Tertullian — On the Soul 50

ON THE FORCE OF DEATH AND ON MENANDER THE HERETIC. Enough of death's mirror — that is sleep — and also of sleep's business — that is dreams; now to the origin of this digression — that is the order of death — because not even death is without questions, though it is the end of all questions. By the public sentence of the whole human race we pronounce death nature's debt. This God's voice contracted; this everything that is born pledged — that from here Epicurus's stupor be not poured over us denying this debt belongs to us, but the rage of the heretic magician Menander the Samaritan be spat upon, saying death not only does not belong to his people but does not even arrive: that he is an envoy from upper and secret power for this, that those who put on his baptism become immortal and incorruptible and at once possessors of resurrection.

We do read of many kinds of waters to be wondered at — but either the Lyncestans' wine-vein makes drunkards, or Colophon's demonic spring makes the frantic, or Nonacris of Arcadia poisoned Alexander. Judea also had a healing pool before Christ. Clearly the poets handed down Stygian marshes washing away death — yet Thetis still mourned her son. And if Menander also plunges into Styx, one must die nonetheless to come to Styx; for it is said among the lower places. What then and where is this happiness of waters which neither John the Baptist served beforehand nor Christ himself showed the disciples? What is this bath of Menander? Comic, I believe. But why so infrequent, so hidden, that very few wash? I will make so great a rarity of a most sure and safe sacrament suspect, at which there is not even a law to die for God himself — when on the contrary all nations already ascend the Lord's mountain and the house of the God of Jacob who also demands death by martyrdom, which he exacted even of his Christ. Nor will anyone grant so much to magic that it exempt death or prune life back like a vine renewed in age. Enoch and Elijah were translated and their death was not found — deferred, of course; for the rest they are kept to die, that they may quench antichrist with their blood. John also died, whom hope had wrongly held would remain for the Lord's coming. For heresies nearly always leap to our examples, taking defenses from where they fight. Finally a short cut: where are those Menander himself poured over, whom he plunged in his Styx? Let everlasting apostles come and stand; let my Thomas see them, hear, handle — and he believed.