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Scripture, it is possible for one, having considered how the rest of the things said stand in relation to falsehood or truth, to understand through them also the doctrine concerning the resurrection. For if in the other matters the words are false, and are proved to have strayed from the truth, this too is not entirely free from falsehood. But if all the other things have experience bearing witness to the truth, it would be consistent through them to consider the prophecy concerning the resurrection to be true as well.

Therefore let us recall 216 one or two of the things that were foretold, and compare the outcome with the things prophesied, so that we may know through them if the word looks to the truth. Who does not know how the Israelite people flourished in ancient times, rising up against all the powers throughout the world? what the palaces were like in the city of Jerusalem? what the walls? the towers? the magnificence of the temple? things which were considered worthy of wonder even by the Lord's disciples, and they ask the Lord to observe them, being disposed with wonder at what they saw, as the history of the Gospel shows, saying to him: “What manner of works and what manner of buildings!” But he points out to those who were marveling at the present sight the coming desolation of the place and the destruction of that beauty, saying that after a short time nothing of what they saw would be left. But also at the time of the passion, the women were following, lamenting the unjust sentence against him; for they did not yet look to the economy of what was happening; but he advises them to be silent about the things happening to him; for they were not worthy of tears; but to postpone the wailing and the lament for the true time for tears, when the city is surrounded by besiegers, and the sufferings come to such distress, that one considers blessed the one who is not born. In which words he also foretold the abomination concerning the child-eater, saying that in those days the barren womb would be called blessed. Where, then, are those palaces? Where is the temple? Where are the walls; where are the bulwarks of the towers? And where is the power of the Israelites? Were they not scattered, one here and another there, throughout almost the entire world? and in their destruction, were not the palaces also demolished? For it seems to me that the Lord foretold these and such things, not for the sake of the events themselves (for what great benefit to the hearers was the prophecy of things that would in any case come to pass? for they would have known by experience, even without learning beforehand what would happen), but so that through these things, faith concerning the greater things might consequently come to them. For the witness in these things through their fulfillment is also a proof of the truth in those other things.

For just as, if someone inexperienced in farming should happen to disbelieve a farmer explaining the power of seeds, it would be sufficient proof of the truth for the farmer to show the power in one seed from the bushel and thus to vouch for the rest. For one who has seen the single grain of wheat, or the single grain of barley, or whatever else might be in the full measure, become an ear of grain after being cast into the soil, would, because of that one, no longer disbelieve concerning the rest. So too, the acknowledged truth in the rest of the things that were said seems to me to be a sufficient testimony to the mystery of the resurrection. Or rather, even the experience of the resurrection itself, 217 which we were taught not so much through words as through the deeds themselves. For since the miracle of the resurrection was great and beyond belief, beginning with lesser miracles, he gently accustoms our faith to the greater things. For just as a mother, suitably nursing her infant, for a time puts the milk through her nipple into its soft and wet mouth; but when it is now teething and growing she brings it bread, not hard and coarse, lest its soft and unexercised gums be scraped by the hardness of the food, but having softened it with her own teeth, making it both suitable and accord

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Γραφὴ, δυνατόν ἐστιν ὅπως ἂν ἔχῃ ψεύδους ἢ ἀληθείας τὰ λοιπὰ τῶν εἰρημέ νων θεασαμένους, δι' ἐκείνων καὶ τὸ περὶ τῆς ἀναστά σεως δόγμα κατανοῆσαι. Εἰ μὲν γὰρ ἐν τοῖς ἄλλοις ψευδεῖς οἱ λόγοι, καὶ διεσφαλμένοι τῆς ἀληθείας ἐλέγ χονται, οὐδὲ τοῦτο πάντως ἐκτὸς ψεύδους ἐστίν. Εἰ δὲ τὰ ἄλλα πάντα μαρτυροῦσαν ἔχει τῇ ἀληθείᾳ τὴν πεῖ ραν, ἀκόλουθον ἂν εἴη δι' ἐκείνων καὶ τὴν περὶ τῆς ἀναστάσεως πρόῤῥησιν ἀληθῆ νομίσαι.

