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{ORTH.} Therefore both corruption and death must be called an accident, not a substance; for they happen, and cease to happen. {ERAN.} They should be so called. {ORTH.} Therefore the bodies of men too, in rising, are freed from corruption and mortality, but they do not lose their own nature. {ERAN.} True. {ORTH.} Therefore, the Master's body also rose incorruptible, and impassible and immortal, and glorified with divine glory, and is worshipped by the celestial powers; but it is nevertheless a body, having its former circumscription. {ERAN.} In this you seem to speak reasonably. But after the ascension into heaven, I do not think you will say that it was not changed into the nature of the Godhead. {ORTH.} I would not say so, persuaded by human reasonings. For I am not so bold as to say something passed over in silence by the divine Scripture. However, I have heard the divine Paul crying out that "God has appointed a day on which he will judge the world in righteousness by the man whom he has ordained, having given assurance to all by raising him from the dead." And I have learned from the holy angels that he will come in the same way as the disciples saw him going into heaven. But they saw a circumscribed nature, not an uncircumscribed one. And I have also heard the Lord saying: "You will see the Son of Man coming on the clouds of heaven." And I know that what is seen by men is circumscribed. For the uncircumscribed nature is invisible. And indeed, the sitting on a throne of glory, and placing the lambs on the right and the goats on the left, indicates what is circumscribed. 150 {ERAN.} Therefore, he was not uncircumscribed even before the incarnation. For the prophet saw him surrounded by the Seraphim. {ORTH.} The prophet did not see the very substance of God, but a certain vision corresponding to his power. But after the resurrection, all will see the visible nature of the judge. {ERAN.} Having promised not to speak a word without witness, you offer us your own reasonings. {ORTH.} I was taught these things by the divine Scripture. For I have heard Zechariah the prophet saying: "They shall look on him whom they have pierced." But how will the end follow the prophecy, if those who crucified him do not recognize the nature which they crucified? And I have also heard the victorious Stephen crying out: "Behold, I see the heavens opened, and the Son of Man standing at the right hand of God." And he saw the visible nature, not the invisible nature. {ERAN.