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On the Resurrection of the Flesh

Tertullian

Chapter 49

About this work

Author: Tertullian

Chapter XLIX.—The Same Subject Continued. What Does the Apostle Exclude from the Dead? Certainly Not the Substance of the Flesh.

We come now to the very gist of the whole

‹ Chapter 48 Chapter 50 ›

question

:

What

are

the

substances

,

and

of

what

nature

are

they

,

which

the

apostle

has

disinherited

of

the

kingdom

of

God

?

The

preceding

statements

give

us

a

clue

to

this

point

also

.

He

says

:

“

The

first

man

is

of

the

earth

,

earthy

”

—

that

is

,

made

of

dust

,

that

is

,

Adam

;

“

the

second

man

is

from

heaven

”

—

that

is

,

the

Word

of

God

,

which

is

Christ

,

in

no

other

way

,

however

,

man

(

although

“

from

heaven

”

)

,

than

as

being

Himself

flesh

and

soul

,

just

as

a

human

being

is

,

just

as

Adam

was

.

Indeed

,

in

a

He

is

called

“

the

second

Adam

,

”

deriving

the

identity

of

His

name

from

His

participation

in

the

substance

,

because

not

even

Adam

was

flesh

of

human

seed

,

in

which

Christ

is

also

like

Him

.

“

As

is

the

earthy

,

such

are

they

also

that

are

earthy

;

and

as

is

the

heavenly

,

such

are

they

also

that

are

heavenly

.

”

Such

(

does

he

mean

)

,

in

substance

;

or

first

of

all

in

training

,

and

afterwards

in

the

dignity

and

worth

which

that

training

aimed

at

acquiring

?

Not

in

substance

,

however

,

by

any

means

will

the

earthy

and

the

heavenly

be

separated

,

designated

as

they

have

been

by

the

apostle

once

for

all

,

as

men

.

For

even

if

Christ

were

the

only

true

“

heavenly

,

”

nay

,

super

-

celestial

Being

,

He

is

still

man

,

as

composed

of

body

and

soul

;

and

in

no

respect

is

He

separated

from

the

quality

of

“

earthiness

,

”

owing

to

that

condition

of

His

which

makes

Him

a

partaker

of

both

substances

.

In

like

manner

,

those

also

who

after

Him

are

heavenly

,

are

understood

to

have

this

celestial

quality

predicated

of

them

not

from

their

present

nature

,

but

from

their

future

glory

;

because

in

a

preceding

sentence

,

which

originated

this

distinction

respecting

difference

of

dignity

,

there

was

shown

to

be

“

one

glory

in

celestial

bodies

,

and

another

in

terrestrial

ones

,

”

—

“

one

glory

of

the

sun

,

and

another

glory

of

the

moon

,

and

another

glory

of

the

stars

:

for

even

one

star

differeth

from

another

star

in

glory

,

”

although

not

in

substance

.

Then

,

after

having

thus

premised

the

difference

in

that

worth

or

dignity

which

is

even

now

to

be

aimed

at

,

and

then

at

last

to

be

enjoyed

,

the

apostle

adds

an

exhortation

,

that

we

should

both

here

in

our

training

follow

the

example

of

Christ

,

and

there

attain

His

eminence

in

glory

:

“

As

we

have

borne

the

image

of

the

earthy

,

let

us

also

bear

the

image

of

the

heavenly

.

”

We

have

indeed

borne

the

image

of

the

earthy

,

by

our

sharing

in

his

transgression

,

by

our

participation

in

his

death

,

by

our

banishment

from

Paradise

.

Now

,

although

the

image

of

Adam

is

here

borne

by

is

in

the

flesh

,

yet

we

are

not

exhorted

to

put

off

the

flesh

;

but

if

not

the

flesh

,

it

is

the

conversation

,

in

order

that

we

may

then

bear

the

image

of

the

heavenly

in

ourselves

,

—

no

longer

indeed

the

image

of

God

,

and

no

longer

the

image

of

a

Being

whose

state

is

in

heaven

;

but

after

the

lineaments

of

Christ

,

by

our

walking

here

in

holiness

,

righteousness

,

and

truth

.

