Tertullian · a new plain-English translation from the original language
[1] But that I call the soul 'spirit,' the logic of the present question compels, because breathing is assigned to another substance. While we claim this for the soul, which we recognize to be uniform and simple, we must call it spirit under a particular condition — not as a title of its state, but of its action; not under the heading of substance, but of operation — because it breathes, not because it properly is spirit. For to blow, too, is to breathe. So the soul, which we defend as breath by its own proper nature, we now call spirit out of necessity — while, against Hermogenes, who contends that it comes from matter rather than from the breath of God, we properly maintain that it is breath. [2] For he, against the very authority of scripture, turns 'breath' into 'spirit,' so that, since it is incredible that the spirit of God should fall into sin and then into judgment, the soul might rather be believed to come from matter than from the spirit of God. For this reason we too, there, defend it as breath, not spirit, in accordance with scripture and in accordance with the distinction of spirit; and here we pronounce it spirit, against our preference, in accordance with the common ground of breathing and blowing. There the question concerns substance; for to breathe is an act of substance. [3] I need say no more on this, except on account of the heretics, who stuff into the soul I know not what spiritual seed, conferred from the hidden bounty of their mother Sophia, unbeknownst to the Maker — although scripture, which knows its own Maker, its own God, far better, has published nothing more than this: that God blew into man's face a living breath, and man was made into a soul that lives, by which he ever after both lives and draws breath — the difference between spirit and soul being made sufficiently clear in the later scriptures, God Himself declaring: 'A spirit shall issue from before me, and every breath I have made.' For the soul too is breath, made from spirit. And again: 'Who gave breath to the people upon the earth, and spirit to those who tread it.' For first, soul — that is, breath — is given to the people walking on the earth, that is, acting after the flesh in a fleshly way; afterward, spirit is given to those who tread the earth underfoot, that is, to those who bring the flesh's works into subjection — since the apostle too says that it is not the spiritual that comes first, but the animal, and afterward the spiritual. [4] For even though Adam at once prophesied that great mystery concerning Christ and the church — 'here at last is bone out of my bones, and flesh out of my flesh; for this a man will forsake his father and mother and be joined to his wife, and the pair will become a single flesh' — he underwent this as an accident of the spirit: for ecstasy fell upon him, the operative power of the Holy Spirit that works prophecy. [5] For an evil spirit too is a thing that comes as an accident. Thus the spirit of God later turned Saul into another man, that is, into a prophet, when it was said, 'What is this that has happened to the son of Kish? Is Saul too among the prophets?' — just as an evil spirit later turned him into another man again, namely into an apostate. Judas too, for some time counted among the elect, even to the office of the money-bag — though already a cheat, not yet a traitor — only afterward had the devil enter him. [6] Therefore, if neither the spirit of God nor the spirit of the devil is woven into the soul from birth, it is established that the soul alone exists before the coming of either spirit; and if alone, then simple and uniform too, under the name of substance, and thus breathing from no other source than the lot of its own substance.