OF THE HOLY JUSTIN, PHILOSOPHER AND MARTYR, CONCERNING THE RESURRECTION.

The word of truth is both free and self-determining, not willing to fall under any test of scrutiny, nor to undergo examination by proof among its hearers. For its noble and confident nature wishes to be believed on the authority of Him who sent it. But the word of truth is sent from God; wherefore also the freedom which invests it is not burdensome. For being borne with authority, it rightly does not wish proofs of its statements to be demanded, because there are no other proofs besides the truth itself, which is God. For every proof is stronger and more credible than that which is proved, if indeed that which was previously disbelieved, before the proof came, received belief when this was furnished, and was shown to be such as it was said to be. But nothing is stronger or more credible than the truth, so that he who asks for proof concerning this is like one who wishes to demonstrate by arguments things apparent to the senses because they are apparent. For of things apprehended through reason, the criterion is sense-perception; but of sense-perception itself there is no criterion other than itself. Just as, therefore, we refer things pursued by reason to sense-perception, and by this we judge what sort of things they are, whether true or false, that are spoken of, but we no longer judge sense-perception itself, believing it, so also we refer human and worldly arguments to the truth, and by this we judge whether they are worthless or not, but the words of truth we judge by no other, believing it. And truth is God, the Father of all, who is perfect mind. The Word, having become his Son, came to us, wearing flesh, revealing both himself and the Father, giving us in himself the resurrection from the dead and the life eternal after this. And this is Jesus Christ, our Savior and Lord. This one, therefore, is himself both the faith and proof of himself and of all things. Wherefore, those who follow and know him, having faith in him as proof, rest in him. But since the adversary does not cease warring against many, and uses many and various methods for his plots, against those who have believed, that he may lead them away from the faith, and against those who are still unbelievers, that they may not believe, it seems necessary to me that we also, being armed with the invulnerable words of faith, should war against him for the sake of the weak. Those who say worse things say that there is no resurrection of the flesh. For it is impossible, they say, for this corrupted and dissolved flesh to be gathered together into the same thing. And in addition to being impossible, they say its salvation is also unprofitable, and they disparage it, bringing forward its defects, and declare it to be the sole cause of sins, so that, if it is to be, they say,

ΤOΥ AΓIOΥ IOΥΣΤIΝOΥ ΦIΛOΣOΦOΥ ΚAI ΜAΡΤΥΡOΣ ΠEΡI AΝAΣΤAΣEΩΣ.