And

so

wholly

intent

on

the

inculcation

of

moral

conduct

is

he

throughout

this

passage

,

that

he

tells

us

we

ought

to

bear

the

image

of

Christ

in

this

flesh

of

ours

,

and

in

this

period

of

instruction

and

discipline

.

For

when

he

says

“

let

us

bear

”

in

the

imperative

mood

,

he

suits

his

words

to

the

present

life

,

in

which

man

exists

in

no

other

substance

than

as

flesh

and

soul

;

or

if

it

is

another

,

even

the

heavenly

,

substance

to

which

this

faith

(

of

ours

)

looks

forward

,

yet

the

promise

is

made

to

that

substance

to

which

the

injunction

is

given

to

labour

earnestly

to

merit

its

reward

.

Since

,

therefore

,

he

makes

the

image

both

of

the

earthy

and

the

heavenly

consist

of

moral

conduct

—

the

one

to

be

abjured

,

and

the

other

to

be

pursued

—

and

then

consistently

adds

,

“

For

this

I

say

”

(

on

account

,

that

is

,

of

what

I

have

already

said

,

because

the

conjunction

“

for

”

connects

what

follows

with

the

preceding

words

)

“

that

flesh

and

blood

cannot

inherit

the

kingdom

of

God

,

”

—

he

means

the

flesh

and

blood

to

be

understood

in

no

other

sense

than

the

before

-

mentioned

“

image

of

the

earthy

;

”

and

since

this

is

reckoned

to

consist

in

“

the

old

conversation

,

”

which

old

conversation

receives

not

the

kingdom

of

God

,

therefore

flesh

and

blood

,

by

not

receiving

the

kingdom

of

God

,

are

reduced

to

the

life

of

the

old

conversation

.

Of

course

,

as

the

apostle

has

never

put

the

substance

for

the

works

of

man

,

he

cannot

use

such

a

construction

here

.

Since

,

however

he

has

declared

of

men

which

are

yet

alive

in

the

flesh

,

that

they

“

are

not

in

the

flesh

,

”

meaning

that

they

are

not

living

in

the

works

of

the

flesh

,

you

ought

not

to

subvert

its

form

nor

its

substance

,

but

only

the

works

done

in

the

substance

(

of

the

flesh

)

,

alienating

us

from

the

kingdom

of

God

.

It

is

after

displaying

to

the

Galatians

these

pernicious

works

that

he

professes

to

warn

them

beforehand

,

even

as

he

had

“

told

them

in

time

past

,

that

they

which

do

such

things

should

not

inherit

the

kingdom

of

God

,

”

even

because

they

bore

not

the

image

of

the

heavenly

,

as

they

had

borne

the

image

of

the

earthy

;

and

so

,

in

consequence

of

their

old

conversation

,

they

were

to

be

regarded

as

nothing

else

than

flesh

and

blood

.

But

even

if

the

apostle

had

abruptly

thrown

out

the

sentence

that

flesh

and

blood

must

be

excluded

from

the

kingdom

of

God

,

without

any

of

his

meaning

,

would

it

not

have

been

equally

our

duty

to

interpret

these

two

substances

as

the

old

man

abandoned

to

mere

flesh

and

blood

—

in

other

words

,

to

eating

and

drinking

,

one

feature

of

which

would

be

to

speak

against

the

faith

of

the

resurrection

:

“

Let

us

eat

and

drink

,

for

to

-

morrow

we

die

.

”

Now

,

when

the

apostle

parenthetically

inserted

this

,

he

censured

flesh

and

blood

because

of

their

enjoyment

in

eating

and

drinking

.

Notes

1
Ad carnem et sanguinem revera.
2
1 Cor. xv. 47.
3
Ver. 45.
4
See De Carne Christi. ch. xvi.
5
1 Cor. xv. 48.
6
1 Cor. xv. 40.
7
Ver. 41.
8
Ver. 49.
9
1 Cor. xv. 50.
10
See Eph. iv. 22.
11
Rom. viii. 9.
12
Gal. v. 21.
13
1 Cor. xv. 32.