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On the Resurrection of the Flesh

Tertullian

Chapter 39

About this work

Author: Tertullian

Chapter XXXIX.—Additional Evidence Afforded to Us in the Acts of the Apostles.

The Acts of the Apostles, too, attest the

‹ Chapter 38 Chapter 40 ›

resurrection

.

Now

the

apostles

had

nothing

else

to

do

,

at

least

among

the

Jews

,

than

to

explain

the

Old

Testament

and

confirm

the

New

,

and

above

all

,

to

preach

God

in

Christ

.

Consequently

they

introduced

nothing

new

concerning

the

resurrection

,

besides

announcing

it

to

the

glory

of

Christ

:

in

every

other

respect

it

had

been

already

received

in

simple

and

intelligent

faith

,

without

any

question

as

to

what

sort

of

resurrection

it

was

to

be

,

and

without

encountering

any

other

opponents

than

the

Sadducees

.

So

much

easier

was

it

to

deny

the

resurrection

altogether

,

than

to

understand

it

in

an

alien

sense

.

You

find

Paul

confessing

his

faith

before

the

chief

priests

,

under

the

shelter

of

the

chief

captain

,

among

the

Sadducees

and

the

Pharisees

:

“

Men

and

brethren

,

”

he

says

,

“

I

am

a

Pharisee

,

the

son

of

a

Pharisee

;

of

the

hope

and

resurrection

of

the

dead

I

am

now

called

in

question

by

you

,

”

—

referring

,

of

course

,

to

the

nation’s

hope

;

in

order

to

avoid

,

in

his

present

condition

,

as

an

apparent

transgressor

of

the

law

,

being

thought

to

approach

to

the

Sadducees

in

opinion

on

the

most

important

article

of

the

faith

—

even

the

resurrection

.

That

belief

,

therefore

,

in

the

resurrection

which

he

would

not

appear

to

impair

,

he

really

confirmed

in

the

opinion

of

the

Pharisees

,

since

he

rejected

the

views

of

the

Sadducees

,

who

denied

it

.

In

like

manner

,

before

Agrippa

also

,

he

says

that

he

was

advancing

“

none

other

things

than

those

which

the

prophets

had

announced

.

”

He

was

therefore

maintaining

just

such

a

resurrection

as

the

prophets

had

foretold

.

He

mentions

also

what

is

written

by

“

Moses

,

”

touching

the

resurrection

of

the

dead

;

(

and

in

so

doing

)

he

must

have

known

that

it

would

be

a

rising

in

the

body

,

since

requisition

will

have

to

be

made

therein

of

the

blood

of

man

.

He

declared

it

then

to

be

of

such

a

character

as

the

Pharisees

had

admitted

it

,

and

such

as

the

Lord

had

Himself

maintained

it

,

and

such

too

as

the

Sadducees

refused

to

believe

it

—

such

refusal

leading

them

indeed

to

an

absolute

rejection

of

the

whole

verity

.

Nor

had

the

Athenians

previously

understood

Paul

to

announce

any

other

resurrection

.

They

had

,

in

fact

,

derided

his

announcement

;

but

they

would

have

indulged

no

such

derision

if

they

had

heard

from

him

nothing

but

the

restoration

of

the

soul

,

for

they

would

have

received

that

as

the

very

common

anticipation

of

their

own

native

philosophy

.

But

when

the

preaching

of

the

resurrection

,

of

which

they

had

previously

not

heard

,

by

its

absolute

novelty

excited

the

heathen

,

and

a

not

unnatural

incredulity

in

so

wonderful

a

matter

began

to

harass

the

simple

faith

with

many

discussions

,

then

the

apostle

took

care

in

almost

every

one

of

his

writings

to

strengthen

men’s

belief

of

this

Christian

hope

,

pointing

out

that

there

was

such

a

hope

,

and

that

it

had

not

as

yet

been

realized

,

and

that

it

would

be

in

the

body

,

—

a

point

which

was

the

especial

object

of

inquiry

,

and

,

what

was

besides

a

doubtful

question

,

not

in

a

body

of

a

different

kind

from

ours

.

Notes

1
Tertullian always refers to this book by a plural phrase.
2
Resignandi.
3
Consignandi.
4
Sub tribuno.
5
Acts xxiii. 6.
6
Acts xxvi. 22.
7
Gen. ix. 5, 6.
8
Acts xvii. 32.