keeps it, he will never taste death for ever. Are you greater than our father Abraham, who died? And the prophets died; who do you make yourself out to be? 20.41.381 If according to the simpler interpretation, as we ourselves have rendered it, the opinion of the Jews seems to be clear, when they answered the Savior's word concerning Abraham and the prophets as having died, nonetheless the examination, with a comparison to other similar passages, 20.41.382 must not be left unmarked. For did they think that the Savior had spoken without any reason, "If anyone keeps my word, he will never see death forever," and for this reason did they give a clear response to his word? 20.41.383 Or did they understand that he was not speaking about the more common death, and, thinking about Abraham and the prophets as having once been in the worse death, not accepting his word nor supposing him to be as great 20.41.384 as the speaker promised, did they say: "Now we know that you have a demon"? And we have examined the same thing in the case of many of his other words and their responses in the preceding sections; as for instance in the case of the Samaritan woman, that when Jesus said to her: "<Give me> a drink" after other things he added the following: "If you knew the gift of God, and who it is that is saying to you, ‘Give me a drink,’ you would have asked him and 20.41.385 he would have given <ἄν> you living water. And the woman says to him: Lord, you have no bucket, and the well is deep; where then do you get the living water?" And again: "Lord, give me this water, so that I may not be thirsty 20.41.386 nor come here to draw." For it was not plausible that the Samaritan woman was responding to him about perceptible water, and had asked him for bodily water in order no longer to be thirsty nor to come to draw from 20.41.387 the perceptible spring of Jacob. But also when the Lord said: "The bread that I will give is my flesh for the life of the world"; when "the Jews were quarreling with one another, saying, 'How can this man give us his flesh to eat?'" we showed that the hearers would not have been so foolish as to suppose that the speaker was inviting his audience to come forward and eat of his flesh. 