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holds the crown, and teaches those who do not know what contest he has competed in; another boxes, and strikes his opponent; and another shows by his posture and the whip what sort of art he pursued to obtain the victory. Do not, therefore, declare nature to be more dishonorable than all these, through which each of these is accomplished; nor suppose God to be more unjust than men, He who is the fount of justice; nor suspect Him to honor His own victors in a way similar to men. For if men often, not holding justice in high regard, but even greatly despising it, are accustomed to so honor those in these cheap and unprofitable contests, how much more will the Lawgiver and Judge of virtue honor and crown its glorious and great contestants, and will conquer justice itself with the greatness of His gifts. But I know from where you have drifted into this blasphemy; for from your own weakness you infer divine things, and you make your own weakness the limit of divine power, and what is utterly impossible for you, you think is similarly impossible for God. But it is not so, it is not. For the clay does not have the same power as the potter, and yet both are of one nature; for both he and it are from the earth. And the man conversing with Job is a witness, saying, "You are formed from the same clay as I am." But nevertheless, though the clay and the potter are of one nature, it is not possible to find equal power in both. For one moves and the other is moved, and one molds and the other is molded, and one mixes and the other is mixed, and one gives form and the other receives form, and is transformed as the potter wishes. If where the nature is one, the power is not equal, how much more where the nature is different, is the power also different. But it is not possible to compare the incomparable. For how could that which is from non-being be compared to that which is ever-being? That which is in time to that which is before the ages? That which is from clay to the Maker of heaven and earth? Therefore, do not think that what is utterly impossible for you is also impossible for God; for all things are possible and very easy for that nature. Therefore, He is able, even the nature of the body which was once dissolved into ichor, then became dust, and was scattered everywhere, in rivers, in seas, in birds, in beasts, in fire, in water (for I bring forth all the offspring of your unbelief), to gather it together, wishing you 83.736 again, and to restore it to its former size and beauty. For He only willed, and heaven came to