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to abide always with all wisdom in the contemplation of these things according to His will and according to the nature which he has received, the cause of creation confirms the perpetual duration, and duration the resurrection, without which man could not endure. And from what has been said, it is evident that the resurrection is clearly shown by the cause of creation and by the will of the Maker. Since such is the cause for which man has been brought into this world, it would be logical to consider the argument which follows these things according to nature or in sequence; for, in our inquiry, the nature of the men who have been born follows the cause of creation, and upon the nature of those who have come into being follows the just judgment of the Maker concerning these things, and for all these, the end of life. Now that we have examined the preliminary points, we must in order consider the nature of men. The proof of the doctrines of truth, or of whatever is proposed for examination, which brings unerring conviction to what is said, does not have its origin from anywhere external, nor from things that seem right to some or have been decreed, but from the common and natural notion, or from the sequence of secondary things to the primary. For it is either about primary doctrines, and requires only a reminder to stir the natural notion, or it is about things that follow the primary ones according to nature and of natural sequence, and requires order in these matters, showing what truly follows the first or the aforementioned things, so as neither to neglect the truth or the certainty pertaining to it, nor to confuse things ordered and defined by nature, nor to break the natural chain. Whence, I think, it is right for those who have earnestly considered the subjects before us and wish to judge wisely whether there is a resurrection of human bodies or not, first to consider well the force of those things contributing to the proof of this, and what place each has been allotted, and what of these is first, what second or third, and what last of all; and having arranged these things, it is necessary to place first the cause of the creation of men, that is, the will of the Creator according to which He made man, and to this to suitably connect the nature of the men who have come into being, not as being second in order, but because it is not possible for the judgment of both to take place at the same time, even though they pre-eminently coexist with one another and contribute equal force to the matter at hand. And through these things, as being primary and having their origin from creation, the resurrection being clearly shown, it is no less possible also to receive faith concerning it through the arguments from providence, I mean, through the honor or penalty owed to each man according to a just judgment, and through the end of human life. For many, in treating the doctrine of the resurrection, have rested the whole cause on the third reason alone, thinking that the resurrection takes place for the sake of the judgment. But this