20.42.388 And it is likely that the Jews, concerning the sayings now being examined by us, said "Abraham died, and the prophets," having learned in what way "through one man sin entered into the world, and through sin, death; and so death spread to all men, because all sinned," and they also saw that "death reigned over those who sinned in the likeness of the transgression of Adam," and their argument was about the death that, on account of sin, passed to all men 20.42.389 because all had sinned. But having learned about these things, since they did not accept the words of Jesus, they did not know the things that follow, and 20.42.390 that "the gift is not like the trespass." But neither could they reason in any way that "if by the trespass of the one the many died, much more did the grace of God and the gift by the grace of the one man Jesus Christ abound to the many." 20.42.391 And they did not understand how the gift was not like the death that came through the one who sinned; for they had not yet been taught that 20.42.392 the gift came from many trespasses to justification. Nor did they see that "those who receive the abundance of grace and of the gift will reign in life through the one, Jesus Christ." 20.42.393 And they understood the death of Abraham and the prophets, hearing that even Samuel, being under the earth on account of death, was brought up by a ventriloquist, who thought that gods were somewhere below the earth and said: "I saw gods coming up from the earth"; but they had not comprehended the life of Abraham and the prophets, nor that the God of Abraham and Isaac and Jacob was God not of them as dead, but as living; and as supposing [τε] the prophets to be dead they built 20.42.394 their tombs, and because of

τηρήσῃ, οὐ μὴ γεύσηται θάνατον εἰς τὸν αἰῶνα. μὴ σὺ μείζων εἶ τοῦ πατρὸς ἡμῶν Ἀβραάμ, ὅστις ἀπέθανεν; καὶ οἱ προφῆται ἀπέθανον· τίνα σεαυτὸν ποιεῖς; 20.41.381 Εἰ κατὰ τὴν ἁπλουστέραν ἐκδοχήν, ὡς καὶ αὐτοὶ ἀποδεδώκαμεν, δοκεῖ εἶναι σαφὲς τὸ τῆς ὑπολήψεως τῶν Ἰουδαίων, ἀποκριναμένων πρὸς τὸν τοῦ σωτῆρος λόγον περὶ τοῦ Ἀβραὰμ καὶ τῶν προφητῶν ὡς ἀποτεθνηκότων, οὐδὲν ἧττον οὐκ ἀπαρασή μαντον τὴν ἐξέτασιν μετὰ συγκρίσεως τῆς πρὸς ἕτερα παραπλήσια 20.41.382 ἐατέον. ἆρα γὰρ ᾤοντο σὺν οὐδενὶ λόγῳ τὸν σωτῆρα εἰρηκέναι τὸ «Ἐάν τις τὸν ἐμὸν λόγον τηρήσῃ, θάνατον οὐ μὴ θεωρήσῃ εἰς τὸν «αἰῶνα», καὶ διὰ τοῦτο σαφές τι πρὸς τὸν λόγον αὐτοῦ ἀπεκρί 20.41.383 ναντο; ἢ ἐνόησαν οὐ περὶ τοῦ κοινοτέρου θανάτου αὐτὸν λελαλη κέναι, καὶ διαλαμβάνοντες περὶ Ἀβραὰμ καὶ τῶν προφητῶν, ὡς καὶ αὐτῶν ἐν τῷ χείρονι θανάτῳ γεγενημένων ποτέ, τὸν λόγον αὐτοῦ μὴ παραδεξάμενοι μηδὲ ὑπολαμβάνοντες αὐτὸν εἶναι τηλικοῦτον 20.41.384 ὁποῖον ἐπηγγείλατο ὁ λέγων, φασίν· «Νῦν ἐγνώκαμεν ὅτι δαιμόνιον «ἔχεις»; τὸ δ' ὅμοιον καὶ ἐπ' ἄλλων αὐτοῦ λόγων καὶ τῶν πρὸς αὐτοὺς ἀποκρίσεων ἐπὶ πλειόνων ἐν τοῖς ἀνωτέρω ἐξητάσαμεν· οἷον ἐπὶ τῆς Σαμαρείτιδος, ὅτι εἰπὼν αὐτῇ ὁ Ἰησοῦς· «<∆ός μοι> πιεῖν» μεθ' ἕτερα προσέθηκεν τοιαῦτα· «Εἰ ᾔδεις