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On the Flesh of Christ

Tertullian

Chapter 9

About this work

Author: Tertullian

Chapter IX.—Christ’s Flesh Perfectly Natural, Like Our Own. None of the Supernatural Features Which the Heretics Ascribed to It Discoverable, on a Careful View.

We have thus far gone on the principle, that nothing

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which

is

derived

from

some

other

thing

,

however

different

it

may

be

from

that

from

which

it

is

derived

,

is

so

different

as

not

to

suggest

the

source

from

which

it

comes

.

No

material

substance

is

without

the

witness

of

its

own

original

,

however

great

a

change

into

new

properties

it

may

have

undergone

.

There

is

this

very

body

of

ours

,

the

formation

of

which

out

of

the

dust

of

the

ground

is

a

truth

which

has

found

its

way

into

Gentile

fables

;

it

certainly

testifies

its

own

origin

from

the

two

elements

of

earth

and

water

,

—

from

the

former

by

its

flesh

,

from

the

latter

by

its

blood

.

Now

,

although

there

is

a

difference

in

the

appearance

of

qualities

(

in

other

words

,

that

which

proceeds

from

something

else

is

in

development

different

)

,

yet

,

after

all

,

what

is

blood

but

red

fluid

?

what

is

flesh

but

earth

in

an

especial

form

?

Consider

the

respective

qualities

,

—

of

the

muscles

as

clods

;

of

the

bones

as

stones

;

the

mammillary

glands

as

a

kind

of

pebbles

.

Look

upon

the

close

junctions

of

the

nerves

as

propagations

of

roots

,

and

the

branching

courses

of

the

veins

as

winding

rivulets

,

and

the

down

(

which

covers

us

)

as

moss

,

and

the

hair

as

grass

,

and

the

very

treasures

of

marrow

within

our

bones

as

ores

of

flesh

.

All

these

marks

of

the

earthy

origin

were

in

Christ

;

and

it

is

they

which

obscured

Him

as

the

Son

of

God

,

for

He

was

looked

on

as

man

,

for

no

other

reason

whatever

than

because

He

existed

in

the

corporeal

substance

of

a

man

.

Or

else

,

show

us

some

celestial

substance

in

Him

purloined

from

the

Bear

,

and

the

Pleiades

,

and

the

Hyades

.

Well

,

then

,

the

characteristics

which

we

have

enumerated

are

so

many

proofs

that

His

was

an

earthy

flesh

,

as

ours

is

;

but

anything

new

or

anything

strange

I

do

not

discover

.

Indeed

it

was

from

His

words

and

actions

only

,

from

His

teaching

and

miracles

solely

,

that

men

,

though

amazed

,

owned

Christ

to

be

man

.

But

if

there

had

been

in

Him

any

new

kind

of

flesh

miraculously

obtained

(

from

the

stars

)

,

it

would

have

been

certainly

well

known

.

As

the

case

stood

,

however

,

it

was

actually

the

ordinary

condition

of

His

terrene

flesh

which

made

all

things

else

about

Him

wonderful

,

as

when

they

said

,

“

Whence

hath

this

man

this

wisdom

and

these

mighty

works

?

”

Thus

spake

even

they

who

despised

His

outward

form

.

His

body

did

not

reach

even

to

human

beauty

,

to

say

nothing

of

heavenly

glory

.

Had

the

prophets

given

us

no

information

whatever

concerning

His

ignoble

appearance

,

His

very

sufferings

and

the

very

contumely

He

endured

bespeak

it

all

.

The

sufferings

attested

His

human

flesh

,

the

contumely

proved

its

abject

condition

.

Would

any

man

have

dared

to

touch

even

with

his

little

finger

,

the

body

of

Christ

,

if

it

had

been

of

an

unusual

nature

;

or

to

smear

His

face

with

spitting

,

if

it

had

not

invited

it

(

by

its

abjectness

)

?

Why

talk

of

a

heavenly

flesh

,

when

you

have

no

grounds

to

offer

us

for

your

celestial

theory

?

Why

deny

it

to

be

earthy

,

when

you

have

the

best

of

reasons

for

knowing

it

to

be

earthy

?

He

hungered

under

the

devil’s

temptation

;

He

thirsted

with

the

woman

of

Samaria

;

He

wept

over

Lazarus

;

He

trembles

at

death

(

for

“

the

flesh

,

”

as

He

says

,

“

is

weak

”

)

;

at

last

,

He

pours

out

His

blood

.

These

,

I

suppose

,

are

celestial

marks

?

But

how

,

I

ask

,

could

He

have

incurred

contempt

and

suffering

in

the

way

I

have

described

,

if

there

had

beamed

forth

in

that

flesh

of

His

aught

of

celestial

excellence

?

From

this

,

therefore

,

we

have

a

convincing

proof

that

in

it

there

was

nothing

of

heaven

,

because

it

must

be

capable

of

contempt

and

suffering

.

Notes

1
Fit.
2
Sua.
3
Metalla.
4
Christum hominem obstupescebant.
5
Notaretur.
6
Non mira.
7
Matt. xiii. 54.
8
Compare Isa. liii. 2. See also our Anti-Marcion, p. 153, Edin.
9
Novum: made of the stars.
10
Merentem.
11
Literally, “why do you suppose it to be celestial.”
12
Matt. xxvi. 41.