1-19:19
Καὶ κατανοοῦντι, τί ἀπιστότερον ἂν μᾶλλον δόξαι, ἢ εἰ ἐν σώματι μὴ ὑπήρχομεν καί τις ἔλεγεν, ἐκ μικρᾶς τινος ῥανίδος τῆς τοῦ ἀνθρωπείου σπέρματος δυνατὸν ὀστέα τε καὶ νεῦρα καὶ σάρκας εἰκονοποιηθέντα, οἷα ὁρῶμεν, γενέσθαι; Ἔστω γὰρ νῦν ἐφ ὑποθέσεως λεγόμενον.· εἴ τιςἱ μῖν μὴ οὖσι τοιούτοις μηδὲ τοιούτων ἔλεγε, τὸ σπέρμα τὸ ἀνθρώπειον δεικνὺς καὶ εἰκόνα γραπτήν, ἐκ τοῦ τοιοῦδε τοιόνδε γενέσθαι διαβεβαιούμενος, πρὶν ἰδεῖν γενόμενον ἐπιστεύσατε; οὐκ ἄν τις τολμήσειεν ἀντειπεῖν. Τὸν αὐτὸν οὗν τρόπον διὰ τὸ μήπω ἑωρακέναι ὑμᾶς ἀναστάντα νεκρὸν ἀπιστία ἔχει. Ἀλλ ὃν τρόπον τὴν ἀρχὴν οὐκ ἂν ἐπιστεύσατε ἐκ τῆς μικρᾶς ῥανίδος δυνατὸν τοιούτους γενέσθαι, καὶ ὁρᾶτε γινομένους, τὸν αὐτὸν τρόπον λογίσασθε, ὅτι διαλυθέντα καὶ δίκην σπερμάτων εἰς γῆν διαχυθέντα τὰ ἀνθρώπεια σώματα κατὰ καιρὸν προστάξει θεοῦ ἀναστῆναι καὶ ἀφθαρσίαν ἐνδύσασθαι οὐκ ἀδύνατον. Ποίαν γὰρ ἀξίαν θεοῦ δύναμιν λέγουσιν οἱ φάσκοντες εἰς ἐκεῖνο χωρεῖν ἕκαστον ἐξ οὗπερ ἐγένετο, καὶ παρὰ ταῦτα μηδὲν ἄλλο δύνασθαι μηδὲ τὸν θεόν, οὐκ ἔχομεν λέγειν· ἀλλ ἐκεῖνο συνορῶμεν, ὅτι οὐκ ἂν ἐπίστευσαν δυνατὸν εἶναι τοιούτους ποτὲ γενέσθαι, ὁποίους καὶ ἑαυτοὺς καὶ τὸν σύμπαντα κόσμον καὶ ἐξ ὁποίων γεγενημένα ὁρῶσι. Κρεῖττον δὲ πιστεύειν καὶ τὰ τῇ ἑαυτῶν φύσει καὶ ἀνθρώποις ἀδύνατα, ἢ ὁμοίως τοῖς ἄλλοις ἀπιστεῖν παρειλήφαμεν, ἐπειδὴ καὶ τὸν ἡμέτερον διδάσκαλον Ἰησοῦν Χριστὸν ἔγνωμεν εἰπόντα· Τὰ ἀδύνατα παρὰ ἀνθρώποις δυνατὰ παρὰ θεῷ. Καὶ εἶπε· Μὴ φοβεῖσθε τοὺς ἀναιροῦντας ὑμᾶς καὶ μετὰ ταῦτα μὴ δυναμένους τι ποιῆσαι, φοβήθητε δὲ τὸν μετὰ τὸ ἀποθανεῖν δυνάμενον καὶ ψυχὴν καὶ σῶμα εἰς γέενναν ἐμβαλεῖν.Ἡ δὲ γέεννά ἐστι τόπος, ἔνθα κολάζεσθαι μέλλουσιν οἱ ἀδίκως βιώσαντες καὶ μὴ πιστεύοντες ταῦτα γενήσεσθαι, ὅσα ὁ θεὸς διὰ τοῦ Χριστοῦ ἐδίδαξε
對一個細想的人而言，還有甚麼比這更難信的呢：假如我們本不存在於身體之中，而有人說，從人精的一小滴，竟能形成並生出我們所見的骨、筋與肉來？如今姑且作個假設來說：倘若在你還不是這樣的存在、也未由這樣的存在所生之先，有人指著人的精和一幅畫像，斷言從這樣的東西要生出那樣的存在，你在親眼見它應驗之先，會信麼？沒有人敢加以否認。照樣，正因你們還沒有見過死人復活，所以不信便挾制著你們。但正如起初你們本不信從那一小滴能生出這樣的存在，如今卻看見牠們確實生出來了；照樣你們也當思想：人的身體既已朽散、像種子般撒入土中，到了所定的時候，靠神的吩咐再次復起、穿上不朽壞，乃並非不可能的事。至於那些說「萬物各歸於它所從出之處、除此以外連神也別無所能」的人，究竟把何等配得神的能力歸給祂，我們說不上來；但這一點我們看得明白：他們本也不信，竟能有像他們自己、像整個宇宙這樣的存在出現，也不信能從他們所見之物生成這一切。我們既知道我們的教師耶穌基督說過「在人所不能的，在神卻能」，便領受了這道理：寧可相信那些連我們本性、連人都認為不可能的事，也不要像別人那樣不信。祂又說：「那殺身體、以後不能再作甚麼的，不要怕他；惟有那在人死後能把魂和身體都丟在地獄裏的，才當怕祂。」這地獄乃是一個地方，那些行了不義、又不信神藉基督所教導之事必要應驗的人，將在那裏受刑。
And to one who reflects, what could seem more incredible than this: if we did not exist in a body, and someone said that from a small drop of human seed it is possible for bones and sinews and flesh to be formed and come into being, such as we behold? Let it now be said by way of supposition: if, when you did not yet exist as such, nor were born of such, someone showed you the human seed and a painted likeness, and affirmed that from such a thing such a being comes to be, would you have believed it before seeing it come to pass? No one would dare to contradict it. In the same way, then, because you have not yet seen a dead man rise, unbelief holds you. But just as at first you would not have believed that from the small drop such beings could come into being, and yet you see them coming into being, in the same way reckon that it is not impossible for human bodies, when they have been dissolved and scattered into the earth like seeds, to rise again at the appointed time by the command of God and to put on incorruption. For what power worthy of God those ascribe to him who say that each thing passes into that out of which it came, and that beyond this not even God can do anything else, we cannot say; but this much we see, that they would not have believed it possible for such beings ever to come to be as they themselves are, and as the whole universe is, and from what things they see them generated. And we have received that it is better to believe even things impossible to our own nature and to men, than to disbelieve like the others, since we have learned that our teacher Jesus Christ said: 'The things impossible with men are possible with God.' And he said: 'Do not fear those who kill you and after that can do nothing more, but fear him who after death is able to cast both soul and body into Gehenna.' And Gehenna is a place where those are to be punished who have lived unjustly and have not believed that these things shall come to pass which God taught through Christ.