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| On the Words, And in One Holy Catholic Church, and in the Resurrection of the Flesh, and the Life Everlasting.
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Lecture
XVIII.
On the Words, And in One Holy Catholic
Church, and in the Resurrection of the Flesh, and the Life
Everlasting.
Ezekiel xxxvii. 1
The hand of the Lord was upon me, and carried me out in
the Spirit of the Lord, and set me down in the midst of the valley
which was full of bones.
1. The root of all
good works is the hope of the Resurrection; for the expectation of the
recompense nerves the soul to good works. For every labourer is
ready to endure the toils, if he sees their reward in prospect; but
when men weary themselves for nought, their heart soon sinks as well as
their body. A soldier who expects a prize is ready for war, but
no one is forward to die for a king who is indifferent about those who
serve under him, and bestows no honours on their toils. In like
manner every soul believing in a Resurrection is naturally careful of
itself; but, disbelieving it, abandons itself to perdition. He
who believes that his body shall remain to rise again, is careful of
his robe, and defiles it not with fornication; but he who disbelieves
the Resurrection, gives himself to fornication, and misuses his own
body, as though it were not his own. Faith therefore in the
Resurrection of the dead, is a great commandment and doctrine of the
Holy Catholic Church; great and most necessary, though gainsaid by
many, yet surely warranted by the truth. Greeks contradict
it2241
, Samaritans2242
disbelieve it, heretics2243
| 2243 Tertull. De Resurr.
carnis, cap. 2: “They acknowledge a
half-resurrection, to wit of the soul only.” Compare Iren.
I. xxiii. 5, on Menander’s assertion that his disciples attain to
the resurrection by being baptized into him, and can die no more, but
retain immortal youth: ib. xxiv. 5. Basilides taught
that “salvation belongs to the soul alone.” On the
other forms of heresy concerning the Resurrection, see Suicer,
Thesaurus, ᾽Ανάστασις. | mutilate it; the
contradiction is manifold, but the truth is uniform.
2. Now Greeks and Samaritans together argue
against us thus. The dead man has fallen, and mouldered away, and
is all turned into worms; and the worms have died also; such is the
decay and destruction which has overtaken the body; how then is it to
be raised? The shipwrecked have been devoured by fishes, which
are themselves devoured. Of them who fight with wild beasts the
very bones are ground to powder, and consumed by bears and lions.
Vultures and ravens feed on the flesh of the unburied dead, and then
fly away over all the world; whence then is the body to be
collected? For of the fowls who have devoured it some may chance
to die in India, some in Persia, some in the land of the Goths.
Other men again are consumed by fire, and their very ashes scattered by
rain or wind; whence is the body to be brought together again2244
| 2244 The objections noticed
in § 2 are discussed by Athenagoras, De Resurr. capp. ii.,
iv.—viii.; Tatian. Or. ad Græcos, cap. vi., Tertull.
De Resurr. Carn. cap. 63. | ?
3. To thee, poor little feeble man, India is
far from the land of the Goths, and Spain from Persia; but to God, who
holds the whole earth in the hollow of His hand2245
, all things are near at hand. Impute
not then weakness to God, from a comparison of thy feebleness, but
rather dwell on His power2246
| 2246 On the argument from
God’s power compare Athenagoras, De Resurr. c. ix; Justin.
M. De Resurr. c. v; Theophil. ad Autolyc. c. xiii.; Iren.
V. iii. 2. | . Does then
the sun, a small work of God, by one glance of his beams give warmth to
the whole world; does the atmosphere, which God has made, encompass all
things in the world; and is God, who is the Creator both of the sun,
and of the atmosphere, far off from the world? Imagine a mixture
of seeds of different plants (for as thou art weak concerning the
faith, the examples which I allege are weak also), and that these
different seeds are contained in thy single hand; is it then to thee,
who art a man, a difficult or an easy matter to separate what is in
thine hand, and to collect each seed according to its nature, and
restore it to its own kind? Canst thou then separate the things
in thine hand, and cannot God separate the things contained in His
hand, and restore them to their proper place? Consider what I
say, whether it is not impious to deny it?
4. But further, attend, I pray, to the very
principle of justice, and come to thine own case. Thou hast
different sorts of servants: and some are good and some bad;
thou honourest therefore the
good, and smitest the bad. And if thou art a judge, to the good
thou awardest praise, and to the transgressors, punishment. Is
then justice observed by thee a mortal man; and with God, the ever
changeless King of all, is there no retributive justice2247
| 2247 The argument from
God’s justice is treated by Athenagor. De Resurr. c. x.
and xx.–xxiii.; Justin M. De Resurr. c. viii. | ? Nay, to deny it is impious. For
consider what I say. Many murderers have died in their beds
unpunished; where then is the righteousness of God? Yea, ofttimes
a murderer guilty of fifty murders is beheaded once; where then shall
he suffer punishment for the forty and nine? Unless there is a
judgment and a retribution after this world, thou chargest God with
unrighteousness. Marvel not, however, because of the delay of the
judgment; no combatant is crowned or disgraced, till the contest is
over; and no president of the games ever crowns men while yet striving,
but he waits till all the combatants are finished, that then deciding
between them he may dispense the prizes and the chaplets2248
| 2248 τὴν
στεφανηφορίαν. Roe. Cas. A. Cf. Pind. Ol. viii. 13; Eurip.
Electr. 862. | . Even thus God also, so long as the
strife in this world lasts, succours the just but partially, but
afterwards He renders to them their rewards fully.
5. But if according to thee there is no
resurrection of the dead, wherefore condemnest thou the robbers of
graves? For if the body perishes, and there is no resurrection to
be hoped for, why does the violator of the tomb undergo
punishment? Thou seest that though thou deny it with thy lips,
there yet abides with thee an indestructible instinct of the
resurrection.
