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of a true apprehension of existing things as they are, that is, of both God and men. And did not God, as we have said before, also for this reason endure our dissolution into the earth, so that, having been instructed in all things in every way, we might be exact in the future, being ignorant of neither God nor ourselves? But Paul showed most clearly that man was delivered over to his own weakness, so that, never being puffed up, he might not miss the truth, saying: “Therefore I will rather boast most gladly in my weaknesses, that the power of Christ may rest upon me.” 5 For if He does not give life to the mortal and does not bring the corruptible to incorruption, God is not powerful. But that He is powerful in all such things, we ought to understand from our beginning, that God, taking dust from the earth, made man, although it was much more difficult and more incredible to make from non-existent bones and sinews and the rest of the human structure, and to fashion an ensouled and rational animal, than to restore again that which had been made and then dissolved into the earth, having passed into those things from which man, not yet existing in the beginning, was made; for He who in the beginning made him who was not, whenever He willed, will much more, if He wills, restore again those who have already come to be, to the life given by Him. And the flesh will be found to be both receptive and capable of the power of God; for if in the beginning it accepted the art of God, and one part became an eye for seeing, and another an ear, and another something else. For what? Is it not impossible to number all the composition of the members in man, which did not come to be without much wisdom. And the things that partake of the art and wisdom of God partake also of His power. Therefore the flesh is not without a share of the artistic wisdom and power of God, but His power, which is life-giving, is made perfect in weakness, that is, in the flesh. Let those who say the flesh is not receptive of the life given by God tell us, whether they say these things being alive now and partaking of life, or partaking of life not at all, but confess themselves to be dead at present? But if they are dead, how do they also move and speak and do the other things, which are the works not of the dead but of the living? But if they are living now and their whole body partakes of life, how do they dare to say that the flesh does not partake of life, when they confess to have life at present? It is similar to someone holding a sponge full of water or a lamp of light, saying that the sponge cannot partake of water nor the lamp of fire; in the same way, these