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to grasp, how the fine, scattered dust was gathered, how the earth became flesh and the same matter made both bones and skin and fat and hairs, how, though the flesh is one, the forms of the members and their qualities and textures are different, how the lung is soft to the touch, livid in color, the liver firm and red, the heart compressed and the hardest part in the flesh, the spleen porous and black, the omentum white and woven by nature like a fisherman's net.

Let us consider those things also, how the first woman, from a small part of the rib, became a whole living being, similar to the perfect and first man, and the part sufficed for everything and the little thing constituted the whole; the rib became a head, hands and feet, the winding and varied formation of the entrails, flesh and hairs, eye and nose and mouth and simply all things, so that I might not prolong the discourse, all things wonderful and paradoxical to us who are small. But with God the reasons for the construction are at hand and very much agreed upon; how then will they seem to be of sound mind, who concede that one rib became a human being, but from the whole matter of the human being disbelieve that the same can be recreated? It is not, it is not possible for human thoughts to meddle with the operations of God; for if all things were comprehensible to us, the superior would not be superior to us. What am I saying about God? We do not even have any comparison with the irrational animals in respect to certain powers, 9.256 but we fall short of them also. For instance, in running, horses and dogs and many other animals surpass us, and in strength, camels and mules, and in marking out paths, donkeys, and the sharp-sightedness of the gazelle is not found in our eyes. Therefore, it is the part of the reasonable and sound-minded to believe the things spoken by God, and not to demand the ways and causes of his operations as they surpass us, since it will be said to one of the meddlers: Show me with your reason the substance of things seen, say by what art he created this multiform work. For if you discover these things, it is with reason that you are perplexed and distressed, because you are ignorant of the re-ordering of the regeneration, you who know the reason of generation. But if those things are a dream and a fantasy to you and knowledge is everywhere unattainable, do not be vexed, if, being ignorant of the reason of the construction, you also do not perceive the restoration of what was corrupted, the same craftsman is of both the first creation and the second re-ordering. He knows how to fit his own work, having undergone dissolution, together again into its ancient state.

If there is need of wisdom, the fount of wisdom is with him, if of power, he does not need a co-worker and helper. This is he who according to the voice of the most wise prophet measured the water with his hand and the great and boundless heaven with a span and the earth with a handful. Consider the images providing clear indications of the ineffable power, producing in our reasonings the despair of being able to imagine anything worthy of the nature of God. He both is and is called all-powerful (for perhaps you will not contend against this, but will grant it to hold as 9.257 conceded), and for him who can do all things, nothing is difficult or impossible. You have many pledges of faith compelling you to agree with the things said by us; first, all the varied and complex creation, crying out more clearly than any proclamation, that he is the great and wise craftsman who fashioned all things that are seen; and in addition to this, God, being provident and foreseeing from afar the petty souls of the unbelievers, confirmed the rising of the dead by deed, animating many bodies of those who had died. For this reason Lazarus, a corpse of four days, was driven from the tomb, and the only-begotten son of the widow was given back to his mother from the bier and the funeral procession, having been released to the living, and countless others, whom it is troublesome now to enumerate. What am I saying about God and the Savior, when, in order that those who doubt might be more put to shame, even to his servants the apostles the power of raising the dead

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περιδράσσεσθαι, πῶς ὁ λεπτὸς χοῦς ὁ ἐσκεδασμένος συνήχθη, πῶς ἡ γῆ σὰρξ ἐγένετο καὶ ἡ αὐτὴ ὕλη καὶ ὀστέα ἐποίησε καὶ δέρμα καὶ πιμελὴν καὶ τρίχας, πῶς μιᾶς οὔσης τῆς σαρκὸς διάφοροι αἱ ἰδέαι τῶν μελῶν καὶ αἱ ποιότητες καὶ ἁφαί, πῶς ὁ πνεύμων ἁπαλὸς τὴν ἁφήν, πελιδνὸς τὴν χρόαν, τὸ ἧπαρ στριφνὸν καὶ ἐρυθρόν, ἡ καρδία πεπιλημένη καὶ σκληρότατον μόριον ἐν σαρκί, ὁ σπλὴν ἀραιὸς καὶ μέλας, ὁ ἐπίπλους λευκὸς καὶ ὡς δίκτυον ἁλιευτικὸν συμπεπλεγμένος παρὰ τῆς φύσεως.

