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On the Resurrection of the Flesh

Tertullian

Chapter 13

About this work

Author: Tertullian

Chapter XIII.—From Our Author’s View of a Verse in the Ninety-Second Psalm, the Phœnix is Made a Symbol of the Resurrection of Our Bodies.

If, however, all nature but faintly figures our

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resurrection

;

if

creation

affords

no

sign

precisely

like

it

,

inasmuch

as

its

several

phenomena

can

hardly

be

said

to

die

so

much

as

to

come

to

an

end

,

nor

again

be

deemed

to

be

reanimated

,

but

only

re

-

formed

;

then

take

a

most

complete

and

unassailable

symbol

of

our

hope

,

for

it

shall

be

an

animated

being

,

and

subject

alike

to

life

and

death

.

I

refer

to

the

bird

which

is

peculiar

to

the

East

,

famous

for

its

singularity

,

marvelous

from

its

posthumous

life

,

which

renews

its

life

in

a

voluntary

death

;

its

dying

day

is

its

birthday

,

for

on

it

departs

and

returns

;

once

more

a

phœnix

where

just

now

there

was

none

;

once

more

himself

,

but

just

now

out

of

existence

;

another

,

yet

the

same

.

What

can

be

more

express

and

more

significant

for

our

subject

;

or

to

what

other

thing

can

such

a

phenomenon

bear

witness

?

God

even

in

His

own

Scripture

says

:

“

The

righteous

shall

flourish

like

the

phœnix

;

”

that

is

,

shall

flourish

or

revive

,

from

death

,

from

the

grave

—

to

teach

you

to

believe

that

a

bodily

substance

may

be

recovered

even

from

the

fire

.

Our

Lord

has

declared

that

we

are

“

better

than

many

sparrows

:

”

well

,

if

not

better

than

many

a

phœnix

too

,

it

were

no

great

thing

.

But

must

men

die

once

for

all

,

while

birds

in

Arabia

are

sure

of

a

resurrection

?

Notes

1
Δίκαιος ὡς φοίνιξ ἀνθήσει, Sept. Ps. xcii. 12.—“like a palm tree” (A.V.). We have here a characteristic way of Tertullian’s quoting a scripture which has even the least bearing on his subject. [See Vol. I. (this series) p. 12, and same volume, p. viii.]
2
Matt. x. 33.