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On the Resurrection of the Flesh

Tertullian

Chapter 28

About this work

Author: Tertullian

Chapter XXVIII.—Prophetic Things and Actions, as Well as Words, Attest This Great Doctrine.

But we know that prophecy expressed itself by things no

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less

than

by

words

.

By

words

,

and

also

by

deeds

,

is

the

resurrection

foretold

.

When

Moses

puts

his

hand

into

his

bosom

,

and

then

draws

it

out

again

dead

,

and

again

puts

his

hand

into

his

bosom

,

and

plucks

it

out

living

,

does

not

this

apply

as

a

presage

to

all

mankind

?

—

inasmuch

as

those

three

signs

denoted

the

threefold

power

of

God

:

when

it

shall

,

first

,

in

the

appointed

order

,

subdue

to

man

the

old

serpent

,

the

devil

,

however

formidable

;

then

,

secondly

,

draw

forth

the

flesh

from

the

bosom

of

death

;

and

then

,

at

last

,

shall

pursue

all

blood

(

shed

)

in

judgment

.

On

this

subject

we

read

in

the

writings

of

the

same

prophet

,

(

how

that

)

God

says

:

“

For

your

blood

of

your

lives

will

I

require

of

all

wild

beasts

;

and

I

will

require

it

of

the

hand

of

man

,

and

of

his

brother’s

hand

.

”

Now

nothing

is

required

except

that

which

is

demanded

back

again

,

and

nothing

is

thus

demanded

except

that

which

is

to

be

given

up

;

and

that

will

of

course

be

given

up

,

which

shall

be

demanded

and

required

on

the

ground

of

vengeance

.

But

indeed

there

cannot

possibly

be

punishment

of

that

which

never

had

any

existence

.

Existence

,

however

,

it

will

have

,

when

it

is

restored

in

order

to

be

punished

.

To

the

flesh

,

therefore

,

applies

everything

which

is

declared

respecting

the

blood

,

for

without

the

flesh

there

cannot

be

blood

.

The

flesh

will

be

raised

up

in

order

that

the

blood

may

be

punished

.

There

are

,

again

,

some

statements

(

of

Scripture

)

so

plainly

made

as

to

be

free

from

all

obscurity

of

allegory

,

and

yet

they

strongly

require

their

very

simplicity

to

be

interpreted

.

There

is

,

for

instance

,

that

passage

in

Isaiah

:

“

I

will

kill

,

and

I

will

make

alive

.

”

Certainly

His

making

alive

is

to

take

place

after

He

has

killed

.

As

,

therefore

,

it

is

by

death

that

He

kills

,

it

is

by

the

resurrection

that

He

will

make

alive

.

Now

it

is

the

flesh

which

is

killed

by

death

;

the

flesh

,

therefore

,

will

be

revived

by

the

resurrection

.

Surely

if

killing

means

taking

away

life

from

the

flesh

,

and

its

opposite

,

reviving

,

amounts

to

restoring

life

to

the

flesh

,

it

must

needs

be

that

the

flesh

rise

again

,

to

which

the

life

,

which

has

been

taken

away

by

killing

,

has

to

be

restored

by

vivification

.

Notes

1
Ex. iv. 6, 7.
2
Ex. iv. 2–9.
3
Comp. vers. 3, 4.
4
Comp. vers. 6, 7.
5
Comp. ver. 9.
6
Gen. ix. 5.
7
Sitiant.
8
Isa. xxxviii. 12, 13, 16. The very words, however, occur not in Isaiah, but in 1 Sam. ii. 6, Deut. xxxii. 39.