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a chorus said that the Lord Christ had sprung from the seed of David according to the flesh. {ORTH.} You have proposed nothing difficult, but something very simple and easy. Hear, then, the first of the apostles crying out that, "David, being a prophet and knowing that God had sworn an oath to him to raise up the Christ according to the flesh from the fruit of his loins to sit upon his throne, foresaw and spoke of his resurrection, that neither was his soul left in Hades, nor did his flesh see corruption." From these things it is possible for you to discern that the Lord Christ both sprang from the seed of David according to the flesh, and had not only flesh, but also a soul. {ERAN.} Which other of the apostles preached these things? {ORTH.} The great Peter alone would have sufficed, bearing witness with the truth; for the Lord, having received the confession of piety from him alone, confirmed it with the famous beatitude. But since you desire to hear others also preaching this, listen to Paul and Barnabas speaking publicly in Antioch of Pisidia. For they, having mentioned David, added these things: "Of this man's seed God, according to his promise, has raised up for Israel a Savior, Jesus," and what follows. And the divine Paul, writing to Timothy, also set down these things: "Remember Jesus Christ, risen from the dead, of the seed of David, according to my gospel." And 88 writing to the Romans, immediately in the preface he mentioned the Davidic kinship. He spoke thus: "Paul, a servant of Jesus Christ, a called apostle, set apart for the gospel of God, which he promised beforehand through his prophets in the holy scriptures, concerning his Son, who was born of the seed of David according to the flesh." {ERAN.} The proofs are indeed many and true. But tell me, why did you omit what follows the testimony? {ORTH.} Because you are doubting concerning the humanity, but not concerning the divinity. If, however, you were disputing concerning the divinity, I would have brought you the proofs concerning that. Nevertheless, to say "according to the flesh" is sufficient to indicate the divinity that is passed over in silence. For when teaching the kinship of a common man, I do not say, so-and-so is the son of so-and-so according to the flesh, but simply son. Thus also the divine evangelist wrote the genealogy: "For," he says, "Abraham begot Isaac," and he did not add "according to the flesh," for Isaac was only a man. And similarly he mentioned the others; for they were men, having nothing outside of nature. However, when the preachers of the truth discourse concerning the Lord Christ, and show to the ignorant the earthly kinship, they attach "according to the flesh," thereby signifying the divinity and teaching that the Lord Christ is not only man, but also pre-eternal God. {ERAN.