On the Resurrection 1.57–2.2

Methodius of Olympus · On the Resurrection · late 3rd cent. (disputed) · place unknown · 6 passages

Greek text: Bonwetsch, GCS 27 (Greek text and German translation of the Old Slavonic: G. N. Bonwetsch, Methodius (GCS 27, 1917); OCR made for this site).English: Claude (claude-opus-5-5), public domain (CC0). Compare: Ante-Nicene Fathers, vol. 6 (1886).

Chapter 1

1.57Bonwetsch GCS 27:317

Ἔτι δὲ ἐκεῖνο διασκεπτέον, ἐν ᾧ πολυμόρφοις ἐμφανταζόμενοι ἀπάταις, καθευδόντων τρόπον, ἀποφαίνονται τὸν ἀπόστολον εἰρηκέναι »ἐγὼ δὲ ἔζων χωρὶς νόμου ποτέ«, καὶ βοῶσι, Τὴν πρὸ τῆς ἐντολῆς ἡμῶν ἐν τῷ πρωτοπλάστῳ διαγωγὴν πρὸ σώματος ἔφη, ὡς τὰ ἐπιφερόμενα συνίστησιν· »ἐγὼ δὲ σάρκινός εἰμι, πεπραμένος ὑπὸ τὴν ἁμαρτίαν«, ὅτι μὴ ἄλλως ὁ ἄνθρωπος ἄρχεσθαι ἠδύνατο καὶ κυριεύεσθαι ὑπὸ τοῦ κακοῦ, πραθεὶς αὐτῷ διὰ τὴν παράβασιν, εἰ μὴ σάρκινος ἦν γεγονώς. ἄληπτος γὰρ καθ᾽ ἑαυτὴν ἡ ψυχή, φησί, τῇ ἁμαρτίᾳ. διὸ δριμέως ἐπήγαγε τὸ »ἐγὼ δὲ σάρκινός εἰμι, πεπραμένος ὑπὸ τὴν ἁμαρτίαν«, πρόσθεν εἰπὼν τό »ἐγὼ δὲ ἔζων χωρὶς νόμου ποτέ«. --- θαῦμα μὲν οὖν τοῖς πολλοῖς ταῦτα λεγόντων αὐτῶν τότε ὑπεδύετο καὶ κατάπληξις· νῦν δὲ προκυψάσης εἰς τὸ φανερώτερον ἤδη τῆς ἀληθείας οὐ μόνον μακρῷ πλανώμενοι καταφαίνονται, ἀλλὰ καὶ μέχρι τῆς ἄκρας ἀναβαίνοντες βλασφημίας. δόντες γὰρ ἀσωμάτως τὰς ψυχὰς πρὸ τῆς ἐντολῆς βεβιωκέναι, ἀλήπτους τε εἶναι καθ' ἑαυτὰς ἐκ παντὸς τῇ ἁμαρτίᾳ, διανοηθέντες πάλιν ἀνέτρεψαν τὸν λόγον, ἑαυτοὺς δὲ πολὺ μᾶλλον. τὰ γὰρ δὴ σώματα κατασκευάζουσιν αὐταῖς ὕστερον ἐπὶ τιμωρίᾳ (δοθῆναι), διὰ τὸ πρὸ σώματος αὐτὰς ἡμαρτηκέναι. καὶ δὴ καὶ λοιδορήσεις τε ἐπῆλθον αὐτοῖς, δεσμοῖς ἀπεικάζουσι καὶ πέδαις τὸ σῶμα, ἄλλα τε ἀνόητα εἰπεῖν. νῦν δέ, ὅπερ εἴρηται, πᾶν τοὐναντίον ἔχει· χρὴ γὰρ πρὸ τῆς ἁμαρτίας τὴν ψυχὴν ὑπάρχειν μετὰ σώματος. ἐπεὶ εἰ ἄληπτος ἡ ψυχὴ καθ᾽ ἑαυτὴν τῇ ἁμαρτίᾳ, οὐκ ἂν ἥμαρτεν ὅλως πρὸ τοῦ σώματος· εἰ δὲ ἥμαρτεν, οὐκέτι ἄληπτος καθ'᾽ ἑαυτὴν τῇ ἁμαρτίᾳ. ἀλλὰ καὶ εὐάλωτος μᾶλλον καὶ εὐληπτος. διὸ καὶ πάλιν, κἂν μὴ λάβῃ τὸ σῶμα τοῦτο, ἁμαρτήσεται, ὥσπερ δὴ καὶ πρὸ τοῦ λαβεῖν αὐτὸ ἥμαρτεν. διὰ τί δὲ ὅλως καὶ σῶμα ἐλάμβανεν ὕστερον μετὰ τὸ ἡμαρτηκέναι; ἢ τίς αὐτῇ χρεία σώματος ἦν; εἰ μὲν οὖν ἵνα βασανίζηται καὶ ἀλγῇ, πῶς μᾶλλον ἐντρυφᾷ καὶ ἀκολασταίνει μετὰ τοῦ σώματος; πῶς δὲ καὶ τὸ αὐτεξούσιον εἶναι ἐν τούτῳ φαίνεται ἔχειν τῷ κόσμῳ; ἐφ᾽ ἡμῖν γὰρ τὸ πιστεῦσαι κεῖται καὶ τὸ μὴ πιστεῦσαι. ἔνθα δὲ ἐφ᾽ ἡμῖν τὸ πιστεῦσαι κεῖται καὶ τὸ μὴ πιστεῦσαι, ἐφ᾽ ἡμῖν τὸ κατορθώσασθαι καὶ ἁμαρτῆσαι, ἐφ᾽ ἡμῖν τὸ ἀγαθοποιῆσαι καὶ κακοποιῆσαι. ἀλλὰ καὶ ἡ κρίσις πῶς δὴ ὡς μέλλουσα προσδοκᾶσθαι ἔτι δύναται, καθ᾽ ἣν ὁ θεὸς ἑκάστῳ κατὰ τὰ ἔργα καὶ κατὰ τὰ ἐπιτηδεύματα ἀποδίδωσι, καὶ οὐχ ὡς ἤδη παροῦσα νομισθήσεται, εἴ γε τὸ γεννηθῆναι μὲν καὶ εἰς σῶμα ἐλθεῖν τὴν ψυχὴν κριθῆναί ἐστιν ἤδη καὶ ἀνταπολαβεῖν, τὸ δὲ ἀποθανεῖν καὶ χωρισθῆναι τοῦ σώματος ἐλευθερωθῆναί τε καὶ εἰς ἀνάψυξιν ἐλθεῖν, διὰ τὸ πρὸ σώματος αὐτὴν ἁμαρτήσασαν ὡς εἰς κατάκρισιν καὶ καταδίκην εἰς τὸ σῶμα ἐμβιβάζεσθαι καθ' ὑμᾶς; ἀπέδειξε δὲ διαρκῶς ἐκ περιουσίας ὁ λόγος ἀνένδεκτον εἶναι νομίζεσθαι τὸ σῶμα βασανιστήριον καὶ πέδας τῆς ψυχῆς. Ἤρκει μὲν οὖν ἀπὸ τῆς γραφῆς αὐτῆς ἀποδείξαντα πρὸ τῆς παραβάσεως τὸν πρωτόπλαστον ἐκ ψυχῆς καὶ σώματος ὄντα καταπαύειν τὸν περὶ τούτων ἐνταῦθα λόγον. κἀγὼ μὲν ἐπὶ κεφαλαίων αὐτὰ διεξέρχομαι, λύων τὰς ἀφορμὰς τῶν ἐπιχειρημάτων αὐτῶν εὐθύνειν διαμιλλώμενος, ἵνα μὴ τὴν συμμετρίαν ἐκβαίνω τῶν λόγων. πάρεστι γὰρ ἡδη σκοπεῖν, ὦ δικασταί, ὅτι τὸ »ἐγὼ δὲ ἔζων χωρὶς νόμου ποτέ« λεγόμενον ἐν τῇ πρὸς Ῥωμαίους οὐ δύναται πίπτειν εἰς τὴν πρὸ σώματος κατ᾽ αὐτοὺς διαγωγὴν τῆς ψυχῆς, καθάπερ τὰ ἐπιφερόμενα τούτοις μηνύει. κἂν εἰ ὁ γενναῖος οὗτος ἰατρὸς τῶν ῥητῶν τὰ ἑξῆς ὑφελόμενος πρὸς τὸ δοκοῦν αὐτῷ τὸν νοῦν ἐβιάσατο μεταπλάσαι τοῦ ἀποστόλου, ἀνίατόν τι παθὼν λίαν καὶ παιδικόν. ἀντὶ γὰρ τοῦ πρὸς τὰς οἰκείας συμφύσεις καὶ ἁρμογὰς τὰ μέλη τηρεῖν τῶν σωμάτων, ἵνα τὸ πᾶν ἄρτιον ᾖ κατὰ φύσιν σχῆμα τοῦ σώματος, ἠκρωτηρίασε παρελθὼν τὸν εἱρμὸν τῆς γραφῆς, καθάπερ Σκύθης ἐχθροῦ τινος ἀφειδῶς πρὸς ἀναίρεσιν κατατέμνων τὰ μέλη. Πῶς οὖν ὁ ἀπόστολος, λέξουσι, ταῦτα ἀπεφήνατο, εἰ σὺ μὴ οὕτως αὐτὰ ἀπέδειξας ἔχειν; Ὅτι νόμον, εἴποιμ᾽ ἄν. θέμενος εἶναι τὴν ἐντολήν (δεδόσθω γὰρ πρῶτον κατὰ τὴν ὑμετέραν ὑπόθεσιν τὴν ἐντολὴν ἐκείνην αὐτὸν νόμον εἰρηκέναι), οὐ παρὰ τοῦτο καὶ ἀσωμάτως πρὸ τῆς ἐντολῆς τὸν πρωτόπλαστον ὑπέθετο βεβιωκέναι. ἀλλὰ χωρὶς ἁμαρτίας. καὶ γὰρ ὀλίγος ὁ ἀπὸ τῆς κτίσεως αὐτῶν ἄχρι τῆς ἐντολῆς χρόνος, ἐν ᾧ διέζησε χωρὶς ἁμαρτίας. οὐχ ἐκτὸς σώματος, ἀλλὰ μετὰ σώματος. εὐθὺς γοῦν μετὰ τὴν ἐντολὴν ἐξεβλήθησαν βραχύτατον ἐνδιατρίψαντες ἐν τῷ παραδείσῳ χρόνον. ἐὰν δέ τις λαβόμενος τῆς ῥήσεως τῆς »ὅτε γὰρ ἦμεν ἐν σαρκί, τὰ παθήματα τῶν ἁμαρτιῶν τὰ διὰ τοῦ νόμου« λεγούσης »ἐνηργεῖτο ἐν τοῖς μέλεσιν ἡμῶν« διαβάλλειν αὐτὸν τὴν σάρκα νομίζῃ καὶ παραιτεῖσθαι, παραφέρῃ τε ὅσα τοιαῦτα ἄλλα εἴρηται (οἷον »ἵνα τὸ δικαίωμα τοῦ νόμου πληρωθῇ ἐν ἡμῖν τοῖς μὴ κατὰ σάρκα περιπατοῦσιν, ἀλλὰ κατὰ πνεῦμα«, ἢ τὸ »οἱ γὰρ κατὰ σάρκα ὄντες τὰ τῆς σαρκὸς φρονοῦσιν, οἱ δὲ κατὰ πνεῦμα τὰ τοῦ πνεύματος" τὸ γὰρ φρόνημα τῆς σαρκὸς θάνατος, τὸ δὲ φρόνημα τοῦ πνεύματος ζωὴ καὶ εἰρήνη, διότι τὸ φρόνημα τῆς σαρκὸς ἔχθρα εἰς θεόν· τῷ γὰρ νόμῳ τοῦ θεοῦ οὐχ ὑποτάσσεται, οὐδὲ γὰρ δύναται· ὑμεῖς δὲ οὐκ ἐστὲ ἐν σαρκί, ἀλλὰ ἐν πνεύματι«), λεκτέον αὐτῷ, Πότερον οὖν ἤδη ἀναλύσας ὁ ἀπόστολος ἦν ἐκ τοῦ βίου καὶ οἷς ταῦτα ἐπέστελλεν, εἰ μὴ τὴν κατὰ σάρκα νῦν παρῃτεῖτο πολιτείαν, ἀλλὰ τὴν σάρκα, ἢ ἔτι ἐν σαρκὶ ἦν; ἀλλὰ ἐν σαρκὶ μὴ ὄντα αὐτὸν ἐπεσταλκέναι ταῦτα, οὐ λεκτέον" φανερὸν γὰρ ὅτι ἐν σαρκὶ καὶ αὐτὸς καὶ οἷς ταῦτα ἐπέστελλεν. πῶς οὖν »ὅτε γὰρ ἦμεν ἐν σαρκί, τὰ παθήματα τῶν ἁμαρτιῶν τὰ διὰ τοῦ νόμου ἐνηργεῖτο ἐν τοῖς μέλεσιν ἡμῶν«, ὡς οὐκ ὢν οὔτε αὐτὸς ἔτι ἐν σαρκὶ οὔτε οἷς ταῦτα ἐπιστέλλει, λέγει; οὐκοῦν περὶ τῆς κατὰ ἀκρασίαν πολιτείας διαλέγεται καὶ οὐ περὶ τῆς σαρκὸς αὐτῆς. ἔθος γὰρ αὐτῷ σαρκικὸν τὸν οὕτως ζῶντα ἄνθρωπον λέγειν, καθάπερ καὶ ψυχικὸν ἄνθρωπον τὸν ἀπηλγηκότα πρὸς τὴν ἀλήθειαν ἀτενίσαι καὶ τὸν φωτισμὸν τοῦ μυστηρίου. ἐπεὶ λεγέτωσαν μηδὲ τὴν ψυχὴν δύνασθαι σῴζεσθαι τὸ σύνολον. γέγραπται γὰρ »ψυχικὸς δὲ ἄνθρωπος οὐ δέχεται τὰ τοῦ πνεύματος τοῦ θεοῦ· μωρία γὰρ αὐτῷ ἐστιν· ὁ δὲ πνευματικὸς πάντα ἀνακρίνει«. ὥσπερ ἐκεῖ ψυχικὸς εἰσάγεταί τις καὶ πνευματικὸς ἄνθρωπος, καὶ ὁ μὲν πνευματικὸς τῶν σῳζομένων, ὁ δὲ ψυχικὸς τῶν ἀπολλυμένων, καὶ οὐ παρὰ τοῦτο δὴ ψυχὴ μὲν ἀπόλλυται, ἄλλα δὲ παρὰ τὴν ψυχὴν σῴζεται, οὕτω δὴ καὶ ἐνθάδε σαρκικοὺς καὶ ἐν σαρξὶν ὑπάρχοντας ἀπόλλυσθαι λέγων, καὶ μὴ δύνασθαι ἀρέσαι θεῷ, οὐ τὴν σάρκα. ἀλλὰ τὴν κατὰ σάρκα πολιτείαν ἀναιρεῖσθαι ἀγωνίζεται. ὑποβὰς δὲ καὶ εἰπών »οἱ δὲ ἐν σαρκὶ ὄντες θεῷ ἀρέσαι οὐ δύνανται« εὐθέως ἐπιφέρει »ὑμεῖς δὲ οὐκ ἐστὲ ἐν σαρκί, ἀλλὰ ἐν πνεύματι, εἴπερ πνεῦμα Χριστοῦ οἰκεῖ ἐν ὑμῖν«, καὶ μετ᾽ ὀλίγον »εἰ δὲ τὸ πνεῦμα τοῦ ἐγείραντος Ιησοῦν ἐκ νεκρῶν οἰκεῖ ἐν ὑμῖν, ὁ ἐγείρας Χριστὸν ἐκ νεκρῶν ζῳοποιήσει καὶ τὰ θνητὰ σώματα ὑμῶν διὰ τοῦ ἐνοικοῦντος αὐτοῦ πνεύματος ἐν ὑμῖν. ἄρα οὖν. ἀδελφοί, ὀφειλέται ἐσμὲν οὐ τῇ σαρκὶ τοῦ κατὰ σάρκα ζῆν· εἰ γὰρ κατὰ σάρκα ζῆτε, μέλλετε ἀποθνήσκειν· εἰ δὲ πνεύματι τὰς πράξεις τοῦ σώματος θανατοῦτε, ζήσεσθε«. προσεκτέον γὰρ ὡς τὴν τοῦ σώματος πρὸς τὰς ἡδονὰς ὁρμὴν καὶ οὐχὶ τὸ σῶμα θανατοῦσθαι διεβεβαιώσατο.