be; and it was vaulted as much as He willed. He desired, and the earth was spread out, and it hangs having only the decree of God as its foundation. "He spoke, and there was light." He commanded, and the nature of the waters was brought forth; He ordered, and it was separated from the earth; He nodded, and the earth was adorned with meadows, and groves, and all kinds of crops; He spoke, and countless kinds of animals were brought forth, terrestrial, aquatic, and aerial. He who has made these things by a word, much more easily than these raises the nature of the body; for it is much easier to renew what has grown old, than to make what does not exist without matter. But if you do not believe, Paul, the great teacher of the world, will say to you: "You fool, what you sow is not made alive unless it dies." And what you sow, you do not sow the body that will be, but a bare grain, perhaps of wheat, or of some other kind; but God gives it a body, as He willed. But if you also consider this teaching some nonsense and myth, accept nature teaching and proclaiming the resurrection. For the farmer first cuts the furrows, and digs as it were certain tombs, then he casts down the seeds, and as if delivering bodies to a tomb, he buries them; and beyond this he has the strength to do nothing; but even if he has a supply of water, he can only offer this; but God either rains from heaven, or supplies water from springs and rivers to the seeds; then watering and soaking them, and like some decay for human bodies

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κατέχει τὸν στέφανον, καὶ διδάσκει τοὺς ἀγνοοῦντας, ποῖον ἀγῶνα ἠγώνισται· ὁ δὲ πυ κτεύει, καὶ τὸν ἀντίπαλον παίει· ὁ δὲ δηλοῖ διὰ τοῦ σχήματος καὶ τῆς μάστιγος, ὁποίαν μετιὼν τέχνην τῆς νίκης ἔτυχε. Μὴ τοίνυν τούτων ἁπάντων ἀτιμο τέραν ἀποφήνῃς τὴν φύσιν, δι' ἧς τούτων ἕκαστον κατορθοῦται· μηδὲ τῶν ἀνθρώπων ἀδικώτερον τὸν Θεὸν ὑπολάβῃς, δικαιοσύνης ὄντα πηγήν· μηδὲ τοῖς ἀνθρώποις αὐτὸν παραπλησίως τοὺς οἰκείους νικητὰς ὑποπτεύσῃς γεραίρειν. Εἰ γὰρ ἄνθρωποι πολ λάκις, οὐδὲ τὸ δίκαιον περὶ πολλοῦ ποιούμενοι, ἀλλὰ καὶ τούτου λίαν ὀλιγωροῦντες, τοὺς ἐν τοῖς εὐτελέσι τούτοις καὶ ἀκερδέσιν ἀγῶσιν οὕτω τιμᾷν εἰώθασι, πολλῷ μᾶλλον τοὺς λαμπροὺς καὶ μεγάλους τῆς ἀρε τῆς ἀγωνιστὰς, ὁ ταύτης καὶ νομοθέτης, καὶ ἀγωνοθέτης τιμήσει, καὶ στεφανώσει, καὶ τὸ δίκαιον νικήσει τῷ μεγέθει τῶν δωρεῶν. Ἀλλ' οἶδα πόθεν εἰς ταυτηνὶ τὴν βλασφημίαν ἐξώκειλας· ἀπὸ γὰρ τῆς σῆς ἀσθενείας τὰ θεῖα τεκμαίρῃ, καὶ τὴν σὴν ἀσθένειαν ὅρον ποιεῖς τῆς θείας δυνάμεως, καὶ τὰ σοὶ λίαν ἀδύνατα παραπλησίως εἶναι Θεῷ νομίζεις ἀδύνατα. Ἀλλ' οὐκ ἔστι ταῦτα, οὐκ ἔστιν. Οὔτε γὰρ ταὐτὸν ὁ πηλὸς τῷ κεραμεῖ δύναται, καὶ μὴν ἄμφω μιᾶς ὑπάρχουσι φύσεως· ἀπὸ γὰρ γῆς καὶ οὗτος κἀ κεῖνος. Καὶ μάρτυς ὁ τῷ Ἰὼβ προσδιαλεγόμενος ἄνθρωπος· «Ἐκ τοῦ αὐτοῦ διήρτισαι, λέγων, πηλοῦ σὺ ὡς καὶ ἐγώ.» Ἀλλ' ὅμως καὶ μιᾶς φύσεως οὔσης τοῦ τε πηλοῦ καὶ τοῦ κεραμέως, οὐ τὴν ἴσην δύναμιν ἐν ἀμφοῖν ἔστιν εὑρεῖν. Ὁ μὲν γὰρ κινεῖ ὁ δὲ κινεῖται, καὶ ὁ μὲν πλάττει ὁ δὲ πλάττεται, καὶ ὁ μὲν κε ράννυσιν ὁ δὲ κεράννυται, καὶ ὁ μὲν εἰδοποιεῖ ὁ δὲ εἰδοποιεῖται καὶ ὡς ἂν ὁ κεραμεὺς ἐθέλοι, μετασχη ματίζεται. Εἰ δὲ ἔνθα μία ἡ φύσις, οὐκ ἴση ἡ δύναμις, πολλῷ μᾶλλον ἔνθα διάφορος ἡ φύσις, διάφορος καὶ ἡ δύναμις· ἀλλὰ γὰρ οὐδὲ συγκρῖναι δυνατὸν τὰ ἀσύγκριτα. Πῶς γὰρ ἂν παραβληθείη τὸ ἐκ μὴ ὄντων τῷ ἀεὶ ὄντι; τὸ ἐν χρόνῳ τῷ πρὸ αἰώνων; τὸ ἐκ πηλοῦ τῷ οὐρανοῦ καὶ γῆς Ποιητῇ; Μὴ τοίνυν τὰ σοὶ λίαν ἀδύνατα, νομίσῃς εἶναι ἀδύνατα καὶ Θεῷ· πάντα γὰρ ἐκείνῃ τῇ φύσει δυνατὰ καὶ λίαν εὔπορα. ∆ύναται τοιγαροῦν, καὶ τὴν ἅπαξ εἰς ἰχῶρα διαῤῥυεῖσαν τοῦ σώματος φύσιν, εἶτα κόνιν γεγενημένην, καὶ πανταχοῦ διασπαρεῖ σαν, ἐν ποταμοῖς, ἐν πελάγεσιν, ἐν οἰωνοῖς, ἐν θη ρίοις, ἐν πυρὶ, ἐν ὕδατι (πάντα γάρ σου τὰ τῆς ἀπιστίας εἰς μέσον φέρω κυήματα), συναγαγεῖν, σὲ 83.736 θέλων πάλιν, καὶ εἰς τὸ πρότερον καὶ μέγεθος καὶ κάλλος ἐπαναγαγεῖν. Ἠθέλησε γὰρ μόνον, καὶ ἐγένετο οὐρανός· καὶ ἐκυρτώθη τοσοῦτον, ὅσον ἠθέλησεν. Ἠβουλήθη, καὶ ὑπεστορέσθη ἡ γῆ, καὶ κρέμαται μόνον τοῦ Θεοῦ τὸν ὅρον θεμέλιον ἔχουσα. «Εἶπε, καὶ ἐγένετο φῶς.» Ἐκέλευσε, καὶ παρήχθη τῶν ὑδάτων ἡ φύσις· προσέταξε, καὶ τῆς γῆς ἀπεκρίθη· ἔνευσε, καὶ ἐκοσμήθη ἡ γῆ, λειμῶσι, καὶ ἄλσεσι, καὶ ληΐοις παντοδαποῖς· εἶπε, καὶ παρ ήχθη ζώων εἴδη μυρία, χερσαῖα, ἔνυδρα, καὶ ἀέρια. Ὁ ταῦτα λόγῳ πεποιηκὼς, ῥᾷον κἀκ τούτων πολλῷ τὴν τοῦ σώματος ἀνίστησι φύσιν· ῥᾷον γὰρ πολλῷ τὸ παλαιωθὲν καινουργῆσαι, ἢ τὰ μὴ ὄντα δίχα ὕλης ποιῆσαι. Εἰ δὲ ἀπιστεῖς, ἐρεῖ σοι Παῦλος ὁ μέγας τῆς οἰκουμένης διδάσκαλος· «Ἄφρον, σὺ ὃ σπεί ρεις, οὐ ζωογονεῖται ἐὰν μὴ ἀποθάνῃ.» Καὶ ὃ σπείρεις, οὐ τὸ σῶμα τὸ γενησόμενον σπείρεις, ἀλλὰ γυμνὸν κόκκον εἰ τύχοι σίτου, ἤ τινος τῶν λοι πῶν· ὁ δὲ Θεὸς δίδωσιν αὐτῷ σῶμα, καθὼς ἠθέλησεν. Εἰ δὲ καὶ τὴν τούτου διδασκαλίαν λῆρόν τινα καὶ μῦθον νομίζεις, δέξαι τὴν φύσιν διδάσκου σαν καὶ κηρύττουσαν τὴν ἀνάστασιν. Ὁ γὰρ γηπό νος τέμνει μὲν πρότερον τὰς αὔλακας, καὶ οἷόν τι νας τάφους ὀρύττει, εἶτα καταβάλλει τὰ σπέρματα, καὶ ὥσπερ σώματα τάφῳ παραδιδοὺς, καταχώννυσι· καὶ τούτων πλέον οὐδὲν ἐκεῖνος ἰσχύει ποιεῖν· ἀλλὰ κἂν ὕδατος εὐπορῇ, προσφέρειν τοῦτο δύναται μόνον· ὁ δὲ Θεὸς, ἢ οὐρανόθεν ὕει, ἢ τὸ ἐκ πηγῶν καὶ ποταμῶν ὕδωρ τοῖς σπέρμασι χορηγεῖ· εἶτα ἀρ δεύων ταῦτα καὶ διαβρέχων, καὶ οἷόν τινι σηπεδόνι τοῖς ἀνθρωπείοις σώμασι