men also, saying that they live and boasting that they bear life in their own members, then, contradicting themselves, say that their members are not receptive of life. But if this temporary life, being much weaker than that eternal life, nevertheless has so much power as to give life to our mortal members, why is it that the life which is more effective than this and is eternal does not give life to the flesh which has already practiced and is accustomed to bear life? For that the flesh is receptive of life is shown from the fact that it lives; and it lives for as long as God wills it to live. And that God is also able to provide it with life is clear; for when He provides us with life, we live. And so, since God is able to give life to His own creation and the flesh is able to be given life, what then hinders it from partaking of incorruption, which is a blessed and unending life given by God? 6 And what shall we say about those cases, where even Enoch, having pleased God, was translated in the body, foretelling the translation of the just, and Elijah was taken up as he was in the substance of his created frame, prophesying the assumption of spiritual men? And the body in no way hindered them with respect to their translation and assumption; for by the same hands by which they were formed in the beginning, by these they received their assumption and translation. For the hands of God were accustomed in Adam to direct and to hold and to bear His own creation, and to carry and place it where they will. Where then was the first man placed? In paradise, clearly, as it is written. And

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ἀληθοῦς περὶ τῶν ὄντων ὡς ἔστι καταλήψεως, τουτέστι Θεοῦ τε καὶ ἀνθρώπων. Καὶ μήτι γε, καθὼς προείπαμεν, καὶ διὰ τοῦτο ἠνέσχετο ὁ Θεὸς τὴν εἰς τὴν γῆν ἡμῶν ἀνάλυσιν, ὅπως παντοίως παιδευθέντες ἐν πᾶσιν εἰς τὸ μέλλον ὦμεν ἀκριβεῖς, μήτε Θεὸν μήτε ἑαυτοὺς ἀγνοοῦντες; Σαφέστατα δὲ Παῦλος ἐπέδειξεν ὅτι παρεδόθη τῇ ἑαυτοῦ ἀσθενείᾳ ὁ ἄνθρωπος ἵνα μὴ ἐπαρθείς ποτε ἀστοχήσῃ τῆς ἀληθείας, εἰπών· «Ἥδιστα οὖν μᾶλλον καυχήσομαι ἐν ταῖς ἀσθενείαις, ἵνα ἐπισκηνώσῃ ἐπ' ἐμὲ ἡ δύναμις τοῦ Χριστοῦ.» 5 Εἰ γὰρ τὸ θνητὸν οὐ ζωοποιεῖ καὶ τὸ φθαρτὸν μὴ ἀνάγει εἰς ἀφθαρσίαν, οὐκ ἔστι δυνατὸς ὁ Θεός. Ἀλλ' ὅτι δυνατός ἐστιν ἐν τοῖς τοιούτοις πᾶσιν, ἐκ τῆς ἀρχῆς ἡμῶν συννοεῖν ὀφείλομεν, ὅτι λαβὼν ὁ Θεὸς χοῦν ἀπὸ τῆς γῆς, ἐποίησε τὸν ἄνθρωπον, καίπερ πολλῷ δυσκολώτερον καὶ ἀπιστότερον ἦν ἐκ μὴ ὄντων ὀστέων τε καὶ νεύρων καὶ τῆς λοιπῆς τῆς κατὰ τὸν ἄνθρωπον οἰκονομίας ποιῆσαι εἰς τὸ εἶναι καὶ ἔμψυχον καὶ λογικὸν ἀπεργάσασθαι ζῷον, ἢ τὸ γεγονός, ἔπειτα ἀναλυθὲν εἰς τὴν γῆν, αὖθις ἀποκαταστῆσαι εἰς ἐκεῖνα χωρῆσαν ὅθεν τὴν ἀρχὴν μηδέπω γεγονὼς ἐγενήθη ὁ ἄνθρωπος· ὁ γὰρ τὴν ἀρχὴν