Οὐκοῦν ἐπι 216 μνησθῶμεν ἑνὸς ἢ δυοῖν τῶν προκατηγγελμένων, καὶ ἀντιπαραθῶμεν τοῖς προῤῥηθεῖσι τὴν ἔκβασιν, ὥστε γνῶναι δι' αὐτῶν, εἰ πρὸς τὴν ἀλήθειαν ὁ λόγος βλέ πει. Τίς οὐκ οἶδεν ὅπως ἤνθει κατὰ τὸ ἀρχαῖον ὁ Ἰσραηλίτης λαὸς, πάσαις ταῖς κατὰ τὴν οἰκουμένην δυναστείαις ἀντεγειρόμενος; οἷα ἦν τὰ βασίλεια κατὰ τὴν τῶν Ἱεροσολύμων πόλιν; οἷα τὰ τείχη; οἱ πύργοι; ἡ τοῦ ἱεροῦ μεγαλουργία; ἅπερ καὶ τοῖς μαθηταῖς τοῦ Κυρίου ἄξια θαύματος ἐνομίσθη, καὶ κατανοεῖν ἀξιοῦσι τὸν Κύριον, θαυμαστικῶς περὶ τὰ φαινόμενα διατεθέντες, ὡς ἡ τοῦ Εὐαγγελίου ἱστορία δηλοῖ, λέ γοντες πρὸς αὐτόν· «Ποταπὰ τὰ ἔργα καὶ ποταπαὶ αἱ οἰκοδομαί!» ὁ δὲ τὴν ἐσομένην περὶ τὸν τόπον ἐρήμωσιν, καὶ τὸν ἀφανισμὸν τοῦ κάλλους ἐκείνου πρὸς τοὺς τὸ παρὸν θαυμάζοντας ὑποδείκνυσι, λέγων μηδὲν τῶν φαινομένων μετ' ὀλίγον ὑπολειφθήσεσθαι. Ἀλλὰ καὶ παρὰ τὸν τοῦ πάθους καιρὸν, αἱ μὲν γυ ναῖκες ἐπηκολούθουν θρηνοῦσαι τὴν ἄδικον ἐπ' αὐτῷ ψῆφον· οὔπω γὰρ εἰς τὴν τῶν γινομένων οἰκονο μίαν ἀπέβλεπον· ὁ δὲ συμβουλεύει τὰ μὲν περὶ αὐ τὸν γινόμενα σιωπᾷν· μηδὲ γὰρ εἶναι δακρύων ἄξια· ὑπερθέσθαι δὲ τὸν ὀδυρμὸν καὶ τὸν θρῆνον εἰς τὸν ἀληθῆ τῶν δακρύων καιρὸν, ὅταν περισχεθῇ τοῖς πολιορκοῦσιν ἡ πόλις, καὶ εἰς τοσοῦτον συνοχῆς ἔλθῃ τὰ πάθη, ὡς μακαριστὸν ἡγεῖσθαι τὸν μὴ γεννώμε νον. Ἐν οἷς καὶ τὸ περὶ τὴν τεκνοφάγον προεμήνυ σεν ἄγος, εἰπὼν μακαρισθήσεσθαι κατὰ τὰς ἡμέρας ἐκείνας τὴν γαστέρα τὴν ἄγονον. Ποῦ τοίνυν ἐκεῖνα τὰ βασίλεια; ποῦ τὸ ἱερόν; ποῦ τὰ τείχη· ποῦ τῶν πύργων αἱ προβολαί; ποῦ δὲ ἡ τῶν Ἰσραηλιτῶν δυνα στεία; οὐχ οἱ μὲν κατὰ πᾶσαν μικροῦ δεῖν τὴν οἰ κουμένην ἄλλος ἀλλαχῆ διεσπάρησαν; τῇ δὲ τούτων καταστροφῇ συνηρειπώθη καὶ τὰ βασίλεια; ∆οκεῖ γάρ μοι ταῦτα καὶ τὰ τοιαῦτα προμηνῦσαι ὁ Κύριος, οὐ τῶν πραγμάτων χάριν (τί γὰρ τοσοῦτον ἦν τοῖς ἀκούουσι κέρδος τῶν πάντως ἐκβησομένων ἡ πρόῤ ῥησις; ἔγνωσαν γὰρ ἂν τῇ πείρᾳ, καὶ μὴ προμαθόν τες τὸ γενησόμενον), ἀλλ' ὥστε διὰ τούτων αὐτοῖς καὶ τὴν περὶ τῶν μειζόνων πίστιν εἰς ἀκολουθίαν ἐλθεῖν. Ἡ γὰρ ἐν τούτοις διὰ τῶν ἔργων μαρτυρία, καὶ τῆς ἐν ἐκείνοις ἀληθείας ἐστὶν ἀπόδειξις.