Σκεψώμεθα κἀκεῖνα, πῶς ἡ πρώτη γυνὴ ἀπὸ μικροῦ μέρους τῆς πλευρᾶς ὑπέστη ζῷον ὁλόκληρον ὅμοιον τῷ τελείῳ καὶ πρώτῳ καὶ τὸ μέρος πρὸς πάντα διήρκεσε καὶ τὸ ὀλίγον τὸ πᾶν συνεστήσατο· ἡ πλευρὰ ἐγένετο κεφαλή, χεῖρες καὶ πόδες, ἐγκάτων σκολιὰ καὶ ποικίλη διάπλασις, σὰρξ καὶ τρίχες, ὀφθαλμὸς καὶ ῥὶς καὶ στόμα καὶ πάντα ἁπλῶς, ἵνα μὴ μακρὰν ἀπαγάγω τὸν λόγον, πάντα θαυμαστὰ καὶ παράδοξα ἡμῖν τοῖς ὀλίγοις. πρόχειροι δὲ παρὰ θεῷ τῆς κατασκευῆς οἱ λόγοι καὶ λίαν ὁμολογούμενοι· πῶς οὖν σωφρονεῖν δόξουσιν οἱ τὴν μὲν μίαν πλευρὰν συγχωροῦντες γενέσθαι ἄνθρωπον, ἀπὸ δὲ ὁλοκλήρου τῆς τοῦ ἀνθρώπου ὕλης ἀπιστοῦντες τὸν αὐτὸν ἀνακτίζεσθαι; οὐκ ἔστιν, οὐκ ἔστιν ἐπινοίαις ἀνθρωπικαῖς θεοῦ πολυπραγμονεῖν ἐνεργείας· εἰ γὰρ πάντα ἦν ἡμῖν καταληπτά, οὐκ ἂν κρείττων ἦν ἡμῶν ὁ κρείττων. τί λέγω περὶ θεοῦ; οὐδὲ πρὸς τὰ ἄλογα τῶν ζῴων ἐπί τινων δυνάμεων 9.256 σύγκρισίν τινα ἔχομεν, ἀλλὰ κἀκείνων ἀπολειπόμεθα. αὐτίκα δρόμῳ μὲν ἡμᾶς ὑπερβάλλονται ἵπποι καὶ κύνες καὶ ἄλλα πολλά, δυνάμει δὲ κάμηλοι καὶ ἡμίονοι, σημειώσει δὲ ὁδῶν οἱ ὄνοι καὶ τὸ τῆς δορκάδος ὀξυωπὸν ἐν ἡμετέροις ὀφθαλμοῖς οὐχ εὑρίσκεται. διὸ εὐγνωμόνων καὶ σωφρονούντων ἐστὶ πιστεύειν τοῖς παρὰ τοῦ θεοῦ λεγομένοις, τοὺς δὲ τρόπους καὶ τὰς αἰτίας τῶν ἐνεργειῶν ὡς ὑπερβαινούσας μὴ ἀπαιτεῖν, ἐπεὶ λεχθήσεται ἑνὶ τῶν πολυπραγμόνων· δεῖξόν μοι τῷ λόγῳ σου τὴν τῶν ὁρωμένων οὐσίωσιν, εἰπὲ ποίᾳ τέχνῃ τὴν πολύμορφον ταύτην ἐργασίαν ἐδημιούργησεν. ἂν γὰρ ταῦτα ἐξεύρῃς, εἰκότως ἀμηχανεῖς καὶ ἀσχάλλεις, διότι τὴν τῆς παλιγγενεσίας μετακόσμησιν ἀγνοεῖς ὁ τῆς γενέσεως τὸν λόγον εἰδώς. εἰ δὲ ὄναρ σοι ἐκεῖνα καὶ φαντασία καὶ πανταχό θεν ἡ ἐπίγνωσις ἄπορος, μὴ ἀγανάκτει, εἰ τὸν λόγον τῆς κατασκευῆς ἀγνοῶν καὶ τὴν διόρθωσιν τοῦ φθαρέντος οὐ συνορᾷς, ὁ αὐτὸς τεχνίτης ἐστὶ καὶ τῆς πρώτης κτίσεως καὶ τῆς δευτέρας μετακοσμήσεως. οἶδεν ὅπως τὸ ἴδιον ἔργον διάλυσιν ὑπομεῖναν συναρμόσει πάλιν εἰς τὴν ἀρχαίαν κατάστασιν.

