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of true faith, from time to time, through the heresies, our same faith and hope and salvation having been persecuted, but having endured in its own truth, with the heresies in each time defiling themselves and being alienated from the church; as also recently again we hear of some who seem to hold the first rank among some of the ascetics in Egypt and the Thebaid and of others in other regions, thinking and saying things similar to the Hieracites, a resurrection indeed of our flesh, but not of this one, but of some other one in its place, as such men have turned aside and have turned the truth of God and our sure hope to fables. Wherefore we are also compelled to speak again concerning this. 83.1 For the faithless deny the resurrection entirely, but the malevolent have basely and foolishly fallen away from the hope according to truth 83.2 by thinking thus about the resurrection. And the Greeks indeed are those who completely deny the resurrection because of the impiety of the multitude of lawless deeds done among them; for they hate the resurrection through which they are about to suffer shame at the resurrection, having been ignorant of God and his commandments; except that they will be raised, even if 83.3 they do not wish it. For creation itself expressly refutes them, showing each day the form of the resurrection. For the day sets and we are hinted at the manner of the dead, with the night hinting at a falling asleep; the day rises, waking us up, and showing 83.4 the sign of the resurrection. The fruits are gathered and the standing of things is cut off, the character of our departure from here being defined. The earth is sown and sprouts forth, * that the things buried after the cutting will rise again. A locust dies, having buried in the earth the offspring cast from it and after a time the earth gives back the buried things; the seeds of the produce are sown and first it dies, 83.5 then it is brought to fruition; "for unless it dies, it is not brought to life." God has made seals in us through the ten and ten nails of the resurrection, bearing witness concerning our hope. But also as through a crown upon the head, he has proclaimed our resurrection through the hair. For what seems to be a dead body in us, that is, hair and nails, being cut each time, grow again, signifying the hope of the resurrection. 84.1 And it is possible to speak of countless things for the full assurance of the faithless from examples. But the bird, the ringdove, has not persuaded them, nor the animal, the dormouse. For such a one dies for six months and the ringdove for forty days, and again after their seasons 84.2 they live again. But beetles, when they are about to die, hide themselves in a ball of dung, having buried such a ball in the earth and covered it over, and thus from their own moisture they are found again, 84.3 coming back to life from their own remains. But concerning the phoenix, the Arabian bird, it is superfluous for me to speak. For it has already come to the hearing of many faithful and unfaithful. And the account concerning it appears as follows: when it has completed its five hundredth year, whenever it perceives the time of its death is at hand, it makes a coffin of spices and carrying it comes to the city of the Egyptians so-called Heliopolis, which is interpreted On from the Egyptian and Hebrew dialect, 84.4 and having beaten its own breast many times with its own wings, bringing forth fire from its body, it sets fire to the underlying material in the place and thus makes a whole burnt offering of itself and all its flesh with 84.5 its bones is reduced to ashes. But by the dispensation of God a cloud is sent and it rains and extinguishes the flame that consumed the body of the bird, the bird indeed already being dead and having been roasted completely;