6. Further, does a tree after it has been
cut down blossom again, and shall man after being cut down blossom no
more? And does the corn sown and reaped remain for the threshing
floor, and shall man when reaped from this world not remain for the
threshing? And do shoots of vine or other trees, when clean cut
off and transplanted, come to life and bear fruit; and shall man, for
whose sake all these exist, fall into the earth and not rise
again? Comparing efforts, which is greater, to mould from the
beginning a statue which did not exist, or to recast in the same shape
that which had fallen? Is God then, who created us out of
nothing, unable to raise again those who exist and are fallen2249
| 2249 Athenag. De
Resurr. c. iii.: “If, when they did not exist, He made
at their first formation the bodies of men, and their original
elements, He will, when they are dissolved, in whatever manner that may
take place, raise them again with equal ease.” Lactant.
Institt. VII. 23 fin.: Apost. Const. V. 7. | ? But thou believest not what is
written of the resurrection, being a Greek: then from the analogy
of nature consider these matters, and understand them from what is seen
to this day. Wheat, it may be, or some other kind of grain, is
sown; and when the seed has fallen, it dies and rots, and is henceforth
useless for food. But that which has rotted, springs up in
verdure; and though small when sown, springs up most beautiful.
Now wheat was made for us; for wheat and all seeds were created not for
themselves, but for our use; are then the things which were made for us
quickened when they die, and do we for whom they were made, not rise
again after our death2250
| 2250 An eloquent statement
of the argument for the resurrection from the analogies of nature
occurs in Tertull. De Resurr. c. xii. That it was not
unknown to Cyril, seems probable from the concluding sentence:
“And surely if all things rise again for man, for whom they have
been provided—but not for man unless for his flesh also—how
can the flesh itself perish utterly, for the sake and service of which
nothing is allowed to perish.” Tertullian himself was
probably indebted, as Bp. Lightfoot suggests, to Clemens. Rom.
Epist. ad Corinth. xxiv. Cf. Lactant. Div.
Inst. vii. 4. | ?
7. The season is winter2251
| 2251 Cf. Cat. iv.
30. These passages shew that the Lectures were delivered in a
year when Easter fell early, as was the case in 348 a.d. | , as thou seest; the trees now stand as if
they were dead: for where are the leaves of the fig-tree? where
are the clusters of the vine? These in winter time are dead, but
green in spring; and when the season is come, there is restored to them
a quickening as it were from a state of death. For God, knowing
thine unbelief, works a resurrection year by year in these visible
things; that, beholding what happens to things inanimate, thou mayest
believe concerning things animate and rational. Further, flies
and bees are often drowned in water, yet after a while revive2252
| 2252 In such cases there
is, of course, no actual death. | ; and species of dormice2253
| 2253 The μυοξός is supposed by
the Benedictine Editor to be the toad (“Inventusque cavis
bufo,” Virg. Georg. i. 185), by others the marmot
(mus Alpinus). More probably it is the dormouse (myoxis
glis), which stores up provisions for the winter, though it sleeps
through much of that season. | , after remaining motionless during the
winter, are restored in the summer (for to thy slight thoughts like
examples are offered); and shall He who to irrational and despised
creatures grants life supernaturally, not bestow it upon us, for whose
sake He made them?
8. But the Greeks ask for a resurrection of
the dead still manifest; and say that, even if these creatures are
raised, yet they had not utterly mouldered away; and they require to
see distinctly some creature rise again after complete decay. God
knew men’s unbelief, and provided for this purpose a bird, called
a Phoenix2254
| 2254 The story of the Phœnix as told by
Herodotus, II. 73, is as follows: “They have also another
sacred bird called the Phœnix, which I myself have never seen,
except in pictures. Indeed it is a great rarity even in Egypt,
only coming there (according to the accounts of the people of
Heliopolis) once in five hundred years, when the old phœnix
dies.…They tell a story of what this bird does, which does not
seem to me to be credible; that he comes all the way from Arabia, and
brings the parent bird, all plastered over with myrrh, to the temple of
the Sun, and there buries the body.”
The many variations and fabulous
accretions of the story are detailed by Suicer,
Thesaurus, Φοῖνιξ, and by Bp.
Lightfoot in a long and interesting note on Clemens Rom. Epist. ad
Cor. xxv. Cyril borrows the story from Clement almost
verbally, yet not without some variations, which will be noticed
below. The legend with all its miraculous features is told by
Ovid, Metamorph. xv. 392, by Claudian, Phœnix,
and by the Pseudo-Lactantius in an Elegiac poem, Phœnix,
included in Weber’s Corpus Poetarum
Latinorum, and literally translated in Clark’s
Ante-Nicene Library. See also Tertull. De
Resurr. Carn. c. xiii. | . This bird,
as Clement writes, and as many more relate, being the only one
of its kind2255
| 2255 μονογενὲς
ὕπαρχον, Clem. Rom. ubi
supra. Cf. Origen, contra Celsum, iv. 98:
Apost. Const. V. 7: “a bird single in its
kind, which they say is without a mate, and the only one in the
creation.” Pseudo-Lactant. v. 30.
“Hoc nemus hos lucos avis incolit unica,
phœnix,
Unica, sed vivit morte refecta
suâ” | , arrives in the
land of the Egyptians at periods of five hundred years, shewing forth
the resurrection, not in desert places, lest the occurrence of the
mystery should remain unknown, but appearing in a notable city2256
, that men might even handle what would
otherwise be disbelieved. For it makes itself a coffin2257
| 2257 Ovid, Met. xv.
