For this is a demonstration of the power of God. Furthermore, for those who consider the subsequent generation from one another, it is possible to see and to marvel even more, that from a tiny drop of fluid so great a living creature is formed. And yet if this too were a matter of promise and did not appear to happen, it would be far more unbelievable than the others; but in fact the result makes it more believable. But indeed concerning the resurrection the Savior showed us results, which we will speak of shortly. But now we are demonstrating that the resurrection of the flesh is possible, asking pardon from the children of truth, if we touch upon arguments that seem to be external and worldly; first, because nothing is external to God, not even the world itself, for it is His creation; second, because we are making these arguments for unbelievers. For if it were for believers, it would have been sufficient to answer that we have believed; but now it is necessary to proceed by means of proofs. Therefore, the aforementioned proofs are sufficient to show that the resurrection of the flesh is possible; but, since they are exceedingly unbelieving, we will bring forward the argument even more compellingly, not from faith, since they do not happen to possess it, but from unbelief, their mother, I mean, from worldly arguments. For if from these we demonstrate to them that the resurrection of the flesh is possible, they are surely worthy of great shame, if they can follow neither the arguments of faith nor those of the world. The natural philosophers of the world, then, who are called wise, say that the universe consists, some of matter and God, like Plato; others of atoms and void, like Epicurus; and others of the four elements, earth and water, air, fire, just as the Stoics do. For it is sufficient to mention the most prevalent opinions. And Plato says that all things came to be from matter by God and according to His providence, but Epicurus and those with him say from atoms and from the void according to a certain spontaneous impulse of the natural motion from bodies, while the Stoics say from the four elements, with God pervading them. But although there is such disagreement among them, there are certain common doctrines agreed upon by all of them: one is that nothing comes to be from non-being, nor is dissolved and destroyed into non-being, and that the elements, from which the generation of each thing is, are indestructible. Since these things are so, then, according to all of them, the regeneration of the flesh will appear to be possible. For if, according to Plato, there is matter and God, both of these are indestructible; and God holds the place of a craftsman, like a molder, while matter holds the place of clay or wax or something of that sort. Therefore, the perishable thing formed from matter, the statue or image, but the matter itself is indestructible, such as clay or wax or some other such kind of matter. Thus the molder from wax or clay molds and gives life to the form of a living creature; again, if the formed thing should be dissolved, it is not impossible for him, having remixed and renewed the same matter, the same formed thing

