4

having transformed the temple, he was still seen in his first forms, not wishing the faith of the resurrection to be transferred to some other body than to that which he took from the holy virgin, since the power of death runs against the flesh alone, from which it has also been driven away. For if his dead body did not rise, what death has been conquered, and where has the power of corruption been weakened, since none of the rational creatures died, not a soul, not an angel, much less the Word of God himself? 14. And after a little: But the entering with the doors shut will be ranked with his other signs, at least by the prudent. 15. From the twelfth book of the gospel according to John: for it holds the proof of bodily corruption, the piercing of the hands and side still remaining and preserved, the forms of wounds and of the piercings that were made by iron. 16. And after other things: For since corruption was by no means preserved any longer after the resurrection of the most holy flesh, since it came to life again for incorruption, and it is believed not to have needed its usual food as before, he showed the prints of the nails and did not refuse to partake of food, so that he might root the great mystery of the resurrection and implant faith in it in all our souls. 17. From the second book of the Thesaurus: And firstborn from the dead; for he first raised his own flesh to incorruption and first brought it up into the heavens. Therefore he also says: I am the way and I am the door. For through him human nature is taught to walk the new way of the resurrection and as through a door enters into heaven itself. 18. And again: Just as he was called firstborn among many brethren because those saved through him were called to the adoption and grace of God; and again firstborn and firstfruits of the dead because he was raised to incorruption before all; so he is said to have been created the beginning of ways because all are able through him to run to salvation. 19. From the first volume on Matthew: How then did he die, being immortal, so that he might be raised and put death to death, if he had not assumed a body subject to the laws of death? Or how would he have destroyed corruption, having removed the race that acts and is subject under it, if he had not taken on that which is by nature corruptible? 20. From the letter to Succonsus: After the resurrection, it was the very body that had suffered, except it no longer had human weaknesses in itself; for no longer of hunger or weariness or anything else of that sort, but henceforth incorruptible and not only this, but also life-giving. III. 1. It is necessary to know that since it is said by some of the fathers that the body is incorruptible

of Christ, it must be understood that 'incorruptible' is understood in many ways.

For 'incorruptible' is that which is by nature in no way subject to decay, but is always held together in sameness by God and never admitting change in respect to substance, such as are the intelligible substances, which are unchangeable in substance though they are changeable in will. `2. 'Incorruptible' is also said of that which is by nature subject to decay, but is not in actuality corrupted and dissolved into the simple elements from which it was composed, such as will be those of whom Paul speaks, as is also set forth: That we who are alive, who are left, will not precede those who have fallen asleep. Even if in actuality they will not be corrupted, nevertheless they are corruptible by nature.

