And

He

was

buried

,

and

rose

again

;

the

fact

is

certain

,

because

it

is

impossible

.

But

how

will

all

this

be

true

in

Him

,

if

He

was

not

Himself

true

—

if

He

really

had

not

in

Himself

that

which

might

be

crucified

,

might

die

,

might

be

buried

,

and

might

rise

again

?

I

mean

this

flesh

suffused

with

blood

,

built

up

with

bones

,

interwoven

with

nerves

,

entwined

with

veins

,

a

flesh

which

knew

how

to

be

born

,

and

how

to

die

,

human

without

doubt

,

as

born

of

a

human

being

.

It

will

therefore

be

mortal

in

Christ

,

because

Christ

is

man

and

the

Son

of

man

.

Else

why

is

Christ

man

and

the

Son

of

man

,

if

he

has

nothing

of

man

,

and

nothing

from

man

?

Unless

it

be

either

that

man

is

anything

else

than

flesh

,

or

man’s

flesh

comes

from

any

other

source

than

man

,

or

Mary

is

anything

else

than

a

human

being

,

or

Marcion’s

man

is

as

Marcion’s

god

.

Otherwise

Christ

could

not

be

described

as

being

man

without

flesh

,

nor

the

Son

of

man

without

any

human

parent

;

just

as

He

is

not

God

without

the

Spirit

of

God

,

nor

the

Son

of

God

without

having

God

for

His

father

.

Thus

the

nature

of

the

two

substances

displayed

Him

as

man

and

God

,

—

in

one

respect

born

,

in

the

other

unborn

;

in

one

respect

fleshly

,

in

the

other

spiritual

;

in

one

sense

weak

,

in

the

other

exceeding

strong

;

in

one

sense

dying

,

in

the

other

living

.

This

property

of

the

two

states

—

the

divine

and

the

human

—

is

distinctly

asserted

with

equal

truth

of

both

natures

alike

,

with

the

same

belief

both

in

respect

of

the

Spirit

and

of

the

flesh

.

The

powers

of

the

Spirit

,

proved

Him

to

be

God

,

His

sufferings

attested

the

flesh

of

man

.

If

His

powers

were

not

without

the

Spirit

in

like

manner

,

were

not

His

sufferings

without

the

flesh

.

If

His

flesh

with

its

sufferings

was

fictitious

,

for

the

same

reason

was

the

Spirit

false

with

all

its

powers

.

Wherefore

halve

Christ

with

a

lie

?

He

was

wholly

the

truth

.

Believe

me

,

He

chose

rather

to

be

born

,

than

in

any

part

to

pretend

—

and

that

indeed

to

His

own

detriment

—

that

He

was

bearing

about

a

flesh

hardened

without

bones

,

solid

without

muscles

,

bloody

without

blood

,

clothed

without

the

tunic

of

skin

,

hungry

without

appetite

,

eating

without

teeth

,

speaking

without

a

tongue

,

so

that

His

word

was

a

phantom

to

the

ears

through

an

imaginary

voice

.

A

phantom

,

too

,

it

was

of

course

after

the

resurrection

,

when

,

showing

His

hands

and

His

feet

for

the

disciples

to

examine

,

He

said

,

“

Behold

and

see

that

it

is

I

myself

,

for

a

spirit

hath

not

flesh

and

bones

,

as

ye

see

me

have

;

”

without

doubt

,

hands

,

and

feet

,

and

bones

are

not

what

a

spirit

possesses

,

but

only

the

flesh

.

How

do

you

interpret

this

statement

,

Marcion

,

you

who

tell

us

that

Jesus

comes

only

from

the

most

excellent

God

,

who

is

both

simple

and

good

?

See

how

He

rather

cheats

,

and

deceives

,

and

juggles

the

eyes

of

all

,

and

the

senses

of

all

,

as

well

as

their

access

to

and

contact

with

Him

!

You

ought

rather

to

have

brought

Christ

down

,

not

from

heaven

,

but

from

some

troop

of

mountebanks

,

not

as

God

besides

man

,

but

simply

as

a

man

,

a

magician

;

not

as

the

High

Priest

of

our

salvation

,

but

as

the

conjurer

in

a

show

;

not

as

the

raiser

of

the

dead

,

but

as

the

misleader

of

the

living

,

—

except

that

,

if

He

were

a

magician

,

He

must

have

had

a

nativity

!

Notes

1
Aufer, Marcion. Literally, “Destroy this also, O Marcion.”
2
Educari an sepeliri.
3
Recidisti.
4
Vacua ludibria.
5
Paul was of great authority in Marcion’s school.
6
1 Cor. ii. 2.
7
Excusas.
8
The humiliation which God endured, so indispensable a part of the Christian faith.
9
Matt. x. 33, Mark viii. 38, and Luke ix. 26.
10
Ineptum.
11
That is, imaginary and unreal.
12
Census: “the origin.”
13
Dispuncta est.
14
This term is almost a technical designation of the divine nature of Christ in Tertullian. (See our translation of the Anti-Marcion, p. 247, note 7, Edin.)
15
This term is almost a technical designation of the divine nature of Christ in Tertullian. (See our translation of the Anti-Marcion, p. 247, note 7, Edin.)
16
This term is almost a technical designation of the divine nature of Christ in Tertullian. (See our translation of the Anti-Marcion, p. 247, note 7, Edin.)
17
Dimidias.
18
See his Adv. Valentin, chap. 25.
19
Luke xxiv. 39.
20
Avocatorem.