Eti de ekeino diaskepteon, en hǭ polymorphois emphantazomenoi apatais, katheudontōn tropon, apophainontai ton apostolon eirēkenai »egō de ezōn chōris nomou pote«, kai boōsi, Tēn pro tēs entolēs hēmōn en tǭ prōtoplastǭ diagōgēn pro sōmatos ephē, hōs ta epipheromena synistēsin; »egō de sarkinos eimi, pepramenos hypo tēn hamartian«, hoti mē allōs ho anthrōpos archesthai ēdynato kai kyrieuesthai hypo tou kakou, pratheis autǭ dia tēn parabasin, ei mē sarkinos ēn gegonōs. alēptos gar kath᾽ heautēn hē psychē, phēsi, tę̄ hamartią. dio drimeōs epēgage to »egō de sarkinos eimi, pepramenos hypo tēn hamartian«, prosthen eipōn to »egō de ezōn chōris nomou pote«. --- thauma men oun tois pollois tauta legontōn autōn tote hypedyeto kai kataplēxis; nyn de prokypsasēs eis to phanerōteron ēdē tēs alētheias ou monon makrǭ planōmenoi kataphainontai, alla kai mechri tēs akras anabainontes blasphēmias. dontes gar asōmatōs tas psychas pro tēs entolēs bebiōkenai, alēptous te einai kath' heautas ek pantos tę̄ hamartią, dianoēthentes palin anetrepsan ton logon, heautous de poly mallon. ta gar dē sōmata kataskeuazousin autais hysteron epi timōrią (dothēnai), dia to pro sōmatos autas hēmartēkenai. kai dē kai loidorēseis te epēlthon autois, desmois apeikazousi kai pedais to sōma, alla te anoēta eipein. nyn de, hoper eirētai, pan tounantion echei; chrē gar pro tēs hamartias tēn psychēn hyparchein meta sōmatos. epei ei alēptos hē psychē kath᾽ heautēn tę̄ hamartią, ouk an hēmarten holōs pro tou sōmatos; ei de hēmarten, ouketi alēptos kath'᾽ heautēn tę̄ hamartią. alla kai eualōtos mallon kai eulēptos. dio kai palin, kan mē labę̄ to sōma touto, hamartēsetai, hōsper dē kai pro tou labein auto hēmarten. dia ti de holōs kai sōma elambanen hysteron meta to hēmartēkenai? ē tis autę̄ chreia sōmatos ēn? ei men oun hina basanizētai kai algę̄, pōs mallon entryphą kai akolastainei meta tou sōmatos? pōs de kai to autexousion einai en toutǭ phainetai echein tǭ kosmǭ? eph᾽ hēmin gar to pisteusai keitai kai to mē pisteusai. entha de eph᾽ hēmin to pisteusai keitai kai to mē pisteusai, eph᾽ hēmin to katorthōsasthai kai hamartēsai, eph᾽ hēmin to agathopoiēsai kai kakopoiēsai. alla kai hē krisis pōs dē hōs mellousa prosdokasthai eti dynatai, kath᾽ hēn ho theos hekastǭ kata ta erga kai kata ta epitēdeumata apodidōsi, kai ouch hōs ēdē parousa nomisthēsetai, ei ge to gennēthēnai men kai eis sōma elthein tēn psychēn krithēnai estin ēdē kai antapolabein, to de apothanein kai chōristhēnai tou sōmatos eleutherōthēnai te kai eis anapsyxin elthein, dia to pro sōmatos autēn hamartēsasan hōs eis katakrisin kai katadikēn eis to sōma embibazesthai kath' hymas? apedeixe de diarkōs ek periousias ho logos anendekton einai nomizesthai to sōma basanistērion kai pedas tēs psychēs. Ērkei men oun apo tēs graphēs autēs apodeixanta pro tēs parabaseōs ton prōtoplaston ek psychēs kai sōmatos onta katapauein ton peri toutōn entautha logon. kagō men epi kephalaiōn auta diexerchomai, lyōn tas aphormas tōn epicheirēmatōn autōn euthynein diamillōmenos, hina mē tēn symmetrian ekbainō tōn logōn. paresti gar hēdē skopein, ō dikastai, hoti to »egō de ezōn chōris nomou pote« legomenon en tę̄ pros Rhōmaious ou dynatai piptein eis tēn pro sōmatos kat᾽ autous diagōgēn tēs psychēs, kathaper ta epipheromena toutois mēnyei. kan ei ho gennaios houtos iatros tōn rhētōn ta hexēs hyphelomenos pros to dokoun autǭ ton noun ebiasato metaplasai tou apostolou, aniaton ti pathōn lian kai paidikon. anti gar tou pros tas oikeias symphyseis kai harmogas ta melē tērein tōn sōmatōn, hina to pan artion ę̄ kata physin schēma tou sōmatos, ēkrōtēriase parelthōn ton heirmon tēs graphēs, kathaper Skythēs echthrou tinos apheidōs pros anairesin katatemnōn ta melē. Pōs oun ho apostolos, lexousi, tauta apephēnato, ei sy mē houtōs auta apedeixas echein? Hoti nomon, eipoim᾽ an. themenos einai tēn entolēn (dedosthō gar prōton kata tēn hymeteran hypothesin tēn entolēn ekeinēn auton nomon eirēkenai), ou para touto kai asōmatōs pro tēs entolēs ton prōtoplaston hypetheto bebiōkenai. alla chōris hamartias. kai gar oligos ho apo tēs ktiseōs autōn achri tēs entolēs chronos, en hǭ diezēse chōris hamartias. ouch ektos sōmatos, alla meta sōmatos. euthys goun meta tēn entolēn exeblēthēsan brachytaton endiatripsantes en tǭ paradeisǭ chronon. ean de tis labomenos tēs rhēseōs tēs »hote gar ēmen en sarki, ta pathēmata tōn hamartiōn ta dia tou nomou« legousēs »enērgeito en tois melesin hēmōn« diaballein auton tēn sarka nomizę̄ kai paraiteisthai, parapherę̄ te hosa toiauta alla eirētai (hoion »hina to dikaiōma tou nomou plērōthę̄ en hēmin tois mē kata sarka peripatousin, alla kata pneuma«, ē to »hoi gar kata sarka ontes ta tēs sarkos phronousin, hoi de kata pneuma ta tou pneumatos" to gar phronēma tēs sarkos thanatos, to de phronēma tou pneumatos zōē kai eirēnē, dioti to phronēma tēs sarkos echthra eis theon; tǭ gar nomǭ tou theou ouch hypotassetai, oude gar dynatai; hymeis de ouk este en sarki, alla en pneumati«), lekteon autǭ, Poteron oun ēdē analysas ho apostolos ēn ek tou biou kai hois tauta epestellen, ei mē tēn kata sarka nyn parę̄teito politeian, alla tēn sarka, ē eti en sarki ēn? alla en sarki mē onta auton epestalkenai tauta, ou lekteon" phaneron gar hoti en sarki kai autos kai hois tauta epestellen. pōs oun »hote gar ēmen en sarki, ta pathēmata tōn hamartiōn ta dia tou nomou enērgeito en tois melesin hēmōn«, hōs ouk ōn oute autos eti en sarki oute hois tauta epistellei, legei? oukoun peri tēs kata akrasian politeias dialegetai kai ou peri tēs sarkos autēs. ethos gar autǭ sarkikon ton houtōs zōnta anthrōpon legein, kathaper kai psychikon anthrōpon ton apēlgēkota pros tēn alētheian atenisai kai ton phōtismon tou mystēriou. epei legetōsan mēde tēn psychēn dynasthai sǭzesthai to synolon. gegraptai gar »psychikos de anthrōpos ou dechetai ta tou pneumatos tou theou; mōria gar autǭ estin; ho de pneumatikos panta anakrinei«. hōsper ekei psychikos eisagetai tis kai pneumatikos anthrōpos, kai ho men pneumatikos tōn sǭzomenōn, ho de psychikos tōn apollymenōn, kai ou para touto dē psychē men apollytai, alla de para tēn psychēn sǭzetai, houtō dē kai enthade sarkikous kai en sarxin hyparchontas apollysthai legōn, kai mē dynasthai aresai theǭ, ou tēn sarka. alla tēn kata sarka politeian anaireisthai agōnizetai. hypobas de kai eipōn »hoi de en sarki ontes theǭ aresai ou dynantai« eutheōs epipherei »hymeis de ouk este en sarki, alla en pneumati, eiper pneuma Christou oikei en hymin«, kai met᾽ oligon »ei de to pneuma tou egeirantos Iēsoun ek nekrōn oikei en hymin, ho egeiras Christon ek nekrōn zǭopoiēsei kai ta thnēta sōmata hymōn dia tou enoikountos autou pneumatos en hymin. ara oun. adelphoi, opheiletai esmen ou tę̄ sarki tou kata sarka zēn; ei gar kata sarka zēte, mellete apothnēskein; ei de pneumati tas praxeis tou sōmatos thanatoute, zēsesthe«. prosekteon gar hōs tēn tou sōmatos pros tas hēdonas hormēn kai ouchi to sōma thanatousthai diebebaiōsato.

