Chapter VIII.—Does the body cause the soul to sin?

Quite true, say they; yet the flesh is a sinner, so much so, that it forces the soul to sin along with it. And thus they vainly accuse it, and lay to its charge alone the sins of both. But in what instance can the flesh possibly sin by itself, if it have not the soul going before it and inciting it? For as in the case of a yoke of oxen, if one or other is loosed from the yoke, neither of them can plough alone; so neither can soul or body alone effect anything, if they be unyoked from their communion. And if it is the flesh that is the sinner, then on its account alone did the Saviour come, as He says, “I am not come to call the righteous, but sinners to repentance.”17    Mark ii. 17. Since, then, the flesh has been proved to be valuable in the sight of God, and glorious above all His works, it would very justly be saved by Him.

We must meet, therefore, those who say, that even though it be the special handiwork of God, and beyond all else valued by Him, it would not immediately follow that it has the promise of the resurrection. Yet is it not absurd, that that which has been produced with such circumstance, and which is beyond all else valuable, should be so neglected by its Maker, as to pass to nonentity? Then the sculptor and painter, if they wish the works they have made to endure, that they may win glory by them, renew them when they begin to decay; but God would so neglect His own possession and work, that it becomes annihilated, and no longer exists. Should we not call this labour in vain? As if a man who has built a house should forthwith destroy it, or should neglect it, though he sees it falling into decay, and is able to repair it: we would blame him for labouring in vain; and should we not so blame God? But not such an one is the Incorruptible,—not senseless is the Intelligence of the universe. Let the unbelieving be silent, even though they themselves do not believe.

But, in truth, He has even called the flesh to the resurrection, and promises to it everlasting life. For where He promises to save man, there He gives the promise to the flesh. For what is man but the reasonable animal composed of body and soul? Is the soul by itself man? No; but the soul of man. Would the body be called man? No, but it is called the body of man. If, then, neither of these is by itself man, but that which is made up of the two together is called man, and God has called man to life and resurrection, He has called not a part, but the whole, which is the soul and the body. Since would it not be unquestionably absurd, if, while these two are in the same being and according to the same law, the one were saved and the other not? And if it be not impossible, as has already been proved, that the flesh be regenerated, what is the distinction on the ground of which the soul is saved and the body not? Do they make God a grudging God? But He is good, and will have all to be saved. And by God and His proclamation, not only has your soul heard and believed on Jesus Christ, and with it the flesh,18    Migne proposes to read here καὶ οὐ σὺν αὐτῇ, “without the flesh,” which gives a more obvious meaning. The above reading is, however, defensible. Justin means that the flesh was not merely partaking of the soul’s faith and promise, but had rights of its own. but both were washed, and both wrought righteousness. They make God, then ungrateful and unjust, if, while both believe on Him, He desires to save one and not the other. Well, they say, but the soul is incorruptible, being a part of God and inspired by Him, and therefore He desires to save what is peculiarly His own and akin to Himself; but the flesh is corruptible, and not from Him, as the soul is. Then what thanks are due to Him, and what manifestation of His power and goodness is it, if He purposed to save what is by nature saved and exists as a part of Himself? For it had its salvation from itself; so that in saving the soul, God does no great thing. For to be saved is its natural destiny, because it is a part of Himself, being His inspiration. But no thanks are due to one who saves what is his own; for this is to save himself. For he who saves a part himself, saves himself by his own means, lest he become defective in that part; and this is not the act of a good man. For not even when a man does good to his children and offspring, does one call him a good man; for even the most savage of the wild beasts do so, and indeed willingly endure death, if need be, for the sake of their cubs. But if a man were to perform the same acts in behalf of his slaves, that man would justly be called good. Wherefore the Saviour also taught us to love our enemies, since, says He, what thank have ye? So that He has shown us that it is a good work not only to love those that are begotten of Him, but also those that are without. And what He enjoins upon us, He Himself first of all does.19    It is supposed that a part of the treatise has been here dropped out.