νὸν γὰρ τοῦτο δεῖγμα τῆς τοῦ θεοῦ δυνάμεως. Ἔτι δὲ καὶ τὴν μετὰ ταῦτα ἐξ ἀλλήλων γένεσιν κατανοοῦσιν ἔστιν ἰδεῖν, καὶ θαυμάσαι μειζόνως, ὅτι ἐξ ἐλαχίστης ·ανίδος ὑγροῦ τηλι κοῦτον πλάσσεται ζῶον. Καίτοι γε εἰ ἐν ἐπαγγελίᾳ καὶ τοῦτο ἦν καὶ μὴ ἐφαίνετο γινόμενον, πολὺ τῶν ἄλλων ἦν ἀπι στότερον· ἀλλὰ γὰρ πιστότερον αὐτὸ ποιεῖ τὸ ἀποτέλεσμα. Ἀλλὰ μὴν περὶ τῆς ἀναστάσεως ἡμῖν ἔδειξεν ὁ σωτὴρ ἀποτε λέσματα, ἃ μετ' ὀλίγον ἐροῦμεν. Νῦν δὲ τὸ δυνατὴν εἶναι τὴν τῆς σαρκὸς ἀνάστασιν ἐπιδεικνύομεν, συγγνώμην αἰτούμενοι παρὰ τῶν τῆς ἀληθείας τέκνων, εἰ καὶ τῶν ἔξωθεν εἶναι δοκούντων καὶ κοσμικῶν λόγων ἁπτόμεθα· πρῶτον μὲν ὅτι οὐδέν ἐστιν ἔξωθεν τοῦ θεοῦ, οὐδὲ αὐτὸς ὁ κόσμος· ποίημα γάρ ἐστιν αὐτοῦ· δεύτερον ὅτι πρὸς ἀπίστους τούτους ποιού μεθα τοὺς λόγους. Eἰ γὰρ πρὸς πιστούς, αὐταρκὲς ἦν ἀποκρίνεσθαι τὸ ὅτι πεπιστεύκαμεν· νῦν δὲ διὰ ἀποδείξεων χωρεῖν ἀναγκαῖον. Ἱκανὰ μὲν οὖν καὶ τὰ προειρημένα τεκμή ρια πρὸς τὸ δυνατὴν εἶναι δεικνύειν τὴν τῆς σαρκὸς ἀνάστασιν· ἀλλ', ἐπεὶ λίαν εἰσὶν ἄπιστοι, καὶ ἀναγκαστικώτερον ἐπά ξομεν τὸν λόγον, οὐκ ἐκ τῆς πίστεως, ὅτι μὴ τυγχάνουσιν ὄντες αὐτῆς, ἀλλ' ἐκ τῆς ἀπιστίας, τῆς μητρὸς αὐτῶν, λέγω δὴ τῶν κοσμικῶν λόγων. Eἰ γὰρ ἐκ τούτων ἐπιδεικνύομεν αὐ τοῖς δυνατὴν εἶναι τὴν τῆς σαρκὸς ἀνάστασιν, πολλῆς δήπουθεν αἰσχύνης εἰσὶν ἄξιοι, εἰ μήτε τοῖς τῆς πίστεως μήτε τοῖς τοῦ κόσμου ἀκολουθεῖν δύνανται. Φασὶ τοίνυν οἱ τοῦ κόσμου φυσικοί, σοφοὶ λεγόμενοι, τὸ πᾶν ὑπάρχειν οἱ μὲν ὕλην καὶ θεόν, ὡς Πλάτων, οἱ δὲ ἄτομα καὶ κενόν, ὡς Ἐπίκουρος, οἱ δὲ τὰ τέσσαρα, γῆν καὶ ὕδωρ, ἀέρα, πῦρ, ὥσπερ οἱ Στωϊκοί. Ἀρκεῖ γὰρ ἐπιμνησθῆ ναι τῶν ἐπικρατουσῶν μάλιστα δοξῶν. Καὶ ὁ μὲν Πλάτων φησὶν ὑπὸ τοῦ θεοῦ τὰ πάντα ἐκ τῆς ὕλης γεγονέναι καὶ κατὰ πρόνοιαν αὐτοῦ, ὁ δὲ Ἐπίκουρος καὶ οἱ μετ' αὐτοῦ ἐκ τῶν ἀτόμων καὶ ἐκ τοῦ κενοῦ κατὰ ταὐτόματόν τινα φορὰν τῆς ἐκ τῶν σωμάτων φυσικῆς κινήσεως, οἱ δὲ Στωϊκοὶ ἐκ τῶν τεσσά ρων διήκοντος δι' αὐτῶν τοῦ θεοῦ. Τοιαύτης δὲ διαφωνίας αὐτοῖς οὔσης, ἔστι τινὰ παρ' αὐτοῖς ὁμολογούμενα κοινὰ δόγματα πρὸς ἁπάντων· ἓν μὲν τὸ μήτε ἐκ τοῦ μὴ ὄντος γί νεσθαι μήτε εἰς τὸ μὴ ὂν ἀναλύεσθαι καὶ ἀπόλλυσθαι, καὶ τὸ τὰ στοιχεῖα ἄφθαρτα ὑπάρχειν, ἐξ ὧν ἡ ἑκάστου πράγματος γένεσίς ἐστι. Τούτων τοίνυν οὕτως ἐχόντων, κατὰ πάντας αὐτοὺς φανήσεται δυνατὴ ἡ τῆς σαρκὸς ὑπάρχειν παλιγγενεσία. Eἴτε γὰρ κατὰ Πλάτωνά ἐστιν ἡ ὕλη καὶ ὁ θεός, ἀμφότερα ταῦτα ἄφθαρτα· καὶ ὁ μὲν θεὸς ἐπέχει τόπον τεχνίτου, οἷον πλάστου, ἡ δὲ ὕλη ἐπέχει τόπον πηλοῦ ἢ κηροῦ ἢ τοιούτου τι νός. Τὸ μὲν οὖν ἐκ τῆς ὕλης γινόμενον φθαρτὸν πλάσμα, ὁ ἀνδριὰς ἢ εἰκών, ἡ δὲ ὕλη αὐτὴ ἄφθαρτος, οἷον πηλὸς ἢ κηρὸς ἤ τι τοιοῦτον ἄλλο εἶδος ὕλης. Oὕτως ὁ πλάστης ἐκ τοῦ κηροῦ ἢ πηλοῦ πλάσσει καὶ ζωοποιεῖ ζώου μορφήν· πάλιν, ἐὰν διαλυθῇ τὸ πλάσμα, οὐκ ἀδύνατον αὐτῷ ἐστι, τὴν αὐτὴν ὕλην ἀναφυράσαντι καὶ καινοποιήσαντι, τὸ αὐτὸ πλάσμα