"Further, this point too must be examined, in which, deluded by many-shaped deceits, like men asleep, they declare that the apostle said, 'I was once alive apart from the law,' and they cry: 'He meant our life before the commandment in the first-formed man, before the body, as what follows shows: "But I am fleshly, sold under sin"; for man could not otherwise be ruled and mastered by evil, having been sold to it through the transgression, unless he had become fleshly. For the soul by itself,' he says, 'cannot be taken by sin. That is why he sharply added, "But I am fleshly, sold under sin," having said before, "I was once alive apart from the law."' When they said this, the many were at that time seized with wonder and amazement; but now that the truth has already come forth more clearly, they are seen not only to be wandering far astray, but even to be climbing to the height of blasphemy. For having granted that souls lived without bodies before the commandment, and that by themselves they cannot be taken by sin at all, they then, on reflection, overturned their own argument, and much more themselves. For they furnish the souls with bodies later, given for punishment because they sinned before the body. And so they fell to abuse as well, likening the body to fetters and shackles and saying other senseless things. But now, as has been said, the whole is the opposite: the soul must have been with a body before sin. For if the soul by itself cannot be taken by sin, it would not have sinned at all before the body; and if it sinned, then it is no longer, by itself, beyond the reach of sin, but rather easily captured and taken. So it will sin again even if it does not take this body, just as it sinned before taking it. And why at all did it take a body later, after it had sinned? Or what need of a body did it have? If it was so that it might be tormented and pained, how is it that with the body it rather lives in luxury and licentiousness? And how does free will appear to exist in this world? For believing and not believing rest with us; and where believing and not believing rest with us, so do doing right and sinning, so do doing good and doing evil. And how can the judgment still be expected as something to come, in which God renders to each according to his works and pursuits, and not be thought to be already present, if for the soul to be born and to come into the body is already to be judged and requited, and to die and be separated from the body is to be set free and come into refreshment, because, according to you, the soul, having sinned before the body, is put into the body as for condemnation and sentence? But the argument has shown fully and abundantly that the body cannot be considered a torture chamber and shackles of the soul.

[58] "It would be enough, then, having shown from Scripture itself that the first-formed man was of soul and body before the transgression, to stop the discussion of these matters here. I go through them by headings, removing the pretexts of their attempts and striving to correct them, so that I may not go beyond the measure of the discussion. For it is now possible to see, judges, that 'I was once alive apart from the law,' said in the Epistle to the Romans, cannot refer to the life of the soul before the body that they speak of, as the words that follow show; even though this noble physician, taking away what follows in the texts, forced the apostle's meaning to be remoulded to suit what pleased him, suffering a quite incurable and childish affliction. For instead of keeping the members of bodies in their own joints and fittings, so that the whole shape of the body may be complete according to nature, he has mutilated it, passing over the sequence of Scripture, like a Scythian who cuts up the limbs of an enemy unsparingly to destroy him. 'How then,' they will say, 'did the apostle declare these things, if you have not shown them to be so?' Because, I would say, though he called the commandment law (let it first be granted, on your supposition, that he called that commandment law), he did not on that account suppose that the first-formed man lived without a body before the commandment, but without sin. For short was the time from their creation to the commandment, in which he lived without sin, not outside the body but with the body. At any rate they were cast out after the commandment, having stayed in paradise a very short time. But if anyone, seizing on the saying, 'For when we were in the flesh, the passions of sins, which were through the law, were at work in our members,' thinks that he slanders the flesh and rejects it, and brings forward all the other such sayings (for example, 'that the righteous requirement of the law might be fulfilled in us, who walk not according to the flesh but according to the Spirit'; or 'For those who are according to the flesh set their minds on the things of the flesh, but those who are according to the Spirit on the things of the Spirit; for the mind of the flesh is death, but the mind of the Spirit is life and peace, because the mind of the flesh is enmity toward God; for it is not subject to the law of God, nor indeed can it be; but you are not in the flesh but in the Spirit'), we must say to him: did the apostle write these things when he and those to whom he wrote had already departed from life, if what he was rejecting here was not the life according to the flesh but the flesh itself, or was he still in the flesh? It cannot be said that he wrote these things when he was not in the flesh; for it is evident that both he and those to whom he wrote were in the flesh. How then does he say, 'For when we were in the flesh, the passions of sins, which were through the law, were at work in our members,' as though neither he nor those to whom he writes were still in the flesh? So he is speaking about the life of intemperance and not about the flesh itself. For it is his custom to call a man who lives in this way fleshly, just as he calls 'natural' the man who has become too dull to look steadily at the truth and at the enlightenment of the mystery. Otherwise let them say that the soul cannot be saved at all. For it is written, 'The natural man does not receive the things of the Spirit of God, for they are foolishness to him; but the spiritual man judges all things.' Just as there a natural man and a spiritual man are introduced, and the spiritual man belongs to those who are saved, the natural to those who perish, and yet the soul does not on that account perish while something other than the soul is saved, so here too, in saying that those who are fleshly and in the flesh perish and cannot please God, he is striving to abolish not the flesh but the life according to the flesh. And going on, after saying, 'Those who are in the flesh cannot please God,' he immediately adds, 'But you are not in the flesh but in the Spirit, if the Spirit of Christ dwells in you'; and a little after, 'But if the Spirit of him who raised Jesus from the dead dwells in you, he who raised Christ from the dead will also give life to your mortal bodies through his Spirit who dwells in you. So then, brothers, we are debtors, not to the flesh, to live according to the flesh; for if you live according to the flesh, you will die; but if by the Spirit you put to death the deeds of the body, you will live.' For note that he affirmed that it is the body's impulse toward pleasures, and not the body, that is put to death."

