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is the furthest limit of evil, it appears to become a hindrance, and it provides for the saints to display the courage of the soul, what forgiveness could those who slander and revile it obtain? For we would not only have these things to say about it, but that it has also become for us a cause of the knowledge of God. For if his invisible attributes are clearly seen from the creation of the world, being understood through what has been made, and faith comes from hearing, it is clear that the soul, being led by the hand through eyes and ears, came to know God its maker. For this reason Paul loves it, and cries out, saying, that We do not want to be unclothed, but to be further clothed with immortality. And do not say to me: How can the body rise again and become incorruptible? For when the power of God is at work, let the 'how' not be added. And what am I saying in the case of God? He has made you yourself a creator of resurrection, in the case of seeds, in the case of crafts, and in the case of metallic materials. For even seeds, unless they first die and rot and decay, do not produce the ear of grain. Just as, then, when you see the grain there rotting and dissolving, you do not doubt the resurrection, but make a very clear proof for yourself; for if it did not remain rotting or decaying, it would never rise; so also reason in the case of your body; when you see the corruption, then especially philosophize about the resurrection. For death is nothing other than the destruction of corruption; for indeed death does not consume the body simply, but its corruption. This can also be seen happening in the case of metallic materials. Those experienced in these things, for example, take gold-bearing earth, and delivering it to the crucible, they produce gold, and mixing sand and other material, they have made clear glass. Then, what the power of fire can do, tell me, will the grace of God not be able to do? and who among those with any sense would say these things? Consider how He made you in the beginning, and no longer doubt about the resurrection. Did he not take earth and form it? and yet what is more difficult, to make from earth flesh and veins and skin and bones and sinews and nerves and arteries, and the organs, and the simple bodies, eyes, ears, nose, feet and hands, and to implant in each of these both its own and a common activity, or to make what has become corruptible immortal? Do you not see how the earth is of one form, but