} You have brought forward many testimonies, both apostolic and prophetic; but I am persuaded by the evangelist who says, "The Word became flesh." {ORTH.} I too am persuaded by this divine teaching, but I understand it piously, that having taken flesh and a rational soul, he is said to have become flesh. But if God the Word took nothing from our nature, then the covenants made with oaths by the God of all to the patriarchs are not true, and the blessing of Judah is profitless, and the promise to David is false, and the virgin is also superfluous, having contributed nothing of our nature to the incarnate God. And the predictions of the prophets have no fulfillment. "Then our preaching is in vain, and our faith is also in vain," and the hope of the resurrection is futile. For, as it seems, the apostle lies when he says: 89 "and raised us up with him and seated us with him in the heavenly places in Christ Jesus." For if the Lord Christ had nothing of our nature, he is falsely called our firstfruits; and the nature of a body has not been raised from the dead, nor indeed has it obtained the seat at the right hand in heaven. But if none of these things has happened, how has God raised us up together

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χορὸς ἐκ σπέρματος ∆αβὶδ βεβλαστηκέναι κατὰ σάρκα ἔφη τὸν δεσπότην Χριστόν. {ΟΡΘ.} Οὐδὲν ἐπήγγειλας δυσχερές, ἀλλὰ καὶ λίαν εὐπετές τε καὶ ῥᾴδιον. Ἄκουσον τοίνυν τοῦ πρώτου τῶν ἀποστόλων βοῶντος, ὅτι "Προφήτης ὢν ὁ ∆αβὶδ καὶ εἰδώς, ὅτι ὅρκῳ ὤμοσεν αὐτῷ ὁ θεὸς ἐκ καρποῦ τῆς ὀσφύος αὐτοῦ ἀναστήσειν τὸ κατὰ σάρκα τὸν Χριστὸν καθίσαι ἐπὶ τοῦ θρόνου αὐτοῦ, προϊδὼν ἐλάλησε περὶ τῆς ἀναστάσεως αὐτοῦ, ὅτι οὔτε ἐγκατελείφθη εἰς ᾅδου ἡ ψυχὴ αὐτοῦ οὔτε ἡ σὰρξ αὐτοῦ εἶδε διαφθοράν." Ἐκ τούτων διαγνῶναί σοι δυνατόν, ὅτι καὶ ἐκ σπέρματος ∆αβὶδ κατὰ σάρκα βεβλάστηκεν ὁ δεσπότης Χριστός, καὶ οὐ σάρκα μόνην, ἀλλὰ καὶ ψυχὴν εἶχεν. {ΕΡΑΝ.} Τίς ἕτερος ταῦτα τῶν ἀποστόλων ἐκήρυξεν; {ΟΡΘ.