Rom 7:9 (quotation, high confidence) · Rom 7:14 (quotation, high confidence) · Rom 2:6 (allusion, medium confidence) · Rom 7:5 (quotation, high confidence) · Rom 8:4 (quotation, high confidence) · Rom 8:5 (quotation, high confidence) · Rom 8:6 (quotation, high confidence) · Rom 8:7 (quotation, high confidence) · Rom 8:8 (quotation, high confidence) · Rom 8:9 (quotation, high confidence) · Rom 8:11 (quotation, high confidence) · Rom 8:12 (quotation, high confidence) · Rom 8:13 (quotation, high confidence) · 1 Cor 2:14 (quotation, high confidence) · 1 Cor 2:15 (quotation, high confidence)

Notes and citation

Summary: The narrator refutes the claim that Paul's 'I was once alive apart from the law' refers to souls living without bodies, and shows that Paul's 'flesh' in Romans 7-8 means a fleshly way of life, not the body.

This staged unit is really chapter 57 of Book 1 in Bonwetsch (page 317, numeral printed LVII), not chapter 56; chapter 56 begins inside ref 1.54. The OCR lost the heading of chapter 58 (a garbled numeral is removed by a logged correction); it begins at "[58]". 'The noble physician' is Aglaophon. 'Natural' renders ψυχικός ('soul-ish').
Rom 7:9, 14; Rom 2:6 (cf. Ps 62:12); Rom 7:5; Rom 8:4-9; Rom 8:11-13; 1 Cor 2:14-15. Some phrases at the start of chapter 58 are garbled in the OCR and translated by sense.

Notes on the original text

Digital text corrected (OCR misreading; OCR misreadings; OCR misreadings and Latin letters; OCR misreadings and a leaked line number; OCR: Latin letters; OCR: Latin letters and misreadings; OCR: accent; OCR: breathing; OCR: garbled words; OCR: garbled words and Latin letters; OCR: stray characters; OCR: stray mark; OCR: ς for quotation mark; OCR: χ for κ; chapter numeral (LVIII) removed; punctuation): διασχεπτέο», ἐν m πολυμόρφοις ἐμφανταζόμενοι ἀπάταις. καθευδόντο.» τρόπον. → διασκεπτέον, ἐν ᾧ πολυμόρφοις ἐμφανταζόμενοι ἀπάταις, καθευδόντων τρόπον,; χωρὶς νόμου ποτές, καὶ βοῶσι, Τὴ» πρὸ τῆς ἐντολῆς ἡμῶν ἐν τῷ πρωτοπλάστῳ διαγωγὴν" πρὸ σώματος ἔφη, ὡς τὰ ἐπιρερόμενα συνίστησιν »ἰγὼ δὲ σάρκινός εἰμι, πιπραμίνος ὑπὸ τὴν ἁμαρτίανε, ὅτε μὴ → χωρὶς νόμου ποτέ«, καὶ βοῶσι, Τὴν πρὸ τῆς ἐντολῆς ἡμῶν ἐν τῷ πρωτοπλάστῳ διαγωγὴν πρὸ σώματος ἔφη, ὡς τὰ ἐπιφερόμενα συνίστησιν· »ἐγὼ δὲ σάρκινός εἰμι, πεπραμένος ὑπὸ τὴν ἁμαρτίαν«, ὅτι μὴ; παράμασιν, εἰ μὴ σάρκινος ἣν γεγονός. ἄληπτος γὰρ KUH” ἑαυτὴν → παράβασιν, εἰ μὴ σάρκινος ἦν γεγονώς. ἄληπτος γὰρ καθ᾽ ἑαυτὴν; τὸ κεἐγὼ db σάρκινός εἰμι, πεπραμένος ὑπὸ τὴν ἁμαρτίανε, πρόσθεν εἰπὼν τό ECO) δὲ ἔζων χωρὶς νόμου ποτές. → τὸ »ἐγὼ δὲ σάρκινός εἰμι, πεπραμένος ὑπὸ τὴν ἁμαρτίαν«, πρόσθεν εἰπὼν τό »ἐγὼ δὲ ἔζων χωρὶς νόμου ποτέ«.; κατάπληξις" νῦν δὲ → κατάπληξις· νῦν δὲ; ἡδη τῆς ἀληθείας → ἤδη τῆς ἀληθείας; χαθ' ἑαυτὰς ἐκ παντὸς → καθ' ἑαυτὰς ἐκ παντὸς; ἀνέτρειραν → ἀνέτρεψαν; κατασκενάζουσιν → κατασκευάζουσιν; ἔχει᾽ χρὴ γὰρ → ἔχει· χρὴ γὰρ; ἄληπτος ἡ ψυχὴ ZUG ἑαυτὴν → ἄληπτος ἡ ψυχὴ καθ᾽ ἑαυτὴν; πρὸ τοῦ σώματος" εἰ δὲ ἥμαρτεν, οὐχέτι → πρὸ τοῦ σώματος· εἰ δὲ ἥμαρτεν, οὐκέτι; εὐάλο»τος → εὐάλωτος; αὐτὸ ἥμαρτεν". → αὐτὸ ἥμαρτεν.; σώματος ἣν; → σώματος ἦν;; ἀκολαυταίνει → ἀκολασταίνει; ἀλλὰ καὶ ἢ κρίσις πῶς δὴ ἐπιφέρεσθαι. ὡς μέλλουσα, → ἀλλὰ καὶ ἡ κρίσις πῶς δὴ ὡς μέλλουσα; καὶ οὐχ ος ἠδὴ παροῦσα → καὶ οὐχ ὡς ἤδη παροῦσα; χριθῆναί ἐστιν → κριθῆναί ἐστιν; 1011. Ἤρκει μὲν οὖν → Ἤρκει μὲν οὖν; ὀντα ζι μι δι καταπαύει» τὼν περὶ τούτων ἐνταῦθα λόγον. χαἀγὼ μὲν γνὃπν ἐπὶ χεφαλαίων» αὐτὰ διεξέρχομαι, ἡύων τὰς ἀφορμὸς τῶν ἐπιχεινημάτιων αὐτῶν εὐθύνει ὀιαμιλλώμενος, TrUu μὴ τὴ» ὧν “μετρίαν ἐκβαίνω τιῶν" λύγων. → ὄντα καταπαύειν τὸν περὶ τούτων ἐνταῦθα λόγον. κἀγὼ μὲν ἐπὶ κεφαλαίων αὐτὰ διεξέρχομαι, λύων τὰς ἀφορμὰς τῶν ἐπιχειρημάτων αὐτῶν εὐθύνειν διαμιλλώμενος, ἵνα μὴ τὴν συμμετρίαν ἐκβαίνω τῶν λόγων.; σκοστεῖν Yu ὦ δικασταί. ὅτι τό » ἐγώ de ἔζων» χωρὶ- νόμου ποτές λεγύμεινον ἐν τῇ ποὺς Ῥωογμαίωσς οὐ δύνεται πίπτειν εἰς τὴν» πρὸ σώματος κατ᾽ αὐτοὺς διαγωγὴν τῆς Pens, → σκοπεῖν, ὦ δικασταί, ὅτι τὸ »ἐγὼ δὲ ἔζων χωρὶς νόμου ποτέ« λεγόμενον ἐν τῇ πρὸς Ῥωμαίους οὐ δύναται πίπτειν εἰς τὴν πρὸ σώματος κατ᾽ αὐτοὺς διαγωγὴν τῆς ψυχῆς,; κἂν εἰ ὦ γενναῖος οὗτος ἰατροὺς → κἂν εἰ ὁ γενναῖος οὗτος ἰατρὸς; πρὸς τὸ ὁυκοῖῦν αὐτῷ τὸ» γοῦν ἐβιάσατο μεταπλάσαι τοῦ ἀποστώλον, ἀνίατόν τι παθὼν λίων καὶ παιδιχόν. → πρὸς τὸ δοκοῦν αὐτῷ τὸν νοῦν ἐβιάσατο μεταπλάσαι τοῦ ἀποστόλου, ἀνίατόν τι παθὼν λίαν καὶ παιδικόν.; οἰχείας συμῳ ύσεις καὶ ἀρμογὰς → οἰκείας συμφύσεις καὶ ἁρμογὰς; ἄρτιον ῇ κατε φύσιν σχῆμα τοῦ σοματος, ἠκροωτηρίασε παρελθὼν τὸν εἱομὸν τῆς γραφῆς. χκαθάπερ Σκύθης ἐχ' θροῦ τινος → ἄρτιον ᾖ κατὰ φύσιν σχῆμα τοῦ σώματος, ἠκρωτηρίασε παρελθὼν τὸν εἱρμὸν τῆς γραφῆς, καθάπερ Σκύθης ἐχθροῦ τινος; τὰ μέλη. εν" πῶς 00V ὁ ἀπόστολυς. λέξουσι, ταῦτα ἀπεφήρατο. εἰ σὺ μὴ οὕτος αὐτὰ ἀπέδειξας ἔχειν; ὅτε Νόμον, → τὰ μέλη. Πῶς οὖν ὁ ἀπόστολος, λέξουσι, ταῦτα ἀπεφήνατο, εἰ σὺ μὴ οὕτως αὐτὰ ἀπέδειξας ἔχειν; Ὅτι νόμον,; χατὰ τὴν ὑμετέυαν ὑπόθεσιν τὴν ἐντολὴν “ἐκείνην) αὐτὸν νόμον HONZEVAL), οὐ παρὰ τοῦτο xl ἀσωμάτως → κατὰ τὴν ὑμετέραν ὑπόθεσιν τὴν ἐντολὴν ἐκείνην αὐτὸν νόμον εἰρηκέναι), οὐ παρὰ τοῦτο καὶ ἀσωμάτως; ἀλλὰ χοροὶς ἁμαρτίας. → ἀλλὰ χωρὶς ἁμαρτίας.; στ γοῦν μετὰ τὴν ἐντολὴν ESt βλήθησαν βραχύτατον ἐννεύσαντες ἐν τῷ παραδείσῳ χρόνον. ἘΞ ἐὰν δέ τις → εὐθὺς γοῦν μετὰ τὴν ἐντολὴν ἐξεβλήθησαν βραχύτατον ἐνδιατρίψαντες ἐν τῷ παραδείσῳ χρόνον. ἐὰν δέ τις; »OTE γὰρ ἡμὲν ἐν σαρκί, τὰ παθήματα τῶν ἁμαρτιῶν τὰ διὰ τοῦ μόμους λεγούσης »ἐνηργεῖτο ἐν τοῖς μέλεσιν ἡμῶνε → »ὅτε γὰρ ἦμεν ἐν σαρκί, τὰ παθήματα τῶν ἁμαρτιῶν τὰ διὰ τοῦ νόμου« λεγούσης »ἐνηργεῖτο ἐν τοῖς μέλεσιν ἡμῶν«; ὕσα τοιαῦτα → ὅσα τοιαῦτα; διαἰωμα → δικαίωμα; κιιτὰ πνεῦμας« ὴ τὸ »0i γὰρ κατὰ σάρκα ὄντες τὰ τὴς σαρ“- φρονοῦσιν → κατὰ πνεῦμα«, ἢ τὸ »οἱ γὰρ κατὰ σάρκα ὄντες τὰ τῆς σαρκὸς φρονοῦσιν; τῆς σαρχὸς θάνατος → τῆς σαρκὸς θάνατος; εἰς θεὸόν" τῷ γὰρ νόμῳ τοῦ θεοῦ οὐχ ὑποτάσσεται" οὐδὲ γὰρ δύναται ὑμεῖς δὲ οὐκ ἐστὲ ἐν σαρκί, ἀλλὰ ἐν πνεύματις). → εἰς θεόν· τῷ γὰρ νόμῳ τοῦ θεοῦ οὐχ ὑποτάσσεται, οὐδὲ γὰρ δύναται· ὑμεῖς δὲ οὐκ ἐστὲ ἐν σαρκί, ἀλλὰ ἐν πνεύματι«),; ἀναλίσας ὁ ἀπόστολος ἢ» ἐκ τοῦ βίου καὶ οἷς ταῦτα ἑπέστελάαεν → ἀναλύσας ὁ ἀπόστολος ἦν ἐκ τοῦ βίου καὶ οἷς ταῦτα ἐπέστελλεν; ἔτι ἐν σαρκὶ ἣν; ἀλλὰ ἐν 5 σαρκὶ μὴ οντὰ αὐτὸν → ἔτι ἐν σαρκὶ ἦν; ἀλλὰ ἐν σαρκὶ μὴ ὄντα αὐτὸν; ὅτι 4) ἐν σαρκὶ → ὅτι ἐν σαρκὶ; πῶς OVP »ὗτε γὰρ ἡμεν ἐν σαρχί. → πῶς οὖν »ὅτε γὰρ ἦμεν ἐν σαρκί,; ἐν τοῖς μέλεσιν ἡμῶνε, ὡς οὐκ ὧν → ἐν τοῖς μέλεσιν ἡμῶν«, ὡς οὐκ ὢν; οὐχοῦν περὶ τῆς κατὰ ἀχρασίαν → οὐκοῦν περὶ τῆς κατὰ ἀκρασίαν; ψυχικὸν ἀνθρωπον → ψυχικὸν ἄνθρωπον; «»ψυχικὸς δὲ ἄνθρωπος οὐ δέχεται τὰ τοῦ πνεύματος τοῦ θεοῦ" μωρία γὰρ αὐτῷ ἐστιν" ὁ δὲ πνευματικὸς πάντα ἀναχρίνειε, ὥσπερ ἐκεῖ φυχικὸς εἰσάγεταί τις καὶ πνευματικὸς ἂνθρώπος, καὶ ὁ μὲν πνευματικὸς τῶν σῳζομένων, ὁ δὲ φψυχικὸς → »ψυχικὸς δὲ ἄνθρωπος οὐ δέχεται τὰ τοῦ πνεύματος τοῦ θεοῦ· μωρία γὰρ αὐτῷ ἐστιν· ὁ δὲ πνευματικὸς πάντα ἀνακρίνει«. ὥσπερ ἐκεῖ ψυχικὸς εἰσάγεταί τις καὶ πνευματικὸς ἄνθρωπος, καὶ ὁ μὲν πνευματικὸς τῶν σῳζομένων, ὁ δὲ ψυχικὸς; Ψ υχὴν σῴζεται, οὕτω δὴ καὶ ἐνθάδε σαρκχικοὺς → ψυχὴν σῴζεται, οὕτω δὴ καὶ ἐνθάδε σαρκικοὺς; εἰπών vol δὲ ἐν σαυκὶ OpTLE θεῷ ἀρέσαι οὐ δύνανταις εὐθέως ἐπιρέρεε » ἡμεῖς di οὐχ ἐστὲ ἐν σαρκί. → εἰπών »οἱ δὲ ἐν σαρκὶ ὄντες θεῷ ἀρέσαι οὐ δύνανται« εὐθέως ἐπιφέρει »ὑμεῖς δὲ οὐκ ἐστὲ ἐν σαρκί,; ἐν ὑμῖνε, καὶ μετ᾽ ὀλίγον οὗτι di τὸ πνεῦμα → ἐν ὑμῖν«, καὶ μετ᾽ ὀλίγον »εἰ δὲ τὸ πνεῦμα; ἐκ νεχρῶν οἰκιῖ ἐν ὑμῖν. ὁ ἐγείρας Χριστὸν ἐχ νεχρῶν ζῳυποιήσει → ἐκ νεκρῶν οἰκεῖ ἐν ὑμῖν, ὁ ἐγείρας Χριστὸν ἐκ νεκρῶν ζῳοποιήσει; ὀφειλέται ἐσμὲν οὐ τῇ σαρκὶ τοῦ κατὰ σάρκα ζῆν εἰ γὰρ → ὀφειλέται ἐσμὲν οὐ τῇ σαρκὶ τοῦ κατὰ σάρκα ζῆν· εἰ γὰρ; μέλλετε ἀποθ νήὄχειν" εἰ δὲ → μέλλετε ἀποθνήσκειν· εἰ δὲ; θανατοῦτε, ζήσεσθες. → θανατοῦτε, ζήσεσθε«.; ὡρμὴν καὶ οὐχὶ → ὁρμὴν καὶ οὐχὶ.

