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On the Resurrection of the Flesh

Tertullian

Chapter 57

About this work

Author: Tertullian

Chapter LVII.—Our Bodies, However Mutilated Before or After Death, Shall Recover Their Perfect Integrity in the Resurrection. Illustration of the Enfranchised Slave.

We now come to the most usual cavil of unbelief

‹ Chapter 56 Chapter 58 ›

.

If

,

they

say

,

it

be

actually

the

selfsame

substance

which

is

recalled

to

life

with

all

its

form

,

and

lineaments

,

and

quality

,

then

why

not

with

all

its

other

characteristics

?

Then

the

blind

,

and

the

lame

,

and

the

palsied

,

and

whoever

else

may

have

passed

away

with

any

conspicuous

mark

,

will

return

again

with

the

same

.

What

now

is

the

fact

,

although

you

in

the

greatness

of

your

conceit

thus

disdain

to

accept

from

God

so

vast

a

grace

?

Does

it

not

happen

that

,

when

you

now

admit

the

salvation

of

only

the

soul

,

you

ascribe

it

to

men

at

the

cost

of

half

their

nature

?

What

is

the

good

of

believing

in

the

resurrection

,

unless

your

faith

embraces

the

whole

of

it

?

If

the

flesh

is

to

be

repaired

after

its

dissolution

,

much

more

will

it

be

restored

after

some

violent

injury

.

Greater

cases

prescribe

rules

for

lesser

ones

.

Is

not

the

amputation

or

the

crushing

of

a

limb

the

death

of

that

limb

?

Now

,

if

the

death

of

the

whole

person

is

rescinded

by

its

resurrection

,

what

must

we

say

of

the

death

of

a

part

of

him

?

If

we

are

changed

for

glory

,

how

much

more

for

integrity

!

Any

loss

sustained

by

our

bodies

is

an

accident

to

them

,

but

their

entirety

is

their

natural

property

.

In

this

condition

we

are

born

.

Even

if

we

become

injured

in

the

womb

,

this

is

loss

suffered

by

what

is

already

a

human

being

.

Natural

condition

is

prior

to

injury

.

As

life

is

bestowed

by

God

,

so

is

it

restored

by

Him

.

As

we

are

when

we

receive

it

,

so

are

we

when

we

recover

it

.

To

nature

,

not

to

injury

,

are

we

restored

;

to

our

state

by

birth

,

not

to

our

condition

by

accident

,

do

we

rise

again

.

If

God

raises

not

men

entire

,

He

raises

not

the

dead

.

For

what

dead

man

is

entire

,

although

he

dies

entire

?

Who

is

without

hurt

,

that

is

without

life

?

What

body

is

uninjured

,

when

it

is

dead

,

when

it

is

cold

,

when

it

is

ghastly

,

when

it

is

stiff

,

when

it

is

a

corpse

?

When

is

a

man

more

infirm

,

than

when

he

is

entirely

infirm

?

When

more

palsied

,

than

when

quite

motionless

?

Thus

,

for

a

dead

man

to

be

raised

again

,

amounts

to

nothing

short

of

his

being

restored

to

his

entire

condition

,

—

lest

he

,

forsooth

,

be

still

dead

in

that

part

in

which

he

has

not

risen

again

.

God

is

quite

able

to

re

-

make

what

He

once

made

.

This

power

and

this

unstinted

grace

of

His

He

has

already

sufficiently

guaranteed

in

Christ

;

and

has

displayed

Himself

to

us

(

in

Him

)

not

only

as

the

restorer

of

the

flesh

,

but

as

the

repairer

of

its

breaches

.

And

so

the

apostle

says

:

“

The

dead

shall

be

raised

incorruptible

”

(

or

unimpaired

)

.

But

how

so

,

unless

they

become

entire

,

who

have

wasted

away

either

in

the

loss

of

their

health

,

or

in

the

long

decrepitude

of

the

grave

?

For

when

he

propounds

the

two

clauses

,

that

“

this

corruptible

must

put

on

incorruption

,

and

this

mortal

must

put

on

immortality

,

”

he

does

not

repeat

the

same

statement

,

but

sets

forth

a

distinction

.

For

,

by

assigning

immortality

to

the

repeating

of

death

,

and

incorruption

to

the

repairing

of

the

wasted

body

,

he

has

fitted

one

to

the

raising

and

the

other

to

the

retrieval

of

the

body

.

I

suppose

,

moreover

,

that

he

promises

to

the

Thessalonians

the

integrity

of

the

whole

substance

of

man

.

So

that

for

the

great

future

there

need

be

no

fear

of

blemished

or

defective

bodies

.

Integrity

,

whether

the

result

of

preservation

or

restoration

,

will

be

able

to

lose

nothing

more

,

after

the

time

that

it

has

given

back

to

it

whatever

it

had

lost

.

Now

,

when

you

contend

that

the

flesh

will

still

have

to

undergo

the

same

sufferings

,

if

the

same

flesh

be

said

to

have

to

rise

again

,

you

rashly

set

up

nature

against

her

Lord

,

and

impiously

contrast

her

law

against

His

grace

;

as

if

it

were

not

permitted

the

Lord

God

both

to

change

nature

,

and

to

preserve

her

,

without

subjection

to

a

law

.

How

is

it

,

then

,

that

we

read

,

“

With

men

these

things

are

impossible

,

but

with

God

all

things

are

possible

;

”

and

again

,

“

God

hath

chosen

the

foolish

things

of

the

world

to

confound

the

wise

?

”

Let

me

ask

you

,

if

you

were

to

manumit

your

slave

(

seeing

that

the

same

flesh

and

soul

will

remain

to

him

,

which

once

were

exposed

to

the

whip

,

and

the

fetter

,

and

the

stripes

)

,

will

it

therefore

be

fit

for

him

to

undergo

the

same

old

sufferings

?

I

trow

not

.

He

is

instead

thereof

honoured

with

the

grace

of

the

white

robe

,

and

the

favour

of

the

gold

ring

,

and

the

name

and

tribe

as

well

as

table

of

his

patron

.

Give

,

then

,

the

same

prerogative

to

God

,

by

virtue

of

such

a

change

,

of

reforming

our

condition

,

not

our

nature

,

by

taking

away

from

it

all

sufferings

,

and

surrounding

it

with

safeguards

of

protection

.

Thus

our

flesh

shall

remain

even

after

the

resurrection

—

so

far

indeed

susceptible

of

suffering

,

as

it

is

the

flesh

,

and

the

same

flesh

too

;

but

at

the

same

time

impassible

,

inasmuch

as

it

has

been

liberated

by

the

Lord

for

the

very

end

and

purpose

of

being

no

longer

capable

of

enduring

suffering

.

Notes

1
Qualiscunque.
2
Or the recovery of our entire person.
3
Genus.
4
1 Cor. xv. 52.
5
1 Cor. xv. 53.
6
1 Thess. iv. 13–17 and v. 23.
7
Matt. xix. 26.
8
1 Cor. i. 27.