Tertullianus Afer. Tertullien et la littérature chrétienne d'Afrique (IIe-VIe siècles)

0451679 - FLÚ 2016 RIV BE eng M - Monography Chapter
Kitzler, Petr
Tertullian's Concept of the Soul and His Corporealistic Ontology.
Tertullianus Afer. Tertullien et la littérature chrétienne d'Afrique (IIe-VIe siècles). Turnhout: Brepols, 2015 - (Lagouanère, J.; Fialon, S.), s. 43-62. Instrumenta Patristica et Mediaevalia, 70. ISBN 978-2-503-55578-2
Institutional support: RVO:67985955
Keywords : Tertullian * De anima * corpus * Stoicim * human soul * corporealism * Early Christianity * Augustine
Subject RIV: AA - Philosophy ; Religion
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This paper focuses on Tertullian's concept of the human soul (as treated mainly in his De anima), and especially on Tertullian's notion of its corporeality (corporalitas) which he advocates and which can seem surprising at the first glance. First, the philosophical context of this idea is examined: according to Tertullian's 'corporealistic ontology' borrowed from Stoicism, the corporeality is a necessary prerequisite of everything that really is, including God and soul that have to have its 'bodies' (corpus) in order to exist in the first place. These bodies, however, are always sui generis, and Tertullian's corporealism thus does not equal materialism. From the subsequent analysis of Tertullian's arguments in favour of the soul's corporeality it follows that the Carthaginian probably developed this doctrine only later in his life as a direct response to refute his 'heretic' opponents inspired by Platonism, and he could probably draw on similar thoughts expressed by Justin. Although his concept did not win out and found only extremely limited response in later centuries, it cannot be considered an isolated thought experiment only, which is testified to at least by remarks by Augustine that he had dealt with similar problems in his youth.
Permanent Link: http://hdl.handle.net/11104/0254674