Topics: Eschatology, Ethics

Cite (SBL): Methodius, Res. 1.57 (Bonwetsch GCS 27:317; trans. Sophia Scriptura, https://sophiascriptura.com/fathers/methodius-de-resurrectione/1-57/#p-1-57). (abbreviation not yet checked)

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Translation: Greek passages translated by Claude from Bonwetsch's Greek text (GCS 27, 1917, OCR made for this site) and compared afterwards with ANF 6 where it translates them; chapters lost in Greek translated from Bonwetsch's German of the Old Slavonic (route 3), re-read against the German.

1.59Bonwetsch GCS 27:322

Ἐὰν δὲ πάλιν ἀνθυποφέρωσι λέγοντες, Πῶς δὴ οὖν »τὸ φρόνημα τῆς σαρκός« εἶναι εἴρηται »ἔχθρα εἰς θεόν· τῷ γὰρ νόμῳ τοῦ θεοῦ οὐχ ὑποτάσσεται, οὐδὲ γὰρ δύναται«, λεκτέον ὡς ἄρα καὶ ἐνθάδε διαπίπτουσιν. οὐ γὰρ τὴν σάρκα αὐτήν, ἀλλὰ τὸ φρόνημα τῆς σαρκὸς ὑποτάσσεσθαι μὴ δύνασθαι τῷ νόμῳ τοῦ θεοῦ ὑπέθετο, ἕτερον παρὰ τὴν σάρκα ὑπάρχον. καθάπερ εἰ ἔλεγεν: ὁ ῥύπος τοῦ μὴ καλῶς ἀργύρου καθαρισθέντος εἰς τὸ γενέσθαι σκεῦος ἐπιτήδειον »οὐχ ὑποτάσσεται« τῷ δημιουργῷ· »οὐδὲ γὰρ δύναται« (ἐκβληθῆναι γὰρ αὐτὸν πρότερον καὶ ἐκτακῆναι δεῖ). καὶ οὐ παρὰ τοῦτο τὸν ἄργυρον ἀπεφαίνετο μὴ δύνασθαι εἰς σκεῦος πονηθῆναι χρήσιμον, ἀλλὰ τὸ χαλκῶδες τὸ ἐν τῷ ἀργύρῳ καὶ τὴν ἄλλην σκληρότητα. οὕτω καὶ »τὸ φρόνημα τῆς σαρκὸς« εἰπὼν οὐ τὴν σάρκα ἔφη μὴ δύνασθαι ὑποτάσσεσθαι τῷ »νόμῳ τοῦ θεοῦ«, ἀλλὰ τὸ φρόνημα τὸ ἐν τῇ σαρκί, οἷον τὸ πρὸς τὰς ἀκρασίας αὐτῆς λέγων ὅρμημα. ὅπερ ἀλλαχοῦ ὁτὲ μὲν »παλαιὰν ζύμην« »κακίας καὶ πονηρίας« ἐκάλεσεν, ἐπισπέρχων αὐτὸ τελέως ἀφ᾽ ἡμῶν ἀϊστωθῆναι, ὁτὲ δὲ »νόμον ἀντιστρατευόμενον τῷ νόμῳ τοῦ νοὸς καὶ αἰχμαλωτίζοντα«. ἐπεί, εἰ αὐτὴν τὴν σάρκα ἔλεγε μὴ δύνασθαι ὑποτάσσεσθαι τῷ νόμῳ τοῦ θεοῦ, πρῶτον οὐδὲ μέμψιν ἀσελγαίνοντες ἢ ληστεύοντες ἢ τὰ ἄλλα ὁσ᾽ ἄττα διὰ σώματος πράσσοντες ἢ ποιοῦντες ἔχειν ἐδυνάμεθα παρὰ δικαίῳ κριτῇ, ἀδυνάτως ἐχούσης τῆς σαρκὸς ὑποτάσσεσθαι τῷ νόμῳ τοῦ θεοῦ. πῶς γὰρ ἂν μεμπτέον ἐδύνατο τὸ σῶμα κατὰ τὴν προσοῦσαν αὐτῷ φύσιν οὖσαν εἶναι; ἀλλὰ οὐδὲ ἄλλως εἰς ἁγνείαν ἢ ἀρετὴν ὑπαχθῆναι τὸ σῶμα ἐδύνατο, πεφυκὸς μὴ ὑποτάσσεσθαι τῷ ἀγαθῷ. εἰ γὰρ ἡ φύσις τοιαύτη τῆς σαρκός, μὴ δύνασθαι ὑποτάσσεσθαι τῷ νόμῳ τοῦ θεοῦ, νόμος δὲ θεοῦ δικαιοσύνη καὶ σωφροσύνη, ἐχρῆν μήτε παρθενεύειν μήτε ἐγκρατεύεσθαι δύνασθαι τὸ σύνολον ὅλως ἐκ παντός· εἰ δὲ παρθενεύουσι καὶ ἐγκρατεύονται, ἐγκρατεύονται δὲ ὁπότε τὸ σῶμα ὑποτάσσουσιν (ἄλλως γὰρ ἐγκρατεύεσθαι ἁμαρτίας ἀδύνατον), οὐκ ἄρα οὐ δύναται τὸ σῶμα ὑποτάσσεσθαι τῷ τοῦ θεοῦ νόμῳ. ἐπεὶ πῶς ἂν ὁ Ἰωάννης ὑπέταξεν αὐτοῦ τὸ σῶμα εἰς ἁγνείαν; ἢ πῶς Πέτρος εἰς ὁσιότητα ἢ οἱ καθεξῆς εἰς δικαιοσύνην; πῶς δὲ καὶ Παῦλος »μὴ οὖν βασιλευέτω ἡ ἁμαρτία ἐν τῷ θνητῷ ὑμῶν« λέγει »σώματι εἰς τὸ ὑπακούειν ταῖς ἐπιθυμίαις αὐτοῦ, μηδὲ παριστάνετε τὰ μέλη ὑμῶν ὅπλα ἀδικίας τῇ ἁμαρτίᾳ, ἀλλὰ παραστήσατε ἑαυτοὺς τῷ θεῷ ὡσεὶ ἐκ νεκρῶν ζῶντας καὶ τὰ μέλη ὑμῶν ὅπλα δικαιοσύνης τῷ θεῷ«; καὶ πάλιν »ὥσπερ γὰρ παρεστήσατε τὰ μέλη ὑμῶν δοῦλα τῇ ἀκαθαρσίᾳ καὶ τῇ ἀνομίᾳ εἰς τὴν ἀνομίαν, οὕτως νῦν παραστήσατε τὰ μέλη ὑμῶν δοῦλα τῇ δικαιοσύνῃ εἰς ἁγιασμόν«. Οὐκοῦν ἐγίγνωσκε δύνασθαι εὐθύνεσθαι τὸ σῶμα τοῦτο καὶ νεύειν πρὸς τὸ ἀγαθόν, ἵνα νεκρωθῶσιν ἐν αὐτῷ τὰ ἁμαρτήματα. ἐπεὶ πῶς ἑτέρως δουλωθῆναι τῇ δικαιοσύνῃ δύναται ἄνθρωπος καὶ ἐφ᾽ ἡμῶν, ἐὰν μὴ πρότερον ὑποτάξας ἑαυτοῦ τὰ μέλη τῆς σαρκὸς εἰς τὸ μὴ ὑπακούειν αὐτὰ τῇ ἁμαρτίᾳ, ἀλλὰ τῇ δικαιοσύνῃ, πολιτεύσηται κατ᾽ ἀξίαν τοῦ Χριστοῦ; ἐπειδὴ τὸ ἁμαρτῆσαι καὶ τὸ μὴ ἁμαρτῆσαι διὰ τοῦ σώματος γίγνεται, τῆς ψυχῆς ἢ πρὸς ἀρετὴν ἢ πρὸς κακίαν ὀργάνῳ χρωμένης αὐτῷ. εἰ γὰρ »οὔτε πόρνοι οὔτε εἰδωλολάτραι οὔτε μοιχοὶ οὔτε μαλακοὶ οὔτε ἀρσενοκοῖται οὔτε κλέπται οὔτε πλεονέκται οὔτε μέθυσοι οὔτε λοίδοροι οὔτε ἅρπαγες βασιλείαν θεοῦ κληρονομῆσαι« δύνανται, πληροῦνται δὲ ταῦτα καὶ κρατύνονται διὰ τοῦ σώματος. δικαιοῦται δὲ οὐδείς. ἐὰν μὴ πρῶτον κρατήσῃ τούτων, κρατεῖ δὲ τούτων ὁ ἐκνεύων πρὸς σωφροσύνην καὶ πίστιν, ὑποτάσσεται ἄρα τὸ σῶμα τῷ νόμῳ τοῦ θεοῦ· ὁ νόμος γὰρ θεοῦ σωφροσύνη. ὥστε ὁ ἀπόστολος οὐ τὴν σάρκα »μὴ ὑποτάσσεσθαι« τῷ ἀγαθῷ ἔφη, ἀλλὰ »τὸ φρόνημα τῆς σαρκός«, οἷον τὴν ὁρμὴν αὐτῆς τὴν πρὸς τὰς ἀκρασίας ἀναιρῶν. ὥσπερ δὴ καὶ τῆς ψυχῆς τὴν πρὸς τὸ ἄδικον ἔκκλισιν. ἐκκαθαίρεσθαι γοῦν ἄχρι καὶ τῆς γαστριμαργικῆς ἀκρασίας διαμιλλώμενος, διδάσκων τε τὰς τοιαύτας ὀρέξεις καὶ ἡδονὰς ἐξαπόλλυσθαι, καὶ καταισχύνων τοὺς τὸ τρυφᾶν τοῦτο καὶ πολυτελεύεσθαι βίον εἶναι νομίζοντας, οἳ θεὸν ἡγοῦνται τὴν κοιλίαν, »φάγωμεν καὶ πίωμεν· αὔριον γὰρ ἀποθνήσκομεν«, καθάπερ ἀδηφάγα θρέμματα κάτω περὶ τὴν βορὰν μόνον καὶ τὰς τραπέζας ἀσχολούμενα, εἰπών τε »τὰ βρώματα τῇ κοιλίᾳ καὶ ἡ κοιλία τοῖς βρώμασιν, ὁ δὲ θεὸς καὶ ταὐτὴν καὶ ταῦτα καταργήσει« ἐπήγαγε »τὸ δὲ σῶμα οὐ τῇ πορνείᾳ, ἀλλὰ τῷ κυρίῳ, καὶ ὁ κύριος τῷ σώματι. ὁ δὲ θεὸς καὶ τὸν κύριον ἤγειρε, καὶ ἡμᾶς ἐξεγερεῖ διὰ τῆς δυνάμεως αὐτοῦ. οὐκ οἴδατε ὅτι τὰ μέλη ὑμῶν μέλη Χριστοῦ ἐστίν; ἄρας οὖν τὰ μέλη τοῦ Χριστοῦ ποιήσω πόρνης μέλη; μὴ γένοιτο. ἢ οὐχ οἴδατε ὅτι ὁ κολλώμενος τῇ πόρνῃ ἕν σῶμά ἐστιν; ἔσονται γάρ, φησίν, οἱ δύο εἰς σάρκα μίαν. ὁ δὲ κολλώμενος τῷ κυρίῳ ἕν πνεῦμά ἐστι. φεύγετε τὴν πορνείαν. πᾶν ἁμάρτημα, ὃ ἂν ἁμαρτήσῃ ἄνθρωπος, ἐκτὸς τοῦ σώματός ἐστιν· ὁ δὲ πορνεύων εἰς τὸ ἴδιον σῶμα ἁμαρτάνει. ἢ οὐχ οἴδατε ὅτι τὰ σώματα ὑμῶν ναὸς τοῦ ἐν ὑμῖν ἁγίου πνεύματός ἐστιν, οὗ ἔχετε ἀπὸ θεοῦ; καὶ οὐκ ἐστὲ ἑαυτῶν· ἠγοράσθητε γὰρ τιμῆς. ἄρα γε δοξάσατε τὸν θεὸν ἐν τῷ σώματι ὑμῶν (καὶ ἐν τῷ πνεύματι ὑμῶν, ἄτινά ἐστι τοῦ θεοῦ«.

