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a stumbling block will be made for the contentious and they might say: that it was a different rod, "but God gave" it a different "body, as he wished".

And first, then, let them learn that 96.6 he did not animate one in place of another, but he animated that very one that was dry; that this body given to the rod and the kind or form moved by it, God did not call to judgment, nor instead of the 96.7 rod did he wish to judge the serpent, but he worked a full assurance of the resurrection through the rod, and God was demonstrating his own power, so that no one might disbelieve the one who is powerful in all things.

And he did this with all security; for he did not raise some part of the rod, but he changed the whole rod as he wished.

97.1 And that these things are so and the dead have hope of eternal life and "those in the tombs will rise", call again for me the trustworthy witness, Moses.

For when Reuben sinned, his father, the holy patriarch Jacob, cursed him and says, "Reuben, my firstborn and the beginning of my children, you have been insolent like water; may you not boil over.

For you went up to your father's bed and, he says, you uncovered 97.2 where you went up."

But in the Hebrew it is 'elthothar', which is interpreted as 'may you not return' or 'may you not be added' or again 'may you not excel', but rendered literally, 'may you not boil over'; and the translators have rendered 97.3 it thus.

And if you wish to learn that these things are so and that death was decreed by his father for him who had sinned, Moses will make it clear to you.

97.4 For when he himself was blessing the twelve tribes, coming to Reuben and knowing that Levi was priest—for in the hand of the priesthood sins were loosed and bound—he says, "Let Reuben live and not die."

97.56 But how could he who had been buried for one hundred and twenty-six years live? But since he knew that the resurrection of all was going to happen, and he knows of a second death, that of condemnation on the day of judgment, wishing to relieve him from the things to come 97.7 in place of the one punishment, he says, signifying "Let him live" in the resurrection; for he knew that all will live, "and not die," that is, may he not be clothed with a 97.8 second death, that of condemnation and eternal torment.

For if he were concerned about the loss of his life, it would have been enough to say only, "Let Reuben live"; but since he signifies concerning the things to come, he says, "Let Reuben live and not die."

98.1 And from where will one not be able to collect so many testimonies concerning our hope and expectation of the resurrection, which is in truth 98.2 and not in appearance?

For let the vainglorious and those who contend in vain say, whether a part of the bodies rises, and of all of them a part, or again, the whole of some is raised and of others the resurrection is partial, and of others the whole body.

What sort of partiality is this?

Is there 98.3 "partiality with God?" May it not be.

Let us investigate where or when the saints raised a dead person in part and not the whole body.

The son of the widow in Zarephath rose whole and no part was left behind, the son of the Shunammite rose whole and he did not allow any limb of his 98.4 not to rise.

And the Lord raised Lazarus and did not leave a remnant in the tomb, but with the grave-clothes and the other garments * and there is certainly no need of clothes on the day of judgment; 98.5 he raised the son of the widow in Nain whole, the daughter of the ruler of the synagogue, the daughter of the centurion.

And O, the vain suspicion of those who reason such things, that he raises a part and leaves a part 98.6 behind.

But let us see from the subjects themselves and from those who have already become balances of hope for us.

Enoch was translated whole and has not seen death to this day and Elijah was taken up whole in

