4

a multitude of bodies of so many houses dissolved and of householders returning from a long sojourn, and all things being accomplished wondrously; for neither is the house being rebuilt slow, nor does the inhabitant wander and stay outdoors seeking where his own and special things are, but he proceeds straight to it like a dove to its own tower, even if many and continuous ones are around the same place, shining forth with similar forms. Whence again the memory and the recollection of the former life and the thought of each deed, so sharply formed together with the 9.253 living being dissolved so many ages before? And yet a man awakened from a heavier sleep is for a short time ignorant of who he is and where he lives, and forgets what is familiar, until wakefulness, having scattered the numbness, again rekindles the faculty of memory and activity.

These and such things, running under the thoughts of many, fill the mind with surpassing wonder, but bring in unbelief along with the wonder; for since the mind does not find the solution to the perplexing and questioned matters, nor is it able to set its own meddlesomeness to rest by discovery and comprehension, it then proceeds to unbelief, in the weakness of its own reasonings casting out and rejecting the truth of the matters. But rather, since the discourse, proceeding on its way, has arrived at the continually spoken question, and the subject of the present feast is proper and related, come, let us, by tracing the subject back a little to a fitting beginning, try to produce full assurance in those who wrongly doubt the manifest things. The creator of all things, wishing to create man not as a contemptible creature but as more honorable than all, brought him into being and showed him to be king of the creation under heaven. But having chosen this and fashioned such a one, wise and godlike, and adorned him with much grace, did He bring him into being with such a mind that, having been born, he should perish and undergo complete destruction? But the purpose is vain and it is very unworthy to attribute such a thought to God; for he is thus compared to 9.254 children who build with haste and quickly destroy their construction, their thought arriving at no useful end. But we were taught quite the contrary, that he created the first-formed immortal, but when the transgression and sin occurred, as a penalty for the offense he deprived him of immortality; then the fount of goodness, overflowing with love for humanity and moved with compassion for the work of his own hands, with wisdom and knowledge adorned those whom he was pleased to restore [us] to the ancient state. These things are both true and worthy of the conception of God; for it bears witness to His power along with His goodness. But to be impassive and harsh toward those who are ruled and shepherded is not characteristic even of good and excellent men; thus the shepherd wishes his flock to be strong and almost to be immortal, and the cowherd increases the cattle with all kinds of care, and the goatherd prays for the goats to bear twins, and every herdsman simply desires his herd to remain and flourish, looking to some useful end. This being so, and it having been shown from what we have just said that it is most fitting for the creator and craftsman of our race to refashion His ruined creation, it is manifest, that those who disobey what follows do not contend from any other reason than from thinking it impossible for God to raise up that which is dead and dissolved. truly the mindset of the dead and insensible, who reckon impossibility and helplessness in God's case and transfer the things of their own weakness to the omnipotent magnificence. But so that we might touch upon their folly with refuting words, 9.255 let the future and disbelieved thing be demonstrated from things that have happened and that exist; you have heard that dust was formed and became man; teach me then, I pray, you who deem all things worthy of your own wisdom

4

σώματα πλῆθος τοσούτων οἰκιῶν λυθεισῶν καὶ οἰκοδεσποτῶν ἐκ μακρᾶς τῆς ἀποδημίας ὑποστρεφόντων, πάντα δὲ παραδόξως τελούμενα· οὔτε γὰρ ἡ οἰκία ἀνακτιζομένη βραδύνει οὔτε ὁ ἔνοικος πλανᾶται καὶ θυραυλεῖ ζητῶν, ποῦ τὰ ἴδια καὶ ἐξαίρετα, εὐθὺς δὲ ἐπ' αὐτὴν χωρεῖ ὡσεὶ περιστερὰ πρὸς τὸν ἴδιον πύργον, κἂν πολλοὶ καὶ συνεχεῖς περὶ τὸν αὐτὸν τόπον ὦσι δι' ὁμοίων σχημάτων ἐκλάμποντες. πόθεν πάλιν ἡ ἀνάμνησις καὶ ὁ ἀναλογισμὸς τοῦ προτέρου βίου καὶ ἑκάστης πράξεως ἔννοια οὕτως ὀξέως συναπαρτιζομένη τῷ 9.253 ζῴῳ πρὸ τοσούτων αἰώνων διαλυθέντι; καίτοιγε καὶ ἐξ ὕπνου ἄνθρωπος ἀνεγερθεὶς βαρυτέρου ἐπ' ὀλίγον ἀγνοεῖ, ὅστις ἐστὶ καὶ ὅπου διάγει, καὶ τῶν συνήθων ἐπιλανθάνεται, μέχρις ἂν ἡ ἐγρήγορσις τὴν νάρκην ἀποσκεδάσασα πάλιν τὸ μνημονικὸν καὶ ἐνεργὲς ἀναζωπυρήσῃ.