405: “Fertque pius cunasque suas patriumque
sepulcrum.” See the Commentaries on Job xxix. 18: I shall die in my nest,
and I shall multiply my days as the sand. Margin R.V. Or, the phœnix. | of frankincense and myrrh and other spices,
and entering into this when its years are fulfilled, it evidently dies
and moulders away. Then from the decayed flesh of the dead bird a
worm is engendered, and this worm when grown large is transformed into
a bird;—and do not disbelieve this, for thou seest the offspring
of bees also fashioned thus out of worms2258
| 2258 The mode of
reproduction in bees was regarded by Aristotle as mysterious, having in
it something supernatural (θεῖον): De Generatione
Animal. III. 10. 1, 27. In the story of the phœnix
Herodotus makes no mention of the “worm.” | ,
and from eggs which are quite fluid thou hast seen wings and bones and
sinews of birds issue. Afterwards the aforesaid Phoenix, becoming
fledged and a full-grown Phoenix, like the former one, soars up into
the air such as it had died, shewing forth to men a most evident
resurrection of the dead. The Phoenix indeed is a wondrous bird,
yet it is irrational, nor ever sang praise to God; it flies abroad
through the sky, but it knows not who is the Only-begotten Son of
God. Has then a resurrection from the dead been given to this
irrational creature which knows not its Maker, and to us who ascribe
glory to God and keep His commandments, shall there no resurrection be
granted?
9. But since the sign of the Phoenix is
remote and uncommon, and men still disbelieve our resurrection, take
again the proof of this from what thou seest every day. A hundred
or two hundred years ago, we all, speakers and hearers, where were
we? Know we not the groundwork of the substance of our
bodies? Knowest thou not how from weak and shapeless and
simple2259
elements we are
engendered, and out of what is simple and weak a living man is formed?
and how that weak element being made flesh is changed into strong
sinews, and bright eyes, and sensitive nose, and hearing ears, and
speaking tongue, and beating heart, and busy hands, and swift feet, and
into members of all kinds2260
| 2260 For a similar
argument, see Lactant. De Resurr. c
xvii. | ? and how that once
weak element becomes a shipwright, and a builder, and an architect, and
a craftsman of various arts, and a soldier, and a ruler, and a
lawgiver, and a king? Cannot God then, who has made us out of
imperfect materials, raise us up when we have fallen into decay?
He who thus flames a body out of what is vile, cannot He raise the
fallen body again? And He who fashions that which is not, shall
He not raise up that which is and is fallen?
10. Take further a manifest proof of the
resurrection of the dead, witnessed month by month in the sky and its
luminaries2261
| 2261 Clem. Rom. Epist.
ad Cor. xxiv: “Day and night shew unto us the
resurrection. The night falleth asleep, and day ariseth; the day
departeth, and night cometh on.” | . The body of
the moon vanishes completely, so that no part of it is any more seen,
yet it fills again, and is restored to its former state2262
| 2262 Tertull. de Resurr.
Carnis, xii.: “Readorned also are the mirrors of the
moon, which her monthly course had worn away.”…“The
whole of this revolving order of things bears witness to the
resurrection of the dead.” | ; and for the perfect demonstration of the
matter, the moon at certain revolutions of years suffering eclipse and
becoming manifestly changed into blood, yet recovers its luminous
body: God having provided this, that thou also, the man who art
formed of blood, mightest not refuse credence to the resurrection of
the dead, but mightest believe concerning thyself also what thou seest
in respect of the moon. These therefore use thou as arguments
against the Greeks; for with them who receive not what is written fight
thou with unwritten weapons, by reasonings only and demonstrations; for
these men know not who Moses is, nor Esaias, nor the Gospels, nor
Paul.
11. Turn now to the Samaritans, who,
receiving the Law only, allow not the Prophets. To them the text
just now read from Ezekiel appears of no force, for, as I said, they
admit no Prophets; whence then shall we persuade the Samaritans
also? Let us go to the writings of the Law. Now God says to
Moses, I am the God of Abraham, and of Isaac, and of
Jacob2263
; this must mean of
those who have being and subsistence. For if Abraham has
come to an end, and Isaac and
Jacob, then He is the God of those who have no being. When did a
king ever say, I am the king of soldiers, whom he had not? When
did any display wealth which he possessed not? Therefore Abraham
and Isaac and Jacob must subsist, that God may be the God of those who
have being; for He said not, “I was their God,” but I
am. And that there is a judgment, Abraham shews in saying to
the Lord, He who judgeth all the earth, shall He not execute
judgment2264
?
12. But to this the foolish Samaritans
object again, and say that the souls possibly of Abraham and Isaac and
Jacob continue, but that their bodies cannot possibly rise again.
Was it then possible that the rod of righteous Moses should become a
serpent, and is it impossible that the bodies of the righteous should
live and rise again? And was that done contrary to nature, and
shall they not be restored according to nature? Again, the rod of
Aaron, though cut off and dead, budded, without the scent of
waters2265
, and though under a
roof, sprouted forth into blossoms as in the fields; and though set in
dry places, yielded in one night the flowers and fruit of plants
watered for many years. Did Aaron’s rod rise, as it were,
from the dead, and shall not Aaron himself be raised? And did God
work wonders in wood, to secure to him the high-priesthood, and will He
not vouchsafe a resurrection to Aaron himself? A woman also was
made salt contrary to nature; and flesh was turned into salt; and shall
not flesh be restored to flesh? Was Lot’s wife made a
pillar of salt, and shall not Abraham’s wife be raised
again? By what power was Moses’ hand changed, which even
within one hour became as snow, and was restored again? Certainly
by God’s command. Was then His command of force then, and
has it no force now?
