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On the Flesh of Christ

Tertullian

Chapter 8

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Author: Tertullian

Chapter VIII.—Apelles and His Followers, Displeased with Our Earthly Bodies, Attributed to Christ a Body of a Purer Sort. How Christ Was Heavenly Even in His Earthly Flesh.

These passages alone, in which Apelles and Marcion seem to

‹ Chapter 7 Chapter 9 ›

place

their

chief

reliance

when

interpreted

according

to

the

truth

of

the

entire

uncorrupted

gospel

,

ought

to

have

been

sufficient

for

proving

the

human

flesh

of

Christ

by

a

defence

of

His

birth

.

But

since

Apelles

’

precious

set

lay

a

very

great

stress

on

the

shameful

condition

of

the

flesh

,

which

they

will

have

to

have

been

furnished

with

souls

tampered

with

by

the

fiery

author

of

evil

,

and

so

unworthy

of

Christ

;

and

because

they

on

that

account

suppose

that

a

sidereal

substance

is

suitable

for

Him

,

I

am

bound

to

refute

them

on

their

own

ground

.

They

mention

a

certain

angel

of

great

renown

as

having

created

this

world

of

ours

,

and

as

having

,

after

the

creation

,

repented

of

his

work

.

This

indeed

we

have

treated

of

in

a

passage

by

itself

;

for

we

have

written

a

little

work

in

opposition

to

them

,

on

the

question

whether

one

who

had

the

spirit

,

and

will

,

and

power

of

Christ

for

such

operations

,

could

have

done

anything

which

required

repentance

,

since

they

describe

the

said

angel

by

the

figure

of

“

the

lost

sheep

.

”

The

world

,

then

,

must

be

a

wrong

thing

,

according

to

the

evidence

of

its

Creator’s

repentance

;

for

all

repentance

is

the

admission

of

fault

,

nor

has

it

indeed

any

existence

except

through

fault

.

Now

,

if

the

world

is

a

fault

,

as

is

the

body

,

such

must

be

its

parts

—

faulty

too

;

so

in

like

manner

must

be

the

heaven

and

its

celestial

(

contents

)

,

and

everything

which

is

conceived

and

produced

out

of

it

.

And

“

a

corrupt

tree

must

needs

bring

forth

evil

fruit

.

”

The

flesh

of

Christ

,

therefore

,

if

composed

of

celestial

elements

,

consists

of

faulty

materials

,

sinful

by

reason

of

its

sinful

origin

;

so

that

it

must

be

a

part

of

that

substance

which

they

disdain

to

clothe

Christ

with

,

because

of

its

sinfulness

,

—

in

other

words

,

our

own

.

Then

,

as

there

is

no

difference

in

the

point

of

ignominy

,

let

them

either

devise

for

Christ

some

substance

of

a

purer

stamp

,

since

they

are

displeased

with

our

own

,

or

else

let

them

recognise

this

too

,

than

which

even

a

heavenly

substance

could

not

have

been

better

.

We

read

in

so

many

words

:

“

The

first

man

is

of

the

earth

,

earthy

;

the

second

man

is

the

Lord

from

heaven

.

”

This

passage

,

however

,

has

nothing

to

do

with

any

difference

of

substance

;

it

only

contrasts

with

the

once

“

earthy

”

substance

of

the

flesh

of

the

first

man

,

Adam

,

the

“

heavenly

”

substance

of

the

spirit

of

the

second

man

,

Christ

.

And

so

entirely

does

the

passage

refer

the

celestial

man

to

the

spirit

and

not

to

the

flesh

,

that

those

whom

it

compares

to

Him

evidently

become

celestial

—

by

the

Spirit

,

of

course

—

even

in

this

“

earthy

flesh

.

”

Now

,

since

Christ

is

heavenly

even

in

regard

to

the

flesh

,

they

could

not

be

compared

to

Him

,

who

are

not

heavenly

in

reference

to

their

flesh

.

If

,

then

,

they

who

become

heavenly

,

as

Christ

also

was

,

carry

about

an

“

earthy

”

substance

of

flesh

,

the

conclusion

which

is

affirmed

by

this

fact

is

,

that

Christ

Himself

also

was

heavenly

,

but

in

an

“

earthy

”

flesh

,

even

as

they

are

who

are

put

on

a

level

with

Him

.

Notes

1
Isti Apelleiaci.
2
Ignominiam.
3
Ab igneo illo præside mali: see Tertullian’s de Anima. xxiii.; de Resur. Carn. v.; Adv. Omnes Hæres. vi.
4
Peccatum.
5
Mundus is here the universe or entire creation.
6
Matt. vii. 17.
7
Censu.
8
Plane.
9
1 Cor. xv. 47.
10
Retro.
11
Secundum carnem.
12
Ei adæquantur.