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Truly, neither then did the Virgin give birth, nor did the Word from God the Father take hold of the seed of Abraham, nor was He made like His brethren. For our state is in no way a shadow, or an illusion, but we are in bodies both tangible and visible, and clothed in this very earth-born flesh, and we are overcome by corruption and passions. Therefore, if the Word did not become flesh, He is not able, in that He Himself suffered when tempted, to help those who are being tempted. For a shadow could not suffer anything. Therefore our entire hope truly comes to nothing. For what back did He give for us? Or what cheek, having offered it to those who strike, did He endure the blows from the Jews? But for one who did not appear in the flesh to have his hands and feet pierced with nails, in what way could anyone imagine it? Or what side, tell me, did Pilate's guards pierce, showing to the onlookers the precious blood gushing forth with water? And if one must speak of what is beyond these things, neither did He die for us, nor indeed was Christ raised. If this is accepted as truth, faith is made void, the cross is gone, the salvation and life of the world, and the hope of those who have fallen asleep in faith has utterly perished. For it also seemed good in this way to the blessed Paul; For I delivered to you, he says, first of all, that which I also received, that Christ 682 died for our sins, according to the Scriptures, and that He was buried, and that He was raised on the third day, according to the Scriptures, and that He appeared to Cephas, then to the twelve, then He appeared to more than five hundred brethren at once, of whom the greater part remain until now, but some have also fallen asleep. Then He appeared to James, then to all the apostles, and last of all, as to one abnormally born, he says, He appeared also to me. And after other things again: Now if Christ is preached, that He has been raised from the dead, how do some among you say that there is no resurrection of the dead? But if there is no resurrection of the dead, then Christ has not been raised. And if Christ has not been raised, then our preaching is in vain, and your faith is also in vain. We are also found to be false witnesses of God, because we have testified against God that He raised up Christ, whom He did not raise up, if in fact the dead are not raised. For in what way, tell me, could a shadow die? How then did the Father raise Christ, who was a shadow and an illusion, and could not be held by the bonds of death? Therefore let their vomit be gone, and let us consider their doctrines to be a mere myth, and the scum of an unholy counsel. For the disciple of the Savior warns us in advance about such people, writing that many false prophets have gone out into the world. By this the Spirit of God is known. Every spirit that confesses that Jesus Christ has come in the flesh is of God, and every spirit that does not confess Jesus is not of God. And this is the spirit of the Antichrist, which you have heard is coming, and is now already in the world. For if He did not become man, nor indeed ascend in the flesh to the Father and God in heaven, neither would He return from heaven like us, that is, a man and in the flesh. Or do I not seem to you to speak accurately? {Β} Very much so. {Α} But for others to think and believe out of immeasurable sloth that the Word born of God refused the birth through the holy Virgin, and dishonored our nature, but rather was changed into flesh from the earth, is the act of those who blaspheme the economy and have chosen to rebuke the divine counsels. For the Word of God, the creator of all things and rich in mercy, emptied Himself for us, becoming man, being born of a woman, so that since the children, that is, we, have partaken of blood and flesh, He Himself likewise might share 683 in the same, that through death He might destroy him who has the power of death, that is, the devil, and release those who through fear of death were all their lifetime subject to bondage. For thus said the sacred Scripture.

