On the Soul against the Arians
De anima contra Arianos
Evidence for Bodily Resurrection§1
1And what would they say, if they looked upon the nurturers of the infant, or the development of its age, or the completion of the years, or the increase of the body?
In order that I might leave aside the wonders that have been fulfilled upon the earth, let them observe the revivals of the dead, the symbols of suffering, the traces of the scourgings, the bruises of the wounds, the torn sides, the marks of the nails, the pouring out of the blood, the signs of death, and to say the whole thing, the resurrection of his own body.
And indeed, if anyone examines the birth of the body, he would clearly find how, having been born in Bethlehem, he was laid in a manger, and even if in Egypt he was nourished for a time by some because of the plot of the madman Herod, and even if in Nazareth, having become a man, he grew up. For the tabernacle of the Word and God is not the same, through which he beheld the divine...
Greek · §1
De anima contra Arianos (fragmenta) ΠΕΡΙ ΨΥΧΗΣ ΚΑΤΑ ΑΡΕΙΑΝΩΝ 10 Τί δ' ἂν εἴποιεν εἰς τὰς τοῦ βρέφους ἀναβλέψαντες ἀνατροφὰς, ἢ τὴν τῆς ἡλικίας ἀνάδοσιν, ἢ τὴν ἐπίτασιν τῶν χρόνων, ἢ τὴν τοῦ σώματος αὔξην; Ἵνα δὲ παρῶ λέγειν τὰς ἐπὶ ἐδάφους ἐκπληρωθείσας θαυματουργίας, ὁράτωσαν τὰς τῶν νεκρῶν ἀναβιώσεις, τὰ τοῦ πάθους σύμβολα, τὰ τῶν μαστίγων ἴχνη, τοὺς τῶν πληγῶν μώλωπας, τὰς τετρωμένας πλευρὰς, τοὺς τῶν ἥλων τύπους, τὴν τοῦ αἵματος ἔγχυσιν, τὰ τοῦ θανάτου σημεῖα, καὶ τὸ σύμπαν εἰπεῖν, αὐτὴν τὴν τοῦ ἰδίου σώματος ἀνάστασιν. 11 Καὶ μὴν εἴ τις εἰς τὴν τοῦ σώματος γέννησιν ἀφορᾷ, προδήλως εὑρήσειεν ἂν ὡς ἐν τῇ Βηθλεὲμ τεχθεὶς ἐσπαργανώθη, κἀν τῇ Αἰγύπτῳ χρόνοις ἐτράφη τισὶν ἕνεκεν τῆς τοῦ ἀλάστορος ἐπιβουλῆς Ἡρώδου, κἂν τῇ Ναζαρὲτ ἀνδρωθεὶς ηὐξήθη. 12 Οὐ γὰρ ταὐτόν ἐστιν ἡ σκηνὴ τοῦ Λόγου καὶ Θεοῦ, δι' ἧς τὴν θείαν ἐθεώρει
The Martyrdom and Resurrection of Stephen§2
2The blessed Stephen received glory. Before the passion, he always predicted his own bodily death, claiming that he would be handed over to those around the high priests, and announcing the trophy of the cross. But after the passion, having risen from the dead on the third day, while the disciples were doubting that he had been raised, he appeared to them with the same body; he confesses to having all flesh with bones, and subdues to their eyes those sides having been pierced, and shows them the marks of the nails.
And it is possible to expose their impious calumny through a few things; for especially, if not for the sake of the salvation of men, he willingly gave his body to death's slaughter. First, they surround him with much weakness, because he was not able to check the onset of the enemies.
Greek · §2
δόξαν ὁ μακάριος Στέφανος. 13 Πρὸ μὲν τοῦ πάθους ἑκάστοτε τὸν σωματικὸν αὑτοῦ προὔλεγε θάνατον, τοῖς ἀμφὶ τοὺς ἀρχιερέας ἐκδοθήσεσθαι φάσκων, καὶ τὸ τοῦ σταυροῦ τρόπαιον ἀπαγγέλλων. Μετὰ δὲ τὸ πάθος, τριταῖος ἐκ τῶν νεκρῶν ἀναστὰς, ἐνδοιαζόντων αὐτὸν ἐγηγέρθαι τῶν μαθητῶν, ἐπιφανεὶς αὐτοῖς αὐτῷ σώματι, σάρκα μὲν ἅπασαν σὺν ὀστέοις ἔχειν ὁμολογεῖ, ταῖς δὲ ὄψεσι τούτων τὰς τετρωμένας ὑποβάλλων πλευρὰς, καὶ τοὺς τύπους αὐτοῦ ὑποδεικνύει τῶν ἥλων. 14 ∆ι' ὀλίγων δὲ ἔστιν ἐλέγξαι τὴν ἀσεβῆ συκοφαντίαν αὐτῶν· μάλιστα μὲν γὰρ εἰ μὴ τῆς τῶν ἀνθρώπων ἕνεκεν σωτηρίας εἰς τὴν τοῦ θανάτου σφαγὴν τὸ ἴδιον ἑκουσίως ἐξεδίδου σῶμα. Πρῶτον μὲν πολλὴν αὐτῷ περιάπτουσιν ἀδυναμίαν, ὅτι μὴ οἷός τ' ἐγένετο τὴν τῶν πολεμίων ὁρμὴν ἐπισχεῖν.