the body is varied and multiform, both in its functions, and in its colors, and in its structure, and in its substances, and in all other respects? How then do you doubt concerning the things to come, tell me? and what need is there to speak of bodies? For the countless powers, and the hosts of angels, the archangels, the orders higher than these, how did He make them, tell me? For I could not tell the manner, but only that it was sufficient for Him merely to will it. Then He who made so many bodiless armies, is He not able to renew again a man's corrupted body, and lead it to a greater dignity? And who is so senseless as to doubt about these things, 50.430 and to do away with the resurrection? For if the body does not rise, man does not rise; for man is not only soul, but soul and body. If, therefore, only the soul rises, the living being rises by half, but not whole; besides, in the case of the soul, one could not properly speak of resurrection. For resurrection is of that which has fallen and been dissolved, but the soul is not dissolved, but the body is. And what is this, Since indeed when we are clothed, we will not be found naked? He hints to us here a great and ineffable mystery. What is it? That which he also says in the Epistle to the Corinthians: that We shall all be raised, but each in his own order. And what is being said? That both Greek and Jew and heretic and every person who has come into this world, according to

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ἐστὶν ἔσχατος ὅρος κακίας, κώλυμα φαίνηται γινόμενον, καὶ τοῖς ἁγίοις παρέχῃ τῆς ψυχῆς τὴν ἀνδρείαν ἐπιδείκνυσθαι, τίνος ἂν τύχοιεν συγγνώμης οἱ διαβάλλοντες αὐτὸ καὶ κακίζοντες; Οὐ γὰρ δὴ ταῦτα ἂν ἔχοιμεν περὶ αὐτοῦ μόνα εἰπεῖν, ἀλλ' ὅτι καὶ θεογνωσίας ἡμῖν αἴτιον γέγονεν αὐτό. Εἰ γὰρ τὰ ἀόρατα αὐτοῦ ἀπὸ κτίσεως κόσμου τοῖς ποιήμασι νοούμενα καθορᾶται, καὶ ἡ πίστις ἐξ ἀκοῆς, εὔδηλον ὅτι δι' ὀφθαλμῶν καὶ ὤτων χειραγωγηθεῖσα ἡ ψυχὴ τὸν ποιήσαντα αὐτὴν ἐπέγνω Θεόν. ∆ιὰ τοῦτο αὐτὸ φιλεῖ Παῦλος, καὶ βοᾷ λέγων, ὅτι Οὐ θέλομεν αὐτὸ ἐκδύσασθαι, ἀλλ' ἐπενδύσασθαι αὐτῷ τὴν ἀθανασίαν. Καὶ μή μοι λέγε· Πῶς δύναται ἀναστῆναι τὸ σῶμα πάλιν καὶ γενέσθαι ἄφθαρτον; Ὅταν γὰρ ἡ τοῦ Θεοῦ δύναμις ἐργάζηται, τὸ πῶς μὴ προσκείσθω. Καὶ τί λέγω ἐπὶ Θεοῦ; Σὲ δημιουργὸν αὐτὸν ἐποίησεν ἀναστάσεως γενέσθαι, τοῦτο μὲν ἐπὶ τῶν σπερμάτων, τοῦτο δὲ ἐπὶ τῶν τεχνῶν, τοῦτο δὲ ἐπὶ τῶν ὑλῶν τῶν μεταλλικῶν. Καὶ γὰρ τὰ σπέρματα ἂν μὴ πρότερον ἀποθάνῃ καὶ σαπῇ καὶ διαφθαρῇ, οὐ τίκτει τὸν ἄσταχυν. Ὥσπερ οὖν ὁρῶν ἐκεῖ τὸν κόκκον σηπόμενον