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the souls of men and the demons themselves immortal? {ORTH.} We say so; but God is immortal in the proper sense; for he is immortal by essence, not by participation; for he has not received immortality from another. But to angels and to the others, whom you just mentioned, he himself has gifted immortality. If, therefore, the divine Paul calls him immortal, and says that he alone has immortality, how do you attribute to him the passion of death? {ERAN.} We say that after the incarnation he tasted death. {ORTH.} But we have often confessed him to be immutable. But if, being immortal before, he later endured death through the flesh, if one were to accept this, how could one believe David when he says to him: "But you are the same, and your years will not fail?" For according to your argument, he did not remain. The same, being immortal, endured death through the flesh; a change having occurred, he endured death, and his life failed for three days and as many nights; and what excess of impiety does saying these things leave? For I think it is not without danger even for those who fight against impiety to utter these things with their tongue. {ERAN.} Cease accusing us of impiety. For we do not say that the divine nature suffered, but the human; and that the divine suffered with the body. {ORTH.} In what sense do you say "suffered with"? That as the nails were driven into the body, the divine nature received the sensation of pain? {ERAN.} Yes. {ORTH.} Both now and in the previous examinations we have shown that not even the soul partakes in all things of the body; but that the body, receiving its life-giving power through the soul, has the sensation of the passions. And if we were to concede that the soul suffers pain with the body, we shall find the divine nature no less impassible. For it was not united to the body instead of a soul. Or do you not agree that he assumed a soul? 220 {ERAN.} I have often agreed. {ORTH.} And a rational soul? {ERAN.} Indeed. {ORTH.} If, therefore, he assumed the soul along with the body, and we have conceded that the soul suffers with the body, then the soul suffered with it, not the divinity with the body; and it suffered with it, having, as is likely, received its pains through the body. But one might say that the soul perhaps suffers with the body, but by no means dies with it; for it has been allotted an immortal nature. For this reason the Lord also said: "Do not be afraid of those who kill the body, but cannot kill the soul." If, therefore, we say that not even the soul of the Savior shared in death with the body, how could anyone accept the blasphemy dared by you, which dares to say that the divine nature partook of death? And this when the Lord shows now his body being offered, now his soul being troubled. {ERAN.