} These things are so written. But the body, after the ascension into heaven, I do not think you can show it being called a body by the Spirit-bearing men. {ORTH.} Indeed, the things previously said are indicative of the body; for what is seen is a body; nevertheless, I will show that even after the ascension the Master's body is called a body. Listen, then, to the Apostle teaching: "For our citizenship is in heaven, from which we also eagerly wait for a Savior, the Lord Jesus, who will transform the body of our humiliation, that it may be conformed to the body of his glory." Therefore, it has not been changed into another nature, but has remained a body, filled, however, with divine glory and sending forth rays of light; to that the bodies of the saints will be conformed. But if that was changed into another nature, these too will be likewise changed. For they will be conformed to that. But if the bodies of the saints keep the character of their nature, then the Master's body likewise has its own substance unchanged. {ERAN.} So then, will the bodies of the saints be equal to the Master's body? {ORTH.} These too will partake of incorruptibility and indeed of immortality. They will also share in the glory, as the apostle says: 151 "If indeed we suffer with him, that we may also be glorified together." But in quantity, a great difference is to be found, and as much as that of the sun to the stars, or rather, as much as that of a master to

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{ΟΡΘ.} Τοιγάρτοι καὶ τὴν φθορὰν καὶ τὸν θάνατον συμβεβηκός, οὐκ οὐσίας ὀνομαστέον· συμβαίνουσι γάρ, καὶ ἀποσυμβαίνουσι. {ΕΡΑΝ.} Οὕτω κλητέον. {ΟΡΘ.} Οὐκοῦν καὶ τὰ τῶν ἀνθρώπων σώματα τῆς μὲν φθορᾶς ἀνιστάμενα καὶ τῆς θνητότητος ἀπαλλάττεται, τὴν δέ γε οἰκείαν οὐκ ἀπόλλυσι φύσιν. {ΕΡΑΝ.} Ἀληθές. {ΟΡΘ.} Καὶ τὸ δεσποτικὸν τοιγαροῦν σῶμα ἄφθαρτον μὲν ἀνέστη, καὶ ἀπαθὲς καὶ ἀθάνατον καὶ τῇ θείᾳ δόξῃ δεδοξασμένον, καὶ παρὰ τῶν ἐπουρανίων προσκυνεῖται δυνάμεων· σῶμα δὲ ὅμως ἐστὶ τὴν προτέραν ἔχον περιγραφήν. {ΕΡΑΝ.} Ἐν μὲν τούτοις εἰκότα λέγειν δοκεῖς. Μετὰ δέ γε τὴν εἰς οὐρανοὺς ἀνάληψιν, οὐκ οἶμαί σε λέξειν, ὡς οὐκ εἰς θεότητος μετεβλήθη φύσιν. {ΟΡΘ.