Ὥσπερ γὰρ εἴ τινος γεωργοῦ τὴν τῶν σπερμάτων ὑφηγουμένου δύναμιν, ἀπιστεῖν συμβῇ τὸν τῆς γεωρ γίας ἀπείρατον, αὐτάρκης ἂν εἰς ἀπόδειξιν τῆς ἀλη θείας ἦν τῷ γεηπόνῳ ἐν ἑνὶ σπέρματι τῶν ἐν τῷ με δίμνῳ κειμένων δείξαντι τὴν δύναμιν, καὶ περὶ τῶν λοιπῶν ἐγγυᾶσθαι. Ὁ γὰρ ἰδὼν τὸν ἕνα πυρὸν, ἢ τὴν μίαν κριθὴν, ἢ ὅ τι περ ἂν ἐν τῷ πληρώματι τοῦ με δίμνου τύχῃ, μετὰ τὸ ἐγκαταβληθῆναι τῇ βώλῳ στά χυν γενόμενον, οὐκέτι ἂν διὰ τοῦ ἑνὸς, οὐδὲ περὶ τῶν λοιπῶν ἀπιστήσειεν. Οὕτως ἱκανή μοι δοκεῖ πρὸς μαρτυρίαν εἶναι τοῦ κατὰ τὴν ἀνάστασιν μυστηρίον, ἡ τοῖς λοιποῖς τῶν εἰρημένων συνομολογουμένη ἀλήθεια. Μᾶλλον δὲ καὶ αὐτῆς τῆς ἀναστάσεως ἡ 217 πεῖρα, ἥν οὐ διὰ λόγων τοσοῦτον, ὅσον δι' αὐτῶν τῶν ἔργων ἐδιδάχθημεν. Ἐπειδὴ γὰρ μέγα καὶ ὑπὲρ πί στιν ἦν τὸ κατὰ τὴν ἀνάστασιν θαῦμα, διὰ τῶν κα τωτέρων τῆς θαυματοποιίας ἀρξάμενος, ἡρέμα πως τὴν πίστιν ἡμῶν προσεθίζει τοῖς μείζοσι. Καθάπερ γάρ τις μήτηρ καταλλήλως τιθηνουμένη τὸ νήπιον, τέως μὲν ἁπαλῷ τε καὶ ὑγρῷ τῷ στόματι τὸ γάλα διὰ τῆς θηλῆς ἐντίθησιν· ὀδοντοφυοῦντι δὲ ἤδη καὶ αὐξανομένῳ προσάγει τὸν ἄρτον, οὐ τραχύν τε καὶ ἀκατέργαστον, ὡς ἂν μὴ περιξανθείη τῷ σκληρῷ τῆς τροφῆς τὸ τῶν οὔλων ἁπαλόν τε καὶ ἀγύμναστον, ἀλλὰ τοῖς ἰδίοις ὀδοῦσι καταλεάνασα, σύμμετρόν τε καὶ κατ