} Ἤρκει μὲν καὶ μόνος ὁ μέγας Πέτρος τῇ ἀληθείᾳ συμμαρτυ ρῶν· καὶ γὰρ ὁ δεσπότης παρὰ τούτου μόνου τὴν τῆς εὐσεβείας ὁμολογίαν δεξάμενος, ἐβεβαίωσε ταύτην τῷ ἀοιδίμῳ μακαρισμῷ Ἐπειδὴ δὲ καὶ ἑτέρων τοῦτο κηρυττόντων ἀκοῦσαι ποθεῖς, ἄκουσον ἐν Ἀντιοχείᾳ τῆς Πισιδίας Παύλου καὶ Βαρνάβα δημηγορούντων. Οὗτοι γὰρ τοῦ ∆αβὶδ μνημονεύσαντες ταῦτα ἐπήγαγον· "Τούτου ὁ θεὸς ἀπὸ τοῦ σπέρματος κατ' ἐπαγγελίαν ἤγειρε τῷ Ἰσραὴλ σωτῆρα Ἰησοῦν," καὶ τὰ ἑξῆς. Καὶ Τιμοθέῳ δὲ ἐπιστέλλων ὁ θεσπέσιος Παῦλος καὶ ταῦτα τέθεικε· "Μνημόνευε Ἰησοῦν Χριστὸν ἐγηγερμένον ἐκ νεκρῶν ἐκ σπέρματος ∆αβίδ, κατὰ τὸ εὐαγγέλιόν μου." Καὶ 88 Ῥωμαίοις γράφων εὐθὺς ἐν τῷ προοιμίῳ τῆς ∆αυϊτικῆς ἐμνημόνευσε συγγενείας. Ἔφη δὲ οὕτως· "Παῦλος δοῦλος Ἰησοῦ Χριστοῦ, κλητὸς ἀπόστολος, ἀφωρισμένος εἰς εὐαγγέλιον θεοῦ, ὃ προεπηγγείλατο διὰ τῶν προφητῶν αὑτοῦ ἐν γραφαῖς ἁγίαις, περὶ τοῦ υἱοῦ αὑτοῦ τοῦ γενομένου ἐκ σπέρματος ∆αβὶδ κατὰ σάρκα." {ΕΡΑΝ.} Συχναὶ μὲν αἱ ἀποδείξεις καὶ ἀληθεῖς. Εἰπὲ δέ μοι, τί δήποτε τὰ ἑξῆς τῆς μαρτυρίας παρέλιπες; {ΟΡΘ.} Ὅτι περὶ τῆς ἀνθρωπότητος, ἀλλ' οὐ περὶ τῆς θεότητος ἀμφιβάλλεις. Εἰ δέ γε περὶ τῆς θεότητος ἠμφισβήτεις, περὶ ταύτης ἄν σοι τὰς ἀποδείξεις προσήνεγκα. Πλὴν ἀρκεῖ τὸ φάναι "κατὰ σάρκα" παραδηλῶσαι τὴν σεσιγημένην θεότητα. Κοινοῦ γὰρ ἀνθρώ που διδάσκων συγγένειαν, οὐ λέγω, τοῦ δεῖνος ὁ δεῖνα κατὰ σάρκα υἱός, ἀλλ' ἁπλῶς υἱός. Οὕτω καὶ ὁ θεῖος εὐαγγελιστὴς τὴν γενεαλογίαν συνέγραψεν· "Ἀβραάμ, γάρ φησιν, ἐγέννησε τὸν Ἰσαάκ," καὶ οὐ προστέθεικε κατὰ σάρκα, μόνον γὰρ ἄνθρωπος ὑπῆρχεν ὁ Ἰσαάκ. Παραπλησίως δὲ καὶ τῶν ἄλλων ἐμνημόνευσεν· ἄνθρωποι γὰρ ἦσαν οὐδὲν ἔξω τῆς φύσεως ἔχοντες. Περὶ μέντοι τοῦ δεσπότου Χριστοῦ διαλεγόμενοι τῆς ἀληθείας οἱ κήρυκες, καὶ τοῖς ἀγνοοῦσιν ἐπιδεικνύν τες τὴν κάτω συγγένειαν, τὸ κατὰ σάρκα συνάπτουσι, ταύτῃ σημαί νοντες τὴν θεότητα καὶ διδάσκοντες ὡς οὐκ ἄνθρωπος μόνον, ἀλλὰ καὶ θεὸς προαιώνιος ὁ δεσπότης Χριστός. {ΕΡΑΝ.} Πολλὰς μὲν καὶ ἀποστολικὰς καὶ προφητικὰς παρήγαγες μαρτυρίας· ἐγὼ δὲ τῷ εὐαγγελιστῇ πείθομαι λέγοντι, "Ὁ λόγος σὰρξ ἐγένετο." {ΟΡΘ.} Κἀγὼ πείθομαι τῇ θείᾳ ταύτῃ διδασκαλίᾳ, νοῶ δὲ αὐτὴν εὐσεβῶς, ὅτι σάρκα λαβὼν καὶ ψυχὴν λογικὴν λέγεται γεγενῆσθαι σάρξ. Εἰ δὲ μηδὲν ἐκ τῆς ἡμετέρας φύσεως ἔλαβεν ὁ θεὸς λόγος, οὐκ ἀληθεῖς μὲν αἱ πρὸς τοὺς πατριάρχας παρὰ τοῦ θεοῦ τῶν ὅλων μεθ' ὅρκων γεγενημέναι συνθῆκαι, ἀνόνητος δὲ τοῦ Ἰούδα ἡ εὐλογία, ψευδὴς δὲ ἡ πρὸς τὸν ∆αβὶδ ἐπαγγελία, περιττὴ δὲ καὶ ἡ παρθένος, οὐδὲν τῆς ἡμετέρας φύσεως τῷ σαρκωθέντι προσενεγκοῦσα θεῷ. Αἱ δὲ τῶν προφητῶν προρρήσεις τὸ πέρας οὐκ ἔχουσι. "Κενόν, οὖν, ἄρα τὸ κήρυγμα ἡμῶν, κενὴ δὲ καὶ ἡ πίστις ἡμῶν," ματαία δὲ καὶ τῆς ἀναστάσεως ἡ ἐλπίς. Ψεύδεται γάρ, ὡς ἔοικεν, ὁ ἀπόστολος λέγων· 89 "Συνήγειρε καὶ συνεκάθισεν ἡμᾶς ἐν τοῖς ἐπουρανίοις ἐν Χριστῷ Ἰησοῦ." Εἰ γὰρ μηδὲν τῆς ἡμετέρας φύσεως εἶχεν ὁ δεσπότης Χρισ τός, ψευδῶς μὲν ἡμῶν ἀπαρχὴ προσηγόρευται· σώματος δὲ φύσις ἐκ νεκρῶν οὐκ ἐγήγερται, οὔτε μὴν ἐν οὐρανῷ τῆς ἐκ δεξιῶν καθέδρας τετύχηκεν. Εἰ δὲ μηδὲν τούτων γεγένηται, πῶς ἡμᾶς ὁ θεὸς συνή γειρέ