---
title: "Fathers of the Third Century: Tertullian, Minucius Felix, Commodian and Origen"
author: "Various Church Fathers"
translator: "S. Thelwall and others; A. Cleveland Coxe (ed.)"
languages: [en]
shelf: "Church Fathers"
section: 71 of 199
url: https://scriptura.si/works/church-fathers-tertullian-minucius-felix-commodian-origen/71/
cite: "Various Church Fathers, tr. S. Thelwall and others; A. Cleveland Coxe (ed.), Fathers of the Third Century: Tertullian, Minucius Felix, Commodian and Origen, section 71. Scriptura (scriptura.si), https://scriptura.si/works/church-fathers-tertullian-minucius-felix-commodian-origen/71/"
---

# Fathers of the Third Century: Tertullian, Minucius Felix, Commodian and Origen

*Various Church Fathers, tr. S. Thelwall and others; A. Cleveland Coxe (ed.)*

Tertullian, Minucius Felix, Commodian, and Origen's On First Principles and Against Celsus.

## 71. Of the Harmony of the Old and New Laws · 7 of 9

Source: https://scriptura.si/works/church-fathers-tertullian-minucius-felix-commodian-origen/71/ · cite a paragraph as https://scriptura.si/works/church-fathers-tertullian-minucius-felix-commodian-origen/71/#p-N

[¶0] Suffers; with sacred blood the earth grows moist.

[¶1] 265 That the old Adam’s dust may able be,

[¶2] Commingled with Christ’s blood, to be upraised

[¶3] By dripping water’s virtue. The “one ewe”

[¶4] That is, which, during Sabbath-hours, alive

[¶5] The Shepherd did resolve that He would draw

[¶6] 270 Out of th’ infernal pit. This was the cause

[¶7] Why, on the Sabbaths, He was wont to cure

[¶8] The prematurely dead limbs of all flesh;

[¶9] Or perfected for sight the eyes of him

[¶10] Blind from his birth—eyes which He had not erst

[¶11] 275 Given; or, in presence of the multitude,

[¶12] Called, during Sabbath-hours, one wholly dead

[¶13] To life, e’en from the sepulchre. Himself

[¶14] The new man’s Maker, the Repairer good

[¶15] Of th’ old, supplying what did lack, or else

[¶16] 280 Restoring what was lost. About to do—

[¶17] When dawns “the holy day”—these works, for such

[¶18] As hope in Him, in plenitude, (to keep

[¶19] His plighted word,) He taught men thus His power

[¶20] To do them.

[¶21] What? If flesh dies, and no hope

[¶22] 285 Is given of salvation, say, what grounds

[¶23] Christ had to feign Himself a man, and head

[¶24] Men, or have care for flesh? If He recalls

[¶25] Some few, why shall He not withal recall

[¶26] All? Can corruption’s power liquefy

[¶27] 290 The body and undo it, and shall not

[¶28] The virtue of the Lord be powerful

[¶29] The undone to recall?

[¶30] They, who believe

[¶31] Their bodies are not loosed from death, do not

[¶32] Believe the Lord, who wills to raise His own

[¶33] 295 Works sunken; or else say they that the Good

[¶34] Wills not, and that the Potent hath not power,—

[¶35] Ignorant from how great a crime they suck

[¶36] Their milk, in daring to set things infirm

[¶37] Above the Strong. In the grain lurks the tree;

[¶38] 300 And if this rot not, buried in the earth,

[¶39] It yields not tree-graced fruits. Soon bound will be

[¶40] The liquid waters: ’neath the whistling cold

[¶41] They will become, and ever will be stones,

[¶42] Unless a mighty power, by leading on

[¶43] 305 Soft-breathing warmth, undo them. The great bunch

[¶44] Lurks in the tendril’s slender body: if