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On the Resurrection of the Flesh

Tertullian

Chapter 5

About this work

Author: Tertullian

Chapter V.—Some Considerations in Reply Eulogistic of the Flesh. It Was Created by God. The Body of Man Was, in Fact, Previous to His Soul.

Inasmuch as all uneducated men, therefore, still form

‹ Chapter 4 Chapter 6 ›

their

opinions

after

these

common

-

sense

views

,

and

as

the

falterers

and

the

weak

-

minded

have

a

renewal

of

their

perplexities

occasioned

by

the

selfsame

views

;

and

as

the

first

battering

-

ram

which

is

directed

against

ourselves

is

that

which

shatters

the

condition

of

the

flesh

,

we

must

on

our

side

necessarily

so

manage

our

defences

,

as

to

guard

,

first

of

all

,

the

condition

of

the

flesh

,

their

disparagement

of

it

being

repulsed

by

our

own

eulogy

.

The

heretics

,

therefore

,

challenged

us

to

use

our

rhetoric

no

less

than

our

philosophy

.

Respecting

,

then

,

this

frail

and

poor

,

worthless

body

,

which

they

do

not

indeed

hesitate

to

call

evil

,

even

if

it

had

been

the

work

of

angels

,

as

Menander

and

Marcus

are

pleased

to

think

,

or

the

formation

of

some

fiery

being

,

an

angel

,

as

Apelles

teaches

,

it

would

be

quite

enough

for

securing

respect

for

the

body

,

that

it

had

the

support

and

protection

of

even

a

secondary

deity

.

The

angels

,

we

know

,

rank

God

.

Now

,

whatever

be

the

supreme

God

of

each

heretic

,

I

should

not

unfairly

derive

the

dignity

of

the

flesh

likewise

from

Him

to

whom

was

present

the

will

for

its

production

.

For

,

of

course

,

if

He

had

not

willed

its

production

,

He

would

have

prohibited

it

,

when

He

knew

it

was

in

progress

.

It

follows

,

then

,

that

even

on

their

principle

the

flesh

is

equally

the

work

of

God

.

There

is

no

work

but

belongs

to

Him

who

has

permitted

it

to

exist

.

It

is

indeed

a

happy

circumstance

,

that

most

of

their

doctrines

,

including

even

the

harshest

,

accord

to

our

God

the

entire

formation

of

man

.

How

mighty

He

is

,

you

know

full

well

who

believe

that

He

is

the

only

God

.

Let

,

then

,

the

flesh

begin

to

give

you

pleasure

,

since

the

Creator

thereof

is

so

great

.

But

,

you

say

,

even

the

world

is

the

work

of

God

,

and

yet

“

the

fashion

of

this

world

passeth

away

,

”

as

the

apostle

himself

testifies

;

nor

must

it

be

predetermined

that

the

world

will

be

restored

,

simply

because

it

is

the

work

of

God

.

And

surely

if

the

universe

,

after

its

ruin

,

is

not

to

be

formed

again

,

why

should

a

portion

of

it

be

?

You

are

right

,

if

a

portion

is

on

an

equality

with

the

whole

.

But

we

maintain

that

there

is

a

difference

.

In

the

first

place

,

because

all

things

were

made

by

the

Word

of

God

,

and

without

Him

was

nothing

made

.

Now

the

flesh

,

too

,

had

its

existence

from

the

Word

of

God

,

because

of

the

principle

,

that

here

should

be

nothing

without

that

Word

.

“

Let

us

make

man

,

”

said

He

,

before

He

created

him

,

and

added

,

“

with

our

hand

,

”

for

the

sake

of

his

pre

-

eminence

,

that

so

he

might

not

be

compared

with

the

rest

of

creation

.

And

“

God

,

”

says

(

the

Scripture

)

,

“

formed

man

.

”

There

is

undoubtedly

a

great

difference

in

the

procedure

,

springing

of

course

from

the

nature

of

the

case

.

For

the

creatures

which

were

made

were

inferior

to

him

for

whom

they

were

made

;

and

they

were

made

for

man

,

to

whom

they

were

afterwards

made

subject

by

God

.

Rightly

,

therefore

,

had

the

creatures

which

were

thus

intended

for

subjection

,

come

forth

into

being

at

the

bidding

and

command

and

sole

power

of

the

divine

voice

;

whilst

man

,

on

the

contrary

,

destined

to

be

their

lord

,

was

formed

by

God

Himself

,

to

the

intent

that

he

might

be

able

to

exercise

his

mastery

,

being

created

by

the

Master

the

Lord

Himself

.

Remember

,

too

,

that

man

is

properly

called

flesh

,

which

had

a

prior

occupation

in

man’s

designation

:

“

And

God

formed

man

the

clay

of

the

ground

.

”

He

now

became

man

,

who

was

hitherto

clay

.

“

And

He

breathed

upon

his

face

the

breath

of

life

,

and

man

(

that

is

,

the

clay

)

became

a

living

soul

;

and

God

placed

the

man

whom

He

had

formed

in

the

garden

.

”

So

that

man

was

clay

at

first

,

and

only

afterwards

man

entire

.

I

wish

to

impress

this

on

your

attention

,

with

a

view

to

your

knowing

,

that

whatever

God

has

at

all

purposed

or

promised

to

man

,

is

due

not

to

the

soul

simply

,

but

to

the

flesh

also

;

if

not

arising

out

of

any

community

in

their

origin

,

yet

at

all

events

by

the

privilege

possessed

by

the

latter

in

its

name

.

Notes

1
1 Cor. vii. 31.
2
John i. 3.
3
Formam.
4
Gen. i. 26.
5
Universitati.
6
Gen. i. 27.
7
Limum de terra: Gen. ii. 7.
8
Gen. ii. 7, 8.
9
It having just been said that flesh was man’s prior designation.