τὴν δωρεὰν τοῦ θεοῦ, «καὶ τίς ἐστιν ὁ λέγων σοι· ∆ός μοι πιεῖν, σὺ ἂν ᾔτησας αὐτὸν καὶ 20.41.385 «ἔδωκεν <ἄν> σοι ὕδωρ ζῶν. καὶ λέγει αὐτῷ ἡ γυνή· Κύριε, οὔτε «ἄντλημα ἔχεις, καὶ τὸ φρέαρ ἐστὶν βαθύ· πόθεν οὖν ἔχεις τὸ ὕδωρ «τὸ ζῶν;» καὶ πάλιν· «Κύριε, δός μοι τοῦτο τὸ ὕδωρ, ἵνα μὴ διψῶ 20.41.386 «μηδὲ διέρχωμαι ἐνθάδε ἀντλεῖν». οὐ γὰρ πιθανὸν ἦν περὶ αἰσθη τοῦ ὕδατος ἀποκρίνεσθαι αὐτῷ τὴν Σαμαρεῖτιν, καὶ ᾐτηκέναι αὐτὸν σωματικὸν ὕδωρ ἐπὶ τῷ μηκέτι διψῆσαι μηδὲ διέρχεσθαι ἀντλεῖν ἀπὸ 20.41.387 τῆς τοῦ Ἰακὼβ αἰσθητῆς πηγῆς. ἀλλὰ καὶ εἰπόντος τοῦ κυρίου· «Ὁ ἄρτος, ὃν ἐγὼ δώσω, ἡ σάρξ μου ἐστὶν ὑπὲρ τῆς τοῦ κόσμου «ζωῆς»· ὅτε «ἐμάχοντο πρὸς ἀλλήλους οἱ Ἰουδαῖοι λέγοντες· Πῶς δύ «ναται ἡμῖν οὗτος δοῦναι τὴν σάρκα φαγεῖν;» ἀπεδείκνυμεν ὅτι οὐκ ἂν τοσοῦτον ἀνόητοι ἦσαν οἱ ἀκούοντες ὡς ὑπολαμβάνειν ὅτι προ καλεῖται ὁ λέγων τοὺς ἀκροατὰς εἰς τὸ προσελθεῖν καὶ ἐμφαγεῖν τῶν σαρκῶν αὐτοῦ. 20.42.388 Καὶ εἰκός γε, ὅτι ἔλεγον οἱ Ἰουδαῖοι ἐπὶ τῶν νῦν ἡμῖν ἐξεταζομένων ῥητῶν τὸ «Ἀβραὰμ ἀπέθανεν καὶ οἱ προφῆται», με μαθηκότες τίνα τρόπον «δι' ἑνὸς ἀνθρώπου ἡ ἁμαρτία εἰς τὸν «κόσμον εἰσῆλθεν καὶ διὰ τῆς ἁμαρτίας ὁ θάνατος· καὶ οὕτως εἰς «πάντας ἀνθρώπους ὁ θάνατος διῆλθεν, ἐφ' ᾧ πάντες ἥμαρτον», ἔβλεπον δὲ καὶ ὅτι «ἐβασίλευσεν ὁ θάνατος ἐπὶ τοὺς ἁμαρτήσαντας «ἐπὶ τῷ ὁμοιώματι τῆς παραβάσεως Ἀδάμ», καὶ ἦν αὐτοῖς ὁ λόγος περὶ τοῦ διὰ τὴν ἁμαρτίαν θανάτου εἰς πάντας ἀνθρώπους διεληλυ 20.42.389 θότος ἐπὶ τῷ πάντας ἡμαρτηκέναι. περὶ τούτων δὲ μεμαθηκότες τὰ ἑξῆς, ἅτε μὴ παραδεξάμενοι τοὺς Ἰησοῦ λόγους, οὐκ ᾔδεισαν, καὶ 20.42.390 ὅτι «οὐχ ὡς τὸ παράπτωμα, οὕτως καὶ τὸ χάρισμα». ἀλλ' οὐδὲ συλλογίζεσθαί πως ἐδύναντο ὅτι «εἰ τῷ τοῦ ἑνὸς παραπτώματι οἱ «πολλοὶ ἀπέθανον, πολλῷ μᾶλλον ἡ χάρις τοῦ θεοῦ καὶ ἡ δωρεὰ «ἐν χάριτι τῇ τοῦ ἑνὸς ἀνθρώπου Ἰησοῦ Χριστοῦ εἰς τοὺς πολλοὺς 20.42.391 «ἐπερίσσευσεν». οὐ συνίεσαν δὲ καὶ πῶς οὐκ ἦν τὸ δώρημα ὅμοιον τῷ δι' ἑνὸς ἁμαρτήσαντος θανάτῳ· οὐδὲ γὰρ ἐπεπαίδευντό πω ὅτι 20.42.392 τὸ χάρισμα ἐκ πολλῶν παραπτωμάτων ἐγίνετο εἰς δικαίωμα. ἀλλ' οὐδὲ ἔβλεπον ὅτι «Οἱ τὴν περισσείαν τῆς χάριτος καὶ τῆς δωρεᾶς «λαμβάνοντες ἐν ζωῇ βασιλεύσουσιν διὰ τοῦ ἑνὸς Ἰησοῦ Χριστοῦ». 20.42.393 καὶ ἐνενόουν μὲν τὸν θάνατον Ἀβραὰμ καὶ τῶν προφητῶν, ἀκούοντες ὅτι καὶ Σαμουήλ, ὡς διὰ τὸν θάνατον ὑπὸ γῆν ὤν, ὑπὸ ἐγγαστρι μύθου ἀνήγετο, θεοὺς οἰομένης κάτω που εἶναι τῆς γῆς καὶ λε γούσης· «Θεοὺς ἐγὼ εἶδον ἀναβαίνοντας ἀπὸ τῆς γῆς»· τὴν δὲ ζωὴν τοῦ Ἀβραὰμ καὶ τῶν προφητῶν οὐ κατειλήφασιν, οὐδ' ὅτι ὁ θεὸς Ἀβραὰμ καὶ Ἰσαὰκ καὶ Ἰακὼβ θεὸς ἦν οὐ νεκρῶν αὐτῶν ἀλλὰ ζώντων· καὶ ὡς ὑπολαμβάνοντες [τε] νεκροὺς εἶναι τοὺς προφήτας ᾠκο 20.42.394 δόμουν αὐτῶν τοὺς τάφους, καὶ διὰ