13. And whence in the beginning came man
into being at all, O ye Samaritans, most senseless of all men? Go
to the first book of the Scripture, which even you receive; And God
formed man of the dust of the ground2266
. Is dust transformed into flesh, and
shall not flesh be again restored to flesh? You must be asked
too, whence the heavens had their being, and earth, and seas?
Whence sun, and moon, and stars? How from the waters were made
the things which fly and swim? And how from earth all its living
things? Were so many myriads brought from nothing into being, and
shall we men, who bear God’s image, not be raised up? Truly
this course is full of unbelief, and the unbelievers are much to be
condemned; when Abraham addresses the Lord as the Judge of all the
earth, and the learners of the Law disbelieve; when it is written
that man is of the earth, and the readers disbelieve it2267
| 2267 The anomalous
construction ὅταν
γέγραπται
.…καὶ
ἀπιστῶσιν may be
explained by the consideration, that the uncertainty expressed in
ὅταν attaches only to the latter
Verb. See Winer’s Grammar of N.T. Greek, P. III.
sect. xlii. 5. | .
14. These questions, therefore, are for
them, the unbelievers: but the words of the Prophets are for us
who believe. But since some who have also used the Prophets
believe not what is written, and allege against us that passage, The
ungodly shall not rise up in judgment2268
,
and, For if man go down to the grave he shall come up no
more2269
, and, The dead
shall not praise Thee, O Lord2270
,—for of
what is well written, they have made ill use—it will be well in a
cursory manner, and as far as is now possible, to meet them. For
if it is said, that the ungodly shall not rise up in judgment,
this shews that they shall rise, not in judgment, but in condemnation;
for God needs not long scrutiny, but close on the resurrection of the
ungodly follows also their punishment. And if it is said, The
dead shall not praise Thee, O Lord, this shews, that since in this
life only is the appointed time for repentance and pardon, for which
they who enjoy it shall praise the Lord, it remains not after
death for them who have died in sins to give praise as the receivers of
a blessing, but to bewail themselves; for praise belongs to them who
give thanks, but to them who are under the scourge, lamentation.
Therefore the just then offer praise; but they who have died in sins
have no further season for confession2271
| 2271 As to the bearing of
this passage on the doctrine of Purgatory and prayer for the dead see
note on xxiii. 10. | .
15. And respecting that passage, If a man
go down to the grave, he shall come up no more, observe what
follows, for it is written, He shall come up no more, neither shall
he return to his own house. For since the whole world shall
pass away, and every house shall be destroyed, how shall he return to
his own house, there being henceforth a new and different earth?
But they ought to have heard Job, saying, For there is hope of a
tree; for if it be cut down, it will sprout again, and the tender
branch thereof will not cease. For though the root thereof wax
old in the earth, and the stock thereof die in the rocky ground; yet
from the scent of water it will bud, and bring forth a crop like a new
plant. But man when he dies, is gone; and when mortal man falls,
is he no more2272
? As it were
remonstrating and reproving (for thus ought we to read the words is no more with an
interrogation2273
| 2273 There is no
indication of a question in the Septuagint version of the passage,
which means in the Hebrew, and where is he? (A.V. and R.V.):
Vulg. ubi, quæso, est? | ); he says since a
tree falls and revives, shall not man, for whom all trees were made,
himself revive? And that thou mayest not suppose that I am
forcing the words, read what follows; for after saying by way of
question, When mortal man falls, is he no more? he says, For
if a man die, he shall live again2274
| 2274 Job xiv. 14: For if a man die, shall
he live again? (A.V. and R.V.). By omitting the interrogation here, and
inserting it above in v. 10, Cyril exactly inverts the
meaning. | ; and immediately
he adds, I will wait till I be made again2275
; and again elsewhere, Who shall raise up
on the earth my skin, which endures these things2276
| 2276 Job xix. 26: (R.V.) and that he shall
stand up at the last upon the earth: and after my skin hath been
thus destroyed, &c. Cyril, as usual, follows the
Septuagint. | . And Esaias the Prophet says, The
dead men shall rise again, and they that are in the tombs shall
awake2277
. And the
Prophet Ezekiel now before us, says most plainly, Behold I will open
your graves, and bring you up out of your graves2278
. And Daniel says, Many of them that
sleep in the dust of the earth shall arise, some to everlasting life,
and some to everlasting shame2279
.
16. And many Scriptures there are which
testify of the Resurrection of the dead; for there are many other
sayings on this matter. But now, by way of remembrance only, we
will make a passing mention of the raising of Lazarus on the fourth
day; and just allude, because of the shortness of the time, to the
widow’s son also who was raised, and merely for the sake of
reminding you, let me mention the ruler of the synagogue’s
daughter, and the rending of the rocks, and how there arose many
bodies of the saints which slept2280
, their graves
having been opened. But specially be it remembered that Christ
has been raised from the dead2281
. I speak
but in passing of Elias, and the widow’s son whom he raised; of
Elisseus also, who raised the dead twice; once in his lifetime, and
once after his death. For when alive he wrought the resurrection
by means of his own soul2282
; but that not the
souls only of the just might be honoured, but that it might be believed
that in the bodies also of the just there lies a power, the corpse
which was cast into the sepulchre of Elisseus, when it touched the dead
body of the prophet, was quickened, and the dead body of the prophet
did the work of the soul, and that which was dead and buried gave life
to the dead, and though it gave life, yet continued itself among the
dead. Wherefore? Lest if Elisseus should rise again, the
work should be ascribed to his soul alone; and to shew, that even
though the soul is not present, a virtue resides in the body of the
saints, because of the righteous soul which has for so many years dwelt
in it, and used it as its minister2283
| 2283 “The
worship of relics, and the belief in them as remedies and a protection
against evil, originated in the 4th century. They first (?)
appear in writings, none of which are earlier than the year 370:
but they prevailed rapidly when they had once taken root”
(Scudamore, Dict. Chr. Antiq. “Relics,” p.
