Chapter IV.—Must the deformed rise deformed?

Well, they say, if then the flesh rise, it must rise the same as it falls; so that if it die with one eye, it must rise one-eyed; if lame, lame; if defective in any part of the body, in this part the man must rise deficient. How truly blinded are they in the eyes of their hearts! For they have not seen on the earth blind men seeing again, and the lame walking by His word. All things which the Saviour did, He did in the first place in order that what was spoken concerning Him in the prophets might be fulfilled, “that the blind should receive sight, and the deaf hear,”5    Isa. xxxv. 5. and so on; but also to induce the belief that in the resurrection the flesh shall rise entire. For if on earth He healed the sicknesses of the flesh, and made the body whole, much more will He do this in the resurrection, so that the flesh shall rise perfect and entire. In this manner, then, shall those dreaded difficulties of theirs be healed.

Ναί, φασίν. Εἰ οὖν ἡ σὰρξ ἀνίσταται, καὶ τοιαύτη ἀνίσταται ὁποία κλιθήσεται, ὥστε, εἰ μονόφθαλμος κλιθήσεται, μονόφθαλμος ἀνίσταται, εἰ χωλός, χωλός, εἰ ἄλλο τι τοῦ σώματος ὑστεροῦν εἴη, τοῦτο καὶ ἐλάττων ὁ ἄνθρωπος ἀναστήσεται. Τετυφλωμένοι ὡς ἀληθῶς τὰ τῆς καρδίας ὄμματα! Οὐ γὰρ εἶδον ἐπὶ τῆς γῆς τυφλοὺς ἀναβλέποντας, χωλοὺς περιπατοῦντας τῷ ἐκείνου λόγῳ; Ἃ πάντα ἐποίησεν ὁ σωτήρ, πρῶτον μὲν ἵνα πληρωθῇ τὸ ῥηθὲν περὶ αὐτοῦ διὰ τῶν προφητῶν, ὅτι Τυφλοὶ ἀναβλέπουσι καὶ κωφοὶ ἀκούουσιν καὶ τὰ ἄλλα, ἔτι δὲ καὶ εἰς πίστιν τοῦ ὅτι ἐν τῇ ἀναστάσει ἡ σὰρξ ὁλόκληρος ἀναστήσεται. Εἰ γὰρ ἐπὶ τῆς γῆς τὰς ἀσθενείας τῆς σαρκὸς ἰάσατο καὶ ὁλόκληρον ἐποίησε τὸ σῶμα, πολλῷ μᾶλλον ἐν τῇ ἀναστάσει τοῦτο ποιήσει, ὥστε καὶ ἀκέραιον καὶ ὁλόκληρον ἀναστῆναι τὴν σάρκα. Τὰ μὲν οὖν παρ' αὐτῶν νομιζόμενα ἄπορα τοῦτον τὸν τρόπον ἰαθήσεται.