Ταῦτα καὶ τὰ τοιαῦτα τοὺς λογισμοὺς τῶν πολλῶν ὑπο τρέχοντα θαύματος ὑπερβάλλοντος πληροῖ τὴν διάνοιαν, συνεισάγει δὲ τὴν ἀπιστίαν τῷ θαύματι· ἐπειδὴ γὰρ ὁ νοῦς οὐχ εὑρίσκει τῶν ἀπορουμένων καὶ ζητουμένων τὴν λύσιν οὐδὲ δύναται τὴν ἑαυτοῦ πολυπραγμοσύνην εὑρέσει καὶ καταλήψει προσαναπαῦσαι, χωρεῖ πρὸς ἀπιστίαν λοιπὸν ἐν τῇ ἀσθενείᾳ τῶν ἰδίων λογισμῶν ἐκβάλλων καὶ ἀθετῶν τὴν τῶν πραγμάτων ἀλήθειαν. μᾶλλον δὲ ἐπειδὴ ὁδῷ προβαίνων ὁ λόγος πρὸς τὸ συνεχῶς λαλούμενον ἀφίκετο ζήτημα καὶ τῆς παρούσης ἑορτῆς ἡ ὑπόθεσις οἰκεία καὶ συγγενής, φέρε μικρὸν εἰς ἀρχὴν πρέπουσαν ἀναγαγόντες τὸ προκείμενον πληροφορίαν ἐμποιῆσαι πειραθῶμεν τοῖς πρὸς τὰ φανερὰ κακῶς ἀμφιβάλλουσιν. Ὁ τῶν ὅλων δημιουργὸς θελήσας κτίσαι τὸν ἄνθρωπον οὐχ ὡς εὐκαταφρόνητον ζῷον ἀλλ' ὡς τιμιώτερον πάντων εἰς τὸ εἶναι παρήγαγε καὶ τῆς ὑπ' οὐρανὸν κτίσεως ἀνέδειξε βασιλέα. τοῦτο δὲ προελόμενος καὶ τοιοῦτον ἀπαρτίσας σοφὸν καὶ θεοειδῆ καὶ πολλῇ κατακοσμήσας τῇ χάριτι ἆρα μετὰ γνώμης τοιαύτης εἰς τὸ εἶναι παρήγαγεν, ἵνα γεννηθεὶς φθαρῇ καὶ τελείαν ὑποστῇ τὴν ἀπώλειαν; ἀλλὰ μάταιος ὁ σκοπὸς καὶ σφόδρα γε ἀνάξιον τὴν τοιαύτην ἔννοιαν εἰς θεὸν ἀναφέρειν· παιδίοις γὰρ οὕτως ἀπεικάζεται 9.254 οἰκοδομοῦσι σπουδῇ καὶ λύουσι ταχέως τὸ κατασκεύασμα πρὸς οὐδὲν πέρας εὔχρηστον τῆς διανοίας αὐτῶν καταλη γούσης. πᾶν δὲ τοὐναντίον ἐδιδάχθημεν, ὅτι τὸν πρωτόπλαστον ἀθάνατον ἔκτισεν, ἐπισυμβάσης δὲ τῆς παραβάσεως καὶ τῆς ἁμαρτίας εἰς δίκην τοῦ πλημμελήματος τῆς ἀθανασίας ἐστέρησεν· εἶτα ἡ πηγὴ τῆς ἀγαθότητος ὑπερβλύζουσα τὴν φιλανθρωπίαν καὶ πρὸς τὸ ἔργον ἐπικλασθεῖσα τῶν ἰδίων χειρῶν σοφίᾳ καὶ ἐπιστήμῃ κατεκόσμησεν οὓς εἰς τὴν ἀρχαίαν [ἡμᾶς] εὐδόκησεν ἀνακαινίσαι κατάστασιν. Ταῦτα καὶ ἀληθῆ τυγχάνει καὶ τῆς περὶ θεοῦ ὑπολήψεως ἄξια· προσμαρτυρεῖ γὰρ αὐτῷ μετὰ τῆς ἀγαθότητος καὶ τὴν δύναμιν. τὸ δὲ ἀπαθῶς ἔχειν καὶ σκληρῶς πρὸς τὰ ἀρχόμενά τε καὶ ποιμαινόμενα οὐδὲ ἀνθρώπων ἐστὶ χρηστῶν καὶ βελτίστων· οὕτως ὁ ποιμὴν βούλεται ἐρρῶσθαι τὸ ποίμνιον αὐτῷ καὶ σχεδὸν ὑπάρχειν ἀθάνατον καὶ ὁ βουκόλος παντοδαπαῖς θεραπείαις αὔξει τὰς βοῦς καὶ τὰς αἶγας διδυμοτόκους ὑπάρχειν ὁ αἰπόλος εὔχεται καὶ πᾶς ἀγελάρχης ἁπλῶς διαμένειν αὐτῷ καὶ εὐθηνεῖσθαι ποθεῖ τὴν ἀγέλην πρός τι τέλος εὔχρηστον ἀφορῶν. τούτου δὲ οὕτως ἔχοντος καὶ ἐκ τῶν ἀρτίως ἡμῖν εἰρημένων δειχθέντος πρεπωδέστατον ὑπάρχειν τῷ δημιουργῷ καὶ τεχνίτῃ τοῦ γένους ἡμῶν ἀναπλάσαι τὸ φθαρὲν ποίημα πρόδηλον, ὡς οἱ τοῖς ἑξῆς ἀπειθοῦντες οὐκ ἄλλοθέν ποθεν ἀπομάχονται ἢ διὰ τὸ νομίζειν ἀδύνατον εἶναι τῷ θεῷ τὸ τεθνηκὸς καὶ διαλυθὲν ἀνεγεῖραι. νεκρῶν ἀληθῶς καὶ ἀναισθήτων τὸ φρόνημα τὸ ἀδύνατον καὶ ἀμήχανον ἐπὶ θεοῦ λογιζομένων καὶ τὰ τῆς ἰδίας ἀσθενείας ἐπὶ τὴν παντοδύναμον φερόντων μεγαλοπρέ πειαν. ἵνα δὲ λόγοις ἐλεγκτικοῖς τῆς ἀνοίας αὐτῶν 9.255 καθικώμεθα, ἐκ τῶν γεγονότων καὶ ὄντων ἀποδειχθήτω τὸ μέλλον καὶ ἀπιστούμενον· ἤκουσας, ὅτι ὁ χοῦς ἐπλάσθη καὶ ἐγένετο ἄνθρωπος, δίδαξον οὖν με, παρακαλῶ, ὁ πάντα ἀξιῶν τῇ σοφίᾳ τῇ ἑαυτοῦ