The flesh is to rise, and its defects will rise with it. And they weave such sophistries: If the flesh rises, it will rise either complete and having all its members or incomplete. But for it to rise lacking in parts reveals a weakness in the one raising it, if he was able to save some parts, but not others. But if it will have all its parts and members, it is clear that to say these exist after the resurrection from the dead, how is this not absurd, since the Savior said: They neither marry nor are given in marriage, but will be as angels in heaven? But the angels, they say, neither have flesh nor eat nor have intercourse; so that there will be no resurrection of the flesh. Saying these things, therefore, and things like them, they try to pervert those of the faith. And there are some who say that Jesus himself was present only as a spirit, no longer in the flesh, but that he presented a phantasm of flesh, they too trying to deprive the flesh of the promise. First, we will solve the things that seem to them to be difficulties; then we will next bring forward the argument demonstrating that the flesh has salvation. They say, then: If the body will rise complete and will have all its members, it is necessary that the functions of the members also exist; the womb to conceive, the male member to produce seed, and the rest likewise. But let the whole argument rest on one point. For if this is proven false, their whole argument will disappear. Therefore, that the members, when they function, perform these functions which are seen here is clear, but it is not necessary that they must function at all. So that what is said may be clear, we will consider it thus. The function of a womb is to conceive and of a male member to produce seed. But just as, if these are to perform these functions, so it is not necessary for them to function at all (for we see many women not conceiving, such as the barren, even though they have wombs), so too, having a womb does not immediately compel one to conceive. But also those who are not barren from the beginning, but are virgins, have abstained from intercourse; and others after a time. And we see males who are virgins from the beginning, and others after a time, so that through them the lawless marriage through desire is abolished. But indeed we also find certain animals that are childless, although they have wombs, such as the mule, and the male mules do not beget; so that intercourse is seen to be abolished both among humans and among irrational animals even before the age to come. And our Lord Jesus Christ was born of a virgin for no other reason than to abolish the generation of lawless desire and to show the ruler that the formation of man is possible for God even without human intercourse. And having been born and having lived the rest of the life of the flesh, I mean in foods and drinks and clothing, he did not engage in this one activity of intercourse alone, but the desires of the flesh

σὰρξ ἀνίστασθαι, καὶ τὰ ἐλαττώματα συναναστήσεται. Καὶ σοφίσματα πλέκουσι τοιαῦτα· Eἰ ἡ σὰρξ ἀνίσταται, ἤτοι ὁλόκληρος ἀναστήσεται καὶ πάντα τὰ μόρια ἔχουσα ἢ ἀτελής. Ἀλλὰ τὸ μὲν ἐλλειπῆ μέλλειν αὐτὴν ἀνίστασθαι ἀδυναμίαν ἐμ φαίνει τοῦ ἀνιστῶντος, εἰ τὰ μὲν ἠδυνήθη σῶσαι, τὰ δὲ οὔ. Eἰ δὲ πάντα τὰ μέρη καὶ τὰ μόρια ἕξει, δῆλον ὅτι ταῦτα λέ γειν ὑπάρχειν μετὰ τὴν ἐκ νεκρῶν ἀνάστασιν πῶς οὐκ ἄτοπον, τοῦ σωτῆρος εἰρηκότος· Oὔτε γαμοῦσιν οὔτε γαμίσκονται, ἀλλ' ἔσονται ὡς ἄγγελοι ἐν τῷ οὐρανῷ; Oἱ δὲ ἄγγελοι, φασίν, οὔτε σάρκα ἔχουσιν οὔτε ἐσθίουσιν οὔτε συνουσιάζουσιν· ὥστε οὐδὲ σαρκικὴ ἀνάστασις γενήσεται. Ταῦτα μὲν οὖν καὶ τὰ τούτοις ὅμοια λέγοντες πειρῶνται διαστρέφειν τοὺς ἀπὸ τῆς πίστεως. Eἰσὶ δέ τινες οἳ λέγουσι καὶ αὐτὸν τὸν Ἰη σοῦν πνευματικὸν μόνον παρεῖναι, μηκέτι ἐν σαρκί, φαντα σίαν δὲ σαρκὸς παρεσχηκέναι, πειρώμενοι καὶ αὐτοὶ ἀπο στερεῖν τῆς ἐπαγγελίας τὴν σάρκα. Πρῶτον μὲν τὰ ὑπ' αὐ τῶν δοκοῦντα ἄπορα φαίνεσθαι λύσομεν· εἶθ' οὕτως ἑξῆς ἐπάξομεν τὸν ἀποδεικνύντα λόγον περὶ τῆς σαρκὸς ὡς ἔχει σωτηρίαν. Φασὶ τοίνυν· Eἰ ὁλόκληρον ἀναστήσεται τὸ σῶμα καὶ τὰ μόρια αὐτοῦ πάντα ἕξει, ἀνάγκη δὲ καὶ τὰ ἔργα τῶν μο ρίων ὑπάρξαι· μήτραν μὲν κυΐσκειν, σπερματίζειν δὲ μόριον ἀνδρός, καὶ τὰ λοιπὰ δὲ ὁμοίως. Ἔστω δὲ ἐφ' ἑνὸς πᾶς λόγος ἱστάμενος. Τούτου γὰρ ἀποδεικνυμένου ψευδοῦς οἰ χήσεται πᾶς ὁ λόγος αὐτῶν. Τὸ μὲν οὖν τὰ μόρια ἐνεργοῦντα ταῦτα ἐνεργεῖν ἅπερ ἐνταῦθα φαίνεται δῆλον, τὸ δὲ κατ' ἀνάγκην αὐτὰ κατὰ τὴν ἀρχὴν ἐνεργεῖν οὐκ ἀναγκαῖον. Ἵνα δὲ σαφὲς ᾖ τὸ λεγόμενον, οὕτω σκοπήσομεν. Μήτρας ἐστὶν ἐνέργεια τὸ κυΐσκειν καὶ μορίου ἀνδρικοῦ τὸ σπερμαίνειν. Ὥσπερ δέ, εἰ ταῦτα μέλλει ἐνεργεῖν ταύτας τὰς ἐνεργείας, οὕτως οὐκ ἀναγκαῖον αὐτοῖς ἐστι τὸ τὴν ἀρχὴν ἐνεργεῖν (ὁρῶ μεν γοῦν πολλὰς γυναῖκας μὴ κυϊσκούσας, ὡς τὰς στείρας, καὶ μήτρας ἐχούσας), οὕτως οὐκ εὐθέως καὶ τὸ μήτραν ἔχειν καὶ κυΐσκειν ἀναγκάζει. Ἀλλὰ καὶ μὴ στεῖραι μὲν ἐξ ἀρχῆς, παρθενεύουσαι δέ, κατήργησαν καὶ τὴν συνουσίαν· ἕτεραι δὲ καὶ ἀπὸ χρόνου. Καὶ τοὺς ἄρσενας δὲ τοὺς μὲν ἀπ' ἀρχῆς παρθενεύοντας ὁρῶμεν, τοὺς δὲ ἀπὸ χρόνου, ὥστε δι' αὐ τῶν καταλύεσθαι τὸν δι' ἐπιθυμίας ἄνομον γάμον. Ἀλλὰ μὴν καὶ ζῶά τινα εὑρίσκομεν ἄτοκα, καίτοι μήτρας ἔχοντα, ὡς καὶ ἡμίονον, καὶ οἱ ἄρσενες δὲ οὐ γεννῶσιν ἡμίονοι· ὥστε καὶ διὰ ἀνθρώπων καὶ διὰ ἀλόγων καταργουμένην τὴν συν ουσίαν καὶ πρὶν τοῦ μέλλοντος αἰῶνος ὁρᾶσθαι. Καὶ ὁ κύ ριος δὲ ἡμῶν Ἰησοῦς ὁ Χριστὸς οὐ δι' ἄλλο τι ἐκ παρθένου ἐγεννήθη, ἀλλ' ἵνα καταργήσῃ γέννησιν ἐπιθυμίας ἀνόμου καὶ δείξῃ τῷ ἄρχοντι καὶ δίχα συνουσίας ἀνθρωπίνης δυνα τὴν εἶναι τῷ θεῷ τὴν ἀνθρώπου πλάσιν. Καὶ γεννηθεὶς δὲ καὶ πολιτευσάμενος τὴν λοιπὴν τῆς σαρκὸς πολιτείαν, λέγω δὴ ἐν τροφαῖς καὶ ποτοῖς καὶ ἐνδύμασι, ταύτην δὲ τὴν διὰ συνουσίας μόνον οὐκ εἰργάσατο, ἀλλὰ τὰς τῆς σαρκὸς ἐπιθυ