Opening the library…

Search the Bible

On the Resurrection of the Flesh

Tertullian

Chapter 21

About this work

Author: Tertullian

Chapter XXI.—No Mere Metaphor in the Phrase Resurrection of the Dead. In Proportion to the Importance of Eternal Truths, is the Clearness of Their Scriptural Enunciation.

Well, if it occurs occasionally in certain portions of

‹ Chapter 20 Chapter 22 ›

it

,

you

will

say

,

then

why

not

in

that

phrase

,

where

the

resurrection

might

be

spiritually

understood

?

There

are

several

reasons

why

not

.

First

,

what

must

be

the

meaning

of

so

many

important

passages

of

Holy

Scripture

,

which

so

obviously

attest

the

resurrection

of

the

body

,

as

to

admit

not

even

the

appearance

of

a

figurative

signification

?

And

,

indeed

,

(

since

some

passages

are

more

obscure

than

others

)

,

it

cannot

but

be

right

—

as

we

have

shown

above

—

that

uncertain

statements

should

be

determined

by

certain

ones

,

and

obscure

ones

by

such

as

are

clear

and

plain

;

else

there

is

fear

that

,

in

the

conflict

of

certainties

and

uncertainties

,

of

explicitness

and

obscurity

,

faith

may

be

shattered

,

truth

endangered

,

and

the

Divine

Being

Himself

be

branded

as

inconstant

.

Then

arises

the

improbability

that

the

very

mystery

on

which

our

trust

wholly

rests

,

on

which

also

our

instruction

entirely

depends

,

should

have

the

appearance

of

being

ambiguously

announced

and

obscurely

propounded

,

inasmuch

as

the

hope

of

the

resurrection

,

unless

it

be

clearly

set

forth

on

the

sides

both

of

punishment

and

reward

,

would

fail

to

persuade

any

to

embrace

a

religion

like

ours

,

exposed

as

it

is

to

public

detestation

and

the

imputation

of

hostility

to

others

.

There

is

no

certain

work

where

the

remuneration

is

uncertain

.

There

is

no

real

apprehension

when

the

peril

is

only

doubtful

.

But

both

the

recompense

of

reward

,

and

the

danger

of

losing

it

,

depend

on

the

issues

of

the

resurrection

.

Now

,

if

even

those

purposes

of

God

against

cities

,

and

nations

,

and

kings

,

which

are

merely

temporal

,

local

,

and

personal

in

their

character

,

have

been

proclaimed

so

clearly

in

prophecy

,

how

is

it

to

be

supposed

that

those

dispensations

of

His

which

are

eternal

,

and

of

universal

concern

to

the

human

race

,

should

be

void

of

all

real

light

in

themselves

?

The

grander

they

are

,

the

clearer

should

be

their

announcement

,

in

order

that

their

superior

greatness

might

be

believed

.

And

I

apprehend

that

God

cannot

possibly

have

ascribed

to

Him

either

envy

,

or

guile

,

or

inconsistency

,

or

artifice

,

by

help

of

which

evil

qualities

it

is

that

all

schemes

of

unusual

grandeur

are

litigiously

promulgated

.

Notes

1
Resurrectio Mortuorum, of which we have been speaking.
2
See ch. xix.