οὐκ ὄντα ποιήσας ὁπότε ἠθέλησε πολλῷ μᾶλλον τοὺς ἤδη γεγονότας αὖθις ἀποκαταστήσει θελήσας εἰς τὴν ὑπ' αὐτοῦ διδομένην ζωήν. Εὑρεθήσεται δὲ καὶ δεκτικὴ ἅμα καὶ χωρητικὴ ἡ σὰρξ τῆς τοῦ Θεοῦ δυνάμεως· εἰ γὰρ τὴν ἀρχὴν ἀπεδέξατο τὴν τέχνην τοῦ Θεοῦ, καὶ τὸ μέν τι ἐγένετο ὀφθαλμὸς τοῦ ὁρᾶν, τὸ δὲ οὖς, καὶ ἄλλο ἄλλο. Τί γάρ; Οὐκ ἔστιν ἀριθμὸν εἰπεῖν πάσης τῆς κατὰ τὸν ἄνθρωπον μελοποιΐας, ἥτις οὐκ ἄνευ σοφίας πολλῆς ἐγένετο. Τὰ δὲ τέχνης καὶ σοφίας μετέχοντα Θεοῦ μετέχει καὶ τῆς δυνάμεως αὐτοῦ. Οὐκ ἄρα οὖν ἄμοιρος ἡ σὰρξ τεχνικῆς σοφίας καὶ δυνάμεως Θεοῦ, ἀλλ' ἡ δύναμις αὐτοῦ, ἥτις ἐστὶ ζωῆς παρεκτική, ἐν ἀσθενείᾳ τελεῖται, τουτέστιν ἐν σαρκί. Εἰπάτωσαν ἡμῖν οἱ λέγοντες μὴ εἶναι δεκτικὴν τὴν σάρκα τῆς παρὰ τοῦ Θεοῦ διδομένης ζωῆς, πότερον ζῶντες νῦν καὶ μετέχοντες τῆς ζωῆς λέγουσι ταῦτα, ἢ τὸ καθόλου ζωῆς μετέχοντες μηδέν, νεκροὺς δὲ ἑαυτοὺς τῷ παρόντι ὁμολογοῦσιν; Ἀλλ' εἰ μέν εἰσι νεκροί, πῶς καὶ κινοῦνται καὶ λαλοῦσι καὶ τὰ λοιπὰ ποιοῦσιν, ἅπερ οὐχὶ νεκρῶν ἀλλὰ ζώντων ἔργα; Εἰ δὲ ζῶσι νῦν καὶ ὅλον αὐτῶν μετέχει τὸ σῶμα τῆς ζωῆς, πῶς τολμῶσι λέγειν μὴ εἶναι τὴν σάρκα μετοχικὴν τῆς ζωῆς, ὁμολογοῦντες ἔχειν ζωὴν ἐν τῷ παρόντι; Ὅμοιον εἴ τις σπογγιὰν ὕδατος πλήρη κρατῶν ἢ λαμπάδα φωτὸς μὴ δύνασθαι λέγει μετέχειν τοῦ ὕδατος ἐπὶ τῆς σπογγιᾶς μηδὲ τὴν λαμπάδα τοῦ πυρός· τὸν αὐτὸν τρόπον καὶ οὗτοι ζῆν λέγοντες καὶ βαστάζειν τὴν ζωὴν ἐν τοῖς ἰδίοις αὐχοῦντες μέλεσιν, ἔπειτα ἑαυτοῖς ἐναντιούμενοι, τὰ μέλη αὐτῶν ἐπιδεκτικὰ μὴ λέγουσι τῆς ζωῆς. Εἰ δὲ τὸ πρόσκαιρον τοῦ ζῆν πολλῷ ἀσθενέστερον ἐκείνης τῆς αἰωνίας ζωῆς ὅμως τοσοῦτον δύναται ὥστε ζωοποιεῖν ἡμῶν τὰ θνητὰ μέλη, ἡ τούτου δραστικωτέρα καὶ αἰώνιος ζωὴ τί ὅτι οὐ ζωοποιεῖ τὴν σάρκα τὴν ἤδη μεμελετηκυῖαν καὶ εἰθισμένην βαστάζειν τὴν ζωήν; Ὅτι γὰρ ἐπιδεκτικὴ ζωῆς ἐστιν ἡ σάρξ, ἐκ τοῦ ζῆν δείκνυται· ζῇ δὲ ἐφ' ὅσον αὐτὴν ὁ Θεὸς θέλει ζῆν. Ὅτι δὲ καὶ ὁ Θεὸς δυνατὸς παρέχειν αὐτῇ τὴν ζωήν, δῆλον· ἐκείνου γὰρ παρέχοντος ἡμῖν τὴν ζωήν, ζῶμεν. Καὶ τοῦ Θεοῦ οὖν δυνατοῦ ὄντος ζωοποιεῖν τὸ πλάσμα τὸ ἑαυτοῦ καὶ τῆς σαρκὸς δυναμένης ζωοποιεῖσθαι, τί λοιπὸν τὸ κωλῦον αὐτὴν μετέχειν τῆς ἀφθαρσίας, ἥτις ἐστὶ μακαρία καὶ ἀτελεύτητος ὑπὸ Θεοῦ διδομένη ζωή; 6 Τί δὲ καὶ περὶ ἐκείνων λέγομεν, ὅπου γε καὶ Ἐνὼχ εὐαρεστήσας τῷ Θεῷ ἐν σώματι μετετέθη, τὴν μετάθεσιν τῶν δικαίων προμηνύων, καὶ Ἠλίας ὡς ἦν ἐν τῇ τοῦ πλάσματος ὑποστάσει ἀνελήφθη, τὴν ἀνάληψιν τῶν πνευματικῶν προφητεύων; Καὶ οὐδὲν ἐνεπόδισεν αὐτοῖς τὸ σῶμα πρὸς τὴν μετάθεσιν καὶ ἀνάληψιν· δι' ὧν γὰρ χειρῶν ἐπλάσθησαν τὴν ἀρχήν, διὰ τούτων τὴν ἀνάληψιν καὶ μετάθεσιν ἐλάμβανον. Εἰθισμέναι γὰρ ἦσαν ἐν τῷ Ἀδὰμ αἱ χεῖρες τοῦ Θεοῦ ῥυθμίζειν καὶ κρατεῖν καὶ βαστάζειν τὸ ἴδιον πλάσμα καὶ φέρειν καὶ τιθέναι ὅπου αὐταὶ βούλονται. Ποῦ οὖν ἐτέθη ὁ πρῶτος ἄνθρωπος; Ἐν τῷ παραδείσῳ δηλονότι, καθὼς γέγραπται. Καὶ