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For there were many sects also among the Jews. Therefore Paul also says: I am a Pharisee, of the strictest sect among us. And these men say nothing directly about the resurrection; but they invent a story, and compose a case, as I think, that never even happened, supposing they would drive him to a difficulty, and wishing to overthrow both things, both that there is a resurrection, and that it is such a resurrection. Again, these men also approach him, seemingly with reasonableness, saying: Teacher, Moses said: If a man dies having no children, his brother shall marry his wife, and shall raise up seed to his brother. Now there were seven brothers with us; and the first, when he had married, died, and having no seed, left his wife to his brother. Likewise also the second, and the third, unto the seven. And last of all the woman died also. In the resurrection, therefore, whose wife shall she be of the seven? See him answering these men as a teacher. For even if they came with malicious intent, yet the question was rather one of ignorance. Therefore he does not even say to them, Hypocrites. Then, so that he may not accuse them of why seven had one, they add Moses; and yet, as I said before, it was a fiction, as I think. For the third would not have taken her, seeing two bridegrooms become dead; and if the third did, yet not the fourth, nor the fifth; and if even these did, much more would the sixth or the seventh not have approached her, but would have considered the woman an ill omen. For such are the Jews. For if many suffer this now, much more did they then; since indeed, even apart from this, they often fled from cohabiting thus, and that when the law compelled them. Thus, at any rate, that woman Ruth the Moabitess was passed on to a more distant kinsman; and Tamar from this was compelled to steal seed from her father-in-law. And for what reason did they not invent two or three, but seven? So as to ridicule the resurrection extravagantly, as they thought. Therefore they also say, All had her, as if driving him into some difficulty. What then does Christ do? He answers both points, not addressing the words, but their intention, and everywhere exposing their secret thoughts, and sometimes making them public, sometimes leaving the refutation to the conscience of the questioners. See, then, how here he shows both things, both that there will be a resurrection, and that it will not be such a resurrection as they suspect. For what does he say? You err, not knowing the Scriptures, nor the power of God. For since, as though they knew, they put forward Moses and the law, he shows that this question is especially characteristic of those who are ignorant of the Scriptures. 