When dawns "the holy day"--these works, for such
As hope in Him, in plenitude, (to keep
His plighted word,) He taught men thus His power
To do them.
What? If flesh dies, and no hope
285 Is given of salvation, say, what grounds
Christ had to feign Himself a man, and head
Men, or have care for flesh? If He recalls [1446]
Some few, why shall He not withal recall
All? Can corruption's power liquefy
290 The body and undo it, and shall not
The virtue of the Lord be powerful
The undone to recall?
They, who believe
Their bodies are not loosed from death, do not
Believe the Lord, who wills to raise His own
295 Works sunken; or else say they that the Good
Wills not, and that the Potent hath not power,--
Ignorant from how great a crime they suck
Their milk, in daring to set things infirm
Above the Strong. [1447] In the grain lurks the tree;
300 And if this [1448] rot not, buried in the earth,
It yields not tree-graced fruits. [1449] Soon bound will be
The liquid waters: 'neath the whistling cold
They will become, and ever will be stones,
Unless a mighty power, by leading on
305 Soft-breathing warmth, undo them. The great bunch
Lurks in the tendril's slender body: if
Thou seek it, it is not; when God doth will,
'Tis seen to be. On trees their leaves, on thorns
The rose, the seeds on plains, are dead and fail,
310 And rise again, new living. For man's use
These things doth God before his eyes recall
And form anew--man's, for whose sake at first [1450]
The wealthy One made all things bounteously.
All naked fall; with its own body each
315 He clothes. Why man alone, on whom He showered
Such honours, should He not recall in all
His first perfection [1451] to Himself? man, whom
He set o'er all?
Flesh, then, and blood are said
To be not worthy of God's realm, as if
320 Paul spake of flesh materially. He
Indeed taught mighty truths; but hearts inane
Think he used carnal speech: for pristine deeds
He meant beneath the name of "flesh and blood;"
Remembering, heavenly home--slave that he is,
325 His heavenly Master's words; who gave the name
Of His own honour to men born from Him
Through water, and from His own Spirit poured
A pledge; [1452] that, by whose virtue men had been
Redeemed, His name of honour they withal
330 Might, when renewed, receive. Because, then, He
Refused, on the old score, the heavenly realm
To peoples not yet from His fount re-born,
Still with their ancient sordid raiment clad--
These are "the dues of death"--saying that that
335 Which human is must needs be born again,--
"What hath been born of flesh is flesh; and what
From Spirit, life;" [1453] and that the body, washed,
Changing with glory its old root's new seeds, [1454]
Is no more called "from flesh:" Paul follows this;
340 Thus did he speak of "flesh." In fine, he said [1455]
This frail garb with a robe must be o'erclad,
This mortal form be wholly covered;
Not that another body must be given,
But that the former one, dismantled, [1456] must
345 Be with God's kingdom wholly on all sides
Surrounded: "In the moment of a glance,"
He says, "it shall be changed:" as, on the blade,
Dispreads the red corn's [1457] face, and changes 'neath
The sun's glare its own hue; so the same flesh,
350 From "the effulgent glory" [1458] borrowing,
Shall ever joy, and joying, [1459] shall lack death;
Exclaiming that "the body's cruel foe
Is vanquisht quite; death, by the victory
Of the brave Christ, is swallowed;" [1460] praises high
355 Bearing to God, unto the highest stars.
[1393] I have so frequently had to construct my own text (by altering the reading or the punctuation of the Latin) in this book, that, for brevity's sake, I must ask the reader to be content with this statement once for all, and not expect each case to be separately noted.
[1394] The "foe," as before, is Satan; his "breathing instruments" are the men whom he uses (cf. Shakespeare's "no breather" = no man, in the dialogue between Orlando and Jacques, As you Like it, act iii. sc. 2); and they are called "renegades," like the Evil One himself, because they have deserted from their allegiance to God in Christ.
[1395] Heresy.
[1396] Cf. John xv. 2, 4, 5, 6; Rom. xi. 17-20. The writer simply calls them "abruptos homines;" and he seems to mean excommunicated, like Marcion.
[1397] i.e., those recorded in the Old Testament.
[1398] I have followed Migne's suggestion here, and transposed one line of the original. The reference seems to be to Isa. lxiv. 4, quoted in 1 Cor. ii. 9, where the Greek differs somewhat remarkably from the LXX.
[1399] Unless some line has dropped out here, the construction, harsh enough in my English, is yet harsher in the Latin. "Accipitur" has no subject of any kind, and one can only guess from what has gone before, and what follows, that it must mean "one Testament."
[1400] Harsh still. It must refer to the four Gospels--the "coat without seam"--in their quadrate unity; Marcion receiving but one--St. Luke's--and that without St. Luke's name, and also in a mutilated and interpolated form.
[1401] This seems to be the sense. The allusion is to the fact that Marcion and his sect accepted but ten of St. Paul's Epistles: leaving out entirely those to Timothy and Titus, and all the other books, except his one Gospel.
[1402] It seems to me that the reference here must evidently be to the Epistle to the Hebrews, which treats specially of the old covenant. If so, we have some indication as to the authorship, if not the date, of the book: for Tertullian himself, though he frequently cites the Epistle, appears to hesitate (to say the least) as to ascribing it to St. Paul.
[1403] Comp. Isa. vi. 9, 10, with Acts xxviii. 17-29.
[1404] The reference seems to be to Rom. i. 28; comp., too, Tit. i. 15, 16.
[1405] The reference is to Gen. ii. 9-14.