1770). Bingham (Ant. xxiii. 4, § 7) quotes a law of
Theodosius, “that no one should remove any dead body that was
buried, from one place to another; that no one should sell or buy the
relics of Martyrs: but if any one was minded to build over the
grave where a martyr was buried, a church to be called a
martyrium, in respect to him, he should have liberty to do
it.” The law wholly failed to suppress a superstition which
was sanctioned by such men as Cyril, Basil, Chrysostom, Ambrose, and
Augustine. | . And let
us not foolishly disbelieve, as though this thing had not
happened: for if handkerchiefs and aprons, which are from
without, touching the bodies of the diseased, raised up the sick, how
much more should the very body of the Prophet raise the
dead?
17. And with respect to these instances we
might say much, rehearsing in detail the marvellous circumstances of
each event: but as you have been already wearied both by the
superposed fast of the Preparation2284
| 2284 ἐκ
τῆς
ὑπερθέσεως
τῆς νηστείας
τῆς
παρασκευῆς,
Ed. Bened. “The ecclesiastical term τῆς
ὑπερθέσεως
we have rendered, according to the interpretation received among the
Latins, by the word ‘superpositio.’ The
ancients meant by it a fast continued for two or three days without
food. Moreover, since the great week was observed with severer
fastings, there were many who passed either the whole week or four,
three, or two days, namely the Preparation and the Holy Sabbath (Easter
Eve), entirely fasting as is testified by S. Irenæus (Euseb.
Hist. V. 24) and others. The continuance of the fast
throughout the Friday and Saturday was highly approved, as may be seen
from the Apostolical Constitutions, V. 18.” The
passage referred to is as follows: “Do you therefore fast
on the days of the Passover, beginning from the second day of the week
until the Preparation and the Sabbath, six days, making use only of
bread, and salt, and herbs, and water for your drink: but abstain
on these days from wine and flesh, for they are days of lamentation and
not of fasting. Do ye who are able fast throughout the
Preparation and the Sabbath entirely, tasting nothing till the
cockcrowing at night; but if any one is not able to combine them both,
let the Sabbath at least be observed.” | , and by the
watchings2285
| 2285 The fast of the Great
Sabbath was to be continued through the night, as prescribed in the
Apost. Const. V. 19: “Continue until cock-crowing
and break off your fast at dawn of the first day of the week, which is
the Lord’s day, keeping awake from evening until
cock-crowing: and assembling together in the Church, watch and
pray and beseech God, in your night-long vigil, reading the Law, the
Prophets, and the Psalms, until the crowing of the cocks: and
after baptizing your Catechumens, and reading the Gospel in fear and
trembling, and speaking to the people the things pertaining to
salvation, so cease from your mourning.” A chief reason for
the watching was that Christ was expected to return at the same hour in
which He rose. On the meaning of “superposition” see
Routh’s note on the Synodical Epistle of Irenæus to Victor
of Rome (Rell. Sac. ii. p. 45, ss.), and the passage of
Dionysius of Alexandria there quoted. | , let what has been
cursorily spoken concerning them suffice for a while; these words
having been as it were sown thinly, that you, receiving the seed like
richest ground, may in bearing fruit increase them. But be it
remembered, that the Apostles also raised the dead; Peter raised
Tabitha in Joppa, and Paul raised Eutychus in Troas; and thus did all
the other Apostles, even though the wonders wrought by each have not
all been written. Further, remember all the sayings in the first
Epistle to the Corinthians, which Paul wrote against them who said,
How are the dead raised, and with what manner of body do they
come2286
? And
how he says, For if the dead rise not, then is not Christ
raised2287
; and how he called
them fools2288
, who believed not;
and remember the whole of his teaching there concerning the
resurrection of the dead, and how he wrote to the Thessalonians, But
we would not have you to be ignorant, brethren, concerning them which
are asleep, that ye sorrow not, even as the rest which have no
hope2289
, and all that
follows: but chiefly that, And the dead in Christ shall rise
first2290
.
18. But especially mark this, how very
pointedly2291
| 2291 μονονουχὶ
δακτυλοδεικτῶν. | Paul says, For
this corruptible must put on incorruption, and this mortal must put on
immortality2292
. For this
body shall be raised not remaining weak as now; but raised the very
same body, though by putting on incorruption it shall be fashioned
anew2293
| 2293 μεταποιεῖται. The meaning of this word as applied to the Eucharistic elements
is fully discussed, and illustrated from its use by Cyril and other
Fathers, by Dr. Pusey (Real Presence, p. 189). | ,—as iron blending with fire becomes
fire, or rather as He knows how, the Lord who raises us. This
body therefore shall be raised, but it shall abide not such as it now
is, but an eternal body; no longer needing for its life such
nourishment as now, nor stairs for its ascent, for it shall be made
spiritual, a marvellous thing, such as we cannot worthily speak
of. Then, it is said, shall the righteous shine forth
as the sun2294
, and the moon,
and as the brightness of the firmament2295
. And God, fore-knowing men’s
unbelief, has given to little worms in the summer to dart beams of
light from their body2296
| 2296 Cyril refers to the
glow-worm (πυγολαμπίς,
Aristot. Hist. Animal. V. 19, 14), or some other species of
Lampyris (Arist. de Partilus Animal. I. 3. 3). | , that from what is
seen, that which is looked for might be believed; for He who gives in
part is able to give the whole also, and He who made the worm radiant
with light, will much more illuminate a righteous man.