} And where did the Lord show his body being offered? Or will you again bring to us your much-talked-about testimony: "Destroy this temple, and in three days I will raise it up?" and, swaggering, present to us the evangelist saying: "But he was speaking of the temple of his body. And when he was raised from the dead, his disciples understood that Jesus had said this, and they believed the scripture and the word which Jesus had spoken." {ORTH.} If you are so very hostile to the divine words, which proclaim the great mystery of the economy, why do you not, like Marcion and Valentinus and Manes, erase such words? For they have done this very thing. But if this seems rash and unholy, do not mock the words of the Master, but follow the apostles who believed after the resurrection, that the divinity raised the temple which the Jews destroyed. {ERAN.} If you have a solid testimony, stop reviling, and fulfill your promise. {ORTH.} You surely remember those evangelical sayings in which the Lord made a comparison between the manna and the true food. {ERAN.} I remember. 221

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ἀνθρώπων ψυχὰς καὶ αὐτούς γε τοὺς δαίμονας ἀθανάτους; {ΟΡΘ.} Φαμέν· ἀλλὰ κυρίως ἀθάνατος ὁ θεός· οὐσίᾳ γὰρ ἀθάνατος, οὐ μετουσίᾳ· οὐ γὰρ παρ' ἑτέρου τὴν ἀθανασίαν ἔχει λαβών. Τοῖς δέ γε ἀγγέλοις καὶ τοῖς ἄλλοις, ὧν ἀρτίως ἐμνήσθης, αὐτὸς τὴν ἀθανα σίαν δεδώρηται. Εἰ τοίνυν ἀθάνατον αὐτὸν ὁ θεσπέσιος ὀνομάζει Παῦλος, καὶ μόνον τὴν ἀθανασίαν ἔχειν φησίν, πῶς αὐτῷ τὸ τοῦ θανάτου προσαρμόζετε πάθος; {ΕΡΑΝ.} Μετὰ τὴν σάρκωσιν αὐτὸν γεύσασθαι θανάτου φαμέν. {ΟΡΘ.} Ἀλλ' ἄτρεπτον αὐτὸν πολλάκις ὡμολογήσαμεν. Εἰ δὲ ἀθά νατος πρότερον ὢν ὕστερον διὰ σαρκὸς ὑπέμεινε θάνατον, εἰ τοῦτό τις δέξαιτο, πῶς ἂν πιστεύσειε τῷ ∆αβὶδ λέγοντι πρὸς αὐτόν· "Σὺ δὲ ὁ αὐτὸς εἶ, καὶ τὰ ἔτη σου οὐκ ἐκλείψουσι;" κατὰ γὰρ τὸν ὑμέτερον λόγον οὐκ ἔμεινεν. Ὁ αὐτὸς ἀθάνατος γὰρ ὢν διὰ σαρκὸς ὑπέμεινε θάνατον, τροπῆς ἡγησαμένης ὑπέμεινε θάνατον, ἐξέλιπε δὲ αὐτοῦ καὶ ἡ ζωὴ τρεῖς ἡμέρας καὶ ἰσαρίθμους νύκτας, καὶ ποίαν τὸ ταῦτα λέγειν ἀσεβείας ὑπερβολὴν καταλείπει; Οἶμαι γὰρ οὐδὲ τοῖς κατὰ τῆς ἀσεβείας ἀγωνιζομένοις τὸ ταῦτα διὰ τῆς γλώττης προφέρειν ἀκίνδυνον. {ΕΡΑΝ.