The Unchangeable Nature of Christ§3
3For what reason do they make such great effort to demonstrate that Christ, having taken a body, is soulless, deceiving men with earthly falsehoods? This is so that, if they could suppose something and define it in such a way, and then wrap the changes in suffering that surround the Divine Spirit, they might easily instruct them, as if the changeable had not been born from the unchangeable nature.
In accordance with this, proceeding through these matters, the same Jeremiah introduces the voices serving God, through which he shows that he does not grant the mission of the righteous, if he had wished to make them worthy for the sake of the mixed ones. And the Lord said to me, saying: 'If Moses and Samuel stand before my face, my soul is not with them' (Jeremiah 15:1).
But if through the appearance of Christ into Paradise the [...]
Greek · §3
15 ∆ιὰ τί δὲ περὶ πολλοῦ ποιοῦνται δεικνύναι τὸν Χριστὸν ἄψυχον ἀνειληφέναι σῶμα, γεώδεις πλάττοντες ἀπάτας; Ἵνα εἰ δυνηθεῖεν ὑποφθεῖραί τινας, ταῦθ' οὕτως ἔχειν ὁρίζεσθαι, τηνικαῦτα τὰς τῶν παθῶν ἀλλοιώσεις τῷ θείῳ περιάψαντες Πνεύματι, ῥᾳδίως ἀναπείσωσιν αὐτοὺς, ὡς οὐκ ἔστι τὸ τρεπτὸν ἐκ τῆς ἀτρέπτου φύσεως γεννηθέν. 16 Σύμφωνα δὲ τούτοις διεξιὼν ὁ αὐτὸς Ἱερεμίας εἰσηγεῖται τὰς τοῦ Θεοῦ διακονούμενος φωνὰς, δι' ὧν δείκνυσιν, ὅτι μήτε τὰς τῶν δικαίων προσίεται πρεσβείας, εἰ βουληθεῖεν τῶν μιαιφόνων χάριν ἀξιῶσαι. Καὶ εἶπε Κύριος πρός με λέγων· Ἐὰν στῇ Μωϋσῆς καὶ Σαμουὴλ πρὸ προσώπου μου, οὐκ ἔστιν ἡ ψυχή μου πρὸς αὐτούς. 17 Εἰ δὲ διὰ τῆς τοῦ Χριστοῦ ἐπιφανείας εἰς τὸν παράδεισον τὸ τῶν
The Thief's Entrance into Paradise§4
4He brings in the race of men; but how was the thief crucified so as to be brought in immediately, having preceded the others while the body was still defiled in the tomb? It is established that, because the soul of Christ was primarily shared with the Word and God, who is the creation encompassing all things together, He brought the only-begotten soul of man into Paradise.
For it is not written that before the resurrection of the holy body, the thief's body was raised having received the promise. It follows, therefore, to suppose wisely that the soul, guiding the kindred soul with goodwill, while also possessing greater authority, brought the immediate promise to an end and led him into an exceptional inheritance, opening Paradise.
Greek · §4
ἀνθρώπων εἰσάγει γένος, ὁπηνίκα δὲ ἐσταυρώθη τὸν λῃστὴν αὐθήμερον εἰσάξειν αὐτόθι προηγόρευσεν τοῦ σώματος ἔτι βεβλημένου τῷ μνήματι, συνέστηκεν ὅτι συνδιαιτωμένη κυρίως ἡ ψυχὴ τοῦ Χριστοῦ τῷ Λόγῳ καὶ Θεῷ, τῷ πᾶσαν ὁμοῦ τὴν τῶν γενητῶν περιέχοντι κτίσιν, τὴν ὁμογενῆ τοῦ ἀνθρώπου ψυχὴν εἰς τὸν παράδεισον εἰσήγαγεν. Οὐδὲ γάρ ἐστι γεγραμμένον ὅτι πρὸ τῆς ἀναστάσεως τοῦ ἁγίου σώματος τὸ τοῦ λῃστοῦ προηγέρθη σῶμα τὴν ἐπαγγελίαν ἀπολαβόν. Ἀκόλουθον ἄρα ἐστὶν ὑπολαμβάνειν ἐμφρόνως ὅτι ἡ ψυχὴ τὴν συγγενῆ ψυχὴν ὁδηγοῦσα φιλοφρόνως, ἅτε δὴ καὶ μείζονος ἐξουσίας ἐχομένη, τὴν μὲν ὑπόσχεσιν αὐθήμερον ἐπὶ πέρας ἦγεν, εἰς δὲ τὴν ἐξαίρετον εἰσῆγε κληρονομίαν ἀνοίγουσα τὸν παράδεισον.