19. We shall be raised therefore, all with
our bodies eternal, but not all with bodies alike: for if a man
is righteous, he will receive a heavenly body, that he may be able
worthily to hold converse with Angels; but if a man is a sinner, he
shall receive an eternal body, fitted to endure the penalties of sins,
that he may burn eternally in fire, nor ever be consumed2297
. And righteously will God assign this
portion to either company; for we do nothing without the body. We
blaspheme with the mouth, and with the mouth we pray. With the
body we commit fornication, and with the body we keep chastity.
With the hand we rob, and by the hand we bestow alms; and the rest in
like manner. Since then the body has been our minister in all
things, it shall also share with us in the future the fruits of the
past2298
| 2298 τῶν
γενομένων.
With the reading γινομένων
(Codd. Monn. Vind.), the meaning will be—“share with us in
the future what shall happen to us then.” On the argument
of this section compare the passages quoted on § 4, note 7. | .
20. Therefore, brethren, let us be careful
of our bodies, nor misuse them as though not our own. Let us not
say like the heretics, that this vesture of the body belongs not to us,
but let us be careful of it as our own; for we must give account to the
Lord of all things done through the body. Say not, none seeth me;
think not, that there is no witness of the deed. Human witness
oftentimes there is not; but He who fashioned us, an unerring
witness, abides faithful in heaven2299
, and beholds what thou doest. And the
stains of sin also remain in the body; for as when a wound has gone
deep into the body, even if there has been a healing, the scar remains,
so sin wounds soul and body, and the marks of its scars remain in all;
and they are removed only from those who receive the washing of
Baptism. The past wounds therefore of soul and body God heals by
Baptism; against future ones let us one and all jointly guard
ourselves, that we may keep this vestment of the body pure, and may not
for practising fornication and sensual indulgence or any other sin for
a short season, lose the salvation of heaven, but may inherit the
eternal kingdom of God; of which may God, of His own grace, deem all of
you worthy.
21. Thus much in proof of the Resurrection
of the dead; and now, let me again recite to you the profession of the
faith, and do you with all diligence pronounce it while I
speak2300
| 2300 Cat. V. 12, notes 7
and 4. Cf. Plat. Theaet. 204 C: ἐφ᾽
ἑκάστης
λέξεως, “each time we
speak.” | , and remember it.
______________________
22. The Faith which we rehearse contains in
order the following, “And in one Baptism of
repentance for the remission of sins; and in one Holy Catholic Church;
and in the resurrection of the flesh; and in eternal
life.” Now of Baptism and repentance I have spoken
in the earliest Lectures; and my present remarks concerning the
resurrection of the dead have been made with reference to the Article
“In the resurrection of the flesh.” Now then let me
finish what still remains to be said for the Article, “In one
Holy Catholic Church,” on which, though one might say many
things, we will speak but briefly.
23. It is called Catholic then because it
extends over all the world,
from one end of the earth to the other; and because it teaches
universally and completely one and all the doctrines which ought to
come to men’s knowledge, concerning things both visible and
invisible, heavenly and earthly2301
| 2301 Bishop Lightfoot
(Ignatius, ad Smyrnæos, viii.) traces the original and
later senses of the word “Catholic” very fully.
“In its earliest usages, therefore, as a fluctuating epithet of
ἐκκλησία,
‘catholic’ means ‘universal,’ as opposed to
‘individual,’ ‘particular.’ In its later
sense, as a fixed attribute, it implies orthodoxy as opposed to heresy,
conformity as opposed to dissent.” Commenting on this
passage of Cyril, the Bishop adds that “these two latter reasons,
that it (the Church) is comprehensive in doctrine, and that it is
universal in application, can only be regarded as secondary
glosses.” | ; and because
it brings into subjection to godliness the whole race of mankind,
governors and governed, learned and unlearned; and because it
universally treats and heals the whole class of sins, which are
committed by soul or body, and possesses in itself every form of virtue
which is named, both in deeds and words, and in every kind of spiritual
gifts.
24. And it is rightly named (Ecclesia)
because it calls forth2302
and assembles
together all men; according as the Lord says in Leviticus, And make
an assembly for all the congregation at the door of the tabernacle of
witness2303
. And it is to
be noted, that the word assemble, is used for the first time in
the Scriptures here, at the time when the Lord puts Aaron into the
High-priesthood. And in Deuteronomy also the Lord says to Moses,
Assemble the people unto Me, and let them hear My words, that they
may learn to fear Me2304
. And he again
mentions the name of the Church, when he says concerning the Tables,
And on them were written all the words which the Lord spake with you
in the mount out of the midst of the fire in the day of the
Assembly2305
; as if he had said
more plainly, in the day in which ye were called and gathered together
by God. The Psalmist also says, I will give thanks unto Thee,
O Lord, in the great Congregation; I will praise Thee among much
people2306
| 2306 Ps. xxxv. 18; Heb. ii. 12. | .
25. Of old the Psalmist sang, Bless ye
God in the congregations, even the Lord, (ye that are) from the
fountains of Israel2307
. But after
the Jews for the plots which they made against the Saviour were cast
away from His grace, the Saviour built out of the Gentiles a second
Holy Church, the Church of us Christians, concerning which he said to
Peter, And upon this rock I will build My Church, and the gates of
hell shall not prevail against it2308
. And David prophesying of both these,
said plainly of the first which was rejected, I have hated the
Congregation of evil doers2309
; but of the second
which is built up he says in the same Psalm, Lord, I have loved the
beauty of Thine house2310
; and immediately
afterwards, In the Congregations will I bless thee, O
Lord2311
. For now that
the one Church in Judæa is cast off, the Churches of Christ are
increased over all the world; and of them it is said in the Psalms,
Sing unto the Lord a new song, His praise in the Congregation of
Saints2312
. Agreeably to
which the prophet also said to the Jews, I have no pleasure in you,
saith the Lord Almighty2313
; and immediately
afterwards, For from the rising of the sun even unto the going down
of the same, My name is glorified among the Gentiles2314
. Concerning this Holy Catholic Church
Paul writes to Timothy, That thou mayest know how thou oughtest to
behave thyself in the House of God, which is the Church of the Living
God, the pillar and ground of the truth2315
.
