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On the Resurrection of the Flesh

Tertullian

Chapter 27

About this work

Author: Tertullian

Chapter XXVII.—Certain Metaphorical Terms Explained of the Resurrection of the Flesh.

We have also in the Scriptures robes mentioned as allegorizing

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the

hope

of

the

flesh

.

Thus

in

the

Revelation

of

John

it

is

said

:

“

These

are

they

which

have

not

defiled

their

clothes

with

women

,

”

—

indicating

,

of

course

,

virgins

,

and

such

as

have

become

“

eunuchs

for

the

kingdom

of

heaven’s

sake

.

”

Therefore

they

shall

be

“

clothed

in

white

raiment

,

”

that

is

,

in

the

bright

beauty

of

the

unwedded

flesh

.

In

the

gospel

even

,

“

the

wedding

garment

”

may

be

regarded

as

the

sanctity

of

the

flesh

.

And

so

,

when

Isaiah

tells

us

what

sort

of

“

fast

the

Lord

hath

chosen

,

”

and

subjoins

a

statement

about

the

reward

of

good

works

,

he

says

:

“

Then

shall

thy

light

break

forth

as

the

morning

,

and

thy

garments

,

shall

speedily

arise

;

”

where

he

has

no

thought

of

cloaks

or

stuff

gowns

,

but

means

the

rising

of

the

flesh

,

which

he

declared

the

resurrection

of

,

after

its

fall

in

death

.

Thus

we

are

furnished

even

with

an

allegorical

defence

of

the

resurrection

of

the

body

.

When

,

then

,

we

read

,

“

Go

,

my

people

,

enter

into

your

closets

for

a

little

season

,

until

my

anger

pass

away

,

”

we

have

in

the

closets

graves

,

in

which

they

will

have

to

rest

for

a

little

while

,

who

shall

have

at

the

end

of

the

world

departed

this

life

in

the

last

furious

onset

of

the

power

of

Antichrist

.

Why

else

did

He

use

the

expression

closets

,

in

preference

to

some

other

receptacle

,

if

it

were

not

that

the

flesh

is

kept

in

these

closets

or

cellars

salted

and

reserved

for

use

,

to

be

drawn

out

thence

on

a

suitable

occasion

?

It

is

on

a

like

principle

that

embalmed

corpses

are

set

aside

for

burial

in

mausoleums

and

sepulchres

,

in

order

that

they

may

be

removed

therefrom

when

the

Master

shall

order

it

.

Since

,

therefore

,

there

is

consistency

in

thus

understanding

the

passage

(

for

what

refuge

of

little

closets

could

possibly

shelter

us

from

the

wrath

of

God

?

)

,

it

appears

that

by

the

very

phrase

which

he

uses

,

“

Until

His

anger

pass

away

,

”

which

shall

extinguish

Antichrist

,

he

in

fact

shows

that

after

that

indignation

the

flesh

will

come

forth

from

the

sepulchre

,

in

which

it

had

been

deposited

the

bursting

out

of

the

anger

.

Now

out

of

the

closets

nothing

else

is

brought

than

that

which

had

been

put

into

them

,

and

after

the

extirpation

of

Antichrist

shall

be

busily

transacted

the

great

process

of

the

resurrection

.

Notes

1
Rev. iii. 4 and xiv. 4.
2
Matt. xix. 12.
3
Rev. iii. 5.
4
Matt. xxii. 11, 12.
5
There is a curious change of the word here made by Tertullian, who reads ἱμάτια instead of ἰάματα, “thy health,” or “healings,” which is the word in the Sept.
6
Isa. lviii. 8.
7
Isa. xxvi. 20.
8
Isa. xxvi. 20.