58.658 For from this also came their tempting him, from not knowing the Scriptures, and not knowing the power of God as one ought. What wonder then, he says, if you tempt me, who am still unknown to you, when you do not even know the power of God, of which you have had so much experience, and have not known it either from common notions or from the Scriptures? if indeed common reasonings also allow one to know this, that with God all things are possible. 3. And first he answers the question that was asked. For since the cause of their not believing in a resurrection was their believing that the state of things would be of such a kind, he cures the cause, and then also the symptom (for from this also the disease arose); and he shows the manner of the resurrection. For in the resurrection, he says, they neither marry, nor are given in marriage, but are as the angels of God in heaven. But Luke says, As sons of God. If, therefore, they do not marry, the question is superfluous. Not, however, because they do not marry, are they for this reason angels; but because they are as angels, for this reason they do not marry. From this he also did away with many other things, all of which Paul hinted at in one word, saying: For the fashion of this world passes away. And through these things he showed how great the resurrection is; but that there is also a resurrection, he shows And yet this too has been demonstrated along with what was said, but nevertheless he adds it again to his argument out of abundance, saying. For he did not stop only at the question, but also at their thought. Thus when they are not acting very maliciously, but ask in ignorance, he also teaches out of abundance; when

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Πολλαὶ γὰρ καὶ ἐπὶ Ἰουδαίων αἱρέσεις ἦσαν. ∆ιὸ καὶ Παῦλος λέγει· Φαρισαῖός εἰμι, τῆς ἀκριβεστάτης αἱρέσεως παρ' ἡμῖν. Καὶ ἐξ εὐθείας μὲν οὐδὲν οὗτοι περὶ ἀναστάσεως λέγουσι· λόγον δέ τινα πλάττουσι, καὶ πρᾶγμα συντιθέασιν, ὡς ἔγωγε οἶμαι, οὐδὲ γεγενημένον, οἰόμενοι εἰς ἀπορίαν αὐτὸν ἐμβαλεῖν, καὶ θέλοντες ἀνατρέψαι ἀμφότερα, καὶ τὸ ἀνάστασιν εἶναι, καὶ τὸ τοιαύτην ἀνάστασιν. Πάλιν δὲ καὶ οὗτοι μετ' ἐπιεικείας δῆθεν προσβάλλουσι, λέγοντες· ∆ιδάσκαλε, Μωϋσῆς εἶπεν· Ἐὰν ἀποθάνῃ τις μὴ ἔχων τέκνα, ἐπιγαμβρεύσει ὁ ἀδελφὸς τὴν γυναῖκα, καὶ ἀναστήσει σπέρμα τῷ ἀδελφῷ. Ἦσαν δὲ παρ' ἡμῖν ἑπτὰ ἀδελφοί· καὶ ὁ πρῶτος γαμήσας ἐτελεύτησε, καὶ μὴ ἔχων σπέρμα ἀφῆκε τὴν γυναῖκα τῷ ἀδελφῷ. Ὁμοίως καὶ ὁ δεύτερος, καὶ ὁ τρίτος, ἕως τῶν ἑπτά. Ὕστερον δὲ ἀπέθανε καὶ ἡ γυνή. Ἐν τῇ οὖν ἀναστάσει τίνος τῶν ἑπτὰ ἔσται γυνή; Ὅρα τούτοις διδασκαλικῶς ἀποκρινόμενον. Εἰ γὰρ καὶ ἀπὸ κακουργίας προσῆλθον, ἀλλ' ὅμως καὶ ἀγνοίας ἡ ἐρώτησις ἦν μᾶλλον. ∆ιὸ οὐδὲ λέγει αὐτοῖς. Ὑποκριταί. Εἶτα ἵνα μὴ ἐγκαλέσῃ, διατί ἑπτὰ μίαν ἔσχον, προστιθέασι