26. But since the word Ecclesia is applied
to different things (as also it is written of the multitude in the
theatre of the Ephesians, And when he had thus spoken, he dismissed
the Assembly2316
), and since one
might properly and truly say that there is a Church of evil
doers, I mean the meetings of the heretics, the Marcionists and
Manichees, and the rest, for this cause the Faith has securely
delivered to thee now the Article, “And in one Holy Catholic
Church;” that thou mayest avoid their wretched meetings, and ever
abide with the Holy Church Catholic in which thou wast
regenerated. And if ever thou art sojourning in cities, inquire
not simply where the Lord’s House is (for the other sects of the
profane also attempt to call their own dens houses of the Lord), nor
merely where the Church is, but where is the Catholic Church. For
this is the peculiar name of this Holy Church, the mother of us all,
which is the spouse of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Only-begotten Son of
God (for it is written, As Christ also loved the Church and gave
Himself for it2317
, and all the rest,)
and is a figure and copy of Jerusalem which is above, which is free,
and the mother of us all2318
; which before was
barren, but now has many children.
27. For when the first Church was cast off,
in the second, which is the Catholic Church, God hath set, as
Paul says, first Apostles, secondly Prophets, thirdly teachers, then
miracles, then gifts of healings, helps, governments, divers kinds of
tongues2319
, and every sort of
virtue, I mean wisdom and understanding, temperance and justice, mercy
and loving-kindness, and patience unconquerable in persecutions. She, by the
armour of righteousness on the right hand and on the left, by honour
and dishonour2320
, in former days
amid persecutions and tribulations crowned the holy martyrs with the
varied and blooming chaplets of patience, and now in times of peace by
God’s grace receives her due honours from kings and those who
are in high place2321
, and from every
sort and kindred of men. And while the kings of particular
nations have bounds set to their authority, the Holy Church Catholic
alone extends her power without limit over the whole world; for
God, as it is written, hath made her border peace2322
. But I should need many more hours for
my discourse, if I wished to speak of all things which concern
her.
______________________
28. In this Holy Catholic Church receiving
instruction and behaving ourselves virtuously, we shall attain the
kingdom of heaven, and inherit eternal life;
for which also we endure all toils, that we may be made partakers
thereof from the Lord. For ours is no trifling aim, but our
endeavour is for eternal life. Wherefore in the profession of the
Faith, after the words, “And in the
resurrection of the flesh,” that is, of the dead (of which
we have discoursed), we are taught to believe also “in the life eternal,” for which as Christians we are
striving.
29. The real and true life then is the
Father, who through the Son in the Holy Spirit pours forth as from a
fountain His heavenly gifts to all; and through His love to man, the
blessings of the life eternal are promised without fail to us men
also. We must not disbelieve the possibility of this, but having
an eye not to our own weakness but to His power, we must believe;
for with God all things are possible. And that this is
possible, and that we may look for eternal life, Daniel declares,
And of the many righteous shall they shine as the stars for ever and
ever2323
. And Paul
says, And so shall we be ever with the Lord2324
: for the being for ever with the
Lord implies the life eternal. But most plainly of all the
Saviour Himself says in the Gospel, And these shall go away into
eternal punishment, but the righteous into life eternal2325
.
30. And many are the proofs concerning the
life eternal. And when we desire to gain this eternal life, the
sacred Scriptures suggest to us the ways of gaining it; of which,
because of the length of our discourse, the texts we now set before you
shall be but few, the rest being left to the search of the
diligent. They declare at one time that it is by faith; for it is
written, He that believeth on the Son hath eternal life2326
, and what follows; and again He says
Himself, Verily, verily, I say unto you, He that heareth My word,
and believeth Him that sent Me, hath eternal life2327
, and the rest. At another time, it is
by the preaching of the Gospel; for He says, that He that reapeth
receiveth wages, and gathereth fruit unto life eternal2328
. At another time, by martyrdom and
confession in Christ’s name; for He says, And he that hateth
his life in this world, shall keep it unto life eternal2329
. And again, by preferring Christ to
riches or kindred; And every one that hath forsaken brethren, or
sisters2330
, and the rest,
shall inherit eternal life. Moreover it is by keeping the
commandments, Thou shalt not commit adultery, Thou shalt not
kill2331
, and the rest which
follow; as He answered to him that came to Him, and said, Good
Master, what shall I do that I may have eternal life2332
? But further, it is by departing from
evil works, and henceforth serving God; for Paul says, But now being
made free from sin, and become servants to God, ye have your fruit unto
sanctification, and the end eternal life2333
.
31. And the ways of finding eternal life are
many, though I have passed over them by reason of their number.
For the Lord in His loving-kindness has opened, not one or two only,
but many doors, by which to enter into the life eternal, that, as far
as lay in Him, all might enjoy it without hindrance. Thus much
have we for the present spoken within compass concerning the life eternal, which is the last doctrine of those
professed in the Faith, and its termination; which life may we all,
both teachers and hearers, by God’s grace enjoy!