Ναί, φασίν: ἀλλὰ ἁμαρτωλὸς ἡ σάρξ, ὥστε καὶ τὴν ψυχὴν ἀναγκάζειν συναμαρτάνειν αὐτῇ, μάτην κατηγοροῦντες αὐτῆς καὶ τὰ τῶν ἀμφοτέρων ἁμαρτήματα μόνῃ περιτιθέντες. Ποῦ γὰρ καθ' ἑαυτὴν ἁμαρτῆσαι ἡ σὰρξ δυνήσεται, ἐὰν μὴ τὴν ψυχὴν ἔχῃ προηγουμένην καὶ προκαλουμένην αὐτήν; Ὥσπερ γὰρ ζεῦγος βοῶν λυθέντων ἀπ' ἀλλήλων τοῦ ζυγοῦ τῶν βοῶν οὐδέτερος αὐτῶν κατ' ἰδίαν ἀροῦν δύναται, οὕτως οὐδὲ ψυχὴ καὶ σῶμα λυθέντα τῆς συζυγίας καθ' ἑαυτὰ ποιῆσαί τι δύνανται. Εἰ δὲ καὶ ἡ σὰρξ μόνη ἁμαρτωλός, μόνης ταύτης ἕνεκεν ἦλθεν ὁ σωτήρ, καθώς φησιν: Οὐκ ἦλθον καλέσαι δικαίους ἀλλὰ ἁμαρτωλοὺς εἰς μετάνοιαν. Ἐπειδὴ οὖν τιμία παρὰ θεῷ καὶ ἔνδοξος παρὰ πάντα τὰ ποιήματα δέδεικται ἡ σάρξ, δικαίως ἂν ὑπ' αὐτοῦ σωθήσεται. Λεκτέον οὖν πρὸς τοὺς λέγοντας ὅτι, εἰ καὶ τὰ μάλιστα τοῦ θεοῦ ποίημα τυγχάνει οὖσα καὶ τιμία αὐτῷ παρὰ πάντα, οὐκ εὐθέως καὶ τὴν ἐπαγγελίαν τῆς ἀναστάσεως ἔχει. Καίτοι πῶς οὐκ ἄτοπον τὸ μετὰ τηλικαύτης βουλῆς γενόμενον καὶ παρὰ πάντα τὰ λοιπὰ τίμιον περιορᾶν τὸν ποιήσαντα εἰς τὸ μηκέτι εἶναι; Εἶτα ὁ μὲν πλάστης καὶ ζωγράφος, εἰ τὰς εἰκόνας, ἃς ἂν ποιήσωσι, διαμένειν ἐθέλουσιν, ἵνα δι' αὐτῶν δοξάζωνται, φθειρομένας αὐτὰς ἀνακαινοποιοῦσιν: ὁ δὲ θεὸς τὸ αὐτοῦ κτῆμα καὶ πλάσμα περιεῖδεν ἂν ὡς τὸ μὴ ὄν, μηκέτι δὲ καὶ εἰς τὸ εἶναι; Ματαιοπόνον ἀποκαλοῦμεν, ὥσπερ εἴ τις οἰκίαν οἰκοδομήσας ἔπειτα καταλύοι, ἢ καταλελυμένην περιορῴη, δυνάμενος ἀναστῆσαι: τὸν δὲ θεὸν οὐκ αἰτιασόμεθα, ὅτι μάτην ποιεῖ; Ἀλλ' οὐχ ὁ ἄφθαρτος τοιοῦτος, οὐκ ἄφρων ὁ τῶν ὅλων πέφυκε νοῦς. Εὐφημείτωσαν οἱ ἄπιστοι, εἰ τὸ μὴ πιστεύειν ἔχουσιν αὐτοί! Ἀλλὰ μὴν καὶ κέκληκεν αὐτὴν ἐπὶ τὴν ἀνάστασιν καὶ ἐπαγγέλλεται τὴν αἰωνίαν ζωήν. Ἔνθα γὰρ τὸν ἄνθρωπον εὐαγγελίζεται σῶσαι, καὶ τῇ σαρκὶ εὐαγγελίζεται. Τί γάρ ἐστιν ὁ ἄνθρωπος, ἀλλ' ἢ τὸ ἐκ ψυχῆς καὶ σώματος συνεστὸς ζῶον λογικόν; Μὴ οὖν καθ' ἑαυτὴν ψυχὴ ἄνθρωπος; Οὔκ: ἀλλ' ἀνθρώπου ψυχή. Μὴ οὖν καλοῖτο σῶμα ἄνθρωπος; Οὔκ: ἀλλ' ἀνθρώπου σῶμα καλεῖται. Εἴπερ οὖν κατ' ἰδίαν μὲν τούτων οὐδέτερον ἄνθρωπός ἐστι, τὸ δὲ ἐκ τῆς ἀμφοτέρων