τὸν Μωϋσέα· καίτοιγε, ὅπερ ἔφθην εἰπὼν, πλάσμα ἦν, ὡς ἔγωγε οἶμαι. Οὐ γὰρ ἂν ὁ τρίτος ἔλαβε, τοὺς δύο νυμφίους νεκροὺς γενομένους ἰδών· εἰ δὲ ὁ τρίτος, ἀλλ' οὐχ ὁ τέταρτος, οὐδὲ ὁ πέμπτος· εἰ δὲ καὶ οὗτοι, πολλῷ μᾶλλον ὁ ἕκτος ἢ ὁ ἕβδομος οὐκ ἂν προσῆλθον, ἀλλ' οἰωνίσαντο ἂν τὴν γυναῖκα. Τοιοῦτοι γὰρ οἱ Ἰουδαῖοι. Εἰ γὰρ νῦν πολλοὶ τοῦτο πάσχουσι, πολλῷ μᾶλλον τότε ἐκεῖνοι· ὅπου γε καὶ χωρὶς τούτου πολλάκις τὸ οὕτω συνοικεῖν ἔφυγον, καὶ ταῦτα τοῦ νόμου καταναγκάζοντος. Οὕτω γοῦν ἡ Ῥοὺθ ἡ Μωαβῖτις ἐκείνη γυνὴ πρὸς τὸν μακροτέρω τῆς συγγενείας ἐξεκυλίσθη· καὶ ἡ Θάμαρ δὲ ἐντεῦθεν παρὰ τοῦ κηδεστοῦ κλέψαι σπέρμα κατηναγκάζετο. Καὶ τίνος ἕνεκεν οὐκ ἔπλασαν δύο ἢ τρεῖς, ἀλλ' ἑπτά; Ὥστε ἐκ περιουσίας κωμῳδῆσαι, ὡς ᾤοντο, τὴν ἀνάστασιν. ∆ιὸ καὶ λέγουσι, Πάντες ἔσχον αὐτὴν, ὡς εἰς ἄπορόν τι αὐτὸν ἐμβάλλοντες. Τί οὖν ὁ Χριστός; Πρὸς ἀμφότερα ἀποκρίνεται, οὐ πρὸς τὰ ῥήματα, ἀλλὰ πρὸς τὴν γνώμην ἱστάμενος, καὶ πανταχοῦ τὰ ἀπόῤῥητα αὐτῶν ἐκκαλύπτων, καὶ ποτὲ μὲν αὐτὰ ἐκπομπεύων, ποτὲ δὲ τῷ συνειδότι τῶν ἐρωτώντων ἀφιεὶς τὸν ἔλεγχον. Ὅρα γοῦν ἐνταῦθα πῶς ἀμφότερα δείκνυσι, καὶ ὅτι ἀνάστασις ἔσται, καὶ ὅτι οὐ τοιαύτη ἀνάστασις, οἵαν ὑποπτεύουσι. Τί γάρ φησι; Πλανᾶσθε, μὴ εἰδότες τὰς Γραφὰς, μηδὲ τὴν δύναμιν τοῦ Θεοῦ. Ἐπειδὴ γὰρ ὡς εἰδότες, Μωϋσέα προβάλλονται καὶ τὸν νόμον, δείκνυσιν ὅτι τοῦτο μάλιστα ἀγνοούντων ἐστὶ τὰς Γραφὰς τὸ 58.658 ἐρώτημα. Ἐντεῦθεν γὰρ καὶ τὸ πειράζειν αὐτοῖς ἦν, ἐκ τοῦ τὰς Γραφὰς ἀγνοεῖν, καὶ τοῦ Θεοῦ τὴν δύναμιν μὴ εἰδέναι ὡς χρή. Τί οὖν θαυμαστὸν, φησὶν, εἰ ἐμὲ πειράζετε τὸν ἔτι ἀγνοούμενον ὑμῖν, ὅπου γε οὐδὲ τοῦ Θεοῦ τὴν δύναμιν ἴστε, ἧς τοσαύτην πεῖραν εἰλήφατε, καὶ οὔτε ἐκ κοινῶν ἐννοιῶν, οὔτε ἀπὸ Γραφῶν αὐτὴν ἔγνωτε; εἰ ἄρα καὶ κοινοὶ λογισμοὶ τοῦτο παρέχουσιν εἰδέναι, ὅτι τῷ Θεῷ πάντα δυνατά. γʹ. Καὶ πρῶτον μὲν πρὸς τὸ ἐρωτηθὲν ἀποκρίνεται. Ἐπειδὴ γὰρ τοῦτο αἴτιον ἦν αὐτοῖς τοῦ μὴ νομίζειν ἀνάστασιν, τὸ νομίζειν τοιαύτην εἶναι τὴν τῶν πραγμάτων κατάστασιν, τὸ αἴτιον θεραπεύει, εἶτα καὶ τὸ σύμπτωμα (ἀπὸ γὰρ τούτου καὶ τὸ νόσημα γέγονε)· καὶ δείκνυσι τῆς ἀναστάσεως τὸν τρόπον. Ἐν γὰρ τῇ ἀναστάσει, φησὶν, οὔτε γαμοῦσιν, οὔτε γαμίσκονται, ἀλλ' εἰσὶν ὡς ἄγγελοι Θεοῦ ἐν οὐρανῷ. Ὁ δὲ Λουκᾶς φησιν, Ὡς υἱοὶ Θεοῦ. Εἰ τοίνυν οὐ γαμοῦσι, περιττὴ ἡ ἐρώτησις. Οὐ μὴν ἐπειδὴ οὐ γαμοῦσι, διὰ τοῦτο ἄγγελοι· ἀλλ' ἐπειδὴ ὡς ἄγγελοι, διὰ τοῦτο οὐ γαμοῦσιν. Ἀπὸ τούτου καὶ ἕτερα πολλὰ ἀνεῖλεν, ἅπερ ἅπαντα δι' ἑνὸς ῥήματος ὁ Παῦλος ᾐνίξατο εἰπών· Παράγει γὰρ τὸ σχῆμα τοῦ κόσμου τούτου. Καὶ διὰ μὲν τούτων ἐδήλωσεν ἡλίκον ἡ ἀνάστασις· ὅτι δὲ καὶ ἀνάστασίς ἐστι, δείκνυσι Καίτοι συναποδέδεικται τῷ εἰρημένῳ καὶ τοῦτο, ἀλλ' ὅμως ἐκ περιουσίας τῷ λόγῳ πάλιν προστίθησι λέγων. Οὐδὲ γὰρ πρὸς τὸ ἐρώτημα ἔστη μόνον, ἀλλὰ καὶ πρὸς τὴν ἔννοιαν αὐτῶν. Οὕτως ὅταν μὴ σφόδρα κακουργῶσιν, ἀλλ' ἀγνοοῦντες ἐρωτῶσι, καὶ ἐκ περιουσίας διδάσκει· ὅταν