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σκάνδαλον γενήσεται τοῖς φιλονείκοις καὶ εἴπωσιν· ὅτι ἄλλη ἦν ἡ ῥάβδος, «ὁ δὲ θεὸς ἔδωκεν» αὐτῇ ἀλλοῖον «σῶμα, ὡς ἠθέλησε». καὶ πρῶτον μὲν οὖν μαθέτωσαν ὅτι 96.6 οὐκ ἄλλην ἀντὶ ἄλλης ἐψύχωσεν, ἀλλ' αὐτὴν ἐκείνην τὴν ξηρὰν οὖσαν ἐψύχωσεν· ὅτι τοῦτο τὸ δοθὲν τῇ ῥάβδῳ σῶμα καὶ κινούμενον ὑπ' αὐτοῦ γένος ἢ εἶδος εἰς κρίσιν ὁ θεὸς οὐκ ἐκάλει οὐδὲ ἀντὶ τῆς 96.7 ῥάβδου τὸν δράκοντα ἠθέλησε δικάζειν, ἀλλὰ πληροφορίαν μὲν διὰ τῆς ῥάβδου ἀναστάσεως εἰργάσατο, τὸ δὲ ἴδιον δυνατὸν ὁ θεὸς ἀπεδείκνυ, ἵνα μή τις ἀπιστήσῃ τῷ δυνατῷ ἐν πᾶσι. καὶ αὐτὸ δὲ μετὰ πάσης ἀσφαλείας ἐποιήσατο· οὐ γὰρ μέρος τι τῆς ῥάβδου ἤγειρεν, ἀλλ' ὅλην τὴν ῥάβδον μετέβαλεν ὡς ἠθέλησε. 97.1 Καὶ ὅτι μὲν ταῦτα οὕτως ἔχει καὶ οἱ νεκροὶ ἐλπίδα ἔχουσι ζωῆς αἰωνίου καὶ «οἱ ἐν μνήμασιν ἀναστήσονται», κάλει μοι πάλιν μάρτυρα τὸν ἀξιόπιστον Μωυσέα. πλημμελήσαντος γὰρ τοῦ Ῥουβεὶμ ἐπαρᾶται αὐτῷ ὁ πατὴρ αὐτοῦ ὁ ἅγιος Ἰακὼβ ὁ πατριάρχης καί φησι «Ῥουβεὶμ πρωτότοκός μου καὶ ἀρχὴ τέκνων μου, ἐξύβρισας ὡς ὕδωρ· μὴ ἐκζέσῃς. ἀνέβης γὰρ εἰς τὴν κοίτην τοῦ πατρός σου καὶ ἀπεκά97.2 λυψας φησίν, οὗ ἀνέβης». ἐν δὲ τῷ Ἑβραϊκῷ ἐλθωθάρ, ὅπερ ἐστὶν ἑρμηνευόμενον μὴ ἀνακάμψῃς ἢ μὴ προστεθείης ἢ πάλιν μὴ περισσεύσῃς, ψιλούμενον δὲ τῇ λέξει μὴ ἐκζέσῃς· οἱ δὲ ἑρμηνευταὶ ἐξέδωκαν 97.3 οὕτως. καὶ εἰ θέλεις μαθεῖν ὅτι ταῦθ' οὕτως ἔχει καὶ θάνατος ἀπὸ πατρὸς ὡρίζετο τούτῳ ἡμαρτηκότι, Μωυσῆς σοι σαφηνίσει. 97.4 εὐλογῶν γὰρ καὶ αὐτὸς τὰς δώδεκα φυλὰς ἐπὶ τὸν Ῥουβεὶμ ἐλθὼν καὶ γνοὺς ὅτι ἱερεὺς Λευί ἐν χειρὶ γὰρ τῆς ἱερωσύνης ἐλύετο καὶ ἐδεσμεύετο τὰ ἁμαρτήματα, φησί «ζήτω Ῥουβεὶμ καὶ μὴ ἀποθάνῃ». 97.56 πῶς δὲ ἐδύνατο ζῆν ὁ πρὸ ἑκατὸν εἴκοσι ἓξ ἐτῶν τεθαμμένος· ἀλλ' ἐπεὶ ᾔδει καὶ τὴν ἀνάστασιν κατὰ πάντα μέλλουσαν ἔσεσθαι, οἶδε δὲ θάνατον δεύτερον τὸν διὰ καταδίκης ἐν τῇ ἡμέρᾳ τῆς κρίσεως, βουλόμενος αὐτὸν ἀντὶ τῆς μιᾶς τιμωρίας κουφίσαι ἀπὸ τῶν μελ97.7 λόντων φησί «ζήτω» ἐν τῇ ἀναστάσει, σημαίνων· ᾔδει γὰρ ὅτι ζήσονται ἅπαντες «καὶ μὴ ἀποθάνῃ», τουτέστι μὴ περιβληθῇ θανάτῳ 97.8 δευτέρῳ τῷ διὰ καταδίκης καὶ βασάνῳ αἰωνίᾳ. εἰ γὰρ περὶ τῆς ζημίας τῆς ζωῆς αὐτῷ ἔμελεν, ἤρκει εἰπεῖν μόνον «ζήτω Ῥουβείμ»· ἐπειδὴ δὲ περὶ τῶν μελλόντων σημαίνει, λέγει «ζήτω Ῥουβεὶμ καὶ μὴ ἀποθάνῃ». 98.1 Καὶ πόθεν τις οὐ δυνήσεται συλλέξαι τὰς τοσαύτας μαρτυρίας περὶ τῆς ἡμῶν ἐλπίδος καὶ προσδοκίας τῆς ἀναστάσεως, τῆς ἐν ἀληθείᾳ 98.2 καὶ οὐκ ἐν δοκήσει; λεγέτωσαν γὰρ οἱ κενόδοξοι καὶ φιλονεικοῦντες μάτην, πότερόν ποτε μέρος ἀνίσταται τῶν σωμάτων καὶ πάντων ἀνὰ μέρος ἢ πάλιν τινῶν τὸ ὅλον ἐγείρεται καὶ τινῶν ἀνὰ μέρος ἡ ἀνάστασις, τινῶν δὲ ὅλον τὸ σῶμα. τίς ἡ τοιαύτη προσωποληψία; ἆρα 98.3 «προσωποληψία παρὰ τῷ θεῷ;» μὴ γένοιτο. ἐρευνήσωμεν ποῦ ἢ πότε ἤγειραν οἱ ἅγιοι νεκρὸν ἀπὸ μέρους καὶ οὐχὶ ὅλον τὸ σῶμα. ὁ υἱὸς τῆς ἐν Σαραφθίᾳ χήρας ὅλος ἀνέστη καὶ οὐ μέρος κατελείφθη, ὁ υἱὸς τῆς Σουμανίτιδος ὅλος ἀνέστη καὶ οὐδὲν μέλος αὐτοῦ εἴασε 98.4 μὴ ἀναστάν. καὶ ὁ κύριος τὸν Λάζαρον ἤγειρε καὶ οὐκ ἐγκατέλιπε λείψανον ἐν τῷ μνήματι, ἀλλὰ μετὰ τῶν κειριῶν καὶ τῶν ἄλλων ἐνδυμάτων * καὶ οὐχὶ πάντως τῶν ἱματίων χρεία ἐν ἡμέρᾳ κρίσεως· 98.5 τὸν υἱὸν τῆς ἐν τῇ Ναῒν ὅλον ἤγειρε, τὴν θυγατέρα τοῦ ἀρχισυναγώγου, τὴν θυγατέρα τοῦ ἑκατοντάρχου. καὶ ὢ μάταιος ὑπόνοια τῶν τὰ τοιαῦτα λογιζομένων, ὅτι μέρος ἐγείρει καὶ μέρος καταλιμ98.6 πάνει. ἴδωμεν δὲ ἐξ αὐτῶν τῶν ὑποκειμένων καὶ τῶν ἤδη ἰσόρροπα ἐλπίδος ἡμῖν γεγενημένων. Ἐνὼχ ὅλος μετετέθη καὶ οὐκ εἶδεν ἕως τῆς δεῦρο θάνατον καὶ Ἠλίας ὅλος ἀνελήφθη ἐν