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On the Resurrection of the Flesh

Tertullian

Chapter 51

About this work

Author: Tertullian

Chapter LI.—The Session of Jesus in His Incarnate Nature at the Right Hand of God a Guarantee of the Resurrection of Our Flesh.

That, however, which we have reserved for a

‹ Chapter 50 Chapter 52 ›

concluding

argument

,

will

now

stand

as

a

plea

for

all

,

and

for

the

apostle

himself

,

who

in

very

deed

would

have

to

be

charged

with

extreme

indiscretion

,

if

he

had

so

abruptly

,

as

some

will

have

it

,

and

as

they

say

,

blindfold

,

and

so

indiscriminately

,

and

so

unconditionally

,

excluded

from

the

kingdom

of

God

,

and

indeed

from

the

court

of

heaven

itself

,

all

flesh

and

blood

whatsoever

;

since

Jesus

is

still

sitting

there

at

the

right

hand

of

the

Father

,

man

,

yet

God

—

the

last

Adam

,

yet

the

primary

Word

—

flesh

and

blood

,

yet

purer

than

ours

—

who

“

shall

descend

in

like

manner

as

He

ascended

into

heaven

”

the

same

both

in

substance

and

form

,

as

the

angels

affirmed

,

so

as

even

to

be

recognised

by

those

who

pierced

Him

.

Designated

,

as

He

is

,

“

the

Mediator

between

God

and

man

,

”

He

keeps

in

His

own

self

the

deposit

of

the

flesh

which

has

been

committed

to

Him

by

both

parties

—

the

pledge

and

security

of

its

entire

perfection

.

For

as

“

He

has

given

to

us

the

earnest

of

the

Spirit

,

”

so

has

He

received

from

us

the

earnest

of

the

flesh

,

and

has

carried

it

with

Him

into

heaven

as

a

pledge

of

that

complete

entirety

which

is

one

day

to

be

restored

to

it

.

Be

not

disquieted

,

O

flesh

and

blood

,

with

any

care

;

in

Christ

you

have

acquired

both

heaven

and

the

kingdom

of

God

.

Otherwise

,

if

they

say

that

you

are

not

in

Christ

,

let

them

also

say

that

Christ

is

not

in

heaven

,

since

they

have

denied

you

heaven

.

Likewise

“

neither

shall

corruption

,

”

says

he

,

“

inherit

incorruption

.

”

This

he

says

,

not

that

you

may

take

flesh

and

blood

to

be

corruption

,

for

they

are

themselves

rather

the

subjects

of

corruption

,

—

I

mean

through

death

,

since

death

does

not

so

much

corrupt

,

as

actually

consume

,

our

flesh

and

blood

.

But

inasmuch

as

he

had

plainly

said

that

the

works

of

the

flesh

and

blood

could

not

obtain

the

kingdom

of

God

,

with

the

view

of

stating

this

with

accumulated

stress

,

he

deprived

corruption

itself

—

that

is

,

death

,

which

profits

so

largely

by

the

works

of

the

flesh

and

blood

—

from

all

inheritance

of

incorruption

.

For

a

little

afterwards

,

he

has

described

what

is

,

as

it

were

,

the

death

of

death

itself

:

“

Death

,

”

says

he

,

“

is

swallowed

up

in

victory

.

O

death

,

where

is

thy

sting

?

O

grave

,

where

is

thy

victory

?

The

sting

of

death

is

sin

”

—

here

is

the

corruption

;

“

and

the

strength

of

sin

is

the

law

”

—

that

other

law

,

no

doubt

,

which

he

has

described

“

in

his

members

as

warring

against

the

law

of

his

mind

,

”

—

meaning

,

of

course

,

the

actual

power

of

sinning

against

his

will

.

Now

he

says

in

a

(

of

our

Epistle

to

the

Corinthians

)

,

that

“

the

last

enemy

to

be

destroyed

is

death

.

”

In

this

way

,

then

,

it

is

that

corruption

shall

not

inherit

incorruption

;

in

other

words

,

death

shall

not

continue

.

When

and

how

shall

it

cease

?

In

that

“

moment

,

that

twinkling

of

an

eye

,

at

the

last

trump

,

when

the

dead

shall

rise

incorruptible

.

”

But

what

are

these

,

if

not

they

who

were

corruptible

before

—

that

is

,

our

bodies

;

in

other

words

,

our

flesh

and

blood

?

And

we

undergo

the

change

.

But

in

what

condition

,

if

not

in

that

wherein

we

shall

be

found

?

“

For

this

corruptible

must

put

on

incorruption

,

and

this

mortal

must

put

on

immortality

.

”

What

mortal

is

this

but

the

flesh

?

what

corruptible

but

the

blood

.

Moreover

,

that

you

may

not

suppose

the

apostle

to

have

any

other

meaning

,

in

his

care

to

teach

you

,

and

that

you

may

understand

him

seriously

to

apply

his

statement

to

the

flesh

,

when

he

says

“

this

corruptible

”

and

“

this

mortal

,

”

he

utters

the

words

while

touching

the

surface

of

his

own

body

.

He

certainly

could

not

have

pronounced

these

phrases

except

in

reference

to

an

object

which

was

palpable

and

apparent

.

The

expression

indicates

a

bodily

exhibition

.

Moreover

,

a

corruptible

body

is

one

thing

,

and

corruption

is

another

;

so

a

mortal

body

is

one

thing

,

and

mortality

is

another

.

For

that

which

suffers

is

one

thing

,

and

that

which

causes

it

to

suffer

is

another

.

Consequently

,

those

things

which

are

subject

to

corruption

and

mortality

,

even

the

flesh

and

blood

,

must

needs

also

be

susceptible

of

incorruption

and

immortality

.

Notes

1
Mark xvi. 19.
2
1 Cor. xv. 45.
3
Acts i. 9.
4
Ver. 10.
5
Zech. xii. 10; John xix. 37; Rev. i. 7.
6
1 Tim. ii. 5. Tertullian’s word is “sequester,” the guardian of a deposit.
7
2 Cor. v. 5.
8
1 Cor. xv. 50.
9
1 Cor. xv. 54–56.
10
Rom. vii. 23.
11
1 Cor. xv. 26.
12
Ver. 52.
13
Ver. 53.
14
Cutem ipsam. Rufinus says that in the church of Aquileia they touched their bodies when they recited the clause of the creed which they rendered “the resurrection of this body.”