Opening the library…

Search the Bible

On the Resurrection of the Flesh

Tertullian

Chapter 22

About this work

Author: Tertullian

Chapter XXII.—The Scriptures Forbid Our Supposing Either that the Resurrection is Already Past, or that It Takes Place Immediately at Death. Our Hopes and Prayers Point to the Last Great Day as the Period of Its Accomplishment.

We must after all this turn our attention to

‹ Chapter 21 Chapter 23 ›

those

scriptures

also

which

forbid

our

belief

in

such

a

resurrection

as

is

held

by

your

Animalists

(

for

I

will

not

call

them

Spiritualists

)

,

that

it

is

either

to

be

assumed

as

taking

place

now

,

as

soon

as

men

come

to

the

knowledge

of

the

truth

,

or

else

that

it

is

accomplished

immediately

after

their

departure

from

this

life

.

Now

,

forasmuch

as

the

seasons

of

our

entire

hope

have

been

fixed

in

the

Holy

Scripture

,

and

since

we

are

not

permitted

to

place

the

accomplishment

thereof

,

as

I

apprehend

,

Christ’s

coming

,

our

prayers

are

directed

towards

the

end

of

this

world

,

to

the

passing

away

thereof

at

the

great

day

of

the

Lord

—

of

His

wrath

and

vengeance

—

the

last

day

,

which

is

hidden

(

from

all

)

,

and

known

to

none

but

the

Father

,

although

announced

beforehand

by

signs

and

wonders

,

and

the

dissolution

of

the

elements

,

and

the

conflicts

of

nations

.

I

would

turn

out

the

words

of

the

prophets

,

if

the

Lord

Himself

had

said

nothing

(

except

that

prophecies

were

the

Lord’s

own

word

)

;

but

it

is

more

to

my

purpose

that

He

by

His

own

mouth

confirms

their

statement

.

Being

questioned

by

His

disciples

when

those

things

were

to

come

to

pass

which

He

had

just

been

uttering

about

the

destruction

of

the

temple

,

He

discourses

to

them

first

of

the

order

of

Jewish

events

until

the

overthrow

of

Jerusalem

,

and

then

of

such

as

concerned

all

nations

up

to

the

very

end

of

the

world

.

For

after

He

had

declared

that

“

Jerusalem

was

to

be

trodden

down

of

the

Gentiles

,

until

the

times

of

the

Gentiles

should

be

fulfilled

,

”

—

meaning

,

of

course

,

those

which

were

to

be

chosen

of

God

,

and

gathered

in

with

the

remnant

of

Israel

—

He

then

goes

on

to

proclaim

,

against

this

world

and

dispensation

(

even

as

Joel

had

done

,

and

Daniel

,

and

all

the

prophets

with

one

consent

)

,

that

“

there

should

be

signs

in

the

sun

,

and

in

the

moon

,

and

in

the

stars

,

distress

of

nations

with

perplexity

,

the

sea

and

the

waves

roaring

,

men’s

hearts

failing

them

for

fear

,

and

for

looking

after

those

things

which

are

coming

on

the

earth

.

”

“

For

,

”

says

He

,

“

the

powers

of

heaven

shall

be

shaken

;

and

then

shall

they

see

the

Son

of

man

coming

in

the

clouds

,

with

power

and

great

glory

.

And

when

these

things

begin

to

come

to

pass

,

then

look

up

,

and

lift

up

your

heads

,

for

your

redemption

draweth

nigh

.

”

He

spake

of

its

“

drawing

nigh

,

”

not

of

its

being

present

already

;

and

of

“

those

things

beginning

to

come

to

pass

,

”

not

of

their

having

happened

:

because

when

they

have

come

to

pass

,

then

our

redemption

shall

be

at

hand

,

which

is

said

to

be

approaching

up

to

that

time

,

raising

and

exciting

our

minds

to

what

is

then

the

proximate

harvest

of

our

hope

.

He

immediately

annexes

a

parable

of

this

in

“

the

trees

which

are

tenderly

sprouting

into

a

flower

-

stalk

,

and

then

developing

the

flower

,

which

is

the

precursor

of

the

fruit

.

”

“

So

likewise

ye

,

”

(

He

adds

)

,

“

when

ye

shall

see

all

these

things

come

to

pass

,

know

ye

that

the

kingdom

of

heaven

is

nigh

at

hand

.

”

“

Watch

ye

,

therefore

,

and

pray

always

,

that

ye

may

be

accounted

worthy

to

escape

all

those

things

,

and

to

stand

before

the

Son

of

man

;

”

that

is

,

no

doubt

,

at

the

resurrection

,

after

all

these

things

have

been

previously

transacted

.

Therefore

,

although

there

is

a

sprouting

in

the

acknowledgment

of

all

this

mystery

,

yet

it

is

only

in

the

actual

presence

of

the

Lord

that

the

flower

is

developed

and

the

fruit

borne

.

Who

is

it

then

,

that

has

aroused

the

Lord

,

now

at

God’s

right

hand

,

so

unseasonably

and

with

such

severity

“

shake

terribly

”

(

as

Isaiah

expresses

it

)

“

that

earth

,

”

which

,

I

suppose

,

is

as

yet

unshattered

?

Who

has

thus

early

put

“

Christ’s

enemies

beneath

His

feet

”

(

to

use

the

language

of

David

)

,

making

Him

more

hurried

than

the

Father

,

whilst

every

crowd

in

our

popular

assemblies

is

still

with

shouts

consigning

“

the

Christians

to

the

lions

?

”

Who

has

yet

beheld

Jesus

descending

from

heaven

in

like

manner

as

the

apostles

saw

Him

ascend

,

according

to

the

appointment

of

the

two

angels

?

Up

to

the

present

moment

they

have

not

,

tribe

by

tribe

,

smitten

their

breasts

,

looking

on

Him

whom

they

pierced

.

No

one

has

as

yet

fallen

in

with

Elias

;

no

one

has

as

yet

escaped

from

Antichrist

;

no

one

has

as

yet

had

to

bewail

the

downfall

of

Babylon

.

And

is

there

now

anybody

who

has

risen

again

,

except

the

heretic

?

He

,

of

course

,

has

already

quitted

the

grave

of

his

own

corpse

—

although

he

is

even

now

liable

to

fevers

and

ulcers

;

he

,

too

,

has

already

trodden

down

his

enemies

—

although

he

has

even

now

to

struggle

with

the

powers

of

the

world

.

And

as

a

matter

of

course

,

he

is

already

a

king

—

although

he

even

now

owes

to

Cæsar

the

things

which

are

Cæsar’s

.

Notes

1
For the opinions of those Valentinians who held that Christ’s flesh was composed of soul or of spirit—a refined, ethereal substance—see Tertullian’s De Carne Christi, cc. x.–xv.
2
Suspirant in.
3
Luke xxi. 24.
4
Joel iii. 9–15; Dan. vii. 13, 14.
5
Luke xxi. 25, 26.
6
Vers. 26–28.
7
Luke xxi. 29, 30; Matt. xxiv. 32.
8
Luke xxi. 31; Matt. xxiv. 33.
9
Luke xxi. 36.
10
Isa. ii. 19.
11
Ps. cx. 1.
12
Compare The Apology, xl.; De Spect. xxvii.; De Exhort. Cast. xii.
13
Acts i. 11.
14
Zech. xii. 10; comp. John xix. 37.
15
Mal. iv. 5.
16
1 John iv. 3.
17
Rev. xviii. 2.
18
Matt. xxii. 21.