4

μεταστοιχειώσας ναόν, ἐν τοῖς πρώτοις ἔτι διεφαίνετο σχήμασι, τὴν τῆς ἀναστάσεως πίστιν οὐκ ἐφ' ἕτερόν τι σῶμα μετακομίζεσθαι θέλων ἢ εἰς ὅπερ ἔλαβεν ἐκ τῆς ἁγίας παρθένου, τῆς τοῦ θανάτου δυνάμεως κατὰ μόνης τρεχούσης τῆς σαρκός, ἐξ ἧς καὶ ἀπελήλαται. Εἰ γὰρ μὴ ἀνέστη τὸ τεθνηκὸς αὐτοῦ σῶμα, ποῖος νενίκηται θάνατος, ποῦ δὲ ἠτόνησε τὸ τῆς φθορᾶς κράτος, οὐδενὸς ἀποθανόντος τῶν λογικῶν κτισμάτων, οὐ ψυχῆς, οὐκ ἀγγέλου, μήτοι γε καὶ αὐτοῦ τοῦ θεοῦ λόγου; 14. Καὶ μετ' ὀλίγα· Τὸ δὲ εἰσελθεῖν τῶν θυρῶν κεκλεισμένων τοῖς ἄλλοις αὐτοῦ σημείοις συντετάξεται παρά γε τοῖς σώφρο- σιν. 15. Ἐκ τοῦ δωδεκάτου βιβλίου τοῦ κατὰ Ἰωάννην εὐαγγελίου· φθορᾶς γὰρ σωματικῆς ἀπόδειξιν ἔχει καὶ χειρῶν καὶ πλευρᾶς ἔτι μένουσα καὶ σῳζομένη διάτρησις, τραυμάτων ἰδέαι καὶ ἀπο- κεντήσεων τῶν διὰ σιδήρου γεγενημένων. 16. Καὶ μεθ' ἕτερα· φθορᾶς γὰρ ὅλως σῳζομένης οὐκέτι μετὰ τὴν ἀνάστασιν τῆς ἁγίας μάλιστα σαρκός, ἐπείπερ ἀνεβίω πρὸς ἀφθαρσίαν, ἀλλ' οὐδὲ τροφῆς τῆς συνήθους δεδεῆσθαι πεπιστευ-μένης, καθὰ πρότερον, τύπους ἥλων ἐπεδείκνυ καὶ τροφῆς μεταλαχεῖν οὐκ ἀνένευσεν, ἵνα τὸ μέγα τῆς ἀναστάσεως ῥιζώσῃ μυστήριον καὶ τὴν ἐπὶ τούτῳ πίστιν ταῖς ἁπάντων ἡμῶν ἐμφυτεύσῃ ψυχαῖς. 17. Ἐκ τοῦ δευτέρου βιβλίου τοῦ Θησαυροῦ· Πρωτότοκος δὲ καὶ ἐκ τῶν νεκρῶν· πρῶτος γὰρ αὐτὸς εἰς ἀφθαρσίαν ἀνέστησε τὴν ἑαυτοῦ σάρκα καὶ πρῶτος αὐτὴν εἰς οὐρανοὺς ἀνήγαγεν. ∆ιὸ καί φησιν· Ἐγώ εἰμι ἡ ὁδὸς καὶ ἐγώ εἰμι ἡ θύρα. ∆ι' αὐτοῦ γὰρ ἡ φύσις ἡ ἀνθρωπεία καὶ τὴν καινὴν τῆς ἀναστάσεως βαδίζειν ὁδὸν ἐκδιδάσκεται καὶ ὡς διά τινος θύρας εἰς αὐτὸν εἰσέρχεται τὸν οὐρανόν. 18. Καὶ πάλιν· Ὥσπερ πρωτότοκος ἐν πολλοῖς ἀδελφοῖς ἐκλήθη διὰ τὸ κεκλῆσθαι πρὸς υἱοθεσίαν θεοῦ καὶ χάριν τοὺς δι' αὐτοῦ σεσωσμένους· καὶ πάλιν πρωτότοκος καὶ ἀπαρχὴ τῶν νεκρῶν διὰ τὸ αὐτὸν εἰς ἀφθαρσίαν ἐγηγέρθαι πρὸ πάντων· οὕτως ἀρχὴ ὁδῶν ἐκτίσθαι λέγεται διὰ τὸ πάντας δι' αὐτοῦ δύνασθαι τρέχειν εἰς σωτηρίαν. 19. Ἐκ τοῦ πρώτου τόμου τοῦ κατὰ Ματθαῖον· Πῶς οὖν ἀπέθα- νεν ἀθάνατος ὤν, ἵνα καὶ ἐγερθῇ καὶ νεκρώσῃ τὸν θάνατον, εἰ μὴ προσέλαβε σῶμα τὸ τοῖς τοῦ θανάτου νόμοις ὑποκείμενον; Ἢ πῶς ἂν κατέλυσε τὴν φθοράν, ἐξελὼν τὸ ὑπ' αὐτῇ πρᾶττόν τε καὶ ὑποκείμενον γένος, εἰ μὴ ἔλαβε τὸ φθείρεσθαι πεφυκός; 20. Ἐκ τῆς πρὸς Σούκενσον ἐπιστολῆς· Μετὰ δὲ τὴν ἀνάστασιν ἦν μὲν αὐτὸ τὸ σῶμα τὸ πεπονθός, πλὴν οὐκέτι τὰς ἀνθρωπίνας ἀσθενείας ἔχον ἐν ἑαυτῷ· οὐ γὰρ ἔτι πείνης ἢ κόπου ἢ ἑτέρου τινὸς τοιούτου, ἀλλὰ λοιπὸν ἄφθαρτον καὶ οὐχὶ τοῦτο μόνον, ἀλλὰ καὶ ζωοποιόν. III. 1. Χρὴ γινώσκειν ὅτι ἐπειδὴ παρά τισι τῶν πατέρων εἴρηται ἄφθαρτον | τὸ σῶμα

τοῦ Χριστοῦ, ἰστέον ὡς τὸ ἄφθαρτον πολλαχῶς νοεῖται.

Ἔστι γὰρ ἄφθαρτον τὸ μηδαμῶς πεφυκὸς φθείρεσθαι, ἀλλ' ἀεὶ συγκροτούμενον ἐν ταὐτότητι παρὰ θεοῦ καὶ μηδέποτε ἀλλοίωσιν κατ' οὐσίαν δεχόμενον, οἷαί εἰσιν αἱ νοεραὶ οὐσίαι ἄτρεπτοι κατ' οὐσίαν ὡς κατὰ γνώμην ὑπάρχουσαι. `2. Λέγεται ἄφθαρτον καὶ τὸ πεφυκὸς φθείρεσθαι, μὴ μὴν φθειρόμενον ἐνεργείᾳ καὶ διαλυόμενον εἰς τὰ ἁπλᾶ ἐξ ὧν συνετέθη, οἷοι ἔσονται οὕς φησιν ὁ Παῦλος καθὼς καὶ πρόκει- ται· Ὅτι ἡμεῖς οἱ ζῶντες οἱ περιλειπόμενοι οὐ μὴ φθάσωμεν τοὺς κοιμηθέντας. Εἰ καὶ ἐνεργείᾳ οὐ φθαρήσονται, ὅμως φθαρ- τοί εἰσι φύσει.