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ἀληθινῆς πίστεως κατὰ καιρὸν καὶ καιρὸν διὰ τῶν αἱρέσεων τὴν αὐτὴν πίστιν καὶ ἐλπίδα καὶ σωτηρίαν ἡμῶν διωχθεῖσαν, ὑπομείνασαν δὲ ἐν τῇ αὐτῆς ἀληθείᾳ, τῶν αἱρέσεων καθ' ἕκαστον χρόνον ἑαυτὰς χραινου82.3 σῶν καὶ ἀπὸ τῆς ἐκκλησίας ἀπαλλοτριουμένων· ὡς καὶ προσφάτως πάλιν ἀκούομέν τινων τῶν τὰ πρωτεῖα δοκούντων ἀποφέρεσθαι παρά τισι τῶν ἐν Αἰγύπτῳ ἀσκητῶν καὶ Θηβαΐδος καὶ ἄλλων ἄλλοθι κλιμάτων, τὰ ὅμοια τοῖς Ἱερακίταις φρονούντων καὶ λεγόντων ἀνάστασιν μὲν τῆς ἡμετέρας σαρκός, οὐ ταύτης δέ, ἀλλ' ἄλλης τινὸς ἀντ' αὐτῆς, ὡς ἐκτραπέντων τῶν τοιούτων καὶ εἰς μύθους ἐκτρεψάντων τὴν τοῦ θεοῦ ἀλήθειαν καὶ τὴν βεβαίαν ἡμῶν ἐλπίδα. διὸ καὶ περὶ τούτου ἀναγκαζόμεθα αὖθις λέγειν. 83.1 Ἄπιστοι μὲν γὰρ ἀρνοῦνται τὸ πᾶν τῆς ἀναστάσεως, κακόπιστοι δὲ συρφετωδῶς καὶ ἀνοήτως τῆς κατὰ ἀλήθειαν ἐλπίδος 83.2 ἐκπεπτώκασι τῷ οὕτω νοεῖν περὶ τῆς ἀναστάσεως. καὶ Ἕλληνες μὲν οἱ τελείως ἀρνούμενοι τὴν ἀνάστασιν διὰ τὴν ἀσέβειαν τοῦ πλήθους τῶν παρ' αὐτοῖς γινομένων ἀνομημάτων· μισοῦσι γὰρ τὴν ἀνάστασιν δι' ἣν μέλλουσιν αἰσχύνην ὑφίστασθαι ἐν τῇ ἀναστάσει, τὸν θεὸν ἀγνοήσαντες καὶ τὰς αὐτοῦ ἐντολάς· πλὴν ὅτι ἀναστήσονται, κἂν 83.3 μὴ βούλωνται. αὐτὴ γὰρ ἡ κτίσις διαρρήδην αὐτοὺς ἐλέγχει, ὑποφαίνουσα καθ' ἑκάστην ἡμέραν ἀναστάσεως τὸ εἶδος. δύνει γὰρ ἡ ἡμέρα καὶ νεκρῶν αἰνιττόμεθα τὸν τρόπον, κοιμισμὸν αἰνιττομένης τῆς νυκτός· ἀνατέλλει ἡ ἡμέρα ἡμᾶς διυπνίζουσα καὶ ἀναστάσεως 83.4 ὑποδεικνύουσα τὸ σημεῖον. δρέπονται οἱ καρποὶ καὶ ἡ στάσις τῶν ὄντων ἐκτέμνεται, τῆς ἡμῶν ἐντεῦθεν ἀπαλλαγῆς ὁριζομένου τοῦ προσώπου. σπείρεται ἡ γῆ καὶ βλαστάνει, * ὅτι τὰ τεθαμμένα μετὰ τὴν τομὴν ἀναστήσεται. ἀκρὶς τελευτᾷ, θάψασα τὸ ἐξ αὐτῆς ἀποβληθὲν κύημα ἐν τῇ γῇ καὶ μετὰ καιρὸν ἡ γῆ ἀποδίδωσι τὰ τεθαμμένα· τὰ σπέρματα τῶν γενημάτων σπείρεται καὶ πρῶτον ἀποθνῄσκει 83.5 ἔπειτα τελεσφορεῖται· «ἐὰν γὰρ μὴ ἀποθάνῃ, οὐ ζωογονεῖται». σφραγῖδας ἐν ἡμῖν ὁ θεὸς ἐποίησε διὰ τῶν ὀνύχων δέκα καὶ δέκα ἀναστάσεως, μαρτυρούσας περὶ τῆς ἡμῶν ἐλπίδος. ἀλλὰ καὶ ὡς διὰ στεφάνου ἐπὶ τῆς κεφαλῆς διὰ τῆς τριχὸς τὴν ἡμῶν ἀνάστασιν ἐκήρυξε. τὸ γὰρ δοκοῦν ἐν ἡμῖν νεκρὸν σῶμα, τουτέστι τρίχες καὶ ὄνυχες, καθ' ἑκάστην τεμνόμεναι καὶ τεμνόμενοι αὖθις θάλλουσι, σημαίνουσαι τῆς ἀναστάσεως τὴν ἐλπίδα. 84.1 Καὶ ἀμύθητα ἔστιν εἰπεῖν εἰς πληροφορίαν τῶν ἀπίστων ἐξ ὑποδειγμάτων. ἀλλ' οὐκ ἔπεισε τούτους ἡ φάττα τὸ ὄρνεον οὐδὲ ὁ μυωξὸς τὸ ζῷον. ἀποθνῄσκει γὰρ τὸ τοιοῦτον ἑξάμηνον καὶ ἡ φάττα ἡμέρας τεσσαράκοντα, καὶ αὖθις μετὰ τοὺς καιροὺς αὐτῶν 84.2 ἀναβιοῦσι. κάνθαροι δὲ μέλλοντες τελευτᾶν ἐπὶ σφαῖραν τῆς κόπρου ἑαυτοὺς κρύβουσι, θάψαντες τὴν τοιαύτην σφαῖραν ἐν τῇ γῇ καὶ καταχώσαντες, καὶ οὕτως ἐκ τῆς αὐτῶν ἰκμάδος αὖθις εὑρίσκονται, 84.3 ἀναβιοῦντες ἐξ αὐτῶν τῶν λειψάνων. περὶ δὲ τοῦ φοίνικος τοῦ Ἀραβικοῦ ὀρνέου περισσόν μοι τὸ λέγειν. ἤδη γὰρ εἰς ἀκοὴν ἀφῖκται πολλῶν πιστῶν τε καὶ ἀπίστων. ἡ δὲ κατ' αὐτὸν ὑπόθεσις τοιάδε φαίνεται· πεντακοσιοστὸν ἔτος διατελῶν ἐπὰν γνοίη τὸν καιρὸν τῆς αὐτοῦ τελευτῆς ἐνστάντα, σηκὸν μὲν ἐργάζεται ἀρωμάτων καὶ φέρων ἔρχεται εἰς πόλιν τῶν Αἰγυπτίων Ἡλιούπολιν οὕτω καλουμένην, Ὢν δ' ἑρμηνευομένην ἀπὸ τῆς Αἰγυπτιακῆς διαλέκτου καὶ Ἑβραΐδος, 84.4 καὶ ταρσοῖς ἰδίοις τὰ στήθη τὰ ἑαυτοῦ μαστίξας πολλά, πῦρ ἀπὸ τοῦ σώματος αὐτοῦ προφερόμενος ἐμπίπρησι τὴν ὑποκειμένην ὕλην τῷ τόπῳ καὶ οὕτως ἑαυτὸν ὁλοκαυτοῖ καὶ πάσας τὰς σάρκας αὐτοῦ σὺν 84.5 ὀστέοις ἐκτεφροῦται. ἐκ θεοῦ δὲ οἰκονομίας νέφος ἀποστέλλεται καὶ ὑετίζει καὶ κατασβεννύει τὴν τὸ σῶμα τοῦ ὀρνέου καταδαπανήσασαν φλόγα, νεκροῦ μὲν ἤδη ὄντος τοῦ ὀρνέου καὶ ὀπτηθέντος ἀκρότατα·