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let us reveal. For even if it has often been said by him at length concerning this and he has babbled in many books, nevertheless I will set forth the refutation from what he expounded in the first psalm against those who have believed in the resurrection of our sure 2.419 hope. 10. And it is thus: he says, "Therefore the ungodly shall not rise in judgment." Then, as is his custom, to make a show from the versions: Likewise, he says, Theodotion, Aquila, Symmachus. Then he adds mockingly against the sons of truth: From this, he says, the more simple of the believers, starting out, think that the ungodly will not attain the resurrection and will not be deemed worthy of the divine judgment; not making very clear what they understand the resurrection to be and what sort of judgment they imagine. For even if they seem to declare concerning these things, examination will refute them as being unable to preserve what follows consistently, not having grasped the manner of the resurrection and judgment. If, then, we ask them, of what the resurrection is, they answer, he says, that it is of the bodies which we now wear. Then, when we ask further: whether of the whole substance or not, before being cross-examined, they say that it is of the whole. But if we should pose a further problem, accommodating ourselves to their simplicity and examining nothing concerning the substance being fluid *, whether the blood that flowed out in blood-lettings will rise with them and the flesh that wasted away in diseases and all the hairs that ever grew on us or only those at the end, at our departure, being hard-pressed, they sometimes stumble at the examination being conducted, 2.420 thinking it necessary to permit God to do what he wishes concerning these things, and at other times, thinking to concede, they say that the hairs at the end of this life will rise with us. But the more noble of them, so that they are not compelled by the argument to collect their blood that has often been secreted from our bodies and the flesh changing in diseases into sweat or any other matter, say that the body at our end is raised. 11. These are the quibbling words of the aforementioned would-be philosopher raising difficulties against the truth, which I have necessarily set forth for the presentation to those who wish to know his whole mind of unbelief concerning the resurrection. For he also has many other things besides * in this sequence from the psalm. For he says, "Therefore the ungodly shall not rise in judgment"; and from there he takes occasion and goes further against those who define a sure resurrection and who believe the sure hope of the resurrection of the dead, as if they were simpletons, saying many wicked things against them and having suggested a certain sophistic insinuation, not at all based on faith, but anything whatever syllogistic for the ruin of those persuaded by him *, from the things that happen to us according to nature he has tried to overthrow the confession of the hope of our same resurrection in truth. But I, not wishing to be superior in boldness to those who have already labored well and most justly overthrown his entire contrived rhetorical villainy, since indeed I am insignificant, thought it good to be content with what was said by the blessed Methodius in his discourse on the resurrection against the same Origen, which I will set forth here word for word. and what is by Methodius is thus, as he himself arranged it: 2.421 An epitome of Origen's [words] from those of Methodius. 12. From this the more simple of the believers, starting out, think that the ungodly will not attain the resurrection *, what they understand the resurrection to be *. For even if they seem to declare concerning these things, examination will refute them, as being unable to preserve what follows consistently, *. If, then, we ask them, of what the resurrection is, they answer that it is of the bodies which we now wear. Then, when we ask further: whether of the whole substance or not, before being cross-examined, they say that it is of the whole. But if we should pose a further problem, accommodating ourselves to their simplicity *, whether the things that flowed out in