Εἰ σοφίας χρεία, ἡ πηγὴ τῆς σοφίας παρ' ἐκείνῳ, εἰ δυνάμεως, οὐ χρῄζει συνεργοῦ καὶ συλλήπτορος. οὗτός ἐστιν ὁ κατὰ τὴν φωνὴν τοῦ σοφωτάτου προφήτου μετρήσας τῇ χειρὶ τὸ ὕδωρ καὶ τὸν μέγαν καὶ ἄπλετον οὐρανὸν σπιθαμῇ καὶ τὴν γῆν δρακί. θεώρησον εἰκόνας ἐναργεῖς σημασίας παρεχομένας τῆς ἀρρήτου δυνάμεως, ἀπόγνωσιν ἐμποιούσας τοῖς λογισμοῖς ἡμῶν τοῦ μηδὲν δύνασθαι ἄξιον τῆς τοῦ θεοῦ φύσεως φαντασθῆναι. παντοδύναμος καὶ ἔστι καὶ λέγεται (τάχα γὰρ οὐ ζυγομαχήσεις πρὸς τοῦτο, ἀλλὰ δώσεις ὡς 9.257 συγκεχωρημένον κρατεῖν), τῷ δὲ πάντα δυναμένῳ οὐδὲν ἄπορον ἢ ἀμήχανον. ἔχεις πολλὰ τῆς πίστεως ἐνέχυρα ἀναγκαστικῶς σε συνελαύνοντα πρὸς τὸ συντίθεσθαι τοῖς παρ' ἡμῶν λεγομένοις· πρῶτον μὲν πᾶσαν τὴν ποικίλην καὶ πολυσύνθετον κτίσιν βοῶσαν παντὸς κηρύγματος εὐση μότερον, ὅτι ὁ μέγας καὶ σοφὸς τεχνίτης ὁ πάντα τὰ βλεπό μενα τεχνησάμενος· πρὸς δὲ ταύτην προμηθὴς ὢν ὁ θεὸς καὶ τὰ τῶν ἀπίστων ψυχάρια πόρρωθεν καθορῶν ἔργῳ τὴν τῶν νεκρῶν ἔγερσιν ἐβεβαίωσεν πολλὰ σώματα τῶν τετελευ τηκότων ψυχώσας. διὰ τοῦτο Λάζαρος τετραήμερος νεκρὸς τῆς θήκης ἐξήλατο καὶ τῆς χήρας ὁ μονογενὴς ἀπεδόθη τῇ μητρὶ ἐκ τῆς κλίνης καὶ τῆς ἐκφορᾶς πρὸς τοὺς ζῶντας ἀναλυθεὶς καὶ ἄλλοι μυρίοι, οὓς ἀπαριθμεῖσθαι νῦν ὀχληρόν. τί λέγω περὶ τοῦ θεοῦ καὶ σωτῆρος, ὁπότε, ἵνα ἐπὶ πλέον δυσωπηθῶσιν οἱ ἀμφιβάλλοντες, καὶ τοῖς δούλοις αὐτοῦ τοῖς ἀποστόλοις τὴν τοῦ ἐγείρειν νεκροὺς