Ὁ μὲν τῆς ἀληθείας λόγος ἐστὶν ἐλεύθερός τε καὶ αὐτεξούσιος, ὑπὸ μηδεμίαν βάσανον ἐλέγχου θέλων πίπτειν μηδὲ τὴν παρὰ τοῖς ἀκούουσι δι' ἀποδείξεως ἐξέτασιν ὑπο μένειν. Τὸ γὰρ εὐγενὲς αὐτοῦ καὶ πεποιθὸς αὐτῷ τῷ πέμ ψαντι πιστεύεσθαι θέλει. Λόγος δὲ ἀληθείας ἀπὸ θεοῦ πέμ πεται· διὸ καὶ τὸ ἐλεύθερον τὸ περὶ αὐτὸν οὐ φορτικόν. Κατ' ἐξουσίαν γὰρ φερόμενος εἰκότως οὐδὲ τὰς ἀποδείξεις τῶν λεγομένων ἀπαιτεῖσθαι θέλει, ὅτι μηδέ εἰσιν ἄλλαι παρὲξ αὐτῆς τῆς ἀληθείας, ὅπερ ἐστὶν ὁ θεός. Πᾶσα γὰρ ἀπό δειξις ἰσχυροτέρα καὶ πιστοτέρα τοῦ ἀποδεικνυμένου τυγχάνει, εἴ γε τὸ πρότερον ἀπιστούμενον, πρὶν ἢ τὴν ἀπόδειξιν ἐλθεῖν, ταύτης κομισθείσης ἔτυχε πίστεως, καὶ τοιοῦτον ἐφάνη ὁποῖον ἐλέγετο. Τῆς δὲ ἀληθείας ἰσχυρότερον οὐδὲν οὐδὲ πιστότε ρον, ὥστε ὁ περὶ ταύτης ἀπόδειξιν αἰτῶν ὅμοιός ἐστι τῷ τὰ φαινόμενα ταῖς αἰσθήσεσι λόγοις θέλοντι ἀποδείκνυσθαι διότι φαίνεται. Τῶν γὰρ διὰ τοῦ λόγου λαμβανομένων κριτήριόν ἐστιν ἡ αἴσθησις· αὐτῆς δὲ κριτήριον οὐκ ἔστι πλὴν αὐτῆς. Ὥσπερ οὖν τὰ διὰ τοῦ λόγου θηρώμενα, ἀπάγοντες ἐπὶ τὴν αἴσθησιν, ταύτῃ κρίνομεν, ὁποῖά ποτε ὄντα τυγχάνει, εἴτε ἀληθῆ εἴτε καὶ ψευδῆ, τὰ λεγόμενα, οὐκέτι δὲ κρίνομεν πι στεύοντες αὐτῇ, οὕτως τοὺς ἀνθρωπίνους καὶ κοσμικοὺς λόγους ἀναπέμπομεν ἐπὶ τὴν ἀλήθειαν, καὶ ταύτῃ κρίνομεν, εἴτε φαῦλοι εἴτε καὶ μὴ τυγχάνουσιν ὄντες, τοὺς δὲ τῆς ἀλη θείας οὐδενὶ κρίνομεν ἑτέρῳ, πιστεύοντες αὐτῇ. Ἔστι δὲ ἀλή θεια ὁ θεός, ὁ πατὴρ τῶν ὅλων, ὅς ἐστι νοῦς τέλειος. Oὗ γενόμενος υἱὸς ὁ λόγος ἦλθεν εἰς ἡμᾶς, σάρκα φορέσας, ἑαυ τόν τε καὶ τὸν πατέρα μηνύων, διδοὺς ἡμῖν ἐν ἑαυτῷ τὴν ἐκ νεκρῶν ἀνάστασιν καὶ τὴν μετὰ ταῦτα ζωὴν αἰώνιον. Ἔστι δὲ οὗτος Ἰησοῦς Χριστός, ὁ σωτὴρ ἡμῶν καὶ δεσπότης· οὗ τος τοίνυν αὐτός ἐστιν ἑαυτοῦ τε καὶ τῶν ὅλων πίστις τε καὶ ἀπόδειξις. ∆ιόπερ οἱ τούτῳ κατακολουθοῦντες καὶ γνόντες αὐτόν, τὴν εἰς αὐτὸν πίστιν ὡς ἀπόδειξιν ἔχοντες, ἀναπαύονται ἐπ' αὐτῷ. Ἐπειδὴ δὲ πολλοὺς ὁ ἀντικείμε νος πολεμῶν οὐ παύεται, πολλαῖς δὲ καὶ ποικίλαις μεθό δοις πρὸς ἐπιβουλὴν χρῆται, πρὸς μὲν τοὺς πεπιστευκότας, ἵνα τούτους τῆς πίστεως ἀπαγάγῃ, πρὸς δὲ τοὺς ἀπίστους ἔτι, ἵνα μὴ πιστεύσωσιν, ἀναγκαῖον εἶναί μοι δοκεῖ καὶ ἡμᾶς, κα θωπλισμένους τοῖς τῆς πίστεως λόγοις ἀτρώτοις οὖσιν, ἀντι πολεμεῖν αὐτῷ διὰ τοὺς ἀσθενεῖς. Φασὶν οἱ χείρονα λέγοντες οὐκ εἶναι τῆς σαρκὸς ἀνά στασιν. Ἀδύνατον γὰρ εἶναι τὴν φθειρομένην καὶ διαλυο μένην ταύτην συναχθῆναι εἰς τὸ αὐτό. Πρὸς δὲ τὸ ἀδύνατον καὶ ἀσύμφορόν φασιν ὑπάρχειν τὴν ταύτης σωτηρίαν, καὶ κα κίζουσιν αὐτὴν τὰ ἐλαττώματα προφέροντες, καὶ αὐτὴν μόνην τῶν ἁμαρτημάτων αἰτίαν ἀποφαίνονται, ὥστε, εἰ μέλλει, φασί,