Chapter XXXII.—A Sort of Sorites, as the Logicians Call It, to Show that the Parables of the Lost Sheep and the Lost Drachma Have No Suitable Application to the Christ of Marcion.

Who sought after the lost sheep and the lost piece of silver?2446    Luke xv. 1–10. Was it not the loser? But who was the loser? Was it not he who once possessed2447    Habuit. them? Who, then, was that? Was it not he to whom they belonged?2448    Cujus fuit: i.e., each of the things respectively. Since, then, man is the property of none other than the Creator, He possessed Him who owned him; He lost him who once possessed him; He sought him who lost him; He found him who sought him; He rejoiced who found him. Therefore the purport2449    Argumentum. of neither parable has anything whatever to do with him2450    Vacat circa eum. to whom belongs neither the sheep nor the piece of silver, that is to say, man.  For he lost him not, because he possessed him not; and he sought him not, because he lost him not; and he found him not, because he sought him not; and he rejoiced not, because he found him not.  Therefore, to rejoice over the sinner’s repentance—that is, at the recovery of lost man—is the attribute of Him who long ago professed that He would rather that the sinner should repent and not die.

CAPUT XXXII.

0439B Ovem et drachmam perditam quis requirit? Nonne qui perdidit? Quis autem perdidit? Nonne qui habuit? Quis vero habuit? Nonne cujus fuit? Si igitur homo non alterius est res, quam Creatoris; is eum habuit, cujus fuit. Is perdidit, qui habuit. Is requisivit, qui perdidit. Is invenit, qui quaesivit. Is exultavit, qui invenit. Ita utriusque parabolae argumentum vacat circa eum, cujus non est ovis neque drachma, id est homo. Non enim perdidit, quia non habuit; nec requisivit, quia non perdidit; nec invenit, quia nec requisivit; nec exultavit, quia non invenit. Atque adeo exultare illius est de poenitentia peccatoris, id est, de perditi recuperatione, qui se professus est olim male peccatoris poenitentiam quam mortem.