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Translated from the Greek original by Frederick Crombie.
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128 Pages
Page 109
But since the resurrection of Jesus Christ is a subject of mockery to unbelievers, we shall quote the words of Plato, [3265] that Erus the son of Armenius rose from the funeral pile twelve days after he had been laid upon it, and gave an account of what he had seen in Hades; and as we are replying to unbelievers, it will not be altogether useless to refer in this place to what Heraclides [3266] relates respecting the woman who was deprived of life. And many persons are recorded to have risen from their tombs, not only on the day of their burial, but also on the day following. What wonder is it, then, if in the case of One who performed many marvellous things, both beyond the power of man and with such fulness of evidence, that he who could not deny their performance, endeavoured to calumniate them by comparing them to acts of sorcery, should have manifested also in His death some greater display of divine power, so that His soul, if it pleased, might leave its body, and having performed certain offices out of it, might return again at pleasure? And such a declaration is Jesus said to have made in the Gospel of John, when He said: "No man taketh My life from Me, but I lay it down of Myself. I have power to lay it down, and I have power to take it again." [3267] And perhaps it was on this account that He hastened His departure from the body, that He might preserve it, and that His legs might not be broken, as were those of the robbers who were crucified with Him. "For the soldiers brake the legs of the first, and of the other who was crucified with Him; but when they came to Jesus, and saw that He was dead, they brake not His legs." [3268] We have accordingly answered the question, "How is it credible that Jesus could have predicted these things?" And with respect to this, "How could the dead man be immortal?" let him who wishes to understand know, that it is not the dead man who is immortal, but He who rose from the dead. So far, indeed, was the dead man from being immortal, that even the Jesus before His decease--the compound being, who was to suffer death--was not immortal. [3269] For no one is immortal who is destined to die; but he is immortal when he shall no longer be subject to death. But "Christ, being raised from the dead, dieth no more: death hath no more dominion over Him;" [3270] although those may be unwilling to admit this who cannot understand how such things should be said.
[3265] Cf. Plato, de Rep., x. p. 614.
[3266] Cf. Plin., Nat. Hist., vii. c. 52.
[3267] John x. 18.
[3268] John xix. 32, 33.
[3269] Ou monon oun ouch ho nekros athanatos, all' oud' ho pro tou nekrou 'Iesous ho sunthetos athanatos en, hos ge emelle tethnexesthai.
[3270] Rom. vi. 9.
Reference address : https://ellopos.net/elpenor/greek-texts/fathers/origen/against-celsus.asp?pg=109
