[Footnote 619: See IV. 22. In accordance with the recapitulation theory
Christ must also have descended to the lower world. There he announced
forgiveness of sins to the righteous, the patriarchs and prophets (IV.
27. 2). For this, however, Irenaeus was not able to appeal to Scripture
texts, but only to statements of a presbyter. It is nevertheless
expressly asserted, on the authority of Rom. III. 23, that these
pre-Christian just men also could only receive justification and the
light of salvation through the arrival of Christ among them.]

[Footnote 620: See III. 16. 6: "In omnibus autem est et homo plasmatio
dei; et hominem ergo in semetipsum recapitulans est, invisibilis
visibilis factus, et incomprehensibilis factus comprehensibilis et
impassibilis passibilis, et verbum homo, universa in semetipsum
recapitulans, uti sicut in supercaelestibus et spiritalibus et
invisibilibus princeps est verbum dei, sic et in visibilibus et
corporalibus principatum habeat, in semetipsum primatum assumens et
apponens semetipsum caput ecclesiae, universa attrahat ad semetipsum apto
in tempore."]

[Footnote 621: There are innumerable passages where Tertullian has urged
that the whole work of Christ is comprised in the death on the cross,
and indeed that this death was the aim of Christ's mission. See, e.g.,
de pat. 3: "Taceo quod figitur; in hoc enim venerat"; de bapt. II: "Mors
nostra dissolvi non potuit, nisi domini passione, nee vita restitui sine
resurrectione ipsius"; adv. Marc. III. 8: "Si mendacium deprehenditur
Christi caro... nec passiones Christi fidem merebuntur. Eversum est
igitur totum dei opus. Totum Christiani nominis et pondus et fructus,
mors Christi, negatur, quam iam impresse apostolus demendat, utique
veram, summum eam fundamentum evangelii constituens et salutis nostrae et
praedictionis suae," 1 Cor. XV. 3, 4; he follows Paul here. But on the
other hand he has also adopted from Irenaeus the mystical conception of
redemption--the constitution of Christ is the redemption--though with a
rationalistic explanation. See adv. Marc. II. 27: "filius miscens in
semetipso hominem et deum, ut tantum homini conferat, quantum deo
detrahit. Conversabatur deus, ut homo divina agere doceretur. Ex aequo
agebat deus cum homine, ut homo ex aequo agere cum deo posset." Here
therefore the meaning of the divine manhood of the Redeemer virtually
amounts to divine teaching. In de resurr. 63 Christ is called
"fidelissimus sequester dei e