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ἀποκαλύψωμεν. εἰ γὰρ καὶ διὰ πλάτους αὐτῷ εἴρηται πολλάκις περὶ τούτου καὶ ἐν πολλαῖς βίβλοις πεφλυάρηται, ὅμως τὴν ἔλεγξιν παραθήσομαι ἀφ' ὧν ἐν τῷ πρώτῳ ψαλμῷ ἐξηγήσατο κατὰ τῶν τὴν ἀνάστασιν τῆς βεβαίας ἐλ2.419 πίδος ἡμῶν πεπιστευκότων. 10. Καὶ ἔστιν οὕτως· λέγει «διὰ τοῦτο οὐκ ἀναστήσονται οἱ ἀσεβεῖς ἐν κρίσει». εἶτα ὡς ἔθος ἐστὶν αὐτῷ ἀπὸ τῶν ἐκδόσεων φαντάζειν· ὁμοίως, φησί, Θεοδοτίων Ἀκύλας Σύμμαχος. εἶτα ἐπιφέρει κατὰ τῶν υἱῶν τῆς ἀληθείας σκωπτωδῶς· Ἐντεῦθεν, φησίν, οἱ ἁπλούστεροι τῶν πεπιστευκότων ὁρμώμενοι νομίζουσι τοὺς ἀσεβεῖς τῆς ἀναστάσεως μὴ τεύξεσθαι καὶ τῆς θείας κρίσεως μὴ καταξιοῦσθαι· τί νοοῦντες τὴν ἀνάστασιν καὶ ποταπὴν τὴν κρίσιν φανταζόμενοι, οὐ πάνυ σαφηνίζοντες. κἂν γὰρ δοκῶσι περὶ τούτων ἀποφαίνεσθαι, ἡ βάσανος αὐτοὺς διελέγξει τὸ ἑξῆς ἀκόλουθον σῴζειν οὐ δυναμένους, μὴ κεκρατηκότας τὸν περὶ ἀναστάσεως καὶ κρίσεως τρόπον. ἐὰν οὖν πυνθανώμεθα αὐτῶν, τίνος ἡ ἀνάστασις γίνεται, ἀποκρίνονται, φησίν, ὅτι τῶν σωμάτων ἃ νῦν περικείμεθα. εἶτα προσεπερωτησάντων ἡμῶν· πότερον τῆς οὐσίας ὅλης ἢ οὐχί, πρὶν βασανίσαι λέγουσιν ὅτι ὅλης. ἐὰν δὲ προσαπορήσωμεν, συμπεριφερόμενοι τῇ ἀκεραιότητι αὐτῶν καὶ οὐδὲν περὶ τοῦ ῥευστὴν εἶναι τὴν οὐσίαν *, ἐξετάζοντες· εἰ συναναστήσονται τὰ ἀπορρεύσαντα ἐν φλεβοτομίαις αἵματα καὶ αἱ ἐκτακεῖσαι ἐν νόσοις σάρκες καὶ τρίχες πᾶσαι αἱ πώποτε γενόμεναι ἡμῶν ἢ μόναι αἱ ἐπὶ τῷ τέλει πρὸς τῇ ἐξόδῳ, θλιβόμενοι ὁτὲ μὲν προσκόπτουσι καὶ τῇ γινομένῃ ἐξετάσει, 2.420 οἰόμενοι δεῖν ἐπιτρέπειν τῷ θεῷ ὃ βούλεται περὶ τούτων ποιεῖν, ὁτὲ δὲ δοκοῦντες συγκαταβαίνειν τὰς ἐπὶ τέλει ταύτης τῆς ζωῆς τρίχας φασὶν ἡμῖν συναναστήσεσθαι. οἱ δὲ γενναιότεροι αὐτῶν, ἵνα μὴ ἀναγκάζωνται τὰ αἵματα αὐτῶν συνάγειν τῷ λόγῳ τὰ πολλάκις ἀπεκκριθέντα τῶν σωμάτων ἡμῶν καὶ τὰς μεταβαλλούσας σάρκας ἐν νόσοις εἰς ἱδρῶτας ἢ οἵαν δήποτε ὕλην, φασὶ τὸ ἐπὶ τέλει ἡμῶν ἀνίστασθαι σῶμα. 11. Ταῦτά ἐστι τὰ τοῦ προειρημένου ἐθελοσόφου ἐπαπορητικὰ πρὸς τὴν ἀλήθειαν λεξίδια, ἃ ἀναγκαίως παρεθέμην εἰς παράστασιν τοῖς βουλομένοις εἰδέναι τὸν πάντα νοῦν αὐτοῦ τῆς περὶ ἀναστάσεως ἀπιστίας. καὶ γὰρ καὶ ἄλλα ἔχει μεθ' ἕτερα * πολλὰ ἐν ταύτῃ τῇ τοῦ ψαλμοῦ ἀκολουθίᾳ. φάσκει γάρ «διὰ τοῦτο οὐκ ἀναστήσονται οἱ ἀσεβεῖς ἐν κρίσει»· ἐντεῦθεν δὲ ἐπιλαμβάνεται καὶ ἐπέκεινα κατὰ τῶν τὴν ἀσφαλῆ ἀνάστασιν ὁριζόντων καὶ τὴν βεβαίαν ἐλπίδα τῆς τῶν νεκρῶν ἀναστάσεως πιστευόντων, ὡς ἀκεραίων ὄντων, πολλὰ μοχθηρὰ ἐπειπὼν καὶ σοφιστικήν τινα ὑπόνοιαν ὑφηγησάμενος, οὔτι πιστικόν, ἀλλὰ συλλογιστικὸν πᾶν ὁτιοῦν εἰς καταστροφὴν τῶν αὐτῷ πεισθέντων *, ἐκ τῶν κατὰ φύσιν ἡμῖν συμβαινόντων ἀνατρέψαι ἐπειράθη τῆς αὐτῆς ἀναστάσεως ἡμῶν ἐν ἀληθείᾳ ἐλπίδος τὴν ὁμολογίαν. Ἐγὼ δὲ τῶν καλῶς ἤδη κεκμηκότων καὶ δικαιότατα ἀνατρεψάντων τὴν πᾶσαν αὐτοῦ ἐπινενοημένην ῥητορικὴν κακουργίαν μὴ ἐν τόλμῃ καλλίων βουλόμενος εἶναι, οἷα δὴ βραχὺς ὑπάρχων, ἀρκεσθῆναι ἐνόμισα καλῶς ἔχειν τοῖς ὑπὸ τοῦ μακαρίτου Μεθοδίου εἰς τὸν περὶ τῆς ἀναστάσεως λόγον κατὰ τοῦ αὐτοῦ Ὠριγένους εἰρημένοις, ἅτινα ἐνταῦθα κατὰ λέξιν παραθήσομαι. καὶ ἔστι τὰ ὑπὸ Μεθοδίου οὕτως, ὡς καὶ αὐτὸς ἐτάξατο· 2.421 Τῶν Ὠριγένους ἐπιτομὴ ἐκ τῶν Μεθοδίου. 12. Ἐντεῦθεν οἱ ἁπλούστεροι τῶν πεπιστευκότων ὁρμώμενοι νομίζουσι τοὺς ἀσεβεῖς τῆς ἀναστάσεως μὴ τεύξεσθαι *, τί νοοῦντες τὴν ἀνάστασιν *. κἂν γὰρ δοκῶσι περὶ τούτων ἀποφαίνεσθαι, ἡ βάσανος αὐτοὺς διελέγξει, τὰ ἑξῆς ἀκολούθως σῴζειν μὴ δυναμένους, *. ἐὰν οὖν πυνθανώμεθα αὐτῶν, τίνος ἡ ἀνάστασις γίνεται, ἀποκρίνονται ὅτι τῶν σωμάτων ἃ νῦν περικείμεθα. εἶτα προσεπερωτησάντων ἡμῶν· πότερον τῆς οὐσίας ὅλης ἢ οὐχί, πρὶν βασανίσαι λέγουσιν ὅτι ὅλης. ἐὰν δὲ προσαπορήσωμεν, συμπεριφερόμενοι τῇ ἀκεραιότητι αὐτῶν *, εἰ συναναστήσεται τὰ ἀπορρεύσαντα ἐν