[1406] Fata mortua. This extraordinary expression appears to mean "dead men;" men who, through Adam, are fated, so to speak, to die, and are under the sad fate of being "dead in trespasses and sins." See Eph. ii. 1. As far as quantity is concerned, it might as well be "facta mortua," "dead works," such as we read of in Heb. vi. 1; ix. 14. It is true these works cannot strictly be said to be ever vivified; but a very similar inaccuracy seems to be committed by our author lower down in this same book.
[1407] I have followed Oehler's "face" for the common "phase;" but what the meaning is I will not venture to decide. It may probably mean one of two things: (a) that Paul wrote by torchlight; (b) that the light which Paul holds forth in his life and writings, is a torch to show the Corinthians and others Christ.
[1408] i.e., the legal passover, "image" or type of "the true Passover," Christ. See 1 Cor. v. 6-9.
[1409] Abraham. See Gen. xxii. 1-19.
[1410] Isaac, a pledge to Abraham of all God's other promises.
[1411] Forte. I suppose this means out of the ordinary course of nature; but it is a strange word to use.
[1412] Israel, wasted by the severities of their Egyptian captivity.
[1413] "Multa;" but "muta" ="mute" has been suggested, and is not inapt.
[1414] I have given what appears to be a possible sense for these almost unintelligible lines. They run as follows in Oehler:-- "Et reliqui magni reges sanctique prophetæ, Non ignorantes certæ promissa salutis, Ingentemque metu pleni transcendere legem, Venturam summæ virtutis imagine molem, Inspectam e speculo celebrarunt ordine pascham." I rather incline to alter them somehow thus :-- "Ingentemque metu plenis transcendere legem, Venturum in summæ virtutis imagine,--solem Inspectum e speculo,--celebrarunt ordine pascham;" connecting these three lines with "non ignorantes," and rendering:-- "Not ignorant of the good promises Of sure salvation; and that One would come, For such as filled are with godly fear The law to overstep, a mighty One, In Highest Virtue's image,--the Sun seen In mirror:--did in order celebrate The passover." That is, in brief, they all, in celebrating the type, looked forward to the Antitype to come.
[1415] Immensus.
[1416] This, again, seems to be the meaning, unless the passage (which is not probable) be corrupt. The flesh, "foul" now with sin, is called the "stained image of the Lord," as having been originally in His image, but being now stained by guilt.
[1417] Faith is called so, as being the reflection of divine reason.
[1418] i.e., the praise of Christ Himself. See Matt. xi. 7-15, with the parallel passage, Luke vii. 24-30; comp. also John v. 33-35.
[1419] i.e., perhaps "render acceptable."
[1420] See above, 91-99.
[1421] i.e., teeth which He contemned, for His people's sake: not that they are to us contemptible.
[1422] i.e., perhaps permeating, by the influence of His death, the tombs of all the old saints.
[1423] i.e., undertaking our debts in our stead.
[1424] Adam. See Rom. v., passim.
[1425] It is an idea of the genuine Tertullian, apparently, that Eve was a "virgin" all the time she was with Adam in Paradise. A similar idea appears in the "Genesis" above.
[1426] Consilio. Comp. 1 Tim. ii. 14, "Adam was not deceived."
[1427] Called "life's own covering" (i.e., apparently his innocence) in 117, above.
[1428] Or, "ore."
[1429] Comp. Heb. xii. 2, "Who, for the joy that was set before Him"--"hos anti tes prokeimenes hauto charas.
[1430] Mundi. See John xiv. 30.
[1431] Virum.
[1432] "The Lion of the tribe of Juda." Rev. v. 5.
[1433] Viro. This use of "man" may be justified, to say nothing of other arguments, from Jer. xliv. 19, where "our men" seem plainly ="our husbands." See marg.
[1434] Virgo: a play on the word in connection with the "viro" and what follows.
[1435] Vir.
[1436] i.e., Adam's. The constructions, as will be seen, are oddly confused throughout, and I rather suspect some transposition of lines.
[1437] Mulier.
[1438] Mariti.
[1439] See 1 Cor. xv. 22 sqq., especially 45, 47.
[1440] Acres gressus.
[1441] Femina.
[1442] Lavacri.
[1443] "Os;" lit., "face" or "mouth."
[1444] Terra.
[1445] This would seem to refer to Lazarus; but it seems to be an assumption that his raising took place on a Sabbath.
[1446] i.e., to life.
[1447] I have ventured to alter the "Morti," of the edd. into "Forti;" and "causas" (as we have seen) seems, in this late Latin, nearly ="res."
[1448] i.e., the grain.
[1449] This may seem an unusual expression, as it is more common to regard the fruit as gracing the tree, than the tree the fruit. But, in point of fact, the tree, with its graceful form and foliage, may be said to give a grace to the fruit; and so our author puts it here: "decoratos arbore fructus."
[1450] I read "primum" here for "primus."
[1451] "Tantum" ="tantum quantum primo fuerat," i.e., with a body as well as a spirit.
[1452] Pignus: "the promise of the Father" (Acts i. 4); "the earnest of the Spirit" (2 Cor. i. 22; v. 5.). See, too, Eph. i. 13, 14; Rom. viii. 23.
[1453] The reference is to John iii. 6, but it is not quite correctly given.
[1454] See note on 245, above.
[1455] See 2 Cor. v. 1. sqq.
[1456] I read "inermum"--a very rare form--here for "inermem." But there seems a confusion in the text, which here, as elsewhere, is probably corrupt.
[1457] "Ceræ," which seems senseless here, I have changed to "cereris."
[1458] There seems to be a reference to 2 Pet. i. 17.
[1459] Here again I have altered the punctuation by a very simple change.
[1460] See 1 Cor. xv. 54; Isa. xxv. 8 (where the LXX. have a strange reading).