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ἀληθῶς, οὔτε μὴν τέτοκεν ἡ Παρθένος, οὐκ ἐπελάβετο σπέρματος Ἀβραὰμ ὁ ἐκ Θεοῦ Πατρὸς Λόγος, οὐχ ὡμοιώθη τοῖς ἀδελφοῖς. Σκιὰ γὰρ οὔτι που τὰ καθ' ἡμᾶς, ἢ δόκησις, ἀλλ' ἐσμὲν ἐν σώμασιν ἁπτοῖς τε καὶ ὁρατοῖς, καὶ τὴν γηγενῆ δὴ ταύτην σάρκα κατημφιεσμένοι, καὶ φθορᾶς καὶ παθῶν ἡττήμεθα. Οὐκοῦν, εἰ μὴ γέγονε σὰρξ ὁ Λόγος, οὐδὲ ἐν ᾧ πέπονθεν αὐτὸς πειρασθείς, δύναται τοῖς πειραζομένοις βοηθῆσαι. Οὐδὲ γὰρ ἄν τι πάθοι σκιά. Οἴχεται δὴ οὖν τὸ σύμπαν ἡμῖν εἰς τὸ μηδὲν ἀληθῶς. Ποῖον γὰρ ἔτι νῶτον δέδωκεν ὑπὲρ ἡμῶν; Ἢ ποίαν τοῖς παίουσι παρειὰν ὑποστρώσας, πρὸς τὰς ἐκ τῶν Ἰουδαίων διεκαρτέρει πληγάς; Ἥλοις δὲ διαπεπάρθαι χεῖράς τε καὶ πόδας τὸν οὐκ ἐν σαρκὶ πεφηνότα, τίνα δὴ τρόπον οἰηθείη τις ἄν; Ἢ ποίαν, εἰπέ μοι, πλευρὰν διανύττοντες οἱ Πιλάτου δορυφόροι, τὸ τίμιον αἷμα συναναβλύζον ὕδατι τοῖς θεωμένοις παρέδειξαν; Καὶ εἰ χρὴ τούτων τὸ ἐπέκεινα λέγειν, οὔτε ἀπέθανεν ὑπὲρ ἡμῶν, οὔτε μὴν ἐγήγερται Χριστός. Οὗ παραδεχθέντος εἰς ἀλήθειαν, κεκένωται μὲν ἡ πίστις, οἴχεται δὲ ὁ σταυρός, ἡ τοῦ κόσμου σωτηρία καὶ ζωή, καὶ διόλωλε παντελῶς ἡ τῶν ἐν πίστει κεκοιμημένων ἐλπίς. Εὖ γὰρ ὧδε ἔχειν ἐδόκει καὶ τῷ μακαρίῳ Παύλῳ· Παρέδωκα γὰρ ὑμῖν, φησίν, ἐν πρώτοις ὃ καὶ παρέλαβον, ὅτι Χριστὸς 682 ἀπέθανεν ὑπὲρ τῶν ἁμαρτιῶν ἡμῶν, κατὰ τὰς Γραφάς, καὶ ὅτι ἐτάφη, καὶ ὅτι ἐγήγερται τῇ ἡμέρᾳ τῇ τρίτῃ, κατὰ τὰς Γραφάς, καὶ ὅτι ὤφθη Κηφᾷ, εἶτα τοῖς δώδεκα, ἔπειτα ὤφθη ἐπάνω πεντακοσίοις ἀδελφοῖς ἐφάπαξ, ἐξ ὧν οἱ πλείους μένουσιν ἕως ἄρτι, τινὲς δὲ καὶ ἐκοιμήθησαν. Ἔπειτα ὤφθη Ἰακώβῳ, ἔπειτα τοῖς ἀποστόλοις πᾶσιν, ἔσχατον δὲ πάντων, ὡσπερεὶ τῷ ἐκτρώματι, φησίν, ὤφθη κἀμοί. Καὶ μεθ' ἕτερα πάλιν· Εἰ δὲ Χριστὸς κηρύσσεται, ὅτι ἐκ νεκρῶν ἐγήγερται, πῶς λέγουσιν ἐν ὑμῖν τινες ὅτι ἀνάστασις νεκρῶν οὐκ ἔστιν; Εἰ δὲ ἀνάστασις νεκρῶν οὐκ ἔστιν, οὐδὲ Χριστὸς ἐγήγερται. Εἰ δὲ Χριστὸς οὐκ ἐγήγερται, κενὸν ἄρα τὸ κήρυγμα ἡμῶν, κενὴ καὶ ἡ πίστις ἡμῶν. Εὑρισκόμεθα δὲ καὶ ψευδομάρτυρες τοῦ Θεοῦ, ὅτι ἐμαρτυρήσαμεν κατὰ τοῦ Θεοῦ ὅτι ἤγειρε τὸν Χριστόν, ὃν οὐκ ἤγειρεν, εἴπερ ἄρα νεκροὶ οὐκ ἐγείρονται. Τεθναίη γὰρ ἄν, εἰπέ μοι, τίνα δὴ τρόπον ἡ σκιά; Πῶς οὖν ἀνέστησε τὸν Χριστὸν ὁ Πατήρ, σκιὰν ὄντα καὶ δόκησιν, καὶ τοῖς τοῦ θανάτου δεσμοῖς οὐχ ἁλώσιμον; Οἰχέσθω δὴ οὖν ὁ ἐκείνων ἔμετος, μῦθον δὲ ἄλλως, καὶ ἀνοσίου βουλῆς ἀποβράσματα τὰ παρ' αὐτοῖς ἡγώμεθα. Τοὺς γὰρ τοιούτους ἡμῖν προκαταμηνύει γράφων τοῦ Σωτῆρος ὁ μαθητὴς ὅτι Πολλοὶ ψευδοπροφῆται ἐξεληλύθασιν εἰς τὸν κόσμον. Ἐν τούτῳ γινώσκεται τὸ Πνεῦμα τοῦ Θεοῦ. Πᾶν πνεῦμα ὃ ὁμολογεῖ Ἰησοῦν Χριστὸν ἐν σαρκὶ ἐληλυθότα ἐκ τοῦ Θεοῦ ἐστι, καὶ πᾶν πνεῦμα ὃ μὴ ὁμολογεῖ τὸν Ἰησοῦν ἐκ τοῦ Θεοῦ οὐκ ἔστιν. Καὶ τοῦτό ἐστι τὸ τοῦ Ἀντιχρίστου, ὃ ἀκηκόατε ὅτι ἔρχεται, καὶ νῦν ἐν τῷ κόσμῳ ἐστὶν ἤδη. Εἰ γὰρ μὴ γέγονεν ἄνθρωπος, μήτε μὴν ἀναβέβηκεν ἐν σαρκὶ πρὸς τὸν ἐν τοῖς οὐρανοῖς Πατέρα καὶ Θεόν, οὐδ' ἂν ὑποστρέψειεν ἐξ οὐρανοῦ καθ' ἡμᾶς, ἄνθρωπος δηλονότι καὶ ἐν σαρκί. Ἢ οὐκ ἀτρεκῆ σοι φάναι δοκῶ; {Β} Καὶ μάλα. {Α} Τὸ δὲ δὴ καὶ ἑτέρους οἴεσθαί τε καὶ φρονεῖν ἐξ ἀμετρήτου νωθείας γέννησιν μὲν ἀνήνασθαι τὴν διὰ τῆς ἁγίας Παρθένου τὸν ἐκ Θεοῦ φύντα Λόγον, καὶ φύσιν μὲν ἀτιμάσαι τὴν καθ' ἡμᾶς, παρατετράφθαι δὲ μᾶλλον αὐτὸν εἰς τὴν ἀπὸ γῆς σάρκα, δυσφημούντων ἐστὶ τὴν οἰκονομίαν, καὶ τοῖς θείοις σκέμμασιν ἐπιτιμᾶν ᾑρημένων. Ὁ μὲν γὰρ τῶν ὅλων δημιουργὸς καὶ πολὺς εἰς ἔλεον τοῦ Θεοῦ Λόγος κεκένωκεν ἑαυτὸν δι' ἡμᾶς γενόμενος ἄνθρωπος, γενόμενος ἐκ γυναικός, ἵν' ἐπείπερ αἵματος καὶ σαρκὸς κεκοινώνηκε τὰ παιδία, τουτέστιν ἡμεῖς, καὶ αὐτὸς παραπλησίως μετάσχῃ 683 τῶν αὐτῶν, ἵνα διὰ τοῦ θανάτου καταργήσῃ τὸν τὸ κράτος ἔχοντα τοῦ θανάτου, τουτέστι τὸν διάβολον, καὶ ἀπαλλάξῃ τούτους ὅσοι φόβῳ θανάτου διὰ παντὸς τοῦ ζῆν ἔνοχοι ἦσαν δουλείας. Ὧδε γὰρ ἔφη τὸ Γράμμα τὸ ἱερόν.