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πᾶσι σοφίας τῇ τούτων θεωρίᾳ συνδιαμένειν ἀεὶ κατὰ τὴν ἐκείνου γνώμην καὶ καθ' ἣν εἴληχεν φύσιν, ἡ μὲν τῆς γενέσεως αἰτία πιστοῦται τὴν εἰς ἀεὶ διαμονήν, ἡ δὲ διαμονὴ τὴν ἀνάστασιν, ἧς χωρὶς οὐκ ἂν διαμείνειεν ἄνθρωπος. ἐκ δὲ τῶν εἰρημένων εὔδηλον ὡς τῇ τῆς γενέσεως αἰτίᾳ καὶ τῇ γνώμῃ τοῦ ποιήσαντος δείκνυται σαφῶς ἡ ἀνάστασις. Τοιαύτης δὲ τῆς αἰτίας οὔσης, καθ' ἣν εἰς τόνδε παρῆκται τὸν κόσμον ἄνθρωπος, ἀκόλουθον ἂν εἴη τὸν τούτοις κατὰ φύσιν ἢ καθ' εἱρμὸν ἑπόμενον διασκέψασθαι λόγον· ἕπεται δὲ κατὰ τὴν ἐξέτασιν τῇ μὲν αἰτίᾳ τῆς γενέσεως ἡ τῶν γεννηθέντων ἀνθρώπων φύσις, τῇ δὲ φύσει τῶν γενομένων ἡ τοῦ ποιήσαντος ἐπὶ τούτοις δικαία κρίσις τούτοις τε πᾶσι τὸ τοῦ βίου τέλος. ἐξητασμένων δὲ ἡμῖν τῶν προτεταγμένων ἐπισκεπτέον ἑξῆς τὴν τῶν ἀνθρώπων φύσιν. Ἡ τῶν τῆς ἀληθείας δογμάτων ἢ τῶν ὁπωσοῦν εἰς ἐξέτασιν προβαλλομένων ἀπόδειξις τὴν ἀπλανῆ τοῖς λεγομένοις ἐπιφέρουσα πίστιν οὐκ ἔξωθέν ποθεν ἔχει τὴν ἀρχὴν οὐδ' ἐκ τῶν τισι δοκούντων ἢ δεδογμένων, ἀλλ' ἐκ τῆς κοινῆς καὶ φυσικῆς ἐννοίας ἢ τῆς πρὸς τὰ πρῶτα τῶν δευτέρων ἀκολουθίας. ἢ γὰρ περὶ τῶν πρώτων ἐστὶ δογμάτων καὶ δεῖ μόνης ὑπομνήσεως τῆς τὴν φυσικὴν ἀνα- κινούσης ἔννοιαν ἢ περὶ τῶν κατὰ φύσιν ἑπομένων τοῖς πρώτοις καὶ τῆς φυσικῆς ἀκολουθίας καὶ δεῖ τῆς ἐπὶ τούτοις τάξεως, δεικνύντας τί τοῖς πρώτοις ἢ τοῖς προτεταγμένοις ἀκολουθεῖ κατ' ἀλήθειαν, ἐπὶ τῷ μήτε τῆς ἀληθείας ἢ τῆς κατ' αὐτὴν ἀσφαλείας ἀμελεῖν μήτε τὰ τῇ φύσει τεταγμένα καὶ διωρισμένα συγχεῖν ἢ τὸν φυσικὸν εἱρμὸν διασπᾶν. ὅθεν, οἶμαι, [χρῆν] δίκαιον περὶ τῶν προκειμένων ἐσπουδακότας καὶ κρίνειν ἐμφρόνως θέλοντας εἴτε γίνεται τῶν ἀνθρωπίνων σωμάτων ἀνάστασις εἴτε μή, πρῶτον μὲν ἐπισκοπεῖν καλῶς τῶν πρὸς τὴν τοῦδε δεῖξιν συντελούντων τὴν δύναμιν καὶ ποίαν ἕκαστον εἴληχεν χώραν καὶ τί μὲν τούτων πρῶτον τί δὲ δεύτερον ἢ τρίτον τί δ' ἐπὶ τούτοις ὕστατον· ταῦτα δὲ διαταξαμένους χρὴ πρώτην μὲν τάξαι τὴν αἰτίαν τῆς τῶν ἀνθρώπων γενέσεως, τοῦτ' ἔστιν τὴν τοῦ δημιουργήσαντος γνώμην καθ' ἣν ἐποίησεν ἄνθρωπον, ταύτῃ δὲ προσφυῶς ἐπισυνάψαι τὴν τῶν γενομένων ἀνθρώπων φύσιν, οὐχ ὡς τῇ τάξει δευτερεύουσαν, διὰ δὲ τὸ μὴ δύνασθαι κατὰ ταὐτὸν ἀμφοτέρων γενέσθαι τὴν κρίσιν, κἂν ὅτι μάλιστα συνυπάρχωσιν ἀλλήλαις καὶ πρὸς τὸ προκείμενον τὴν ἴσην παρέχωνται δύναμιν. διὰ δὲ τούτων, ὡς πρώτων καὶ τὴν ἐκ δημιουργίας ἐχόντων ἀρχήν, ἐναργῶς δεικνυμένης τῆς ἀναστάσεως, οὐδὲν ἧττον καὶ διὰ τῶν τῆς προνοίας λόγων ἔστι λαβεῖν τὴν περὶ ταύτης πίστιν, λέγω δὲ διὰ τῆς ἑκάστῳ τῶν ἀνθρώπων ὀφειλομένης κατὰ δικαίαν κρίσιν τιμῆς ἢ δίκης καὶ τοῦ κατὰ τὸν ἀνθρώπινον βίον τέλους. πολλοὶ γὰρ τὸν τῆς ἀναστάσεως λόγον διαλαμβάνοντες τῷ τρίτῳ μόνῳ τὴν πᾶσαν ἐπήρεισαν αἰτίαν, νομίσαντες τὴν ἀνάστασιν γίνεσθαι διὰ τὴν κρίσιν. τοῦτο δὲ