} Παῦσαι δυσσεβείας ἡμᾶς γραφόμενος. Οὐδὲ γὰρ ἡμεῖς τὴν θείαν φύσιν πεπονθέναι φαμέν, ἀλλὰ τὴν ἀνθρωπείαν· τὴν δέ γε θείαν συμπεπονθέναι τῷ σώματι. {ΟΡΘ.} Τὸ συμπεπονθέναι πῶς λέγεις; ὡς τῶν ἥλων ἐμπηγνυμένων τῷ σώματι τὴν θείαν φύσιν τῆς ἀλγηδόνος τὴν αἴσθησιν δέξασθαι; {ΕΡΑΝ.} Ναιχί. {ΟΡΘ.} Καὶ νῦν καὶ ἐν τοῖς ἔμπροσθεν ἐξετασμένοις ἐδείξαμεν οὐδὲ τὴν ψυχὴν πάντων μεταλαγχάνουσαν τῶν τοῦ σώματος· ἀλλὰ τὸ σῶμα τὴν ζωτικὴν δύναμιν δεχόμενον διὰ τῆς ψυχῆς τὴν αἴσθησιν ἔχειν τῶν παθημάτων. Εἰ δὲ καὶ συγχωρήσαιμεν τὴν ψυχὴν τῷ σώματι συναλγεῖν, οὐδὲν ἧττον ἀπαθῆ τὴν θείαν φύσιν εὑρήσομεν. Οὐ γὰρ ἀντὶ ψυχῆς συνήφθη τῷ σώματι. Ἢ οὐ συνομολογεῖς αὐτὸν ἀνειληφέναι ψυχήν; 220 {ΕΡΑΝ.} Πολλάκις συνωμολόγησα. {ΟΡΘ.} Καὶ τὴν λογικὴν ψυχήν; {ΕΡΑΝ.} Πάνυγε. {ΟΡΘ.} Εἰ τοίνυν μετὰ τοῦ σώματος ἀνείληφε τὴν ψυχήν, συνεχωρή σαμεν δὲ συμπάσχειν τῷ σώματι τὴν ψυχήν, ἡ ψυχὴ ἄρα συνέπαθεν, οὐχ ἡ θεότης τῷ σώματι· συνέπαθε δὲ τὰς ὀδύνας ὡς εἰκὸς δεξαμένη διὰ τοῦ σώματος. Ἀλλὰ συμπάσχειν μὲν ἴσως τῷ σώματι φαίη τις ἂν τὴν ψυχήν, συναποθνῄσκειν δὲ οὐδαμῶς· ἀθάνατον γὰρ ἔλαχε φύσιν. ∆ιά τοι τοῦτο καὶ ὁ κύριος ἔφη· "Μὴ φοβεῖσθε ἀπὸ τῶν ἀποκτεννόντων τὸ σῶμα, τὴν δὲ ψυχὴν μὴ δυναμένων ἀποκτεῖναι." Εἰ τοίνυν οὐδὲ τὴν ψυχὴν τοῦ σωτῆρός φαμεν τῷ σώματι κοινωνῆσαι θανάτου, πῶς ἄν τις τὴν παρ' ὑμῶν τολμωμένην δέξαιτο βλασφημίαν, ἣ τὴν θείαν φύσιν μεταλαχεῖν θανάτου λέγειν τολμᾷ; καὶ ταῦτα τοῦ κυρίου νῦν μὲν τὸ σῶμα προσφερόμενον, νῦν δὲ τὴν ψυχὴν ταραττο μένην ἐπιδεικνύντος. {ΕΡΑΝ.} Καὶ ποῦ τὸ σῶμα προσφερόμενον ὁ κύριος ἔδειξεν; Ἢ πάλιν ἡμῖν τὴν πολυθρύλλητον ὑμῶν προσοίσετε μαρτυρίαν· "Λύσατε τὸν ναὸν τοῦτον, καὶ ἐν τρισὶν ἡμέραις ἐγερῶ αὐτόν;" καὶ τὸν εὐ αγγελιστὴν ἡμῖν βρενθυόμενοι παρέξετε λέγοντα· "Αὐτὸς δὲ ἔλεγε περὶ τοῦ ναοῦ τοῦ σώματος αὑτοῦ, καὶ ὅτε ἠγέρθη ἐκ νεκρῶν, ἔγνωσαν οἱ μαθηταὶ αὐτοῦ ὅτι τοῦτο εἶπεν ὁ Ἰησοῦς, καὶ ἐπίστευσαν τῇ γραφῇ καὶ τῷ λόγῳ, ᾧ εἶπεν ὁ Ἰησοῦς." {ΟΡΘ.} Εἰ λίαν οὕτω ταῖς θείαις φωναῖς ἀπεχθάνεσθε, αἳ τὸ μέγα κηρύττουσι τῆς οἰκονομίας μυστήριον, τί δήποτε μὴ Μαρκίωνι καὶ Βαλεντίνῳ καὶ Μάνητι παραπλησίως τὰς τοιάσδε φωνὰς ἐξαλείφετε; καὶ γὰρ ἐκεῖνοι ταὐτὸ τοῦτο δεδράκασιν. Εἰ δὲ θρασὺ τοῦτο δοκεῖ καὶ ἀνόσιον, μὴ κωμῳδεῖτε τοῦ δεσπότου τὰ ῥήματα, ἀλλὰ τοῖς ἀποστό λοις ἀκολουθεῖτε πιστεύσασι μετὰ τὴν ἀνάστασιν, ὡς ἡ θεότης ἀνέστησαν ὃν ἔλυσαν οἱ Ἰουδαῖοι ναόν. {ΕΡΑΝ.} Εἰ μαρτυρίαν ἔχεις στερράν, παῦσαι λοιδορούμενος, καὶ πλήρωσον τὴν ὑπόσχεσιν. {ΟΡΘ.} Μέμνησαι πάντως τῶν εὐαγγελικῶν λογίων ἐκείνων, ἐν οἷς τοῦ μάννα καὶ τῆς ἀληθινῆς τροφῆς ὁ κύριος ἐποιήσατο σύγκρισιν. {ΕΡΑΝ.} Μέμνημαι. 221