καὶ διαλυόμενον, οὐκ ἀμφιβάλλεις περὶ τῆς ἀναστάσεως, ἀλλ' ἀπόδειξιν σαυτοῦ ποιεῖσαι σαφεστάτην· ἂν γὰρ μὴ μείνῃ σηπόμενος μηδὲ φθειρόμενος, οὐκ ἂν ἀνασταίη ποτέ· οὕτω καὶ ἐπὶ τοῦ σώματος λογίζου τοῦ σοῦ· ὅταν ἴδῃς τὴν φθορὰν, τότε μάλιστα περὶ τῆς ἀναστάσεως φιλοσόφει. Ὁ γὰρ θάνατος οὐδὲν ἕτερόν ἐστιν, ἢ τῆς φθορᾶς λοιπὸν ἀναίρεσις· οὐ γὰρ δὴ τὸ σῶμα ἁπλῶς, ἀλλὰ τὴν φθορὰν αὐτοῦ δαπανᾷ ὁ θάνατος. Τοῦτο καὶ ἐπὶ τῶν μεταλλικῶν ἔστιν ἰδεῖν ὑλῶν συμβαῖνον. Τὴν γοῦν χρυσῖτιν γῆν λαμβάνουσιν οἱ περὶ ταῦτα ἔμπειροι, καὶ τῷ χωνευτηρίῳ παραδιδόντες χρυσίον ἐργάζονται, καὶ ἄμμον καὶ ἑτέραν ὕλην ἀναμιγνύντες, ὕελον καθαρὸν ἐποίησαν. Εἶτα ὅπερ ἡ τοῦ πυρὸς δύναμις, τοῦτο ἡ τοῦ Θεοῦ οὐ δυνήσεται χάρις, εἰπέ μοι; καὶ τίς ἂν ταῦτα εἴποι τῶν ὁπωσοῦν νοῦν ἐχόντων; Πῶς σε παρὰ τὴν ἀρχὴν ἐποίησεν, ἐννόησον, καὶ μηκέτι ἀμφίβαλλε περὶ τῆς ἀναστάσεως. Οὐχὶ γῆν ἔλαβε καὶ ἔπλασε; καίτοι τί δυσκολώτερον, ἀπὸ γῆς ποιῆσαι σάρκας καὶ φλέβας καὶ δέρμα καὶ ὀστᾶ καὶ ἶνας καὶ νεῦρα καὶ ἀρτηρίας, καὶ τὰ ὀργανικὰ, καὶ τὰ ἁπλᾶ σώματα, ὀφθαλμοὺς, ὦτα, ῥῖνας, πόδας καὶ χεῖρας, καὶ ἑκάστῳ τούτων καὶ ἰδίαν καὶ κοινὴν ἐνθεῖναι τὴν ἐνέργειαν, ἢ φθαρτὰ γενόμενα ἀθάνατα ἐργάσασθαι; Οὐχ ὁρᾷς πῶς μονοειδὴς μὲν ἡ γῆ, ποικίλον δὲ καὶ πολυειδὲς τὸ σῶμα, καὶ κατὰ τὰς ἐνεργείας, καὶ κατὰ τὰ χρώματα, καὶ κατὰ τὴν διάπλασιν, καὶ κατὰ τὰς οὐσίας, καὶ κατὰ τὰ ἄλλα πάντα; Πῶς οὖν ὑπὲρ τῶν μελλόντων ἀμφιβάλλεις, εἰπέ μοι; καὶ τί χρὴ λέγειν περὶ σωμάτων; Τὰς γὰρ ἀπείρους δυνάμεις, καὶ τοὺς δήμους τῶν ἀγγέλων, τοὺς ἀρχαγγέλους, τὰ ἀνώτερα τάγματα τούτων, πῶς ἐποίησεν, εἰπέ μοι; Ἐγὼ μὲν γὰρ τὸν τρόπον οὐκ ἂν ἔχοιμι λέγειν, ὅτι δὲ ἤρκεσεν αὐτῷ τὸ θελῆσαι μόνον. Εἶτα ὁ τοσαύτας στρατιὰς ἀσωμάτους ἐργασάμενος, ἀνθρώπου σῶμα διαφθαρὲν ἀνανεῶσαι πάλιν οὐ δύναται, καὶ εἰς μείζονα ἀγαγεῖν ἀξίαν; Καὶ τίς οὕτως ἀναίσθητος, ὡς ὑπὲρ τούτων ἀμφιβάλλειν, 50.430 καὶ τὴν ἀνάστασιν ἀναιρεῖν; Εἰ γὰρ μὴ ἀνίσταται σῶμα, οὐκ ἀνίσταται ἄνθρωπος· ὁ γὰρ ἄνθρωπος οὐκ ἔστι ψυχὴ μόνον, ἀλλὰ ψυχὴ καὶ σῶμα. Εἰ τοίνυν ψυχὴ μόνον ἀνίσταται, ἐξ ἡμισείας τὸ ζῶον ἀνίσταται, ἀλλ' οὐχ ὁλόκληρον· ἄλλως δὲ ἐπὶ ψυχῆς οὐκ ἂν λεχθείη κυρίως ἀνάστασις. Ἀνάστασις γάρ ἐστι τοῦ πεσόντος καὶ διαλυθέντος, ψυχὴ δὲ οὐ διαλύεται, ἀλλὰ σῶμα. Τί δέ ἐστι τὸ, Εἴ γε καὶ ἐνδυσάμενοι, οὐ γυμνοὶ εὑρεθησόμεθα; Μυστήριον μέγα καὶ ἀπόῤῥητον ἡμῖν ἐνταῦθα αἰνίττεται. Ποῖον δὴ τοῦτο; Ὃ καὶ ἐν τῇ πρὸς Κορινθίους Ἐπιστολῇ φησιν· ὅτι Πάντες ἀναστησόμεθα, ἕκαστος δὲ ἐν τῷ ἰδίῳ τάγματι. Τί δέ ἐστι τὸ λεγόμενον; ὅτι καὶ Ἕλλην καὶ Ἰουδαῖος καὶ αἱρετικὸς καὶ πᾶς ἄνθρωπος εἰς τὸν κόσμον τοῦτον παρελθὼν, κατ'