Chapter XXX.—This Vision Interpreted by Tertullian of the Resurrection of the Bodies of the Dead.  A Chronological Error of Our Author, Who Supposes that Ezekiel in His Ch. XXXI. Prophesied Before the Captivity.

I am well aware how they torture even this prophecy into a proof of the allegorical sense, on the ground that by saying, “These bones are the whole house of Israel,” He made them a figure of Israel, and removed them from their proper literal condition; and therefore (they contend) that there is here a figurative, not a true prediction of the resurrection, for (they say) the state of the Jews is one of humiliation, in a certain sense dead, and very dry, and dispersed over the plain of the world. Therefore the image of a resurrection is allegorically applied to their state, since it has to be gathered together, and recompacted bone to bone (in other words, tribe to tribe, and people to people), and to be reincorporated by the sinews of power and the nerves of royalty, and to be brought out as it were from sepulchres, that is to say, from the most miserable and degraded abodes of captivity, and to breathe afresh in the way of a restoration, and to live thenceforward in their own land of Judæa. And what is to happen after all this? They will die, no doubt. And what will there be after death? No resurrection from the dead, of course, since there is nothing of the sort here revealed to Ezekiel. Well, but the resurrection is elsewhere foretold: so that there will be one even in this case, and they are rash in applying this passage to the state of Jewish affairs; or even if it do indicate a different recovery from the resurrection which we are maintaining, what matters it to me, provided there be also a resurrection of the body, just as there is a restoration of the Jewish state? In fact, by the very circumstance that the recovery of the Jewish state is prefigured by the reincorporation and reunion of bones, proof is offered that this event will also happen to the bones themselves; for the metaphor could not have been formed from bones, if the same thing exactly were not to be realized in them also.  Now, although there is a sketch of the true thing in its image, the image itself still possesses a truth of its own: it must needs be, therefore, that must have a prior existence for itself, which is used figuratively to express some other thing. Vacuity is not a consistent basis for a similitude, nor does nonentity form a suitable foundation for a parable. It will therefore be right to believe that the bones are destined to have a rehabiliment of flesh and breath, such as it is here said they will have, by reason indeed of which their renewed state could alone express the reformed condition of Jewish affairs, which is pretended to be the meaning of this passage. It is, however, more characteristic of a religious spirit to maintain the truth on the authority of a literal interpretation, such as is required by the sense of the inspired passage. Now, if this vision had reference to the condition of the Jews, as soon as He had revealed to him the position of the bones, He would at once have added, “These bones are the whole house of Israel,” and so forth. But immediately on showing the bones, He interrupts the scene by saying somewhat of the prospect which is most suited to bones; without yet naming Israel, He tries the prophet’s own faith: “Son of man, can these bones ever live?” so that he makes answer: “O Lord, Thou knowest.” Now God would not, you may be sure, have tried the prophet’s faith on a point which was never to be a real one, of which Israel should never hear, and in which it was not proper to repose belief.  Since, however, the resurrection of the dead was indeed foretold, but Israel, in the distrust of his great unbelief, was offended at it; and, whilst gazing on the condition of the crumbling grave, despaired of a resurrection; or rather, did not direct his mind mainly to it, but to his own harassing circumstances,—therefore God first instructed the prophet (since he, too, was not free from doubt), by revealing to him the process of the resurrection, with a view to his earnest setting forth of the same. He then charged the people to believe what He had revealed to the prophet, telling them that they were themselves, though refusing to believe their resurrection, the very bones which were destined to rise again. Then in the concluding sentence He says, “And ye shall know how that I the Lord have spoken and done these things,” intending of course to do that of which He had spoken; but certainly not meaning to do that which He had spoken of, if His design had been to do something different from what He had said.

CAPUT XXX.

Hanc quoque praedicationem scio qualiter concutiant in allegoriae argumentationem quia dicendo, Ossa ista omnis domus Israel est , imaginem ea fecerit Israel et propria conditione transtulerit; atque ita figuratam esse, non veram resurrectionis praedicationem. Statum enim Judaeorum 0837B deformari, quodam modo emortuum et exaridum et dispersum in campo orbis. Itaque et imaginem resurrectionis in illum allegorizari, quia recolligi habeat et recompingi os ad os, id est, tribus ad tribum, et populus ad populum, et recorporari carnibus facultatum et nervis regni; atque ita de sepulcri, id est, de habitaculis captivitatis tristissimis atque teterrimis educi, et refrigerii nomine respirare, et vivere exinde in terra sua Judaea. Et quid post haec? Morientur sine dubio. Et quid post mortem? Nulla, o inor, resuscitatio, si non haec erit ipsa, quae Ezechieli revelatur. Sed enim et alias praedicatur resurrectio: ergo et haec erit, et temere in statum eam Judaicarum rerum convertunt. Aut si alia est illa quam defendimus, nihil mea interest, 0837C dum sit et corporum resurrectio, sicut et rerum Judaicarum. Denique, hoc ipso quod recidivatus Judaici status de recorporatione et redanimatione ossium figuratur, id quoque eventurum ossibus probatur. Non enim posset de ossib us figura componi, si non idipsum et ossibus eventurum esset. Nam etsi figmentum veritatis in imagine est, imago ipsa in veritate est sui; necesse est esse prius 0838A sibi quo alii configuretur: de vacuo similitudo non competit; de nullo parabola non convenit. Ita oportebit ossium quoque credi reviscerationem et respirationem qualis dicitur, de qua possit exprimi Judaicarum rerum reformatio qualis affingitur. Sed magis religiosum est, veritatem de suae auctoritate simplicitatis defendi, quam sensus divinae propositionis expostulat. Si enim ad res Judaicas spectaret haec visio, statim revelato situ ossium, subjecisset, Ossa ista, omnis domus Israelis est; et caetera deinceps. At cum ostensis ossibus, de propria spe eorum quid obloquitur, nondum nominato Israele, et fidem tentat prophetae: Fili hominis, si vivent ossa haec ? ut et ille responderet; Domine, tu scis; non utique Deus prophetae fidem de ea re 0838B tentasset, quae futura non esset, quam nunquam Israel audisset, quam credi non oporteret. Sed quoniam praedicabatur quidem resurrectio mortuorum, Israel vero pro sua incredulitate dissidens, scandalizabatur; et aspiciens habitum senescentis sepulturae, desperabat resurrectionem; vel non in eam potius animum dirigebat, sed in circumstantias suas; idcirco Deus, et prophetam, quasi et ipsum dubium, praestruxit ad constantiam praedicationis, revelato ordine resurrectionis; et populo id credendum mandavit, quod prophetae revelavit, ipsos dicens esse ossa quae erant resurrectura, qui non credebant resurrectura. Denique in clausula: et cognoscetis, inquit, quod ego Dominus locutus sim, et fecerim; id utique facturus, quod fuerat locutus; caeterum non id facturus 0838C quod locutus, si aliter facturus.