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On the Resurrection of the Flesh

Tertullian

Chapter 45

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Author: Tertullian

Chapter XLV.—The Old Man and the New Man of St. Paul Explained.

But in their blindness they again impale themselves on the

‹ Chapter 44 Chapter 46 ›

point

of

the

old

and

the

new

man

.

When

the

apostle

enjoins

us

“

to

put

off

the

old

man

,

which

is

corrupt

according

to

the

deceitful

lusts

;

and

to

be

renewed

in

the

spirit

of

our

mind

;

and

to

put

on

the

new

man

,

which

after

God

is

created

in

righteousness

and

true

holiness

,

”

(

they

maintain

)

that

by

here

also

making

a

distinction

between

the

two

substances

,

and

applying

the

old

one

to

the

flesh

and

the

new

one

to

the

spirit

,

he

ascribes

to

the

old

man

—

that

is

to

say

,

the

flesh

—

a

permanent

corruption

.

Now

,

if

you

follow

the

order

of

the

substances

,

the

soul

cannot

be

the

new

man

because

it

comes

the

later

of

the

two

;

nor

can

the

flesh

be

the

old

man

because

it

is

the

former

.

For

what

fraction

of

time

was

it

that

intervened

between

the

creative

hand

of

God

and

His

afflatus

?

I

will

venture

to

say

,

that

even

if

the

soul

was

a

good

deal

prior

to

the

flesh

,

by

the

very

circumstance

that

the

soul

had

to

wait

to

be

itself

completed

,

it

made

the

other

really

the

former

.

For

everything

which

gives

the

finishing

stroke

and

perfection

to

a

work

,

although

it

is

subsequent

in

its

mere

order

,

yet

has

the

priority

in

its

effect

.

Much

more

is

that

prior

,

without

which

preceding

things

could

have

no

existence

.

If

the

flesh

be

the

old

man

,

when

did

it

become

so

?

From

the

beginning

?

But

Adam

was

wholly

a

new

man

,

and

of

that

new

man

there

could

be

no

part

an

old

man

.

And

from

that

time

,

ever

since

the

blessing

which

was

pronounced

upon

man’s

generation

,

the

flesh

and

the

soul

have

had

a

simultaneous

birth

,

without

any

calculable

difference

in

time

;

so

that

the

two

have

been

even

generated

together

in

the

womb

,

as

we

have

shown

in

our

Treatise

on

the

Soul

.

Contemporaneous

in

the

womb

,

they

are

also

temporally

identical

in

their

birth

.

The

two

are

no

doubt

produced

by

human

parents

of

two

substances

,

but

not

at

two

different

periods

;

rather

they

are

so

entirely

one

,

that

neither

is

before

the

other

in

point

of

time

.

It

is

more

correct

(

to

say

)

,

that

we

are

either

entirely

the

old

man

or

entirely

the

new

,

for

we

cannot

tell

how

we

can

possibly

be

anything

else

.

But

the

apostle

mentions

a

very

clear

mark

of

the

old

man

.

For

“

put

off

,

”

says

he

,

“

concerning

the

former

conversation

,

the

old

man

;

”

(

he

does

)

not

say

concerning

the

seniority

of

either

substance

.

It

is

not

indeed

the

flesh

which

he

bids

us

to

put

off

,

but

the

works

which

he

in

another

passage

shows

to

be

“

works

of

the

flesh

.

”

He

brings

no

accusation

against

men’s

bodies

,

of

which

he

even

writes

as

follows

:

“

Putting

away

lying

,

speak

every

man

truth

with

his

neighbor

:

for

we

are

members

one

of

another

.

Be

ye

angry

,

and

sin

not

:

let

not

the

sun

go

down

upon

your

wrath

:

neither

give

place

to

the

devil

.

Let

him

that

stole

steal

no

more

:

but

rather

let

him

labour

,

working

with

his

hands

(

the

thing

which

is

good

)

,

that

he

may

have

to

give

to

him

that

needeth

.

Let

no

corrupt

communication

proceed

out

of

your

mouth

,

but

that

which

is

good

for

the

edification

of

faith

,

that

it

may

minister

grace

unto

the

hearers

.

And

grieve

not

the

Holy

Spirit

of

God

,

whereby

ye

are

sealed

unto

the

day

of

redemption

.

Let

all

bitterness

,

and

wrath

,

and

anger

,

and

clamour

,

and

evil

-

speaking

,

be

put

away

from

you

,

with

all

malice

:

but

be

ye

kind

one

to

another

,

tender

-

hearted

,

forgiving

one

another

,

even

as

God

in

Christ

hath

forgiven

you

.

”

Why

,

therefore

,

do

not

those

who

suppose

the

flesh

to

be

the

old

man

,

hasten

their

own

death

,

in

order

that

by

laying

aside

the

old

man

they

may

satisfy

the

apostle’s

precepts

?

As

for

ourselves

,

we

believe

that

the

whole

of

faith

is

to

be

administered

in

the

flesh

,

nay

more

,

by

the

flesh

,

which

has

both

a

mouth

for

the

utterance

of

all

holy

words

,

and

a

tongue

to

refrain

from

blasphemy

,

and

a

heart

to

avoid

all

irritation

,

and

hands

to

labour

and

to

give

;

while

we

also

maintain

that

as

well

the

old

man

as

the

new

has

relation

to

the

difference

of

moral

conduct

,

and

not

to

any

discrepancy

of

nature

.

And

just

as

we

acknowledge

that

which

according

to

its

former

conversation

was

“

the

old

man

”

was

also

corrupt

,

and

received

its

very

name

in

accordance

with

“

its

deceitful

lusts

,

”

so

also

(

do

we

hold

)

that

it

is

“

the

old

man

in

reference

to

its

former

conversation

,

”

and

not

in

respect

of

the

flesh

through

any

permanent

dissolution

.

Moreover

,

it

is

still

unimpaired

in

the

flesh

,

and

identical

in

that

nature

,

even

when

it

has

become

“

the

new

man

;

”

since

it

is

of

its

sinful

course

of

life

,

and

not

of

its

corporeal

substance

,

that

it

has

been

divested

.

Notes

1
Eph. iv. 22–24.
2
The flesh.
3
Gen. i. 28.
4
See ch. xxvii.
5
We treat “homines” as a nominative, after Oehler.
6
Eph. iv. 22.
7
Gal. v. 19.
8
Eph. iv. 25–32.
9
Eph. iv. 22.