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On the Resurrection of the Flesh

Tertullian

Chapter 6

About this work

Author: Tertullian

Chapter VI.—Not the Lowliness of the Material, But the Dignity and Skill of the Maker, Must Be Remembered, in Gauging the Excellence of the Flesh. Christ Partook of Our Flesh.

Let me therefore pursue the subject before me—if

‹ Chapter 5 Chapter 7 ›

I

can

but

succeed

in

vindicating

for

the

flesh

as

much

as

was

conferred

on

it

by

Him

who

made

it

,

glorying

as

it

even

then

was

,

because

that

poor

paltry

material

,

clay

,

found

its

way

into

the

hands

of

God

,

whatever

these

were

,

happy

enough

at

merely

being

touched

by

them

.

But

why

this

glorying

?

Was

it

that

,

without

any

further

labour

,

the

clay

had

instantly

assumed

its

form

at

the

touch

of

God

?

The

truth

is

,

a

great

matter

was

in

progress

,

out

of

which

the

creature

under

consideration

was

being

fashioned

.

So

often

then

does

it

receive

honour

,

as

often

as

it

experiences

the

hands

of

God

,

when

it

is

touched

by

them

,

and

pulled

,

and

drawn

out

,

and

moulded

into

shape

.

Imagine

God

wholly

employed

and

absorbed

in

it

—

in

His

hand

,

His

eye

,

His

labour

,

His

purpose

,

His

wisdom

,

His

providence

,

and

above

all

,

in

His

love

,

which

was

dictating

the

lineaments

(

of

this

creature

)

.

For

,

whatever

was

the

form

and

expression

which

was

then

given

to

the

clay

(

by

the

Creator

)

Christ

was

in

His

thoughts

as

one

day

to

become

man

,

because

the

Word

,

too

,

was

to

be

both

clay

and

flesh

,

even

as

the

earth

was

then

.

For

so

did

the

Father

previously

say

to

the

Son

:

“

Let

us

make

man

in

our

own

image

,

after

our

likeness

.

”

And

God

made

man

,

that

is

to

say

,

the

creature

which

He

moulded

and

fashioned

;

after

the

image

of

God

(

in

other

words

,

of

Christ

)

did

He

make

him

.

And

the

Word

was

God

also

,

who

being

in

the

image

of

God

,

“

thought

it

not

robbery

to

be

equal

to

God

.

”

Thus

,

that

clay

which

was

even

then

putting

on

the

image

of

Christ

,

who

was

to

come

in

the

flesh

,

was

not

only

the

work

,

but

also

the

pledge

and

surety

,

of

God

.

To

what

purpose

is

it

to

bandy

about

the

name

earth

,

as

that

of

a

sordid

and

grovelling

element

,

with

the

view

of

tarnishing

the

origin

of

the

flesh

,

when

,

even

if

any

other

material

had

been

available

for

forming

man

,

it

would

be

requisite

that

the

dignity

of

the

Maker

should

be

taken

into

consideration

,

who

even

by

His

selection

of

His

material

deemed

it

,

and

by

His

management

made

it

,

worthy

?

The

hand

of

Phidias

forms

the

Olympian

Jupiter

of

ivory

;

worship

is

given

to

the

statue

,

and

it

is

no

longer

regarded

as

a

god

formed

out

of

a

most

silly

animal

,

but

as

the

world’s

supreme

Deity

—

not

because

of

the

bulk

of

the

elephant

,

but

on

account

of

the

renown

of

Phidias

.

Could

not

therefore

the

living

God

,

the

true

God

,

purge

away

by

His

own

operation

whatever

vileness

might

have

accrued

to

His

material

,

and

heal

it

of

all

infirmity

?

Or

must

this

remain

to

show

how

much

more

nobly

man

could

fabricate

a

god

,

than

God

could

form

a

man

?

Now

,

although

the

clay

is

offensive

(

for

its

poorness

)

,

it

is

now

something

else

.

What

I

possess

is

flesh

,

not

earth

,

even

although

of

the

flesh

it

is

said

:

“

Dust

thou

art

,

and

unto

dust

shalt

thou

return

.

”

In

these

words

there

is

the

mention

of

the

origin

,

not

a

recalling

of

the

substance

.

The

privilege

has

been

granted

to

the

flesh

to

be

nobler

than

its

origin

,

and

to

have

happiness

aggrandized

by

the

change

wrought

in

it

.

Now

,

even

gold

is

earth

,

because

of

the

earth

;

but

it

remains

earth

no

longer

after

it

becomes

gold

,

but

is

a

far

different

substance

,

more

splendid

and

more

noble

,

though

coming

from

a

source

which

is

comparatively

faded

and

obscure

.

In

like

manner

,

it

was

quite

allowable

for

God

that

He

should

clear

the

gold

of

our

flesh

from

all

the

taints

,

as

you

deem

them

,

of

its

native

clay

,

by

purging

the

original

substance

of

its

dross

.

Notes

1
Quid enim si.
2
Adeo.
3
Ista.
4
Gen. i. 26.
5
Constitutus.
6
Phil. ii. 6.
7
Gen. iii. 19. [“Earth thou art, etc.” in text.]