Ean de palin anthypopherōsi legontes, Pōs dē oun »to phronēma tēs sarkos« einai eirētai »echthra eis theon; tǭ gar nomǭ tou theou ouch hypotassetai, oude gar dynatai«, lekteon hōs ara kai enthade diapiptousin. ou gar tēn sarka autēn, alla to phronēma tēs sarkos hypotassesthai mē dynasthai tǭ nomǭ tou theou hypetheto, heteron para tēn sarka hyparchon. kathaper ei elegen: ho rhypos tou mē kalōs argyrou katharisthentos eis to genesthai skeuos epitēdeion »ouch hypotassetai« tǭ dēmiourgǭ; »oude gar dynatai« (ekblēthēnai gar auton proteron kai ektakēnai dei). kai ou para touto ton argyron apephaineto mē dynasthai eis skeuos ponēthēnai chrēsimon, alla to chalkōdes to en tǭ argyrǭ kai tēn allēn sklērotēta. houtō kai »to phronēma tēs sarkos« eipōn ou tēn sarka ephē mē dynasthai hypotassesthai tǭ »nomǭ tou theou«, alla to phronēma to en tę̄ sarki, hoion to pros tas akrasias autēs legōn hormēma. hoper allachou hote men »palaian zymēn« »kakias kai ponērias« ekalesen, episperchōn auto teleōs aph᾽ hēmōn aïstōthēnai, hote de »nomon antistrateuomenon tǭ nomǭ tou noos kai aichmalōtizonta«. epei, ei autēn tēn sarka elege mē dynasthai hypotassesthai tǭ nomǭ tou theou, prōton oude mempsin aselgainontes ē lēsteuontes ē ta alla hos᾽ atta dia sōmatos prassontes ē poiountes echein edynametha para dikaiǭ kritę̄, adynatōs echousēs tēs sarkos hypotassesthai tǭ nomǭ tou theou. pōs gar an mempteon edynato to sōma kata tēn prosousan autǭ physin ousan einai? alla oude allōs eis hagneian ē aretēn hypachthēnai to sōma edynato, pephykos mē hypotassesthai tǭ agathǭ. ei gar hē physis toiautē tēs sarkos, mē dynasthai hypotassesthai tǭ nomǭ tou theou, nomos de theou dikaiosynē kai sōphrosynē, echrēn mēte partheneuein mēte enkrateuesthai dynasthai to synolon holōs ek pantos; ei de partheneuousi kai enkrateuontai, enkrateuontai de hopote to sōma hypotassousin (allōs gar enkrateuesthai hamartias adynaton), ouk ara ou dynatai to sōma hypotassesthai tǭ tou theou nomǭ. epei pōs an ho Iōannēs hypetaxen autou to sōma eis hagneian? ē pōs Petros eis hosiotēta ē hoi kathexēs eis dikaiosynēn? pōs de kai Paulos »mē oun basileuetō hē hamartia en tǭ thnētǭ hymōn« legei »sōmati eis to hypakouein tais epithymiais autou, mēde paristanete ta melē hymōn hopla adikias tę̄ hamartią, alla parastēsate heautous tǭ theǭ hōsei ek nekrōn zōntas kai ta melē hymōn hopla dikaiosynēs tǭ theǭ«? kai palin »hōsper gar parestēsate ta melē hymōn doula tę̄ akatharsią kai tę̄ anomią eis tēn anomian, houtōs nyn parastēsate ta melē hymōn doula tę̄ dikaiosynę̄ eis hagiasmon«. Oukoun egignōske dynasthai euthynesthai to sōma touto kai neuein pros to agathon, hina nekrōthōsin en autǭ ta hamartēmata. epei pōs heterōs doulōthēnai tę̄ dikaiosynę̄ dynatai anthrōpos kai eph᾽ hēmōn, ean mē proteron hypotaxas heautou ta melē tēs sarkos eis to mē hypakouein auta tę̄ hamartią, alla tę̄ dikaiosynę̄, politeusētai kat᾽ axian tou Christou? epeidē to hamartēsai kai to mē hamartēsai dia tou sōmatos gignetai, tēs psychēs ē pros aretēn ē pros kakian organǭ chrōmenēs autǭ. ei gar »oute pornoi oute eidōlolatrai oute moichoi oute malakoi oute arsenokoitai oute kleptai oute pleonektai oute methysoi oute loidoroi oute harpages basileian theou klēronomēsai« dynantai, plērountai de tauta kai kratynontai dia tou sōmatos. dikaioutai de oudeis. ean mē prōton kratēsę̄ toutōn, kratei de toutōn ho ekneuōn pros sōphrosynēn kai pistin, hypotassetai ara to sōma tǭ nomǭ tou theou; ho nomos gar theou sōphrosynē. hōste ho apostolos ou tēn sarka »mē hypotassesthai« tǭ agathǭ ephē, alla »to phronēma tēs sarkos«, hoion tēn hormēn autēs tēn pros tas akrasias anairōn. hōsper dē kai tēs psychēs tēn pros to adikon ekklisin. ekkathairesthai goun achri kai tēs gastrimargikēs akrasias diamillōmenos, didaskōn te tas toiautas orexeis kai hēdonas exapollysthai, kai kataischynōn tous to tryphan touto kai polyteleuesthai bion einai nomizontas, hoi theon hēgountai tēn koilian, »phagōmen kai piōmen; aurion gar apothnēskomen«, kathaper adēphaga thremmata katō peri tēn boran monon kai tas trapezas ascholoumena, eipōn te »ta brōmata tę̄ koilią kai hē koilia tois brōmasin, ho de theos kai tautēn kai tauta katargēsei« epēgage »to de sōma ou tę̄ porneią, alla tǭ kyriǭ, kai ho kyrios tǭ sōmati. ho de theos kai ton kyrion ēgeire, kai hēmas exegerei dia tēs dynameōs autou. ouk oidate hoti ta melē hymōn melē Christou estin? aras oun ta melē tou Christou poiēsō pornēs melē? mē genoito. ē ouch oidate hoti ho kollōmenos tę̄ pornę̄ hen sōma estin? esontai gar, phēsin, hoi dyo eis sarka mian. ho de kollōmenos tǭ kyriǭ hen pneuma esti. pheugete tēn porneian. pan hamartēma, ho an hamartēsę̄ anthrōpos, ektos tou sōmatos estin; ho de porneuōn eis to idion sōma hamartanei. ē ouch oidate hoti ta sōmata hymōn naos tou en hymin hagiou pneumatos estin, hou echete apo theou? kai ouk este heautōn; ēgorasthēte gar timēs. ara ge doxasate ton theon en tǭ sōmati hymōn (kai en tǭ pneumati hymōn, atina esti tou theou«.

"If they object again, saying, 'How then is "the mind of the flesh" said to be "enmity toward God; for it is not subject to the law of God, nor indeed can it be"?', we must say that here too they go astray. For he did not suppose that the flesh itself cannot be subject to the law of God, but that the mind of the flesh cannot, which is something other than the flesh. It is as if he said: the dross of silver that has not been well refined 'is not subject' to the craftsman so as to become a suitable vessel, 'nor indeed can it be' (for it must first be cast out and melted away); and he would not on that account declare that the silver cannot be worked into a useful vessel, but only the brassy part in the silver and its other hardness. So too, in saying 'the mind of the flesh,' he said not that the flesh cannot be subject to 'the law of God,' but the mind in the flesh, meaning, as it were, its impulse toward its intemperate desires; this he called elsewhere at one time 'the old leaven of malice and wickedness,' urging that it be completely removed from us, and at another 'a law warring against the law of the mind and taking it captive.' For if he said that the flesh itself cannot be subject to the law of God, then, first, we could incur no blame before a just judge when we behave licentiously or rob or do the other things we do through the body, since the flesh would be incapable of being subject to the law of God. For how could the body be blamed for being according to the nature that belongs to it? Nor could the body ever be brought to chastity or virtue, if it were by nature not subject to the good. For if such is the nature of the flesh, that it cannot be subject to the law of God, and the law of God is righteousness and self-control, then it ought to be utterly impossible to live as a virgin or to practise self-control. But if people do live as virgins and practise self-control, and they practise self-control when they bring the body into subjection (for otherwise it is impossible to abstain from sin), then it is not true that the body cannot be subject to the law of God. Otherwise how did John bring his body into subjection to chastity, or Peter to holiness, or those after them to righteousness? And how does Paul say, 'Let not sin reign in your mortal body, so that you obey its desires; and do not present your members to sin as weapons of unrighteousness, but present yourselves to God as alive from the dead, and your members to God as weapons of righteousness'? And again, 'For just as you presented your members as slaves to impurity and to lawlessness, leading to lawlessness, so now present your members as slaves to righteousness, leading to sanctification.'

[60] "So he knew that this body can be directed and can incline toward the good, so that sins may be put to death in it. For how else can a man be made a slave to righteousness and live worthily of Christ, unless he first subjects the members of his flesh so that they obey not sin but righteousness? For sinning and not sinning happen through the body, the soul using it as an instrument either for virtue or for vice. For if 'neither the sexually immoral nor idolaters nor adulterers nor the effeminate nor men who lie with men nor thieves nor the greedy nor drunkards nor revilers nor robbers can inherit the kingdom of God,' and these things are accomplished and strengthened through the body, and no one is justified unless he first masters them, and the one who turns aside toward self-control and faith does master them, then the body is subject to the law of God; for the law of God is self-control. So the apostle did not say that the flesh 'is not subject' to the good, but 'the mind of the flesh,' doing away with its impulse toward intemperance, just as he does away with the soul's inclination toward injustice. Indeed, he strives for cleansing even down to the intemperance of gluttony, teaching that such appetites and pleasures are to be utterly destroyed, and putting to shame those who think that luxury and extravagance are life, who regard the belly as their god ('Let us eat and drink, for tomorrow we die'), busying themselves down below with food and tables only, like gluttonous beasts. And having said, 'Food for the belly and the belly for food, but God will bring to nothing both it and them,' he went on: 'But the body is not for sexual immorality but for the Lord, and the Lord for the body; and God raised the Lord and will also raise us by his power. Do you not know that your members are members of Christ? Shall I then take the members of Christ and make them members of a prostitute? God forbid! Or do you not know that he who is joined to a prostitute is one body with her? For the two, he says, will become one flesh. But he who is joined to the Lord is one spirit. Flee sexual immorality. Every sin that a man commits is outside the body; but the sexually immoral man sins against his own body. Or do you not know that your bodies are a temple of the Holy Spirit within you, whom you have from God? And you are not your own; for you were bought with a price. So glorify God in your body and in your spirit, which are God's.'"

Rom 8:7 (quotation, high confidence) · 1 Cor 5:8 (quotation, high confidence) · Rom 7:23 (quotation, high confidence) · Rom 6:12 (quotation, high confidence) · Rom 6:13 (quotation, high confidence) · Rom 6:19 (quotation, high confidence) · 1 Cor 6:9 (quotation, high confidence) · 1 Cor 6:10 (quotation, high confidence) · Phil 3:19 (allusion, high confidence) · 1 Cor 15:32 (quotation, high confidence) · 1 Cor 6:13 (quotation, high confidence) · 1 Cor 6:14 (quotation, high confidence) · 1 Cor 6:15 (quotation, high confidence) · 1 Cor 6:16 (quotation, high confidence) · 1 Cor 6:17 (quotation, high confidence) · 1 Cor 6:18 (quotation, high confidence) · 1 Cor 6:19 (quotation, high confidence) · 1 Cor 6:20 (quotation, high confidence)

Notes and citation

Summary: Paul's 'mind of the flesh' is the flesh's impulse toward sin, not the flesh itself, which can be brought under God's law, as virginity, self-control and Paul's commands about the body show.

The chapter 60 numeral survives in the OCR as a garbled word (removed by a logged correction); the chapter begins at "[60]".
Rom 8:7; 1 Cor 5:8; Rom 7:23; Rom 6:12-13, 19; 1 Cor 6:9-10; Phil 3:19; 1 Cor 15:32 (Isa 22:13); 1 Cor 6:13-20 (the last words, 'and in your spirit, which are God's', are in the Byzantine text of 1 Cor 6:20). 'Sexual immorality' renders πορνεία; 'adulterers' μοιχοί.