______________________
32. And now, brethren beloved, the word of
instruction exhorts you all, to prepare your souls for the reception of
the heavenly gifts. As regards the Holy and Apostolic Faith
delivered to you to profess, we have spoken through the grace of the
Lord as many Lectures, as was possible, in these past days of Lent; not
that this is all we ought to have said, for many are the points
omitted; and these perchance are thought out better by more excellent
teachers. But now the holy day of the Passover is at hand, and
ye, beloved2334
| 2334 τῆς
ὑμετέρας ἐν
Χριστῷ
ἀγάπης. Cf. Cat. xvii. 1,
note 1. Athan. Epist. ad Epict. § 2:
παρὰ τῇ
σῇ
θεοσεβείά. ad
Serap. iv. 1: παρὰ τῆς σῆς
εὐλαβείας. | in Christ, are to
be enlightened by the Laver of regeneration. Ye shall
therefore again be taught what is requisite, if God so will; with how great devotion
and order you must enter in when summoned, for what purpose each of the
holy mysteries of Baptism is performed, and with what reverence and
order you must go from Baptism to the Holy Altar of God, and enjoy its
spiritual and heavenly mysteries; that your souls being previously
enlightened by the word of doctrine, ye may discover in each particular
the greatness of the gifts bestowed on you by God.
33. And after Easter’s Holy Day of
salvation, ye shall come on each successive day, beginning from the
second day of the week, after the assembly into the Holy Place of the
Resurrection2335
| 2335 The place meant
is not the Church of the Resurrection in which the Service had been
held, but the Anastasis or actual cave of the Resurrection, which
Constantine had so enlarged by additional works that a discourse to the
people could be held there: for Jerome (Epist. 61) relates
that Epiphanius had preached in that place in front of the Lord’s
sepulchre to clergy and people in the hearing of John the Bishop (Ben.
Ed.). | , and there, if God
permit, ye shall hear other Lectures; in which ye shall again be taught
the reasons of every thing which has been done, and shall receive the
proofs thereof from the Old and New Testaments,—first, of the
things done just before Baptism,—next, how ye were cleansed from
your sins by the Lord, by the washing of water with the
word2336
,—and how like
Priests ye have become partakers of the Name of Christ,—and how
the Seal of the fellowship of the Holy Ghost was given to
you,—and concerning the mysteries at the Altar of the New
Testament, which have taken their beginning from this place, both what
the Divine Scriptures have delivered to us, and what is the power of
these mysteries, and how ye must approach them, and when and how
receive them;—and at the end of all, how for the time to come ye
must behave yourselves worthily of this grace both in words and deeds,
that you may all be enabled to enjoy the life everlasting. And
these things shall be spoken, if it be God’s pleasure.
34. Finally, my brethren, rejoice in the
Lord alway; again I will say, Rejoice: for your redemption hath
drawn nigh2337
| 2337 Phil. iii. 1; and iv. 4; Luke xxi.
28. | , and the heavenly
host of the Angels is waiting for your salvation. And there is
now the voice of one crying in the wilderness, Prepare ye the way of
the Lord2338
; and the Prophet
cries, Ho, ye that thirst, come ye to the water2339
; and immediately afterwards, Hearken unto
me, and ye shall eat that which is good, and your soul shall delight
itself in good things2340
. And within a
little while ye shall hear that excellent lesson which says, Shine,
shine, O thou new Jerusalem; for thy light is come2341
. Of this Jerusalem the prophet hath
said, And afterwards thou shalt be called the city of righteousness,
Zion, the faithful mother of cities2342
;
because of the law which went forth out of Zion, and the word of the
Lord from Jerusalem2343
, which word has
from hence been showered forth on the whole world. To her the
Prophet also says concerning you, Lift up thine eyes round about,
and behold thy children gathered together2344
;
and she answers, saying, Who are these that fly as a cloud, and as
doves with their young ones to me2345
?
(clouds because of their spiritual nature, and doves,
from their purity). And again, she says, Who knoweth such
things? or who hath seen it thus? did ever a land bring forth in one
day? or was ever a nation born all at once? for as soon as Zion
travailed, she brought forth her children2346
. And all things shall be filled with
joy unspeakable because of the Lord who said, Behold, I create
Jerusalem a rejoicing, and her people a joy2347
.
35. And may these words be spoken now again
over you also, Sing, O heavens, and be joyful, O earth; and
then; for the Lord hath had mercy on His people, and comforted the
lowly of His people2348
. And this
shall come to pass through the loving-kindness of God, who says to you,
Behold, I will blot out as a cloud thy transgressions, and as a
thick cloud thy sins2349
. But ye who
have been counted worthy of the name of Faithful (of whom it is
written, Upon My servants shall be called a new name which shall be
blessed on the earth2350
,) ye shall say with
gladness, Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ,
who hath blessed us with every spiritual blessing in the heavenly
places in Christ2351
: in whom
we have our redemption through His blood, the forgiveness of our sins,
according to the riches of His grace, wherein He abounded towards
us2352
, and what follows;
and again, But God being rich in mercy, for His great love wherewith
He loved us, when we were dead through our trespasses, quickened us
together with Christ2353
, and the
rest. And again in like manner praise ye the Lord of all good
things, saying, But when the kindness of God our Saviour, and His
love towards man appeared, not by works of righteousness which we had
done, but according to His mercy He saved us, through the washing of
regeneration, and the renewing of the Holy Ghost, which He shed on us
abundantly through Jesus Christ our Saviour, that being
justified by His grace, we might
be made heirs, according to hope, of eternal life2354
. And may God Himself the Father
of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Father of glory, give unto you a
spirit of wisdom and revelation in the knowledge of Himself, the eyes
of your understanding being enlightened2355
,
and may He ever keep you in good works, and words, and thoughts; to
Whom be glory, honour, and power, through our Lord Jesus Christ, with
the Holy Ghost, now and ever, and unto all the endless ages of
eternity. Amen2356
.E.C.F. INDEX & SEARCH
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