συμπλοκῆς καλεῖται ἄνθρωπος, κέκληκε δὲ ὁ θεὸς εἰς ζωὴν καὶ ἀνάστασιν τὸν ἄνθρωπον, οὐ τὸ μέρος ἀλλὰ τὸ ὅλον κέκληκεν, ὅπερ ἐστὶ τὴν ψυχὴν καὶ τὸ σῶμα. Ἐπεὶ πῶς οὐκ ἄτοπον, ἀμφοτέρων ὄντων κατὰ τὸ αὐτὸ καὶ ἐν τῷ αὐτῷ, τὸ μὲν σώζειν, τὸ δὲ μή; Οὐκ ὄντος γὰρ ἀδυνάτου, καθάπερ δέδεικται, τὴν σάρκα ἔχειν τὴν παλιγγενεσίαν, τίς ἡ διάκρισις, ὥστε τὴν μὲν ψυχὴν σώζεσθαι, τὴν δὲ σάρκα μή; Ἢ φθονερὸν ποιοῦσι τὸν θεόν; Ἀλλὰ ἀγαθός ἐστι καὶ σώζεσθαι πάντας θέλει: καὶ δὴ αὐτοῦ καὶ τοῦ κηρύγματος αὐτοῦ οὐχὶ μόνον ἤκουσεν ἡ ψυχὴ ἡμῶν καὶ σὺν αὐτῇ ἡ σάρξ, καὶ ἐπίστευσαν εἰς Χριστὸν Ἰησοῦν, ἀλλ' ἀμφότερα ἐλούσαντο καὶ ἀμφότερα τὴν δικαιοσύνην εἰργάσαντο. Ἆρ' οὖν ἀχάριστον ἢ ἄδικον ἀποφαίνουσι τὸν θεόν, εἰ τῶν ἀμφοτέρων πιστευόντων ἐπ' αὐτὸν τὴν μὲν σώζειν θέλει, τὴν δὲ οὔ; Ναί, φασίν: ἀλλ' ἡ μὲν ψυχή ἐστιν ἄφθαρτος, μέρος οὖσα τοῦ θεοῦ καὶ ἐμφύσημα, καὶ διὰ τοῦτο τὸ ἴδιον καὶ συγγενὲς ἠθέλησεν σῶσαι: ἡ δὲ σὰρξ φθαρτὴ καὶ οὐκ ἀπ' αὐτοῦ καθάπερ ἡ ψυχή. Εἶτα τίς αὐτῷ χάρις; Καὶ τίς ἐπίδειξις τῆς δυνάμεως καὶ χρηστότητος αὐτοῦ, εἰ τὸ μὲν φύσει σωζόμενον καὶ μέρος ὑπάρχον αὐτοῦ σώζειν ἤμελλεν; Αὐτὸ γὰρ ἐξ ἑαυτοῦ εἶχε τὴν σωτηρίαν, ὥστε τὴν μὲν ψυχὴν σώζων οὐ μέγα ποιεῖ: τὸ γὰρ σώζεσθαι πάρεστιν αὐτῇ, ὅτι ἐστὶν αὐτοῦ μέρος, ἐμφύσημα αὐτοῦ οὖσα. Ἀλλ' οὐδὲ χάρις αὐτῷ τὸ ἴδιον σώζοντι: τοῦτο γάρ ἐστιν ἑαυτὸν σώζειν. Ὁ γὰρ τὸ μέρος αὐτοῦ σώζων δι' ἑαυτοῦ ἑαυτὸν σώζει, μή ποτε ἐκεῖνο τὸ μέρος ἐνδεὲς γένηται. Οὐκ ἔστιν ἀγαθοῦ τὸ τοιοῦτον. Οὐδὲ γὰρ ἄνθρωπον ἀγαθόν τις ἐρεῖ τὸν τοῖς τέκνοις αὐτοῦ καὶ ἐγγόνοις χαριζόμενόν τι. Τοῦτο γὰρ καὶ τὰ ἀγριώτατα τῶν θηρίων ποιοῦσι: κἂν ὑπεραποθανεῖν τῶν ἐκγόνων αὐτῶν δέῃ, ἑκοντὶ τοῦτο ὑπομένουσιν. Εἰ δέ τις τὰ αὐτὰ τοῖς δούλοις παράσχοι, δικαίως ἂν οὗτος λέγοιτο ἀγαθός. Διὰ τοῦτο καὶ ὁ σωτὴρ ἐδίδαξεν ἡμᾶς ἀγαπᾶν τοὺς ἐχθρούς, ἐπεὶ τίς ὑμῖν χάρις; φησίν. Ὥστε δέδειχεν ἡμῖν ἀγαθὸν ἔργον εἶναι τὸ μὴ τοὺς ἐξ αὐτοῦ γεγονότας μόνον ἀγαπᾶν, ἀλλὰ καὶ τοὺς ἔξωθεν. Ἃ δὲ ἡμῖν παρήγγειλε πολὺ πρότερον αὐτὸς ἐποίει. ***