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On the Flesh of Christ

Tertullian

Chapter 17

About this work

Author: Tertullian

Chapter XVII.—The Similarity of Circumstances Between the First and the Second Adam, as to the Derivation of Their Flesh. An Analogy Also Pleasantly Traced Between Eve and the Virgin Mary.

But, leaving Alexander with his syllogisms, which he so

‹ Chapter 16 Chapter 18 ›

perversely

applies

in

his

discussions

,

as

well

as

with

the

hymns

of

Valentinus

,

which

,

with

consummate

assurance

,

he

interpolates

as

the

production

of

some

respectable

author

,

let

us

confine

our

inquiry

to

a

single

point

—

Whether

Christ

received

flesh

from

the

virgin

?

—

that

we

may

thus

arrive

at

a

certain

proof

that

His

flesh

was

human

,

if

He

derived

its

substance

from

His

mother’s

womb

,

although

we

are

at

once

furnished

with

clear

evidences

of

the

human

character

of

His

flesh

,

from

its

name

and

description

as

that

of

a

man

,

and

from

the

nature

of

its

constitution

,

and

from

the

system

of

its

sensations

,

and

from

its

suffering

of

death

.

Now

,

it

will

first

be

necessary

to

show

what

previous

reason

there

was

for

the

Son

of

God’s

being

born

of

a

virgin

.

He

who

was

going

to

consecrate

a

new

order

of

birth

,

must

Himself

be

born

after

a

novel

fashion

,

concerning

which

Isaiah

foretold

how

that

the

Lord

Himself

would

give

the

sign

.

What

,

then

,

is

the

sign

?

“

Behold

a

virgin

shall

conceive

and

bear

a

son

.

”

Accordingly

,

a

virgin

did

conceive

and

bear

“

Emmanuel

,

God

with

us

.

”

This

is

the

new

nativity

;

a

man

is

born

in

God

.

And

in

this

man

God

was

born

,

taking

the

flesh

of

an

ancient

race

,

without

the

help

,

however

,

of

the

ancient

seed

,

in

order

that

He

might

reform

it

with

a

new

seed

,

that

is

,

in

a

spiritual

manner

,

and

cleanse

it

by

the

re

-

moval

of

all

its

ancient

stains

.

But

the

whole

of

this

new

birth

was

prefigured

,

as

was

the

case

in

all

other

instances

,

in

ancient

type

,

the

Lord

being

born

as

man

by

a

dispensation

in

which

a

virgin

was

the

medium

.

The

earth

was

still

in

a

virgin

state

,

reduced

as

yet

by

no

human

labour

,

with

no

seed

as

yet

cast

into

its

furrows

,

when

,

as

we

are

told

,

God

made

man

out

of

it

into

a

living

soul

.

As

,

then

,

the

first

Adam

is

thus

introduced

to

us

,

it

is

a

just

inference

that

the

second

Adam

likewise

,

as

the

apostle

has

told

us

,

was

formed

by

God

into

a

quickening

spirit

out

of

the

ground

,

—

in

other

words

,

out

of

a

flesh

which

was

unstained

as

yet

by

any

human

generation

.

But

that

I

may

lose

no

opportunity

of

supporting

my

argument

from

the

name

of

Adam

,

why

is

Christ

called

Adam

by

the

apostle

,

unless

it

be

that

,

as

man

,

He

was

of

that

earthly

origin

?

And

even

reason

here

maintains

the

same

conclusion

,

because

it

was

by

just

the

contrary

operation

that

God

recovered

His

own

image

and

likeness

,

of

which

He

had

been

robbed

by

the

devil

.

For

it

was

while

Eve

was

yet

a

virgin

,

that

the

ensnaring

word

had

crept

into

her

ear

which

was

to

build

the

edifice

of

death

.

Into

a

virgin’s

soul

,

in

like

manner

,

must

be

introduced

that

Word

of

God

which

was

to

raise

the

fabric

of

life

;

so

that

what

had

been

reduced

to

ruin

by

this

sex

,

might

by

the

selfsame

sex

be

recovered

to

salvation

.

As

Eve

had

believed

the

serpent

,

so

Mary

believed

the

angel

.

The

delinquency

which

the

one

occasioned

by

believing

,

the

other

by

believing

effaced

.

But

(

it

will

be

said

)

Eve

did

not

at

the

devil’s

word

conceive

in

her

womb

.

Well

,

she

at

all

events

conceived

;

for

the

devil’s

word

afterwards

became

as

seed

to

her

that

she

should

conceive

as

an

outcast

,

and

bring

forth

in

sorrow

.

Indeed

she

gave

birth

to

a

fratricidal

devil

;

whilst

Mary

,

on

the

contrary

,

bare

one

who

was

one

day

to

secure

salvation

to

Israel

,

His

own

brother

after

the

flesh

,

and

the

murderer

of

Himself

.

God

therefore

sent

down

into

the

virgin’s

womb

His

Word

,

as

the

good

Brother

,

who

should

blot

out

the

memory

of

the

evil

brother

.

Hence

it

was

necessary

that

Christ

should

come

forth

for

the

salvation

of

man

,

in

that

condition

of

flesh

into

which

man

had

entered

ever

since

his

condemnation

.

Notes

1
Idonei.
2
Isa. vii. 14.
3
Matt. i. 23.
4
Gen. ii. 7.
5
Æmula.
6
Literally, “Gabriel.”