This view of Tertullian should not be confused with the tradition of "Christian mortalism" that has survived in some circles up to today. In "Christian mortalism," the soul of the dead person is believed to be unconscious-as good as dead-until awakened again at the Resurrection and the Last Judgment. For Tertullian, the souls of the departed never lapsed into total unconsciousness. Rather, they lived a suspended, interim existence, waiting for the next great act in the drama of God's salvation to begin:
( Peter R.L. Brown )
[ The Ransom of the Soul ]
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