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On the Resurrection of the Flesh

Tertullian

Chapter 42

About this work

Author: Tertullian

Chapter XLII.—Death Changes, Without Destroying, Our Mortal Bodies. Remains of the Giants.

It is the transformation these shall undergo which he explains

‹ Chapter 41 Chapter 43 ›

to

the

Corinthians

,

when

he

writes

:

“

We

shall

all

indeed

rise

again

(

though

we

shall

not

all

undergo

the

transformation

)

in

a

moment

,

in

the

twinkling

of

an

eye

,

at

the

last

trump

”

—

for

none

shall

experience

this

change

but

those

only

who

shall

be

found

in

the

flesh

.

“

And

the

dead

,

”

he

says

,

“

shall

be

raised

,

and

we

shall

be

changed

.

”

Now

,

after

a

careful

consideration

of

this

appointed

order

,

you

will

be

able

to

adjust

what

follows

to

the

preceding

sense

.

For

when

he

adds

,

“

This

corruptible

must

put

on

incorruption

,

and

this

mortal

must

put

on

immortality

,

”

this

will

assuredly

be

that

house

from

heaven

,

with

which

we

so

earnestly

desire

to

be

clothed

upon

,

whilst

groaning

in

this

our

present

body

,

—

meaning

,

of

course

,

over

this

flesh

in

which

we

shall

be

surprised

at

last

;

because

he

says

that

we

are

burdened

whilst

in

this

tabernacle

,

which

we

do

not

wish

indeed

to

be

stripped

of

,

but

rather

to

be

in

it

clothed

over

,

in

such

a

way

that

mortality

may

be

swallowed

up

of

life

,

that

is

,

by

putting

on

over

us

whilst

we

are

transformed

that

vestiture

which

is

from

heaven

.

For

who

is

there

that

will

not

desire

,

while

he

is

in

the

flesh

,

to

put

on

immortality

,

and

to

continue

his

life

by

a

happy

escape

from

death

,

through

the

transformation

which

must

be

experienced

instead

of

it

,

without

encountering

too

that

Hades

which

will

exact

the

very

last

farthing

?

Notwithstanding

,

he

who

has

already

traversed

Hades

is

destined

also

to

obtain

the

change

after

the

resurrection

.

For

from

this

circumstance

it

is

that

we

definitively

declare

that

the

flesh

will

by

all

means

rise

again

,

and

,

from

the

change

that

is

to

come

over

it

,

will

assume

the

condition

of

angels

.

Now

,

if

it

were

merely

in

the

case

of

those

who

shall

be

found

in

the

flesh

that

the

change

must

be

undergone

,

in

order

that

mortality

may

be

swallowed

up

of

life

—

in

other

words

,

that

the

flesh

(

be

covered

)

with

the

heavenly

and

eternal

raiment

—

it

would

either

follow

that

those

who

shall

be

found

in

death

would

not

obtain

life

,

deprived

as

they

would

then

be

of

the

material

and

so

to

say

the

aliment

of

life

,

that

is

,

the

flesh

;

or

else

,

these

also

must

needs

undergo

the

change

,

that

in

them

too

mortality

may

be

swallowed

up

of

life

,

since

it

is

appointed

that

they

too

should

obtain

life

.

But

,

you

say

,

in

the

case

of

the

dead

,

mortality

is

already

swallowed

up

of

life

.

No

,

not

in

all

cases

,

certainly

.

For

how

many

will

most

probably

be

found

of

men

who

had

just

died

—

so

recently

put

into

their

graves

,

that

nothing

in

them

would

seem

to

be

decayed

?

For

you

do

not

of

course

deem

a

thing

to

be

decayed

unless

it

be

cut

off

,

abolished

,

and

withdrawn

from

our

perception

,

as

having

in

every

possible

way

ceased

to

be

apparent

.

There

are

the

carcases

of

the

giants

of

old

time

;

it

will

be

obvious

enough

that

they

are

not

absolutely

decayed

,

for

their

bony

frames

are

still

extant

.

We

have

already

spoken

of

this

elsewhere

.

For

instance

,

even

lately

in

this

very

city

,

when

they

were

sacrilegiously

laying

the

foundations

of

the

Odeum

on

a

good

many

ancient

graves

,

people

were

horror

-

stricken

to

discover

,

after

some

five

hundred

years

,

bones

,

which

still

retained

their

moisture

,

and

hair

which

had

not

lost

its

perfume

.

It

is

certain

not

only

that

bones

remain

indurated

,

but

also

that

teeth

continue

undecayed

for

ages

—

both

of

them

the

lasting

germs

of

that

body

which

is

to

sprout

into

life

again

in

the

resurrection

.

Lastly

,

even

if

everything

that

is

mortal

in

all

the

dead

shall

then

be

found

decayed

—

at

any

rate

consumed

by

death

,

by

time

,

and

through

age

,

—

is

there

nothing

which

will

be

“

swallowed

up

of

life

,

”

nor

by

being

covered

over

and

arrayed

in

the

vesture

of

immortality

?

Now

,

he

who

says

that

mortality

is

going

to

be

swallowed

up

of

life

has

already

admitted

that

what

is

dead

is

not

destroyed

by

those

other

before

-

mentioned

devourers

.

And

verily

it

will

be

extremely

fit

that

all

shall

be

consummated

and

brought

about

by

the

operations

of

God

,

and

not

by

the

laws

of

nature

.

Therefore

,

inasmuch

as

what

is

mortal

has

to

be

swallowed

up

of

life

,

it

must

needs

be

brought

out

to

view

in

order

to

be

so

swallowed

up

;

(

needful

)

also

to

be

swallowed

up

,

in

order

to

undergo

the

ultimate

transformation

.

If

you

were

to

say

that

a

fire

is

to

be

lighted

,

you

could

not

possibly

allege

that

what

is

to

kindle

it

is

sometimes

necessary

and

sometimes

not

.

In

like

manner

,

when

he

inserts

the

words

“

If

so

be

that

being

unclothed

we

be

not

found

naked

,

”

—

referring

,

of

course

,

to

those

who

shall

not

be

found

in

the

day

of

the

Lord

alive

and

in

the

flesh

—

he

did

not

say

that

they

whom

he

had

just

described

as

unclothed

or

stripped

,

were

naked

in

any

other

sense

than

meaning

that

they

should

be

understood

to

be

reinvested

with

the

very

same

substance

they

had

been

divested

of

.

For

although

they

shall

be

found

naked

when

their

flesh

has

been

laid

aside

,

or

to

some

extent

sundered

or

worn

away

(

and

this

condition

may

well

be

called

nakedness

,

)

they

shall

afterwards

recover

it

again

,

in

order

that

,

being

reinvested

with

the

flesh

,

they

may

be

able

also

to

have

put

over

that

the

supervestment

of

immortality

;

for

it

will

be

impossible

for

the

outside

garment

to

fit

except

over

one

who

is

already

dressed

.

Notes

1
1 Cor. xv. 51–53.
2
Comp. Matt. v. 26, and see Tertullian’s De Anima, xxxv. [and see cap. xliii., infra, p. 576.]
3
De Anim. c. li.
4
Sed: for “scilicet.”
5
Carthage.
6
2 Cor. v. 4. [Against Marcion, p. 455, note 24.]
7
Exuti. He must have read ἐκδυσάμενοι , instead of the reading of nearly all the ms. authorities, ἐνδυσάμενοι.
8
2 Cor. v. 3.