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On the Resurrection of the Flesh

Tertullian

Chapter 15

About this work

Author: Tertullian

Chapter XV.—As the Flesh is a Partaker with the Soul in All Human Conduct, So Will It Be in the Recompense of Eternity.

Come now, let our opponents sever the connection of

‹ Chapter 14 Chapter 16 ›

the

flesh

with

the

soul

in

the

affairs

of

life

,

that

they

may

be

emboldened

to

sunder

it

also

in

the

recompense

of

life

.

Let

them

deny

their

association

in

acts

,

that

they

may

be

fairly

able

to

deny

also

their

participation

in

rewards

.

The

flesh

ought

not

to

have

any

share

in

the

sentence

,

if

it

had

none

in

the

cause

of

it

.

Let

the

soul

alone

be

called

back

,

if

it

alone

went

away

.

But

(

nothing

of

the

kind

ever

happened

)

;

for

the

soul

alone

no

more

departed

from

life

,

than

it

ran

through

alone

the

course

from

which

it

departed

—

I

mean

this

present

life

.

Indeed

,

the

soul

alone

is

so

far

from

conducting

(

the

affairs

of

)

life

,

that

we

do

not

withdraw

from

community

with

the

flesh

even

our

thoughts

,

however

isolated

they

be

,

however

unprecipitated

into

act

by

means

of

the

flesh

;

since

whatever

is

done

in

man’s

heart

is

done

by

the

soul

in

the

flesh

,

and

with

the

flesh

,

and

through

the

flesh

.

The

Lord

Himself

,

in

short

,

when

rebuking

our

thoughts

,

includes

in

His

censures

this

aspect

of

the

flesh

,

(

man’s

heart

)

,

the

citadel

of

the

soul

:

“

Why

think

ye

evil

in

your

hearts

?

”

and

again

:

“

Whosoever

looketh

on

a

woman

,

to

lust

after

her

,

hath

already

committed

adultery

with

her

in

his

heart

.

”

So

that

even

the

thought

,

without

operation

and

without

effect

,

is

an

act

of

the

flesh

.

But

if

you

allow

that

the

faculty

which

rules

the

senses

,

and

which

they

call

Hegemonikon

,

has

its

sanctuary

in

the

brain

,

or

in

the

interval

between

the

eyebrows

,

or

wheresoever

the

philosophers

are

pleased

to

locate

it

,

the

flesh

will

still

be

the

thinking

place

of

the

soul

.

The

soul

is

never

without

the

flesh

,

as

long

as

it

is

in

the

flesh

.

There

is

nothing

which

the

flesh

does

not

transact

in

company

with

the

soul

,

when

without

it

it

does

not

exist

.

Consider

carefully

,

too

,

whether

the

thoughts

are

not

administered

by

the

flesh

,

since

it

is

through

the

flesh

that

they

are

distinguished

and

known

externally

.

Let

the

soul

only

meditate

some

design

,

the

face

gives

the

indication

—

the

face

being

the

mirror

of

all

our

intentions

.

They

may

deny

all

combination

in

acts

,

but

they

cannot

gainsay

their

co

-

operation

in

thoughts

.

Still

they

enumerate

the

sins

of

the

flesh

;

surely

,

then

,

for

its

sinful

conduct

it

must

be

consigned

to

punishment

.

But

we

,

moreover

,

allege

against

them

the

virtues

of

the

flesh

;

surely

also

for

its

virtuous

conduct

it

deserves

a

future

reward

.

Again

,

as

it

is

the

soul

which

acts

and

impels

us

in

all

we

do

,

so

it

is

the

function

of

the

flesh

to

render

obedience

.

Now

we

are

not

permitted

to

suppose

that

God

is

either

unjust

or

idle

.

Unjust

,

(

however

He

would

be

,

)

were

He

to

exclude

from

reward

the

flesh

which

is

associated

in

good

works

;

and

idle

,

were

He

to

exempt

it

from

punishment

,

when

it

has

been

an

accomplice

in

evil

deeds

:

whereas

human

judgment

is

deemed

to

be

the

more

perfect

,

when

it

discovers

the

agents

in

every

deed

,

and

neither

spares

the

guilty

nor

grudges

the

virtuous

their

full

share

of

either

punishment

or

praise

with

the

principals

who

employed

their

services

.

Notes

1
Matt. ix. 4.
2
Matt. v. 28.
3
The leading power.