} Ἐγὼ μὲν οὐκ ἂν φαίην ἀνθρωπίνοις πειθόμενος λογισμοῖς. Οὐ γὰρ οὕτως εἰμὶ θρασύς, ὥστε φάναι τι σεσιγημένον παρὰ τῇ θείᾳ γραφῇ. Ἤκουσα μέντοι τοῦ θεσπεσίου Παύλου βοῶντος, ὅτι "Ἔστησεν ὁ θεὸς ἡμέραν, ἐν ᾗ μέλλει κρίνειν τὴν οἰκουμένην ἐν δικαιοσύνῃ, ἐν ἀνδρὶ ᾧ ὥρισε, πίστιν παρασχὼν πᾶσιν, ἀναστήσας αὐτὸν ἐκ νεκρῶν." Μεμάθηκα δὲ καὶ παρὰ τῶν ἁγίων ἀγγέλων, ὅτι οὕτως ἐλεύσεται ὃν τρόπον αὐτὸν εἶδον οἱ μαθηταὶ πορευόμενον εἰς τὸν οὐρα νόν. Εἶδον δὲ περιγεγραμμένην φύσιν, οὐκ ἀπερίγραφον. Ἤκουσα δὲ καὶ τοῦ κυρίου λέγοντος· "Ὄψεσθε τὸν υἱὸν τοῦ ἀνθρώπου ἐρχόμενον ἐπὶ τῶν νεφελῶν τοῦ οὐρανοῦ." Καὶ οἶδα περιγεγραμμένον τὸ ὑπ' ἀνθρώπων ὁρώμενον. Ἀθέατος γὰρ ἡ ἀπερίγραφος φύσις. Καὶ μέντοι καὶ τό, καθίσαι ἐπὶ θρόνου δόξης, καὶ στῆσαι τοὺς μὲν ἀμνοὺς ἐκ δεξιῶν, τοὺς δὲ ἐρίφους ἐξ εὐωνύμων, τὸ περιγεγραμμένον δηλοῖ. 150 {ΕΡΑΝ.} Οὐκοῦν οὐδὲ πρὸ τῆς ἐνανθρωπήσεως ἀπερίγραφος ἦν. Ὑπὸ γὰρ τῶν Σεραφὶμ αὐτὸν εἶδεν ὁ προφήτης κυκλούμενον. {ΟΡΘ.} Οὐκ αὐτὴν εἶδεν ὁ προφήτης τοῦ θεοῦ τὴν οὐσίαν, ἀλλ' ὄψιν τινὰ τῇ αὐτοῦ δυνάμει συμβαίνουσαν. Μετὰ δὲ τὴν ἀνάστασιν ἅπαντες αὐτὴν τοῦ κριτοῦ τὴν ὁρωμένην ὄψονται φύσιν. {ΕΡΑΝ.} Ὑποσχόμενος λόγον μὴ λέγειν ἀμάρτυρον, λογισμοὺς ἡμῖν οἰκείους προσφέρεις. {ΟΡΘ.} Ἐγὼ ταῦτα παρὰ τῆς θείας ἐδιδάχθην γραφῆς. Ἤκουσα γὰρ Ζαχαρίου τοῦ προφήτου λέγοντος· "Ὄψονται εἰς ὃν ἐξεκέντη σαν." Πῶς δὲ ἕψεται τῇ προφητείᾳ τὸ τέλος, τῶν ἐσταυρωκότων μὴ γνωριζόντων ἣν ἐσταύρωσαν φύσιν; Ἤκουσα δὲ καὶ τοῦ νικηφόρου Στεφάνου βοῶντος· "Ἰδοὺ θεωρῶ τοὺς οὐρανοὺς ἀνεῳγμένους, καὶ τὸν υἱὸν τοῦ ἀνθρώπου ἑστηκότα ἐκ δεξιῶν τοῦ θεοῦ." Εἶδε δὲ τὴν ὁρωμένην, οὐ τὴν ἀόρατον φύσιν. {ΕΡΑΝ.} Ταῦτα μὲν οὕτω γέγραπται. Ἀλλὰ τὸ σῶμα, μετὰ τὴν εἰς οὐρανοὺς ἀνάληψιν, οὐκ οἶμαί σε δείξειν ὑπὸ τῶν πνευματοφόρων ἀνδρῶν προσαγορευόμενον σῶμα. {ΟΡΘ.} Μάλιστα μὲν καὶ τὰ προειρημένα τοῦ σώματος ὑπάρχει δηλωτικά· τὸ γὰρ ὁρώμενον, σῶμα· δείξω δὲ ὅμως καὶ μετὰ τὴν ἀνάληψιν σῶμα καλούμενον τοῦ δεσπότου τὸ σῶμα. Ἄκουσον τοίνυν τοῦ ἀποστόλου διδάσκοντος· "Ἡμῶν γὰρ τὸ πολίτευμα ἐν οὐρανοῖς ὑπάρχει, ἐξ οὗ καὶ σωτῆρα ἀπεκδεχόμεθα κύριον Ἰησοῦν, ὃς μετα σχηματίσει τὸ σῶμα τῆς ταπεινώσεως ἡμῶν, εἰς τὸ γενέσθαι αὐτὸ σύμμορφον τῷ σώματι τῆς δόξης αὐτοῦ." Οὐ τοίνυν εἰς ἑτέραν μετα βέβληται φύσιν, ἀλλὰ μεμένηκε σῶμα, θείας μέντοι δόξης πεπληρωμέ νον καὶ φωτὸς ἐκπέμπον ἀκτῖνας· ἐκείνῳ τὰ τῶν ἁγίων σώματα γενήσεται σύμμορφα. Εἰ δὲ εἰς ἑτέραν ἐκεῖνο μετεβλήθη φύσιν, καὶ τὰ τούτων ὡσαύτως μεταβληθήσεται. Σύμμορφα γὰρ ἐκείνῳ γενήσεται. Εἰ δὲ τὰ τῶν ἁγίων φυλάττει τὸν χαρακτῆρα τῆς φύσεως, καὶ τὸ δεσποτικὸν ἄρα ὡσαύτως τὴν οἰκείαν οὐσίαν ἀμετάβλητον ἔχει. {ΕΡΑΝ.} Ἴσα τοίνυν ἔσται τῷ δεσποτικῷ σώματι τὰ τῶν ἁγίων σώματα; {ΟΡΘ.} Τῆς μὲν ἀφθαρσίας καὶ μέντοι καὶ τῆς ἀθανασίας μεθέξει καὶ ταῦτα. Κοινωνήσει δὲ καὶ τῆς δόξης, καθά φησιν ὁ ἀπόστολος· 151 "Εἴπερ συμπάσχομεν, ἵνα καὶ συνδοξασθῶμεν." Ἐν δέ γε τῇ ποσό τητι πολὺ τὸ διάφορον ἔστιν εὑρεῖν, καὶ τοσοῦτον, ὅσον ἡλίου πρὸς ἀστέρας, μᾶλλον δὲ ὅσον δεσπότου πρὸς