p. 19 | A Question Answered

The Seventh-day Adventist Publishing Association · Battle Creek, Mich. · Dec 19, 1865

A Question Answered.

“DID any of the early Christian writers teach the total unconsciousness of man in death? If so, who? and in what language?” Answer. “The soul, O Grecians, is not immortal in its nature, but MORTAL. For it dieth and is dissolved with the body, if it be ignorant of the truth. But riseth again in the consummation of the world together with the body, suffering death in immortality itself by way of penalty and torment.”—Tatian, A. D. 172. Oratio Contra Grecos. Sec. 13, p. 59.

“He (Tatian) fancied that the soul was dissolved from the body, and rose again with it at the resurrection. For as he makes all souls to die with the body, so he makes them all to rise again with it also.”—Dr. S. Clarke, Letter to Dodwell.

About A. D. 245, the Arabian Christians, where Paul had preached, were found to be entirely out of the line of false philosophy. “These asserted that the human soul as long as the present state of the world existed,—perished at death and died with the body, but was raised again at the time of the resurrection.” And as a considerable council was held on account of THIS, Origen being again requested, likewise here discussed the point in question.—Eusebius' Eccl. Hist. B. 4, ch: 37. Observe:

1. These were called heretics, men who, like Paul, who had preached salvation in Arabia, worshiped after the way that men called “heresy.”

2. This doctrine prevailed so much that “a considerable council” was held about it.

3. Origen had met the question before, for here “being again requested” he discussed the point in dispute.

4. The champion brought to teach the Arabian brethren to reject Christ's truth and receive heathen philosophy, was an old, half-converted heathen philosopher, who believed in the PRE-EXISTENCE of souls, (I think also their transmigration)—in the restoration of all wicked men and DEVILS; who brought more fooleries into the church than any other man who had lived, who interpreted one scripture so literally that he made himself a eunuch in his holy fanaticism, and who interpreted other scriptures so figuratively as to spiritualize, not only almost all the Old Testament but even the Egyptian midwives! Exod. i. He of course would be just the man to “spoil” the Arabians “through philosophy and vain deceit after the rudiments of the world and not after Christ,” and of course on the spiritualizing principle could prove that life was death, and death life; sleep waking, and waking sleep; curse was blessing, and blessing curse; light darkness, and darkness light; good was evil, and evil good; sweet was bitter, and bitter sweet.—Sel.