Notes on the original text

Digital text corrected (OCR misreading; OCR misreadings; OCR misreadings and Latin letters; OCR: 3) for ἢ; OCR: Latin letters; OCR: accent; OCR: garbled repeated word; OCR: garbled words; OCR: garbled words and Latin letters; OCR: split word; OCR: stray mark; OCR: stray mark; χ for κ; OCR: stray marks; OCR: ε for quotation mark; OCR: ε for ι; OCR: ς for quotation mark; OCR: χ for κ; chapter numeral (LX) removed; OCR misreadings and split words): >76 φρόνημα τῆς σαρκχόςς« εἶναι εἴρηται »ἔχθρα εἰς θεόν; τῷ γὰρ νόμῳ τοῦ θεοῦ οὐχ ὑποτάσσεται' οὐδὲ γὰρ δύναταις, λεκτέον ME ἄρα → »τὸ φρόνημα τῆς σαρκός« εἶναι εἴρηται »ἔχθρα εἰς θεόν· τῷ γὰρ νόμῳ τοῦ θεοῦ οὐχ ὑποτάσσεται, οὐδὲ γὰρ δύναται«, λεκτέον ὡς ἄρα; οὐ γὰρ τὴν σάρχα αὐτήν → οὐ γὰρ τὴν σάρκα αὐτήν; »οὐχ ὑποτάσσεταις τῷ δημιουργῷ" »οὐδὲ γὰρ ὀύναταιε (ἐκβληθῆναι γὰρ αὐτὸν πρότερον καὶ ἐχτακῆναι δεῖ). καὶ οὐ παρὰ τοῦτο τὸν ἄογυρον → »οὐχ ὑποτάσσεται« τῷ δημιουργῷ· »οὐδὲ γὰρ δύναται« (ἐκβληθῆναι γὰρ αὐτὸν πρότερον καὶ ἐκτακῆναι δεῖ). καὶ οὐ παρὰ τοῦτο τὸν ἄργυρον; πονηθῆναι χρήσιμον, ἀλλὰ τὸ χαλχῶδες τὸ ἐν τῷ ἀργύρῳ καὶ τὴν ἄλλην σχληρότητα. → πονηθῆναι χρήσιμον, ἀλλὰ τὸ χαλκῶδες τὸ ἐν τῷ ἀργύρῳ καὶ τὴν ἄλλην σκληρότητα.; »τὸ φρόνημα τῆς σαρκὸςε εἰπὼν → »τὸ φρόνημα τῆς σαρκὸς« εἰπὼν; »νόμῳ τοῦ θεοῦς , ἀλλὰ → »νόμῳ τοῦ θεοῦ«, ἀλλὰ; “οἷον τὸ πρὸς τὰς ἀχρασίας → οἷον τὸ πρὸς τὰς ἀκρασίας; »κιικία. καὶ πονηρίας« ἐκάλεσεν. → »κακίας καὶ πονηρίας« ἐκάλεσεν,; ὁτὲ δὲ ννόμον ἀντιστρατευόμερὸν τῷ νόμῳ τοῦ νοὸς καὶ αἰχμαλωτίζοντας. → ὁτὲ δὲ »νόμον ἀντιστρατευόμενον τῷ νόμῳ τοῦ νοὸς καὶ αἰχμαλωτίζοντα«.; εἰ αὐτὴν τὴν σάρχα ἔλεγε → εἰ αὐτὴν τὴν σάρκα ἔλεγε; τῆς σαρχὸς ὑποτάσσεσθαι → τῆς σαρκὸς ὑποτάσσεσθαι; φύσιν Διοῦν εἰναι; ἀλλὰ οὐδὲ αλλος εἰς αγνείαν → φύσιν οὖσαν εἶναι; ἀλλὰ οὐδὲ ἄλλως εἰς ἁγνείαν; πεφυχὸς μὴ ὑποτάσσεσθαι → πεφυκὸς μὴ ὑποτάσσεσθαι; γόμος δὲ θεοῦ δικαιοσύνη καὶ “σωφροσύνη. → νόμος δὲ θεοῦ δικαιοσύνη καὶ σωφροσύνη,; ἐκ παντός" εἰ δὲ → ἐκ παντός· εἰ δὲ; ὑποτάοσουσιν (ἄλλως γὰρ ἐγρατεύεσθαι → ὑποτάσσουσιν (ἄλλως γὰρ ἐγκρατεύεσθαι; εἰς ὁσιότητα 3) οἱ καθεξῆς → εἰς ὁσιότητα ἢ οἱ καθεξῆς; Παῦλος "μὴ οὖν βασιλευέτω 7 or ἐν τῷ θνητῷ ὑμῶνε λέγει POOUATL εἰς τὸ ὑπακούειν → Παῦλος »μὴ οὖν βασιλευέτω ἡ ἁμαρτία ἐν τῷ θνητῷ ὑμῶν« λέγει »σώματι εἰς τὸ ὑπακούειν; ὕπλα ἀδικίας τῇ αἀμαρτίᾳ, ἀλλὰ παραστησατε ἑαυτοὺς τῷ θεῷ οωσεὶ EX νεχρῶν ζῶντας καὶ τὰ μέλη ὑμῶν ὅπλα δικαιοσύνης τῷ ee; → ὅπλα ἀδικίας τῇ ἁμαρτίᾳ, ἀλλὰ παραστήσατε ἑαυτοὺς τῷ θεῷ ὡσεὶ ἐκ νεκρῶν ζῶντας καὶ τὰ μέλη ὑμῶν ὅπλα δικαιοσύνης τῷ θεῷ«;; νὥσπερ γὰρ παριστήσατε → »ὥσπερ γὰρ παρεστήσατε; τῇ ἀκειθαρσίᾳ zul τῇ ἀνομίᾳ → τῇ ἀκαθαρσίᾳ καὶ τῇ ἀνομίᾳ; εἰς ἁγιασμόνε. τὰς ὐκοῦν ἐγίγνωσκε δύνασθ αι ὀεευθύνεσθ αι τὸ GAY ὠμα τοῦτο κιὶ νεύειν → εἰς ἁγιασμόν«. Οὐκοῦν ἐγίγνωσκε δύνασθαι εὐθύνεσθαι τὸ σῶμα τοῦτο καὶ νεύειν; ἄνθρωπος zul Ep ἡμῶν, ἐὰν μὴ πρότερον ὑποτάξας ἑαυτοῦ τὰ μέλη τῆς σαρκὼς εἰς τὸ μὴ ὑπακούειν αὐτὰ τῇ ἁπαρτίᾳ → ἄνθρωπος καὶ ἐφ᾽ ἡμῶν, ἐὰν μὴ πρότερον ὑποτάξας ἑαυτοῦ τὰ μέλη τῆς σαρκὸς εἰς τὸ μὴ ὑπακούειν αὐτὰ τῇ ἁμαρτίᾳ; τὸ μὴ ἁμαρτῆσ σαι διὰ τοῦ σοόματος γίγνεται, τῆς u χῆ- ἢ πρὸς ἀρετὴν % πρὸς κακίαν ὀργάνῳ) χρωμένης → τὸ μὴ ἁμαρτῆσαι διὰ τοῦ σώματος γίγνεται, τῆς ψυχῆς ἢ πρὸς ἀρετὴν ἢ πρὸς κακίαν ὀργάνῳ χρωμένης; εἰδωλολ άτραι → εἰδωλολάτραι; μαλαχοὶ οὐ τε ἀρσενοκοῖται οὔτε χλέπται οὔτε πλεονέχται → μαλακοὶ οὔτε ἀρσενοκοῖται οὔτε κλέπται οὔτε πλεονέκται; κληρονομῆσαις δύνανται → κληρονομῆσαι« δύνανται; ἐὼν μὴ πρῶτον → ἐὰν μὴ πρῶτον; νόμῳ τοῦ θεοῦ" ὁ νόμος γὰρ θεοῦ 60φροσύνη. → νόμῳ τοῦ θεοῦ· ὁ νόμος γὰρ θεοῦ σωφροσύνη.; »μὴ ὑποτάσσεσθαις τῷ ἀγαθῷ → »μὴ ὑποτάσσεσθαι« τῷ ἀγαθῷ; »τὸ φρόνηι μα τῆς σαρχός« A οἷον → »τὸ φρόνημα τῆς σαρκός«, οἷον; [αὐτὴ}} τὴν → τὴν; ἀδιχον ἔχκλισιν. ἐχκαθαίρεσθαι → ἄδικον ἔκκλισιν. ἐκκαθαίρεσθαι; διδάσκων TE τὰς → διδάσκων τε τὰς; τὸ TOUYEF τοῦτο καὶ πολυτελεύεσθαι βῆ» εἶναι νομίζοντας. οἱ θεὸν ἡγοῦνται τὴν χοιλίαν. τφάγωμεν καὶ πίωμεν" αὔριον γὰρ ἀποθνήσκομενε, χαθάπερ → τὸ τρυφᾶν τοῦτο καὶ πολυτελεύεσθαι βίον εἶναι νομίζοντας, οἳ θεὸν ἡγοῦνται τὴν κοιλίαν, »φάγωμεν καὶ πίωμεν· αὔριον γὰρ ἀποθνήσκομεν«, καθάπερ; εἰπών TE TA βρώματα τῇ κοιλίᾳ → εἰπών τε »τὰ βρώματα τῇ κοιλίᾳ; καταργήσεις ἐπήγαγε → καταργήσει« ἐπήγαγε; τὸν κύριο» ἤγειρε. καὶ ἡμᾶς ἐξεγερεῖ διὰ τῆς δυνί EOS αὐτοῦ. ") οὐκ οἴδατε → τὸν κύριον ἤγειρε, καὶ ἡμᾶς ἐξεγερεῖ διὰ τῆς δυνάμεως αὐτοῦ. οὐκ οἴδατε; ἄρας οὺν τὰ μέλη τοῦ Χοιστοῦ ποιήσω πόρνης μέλη: μὴ χένθιτο. → ἄρας οὖν τὰ μέλη τοῦ Χριστοῦ ποιήσω πόρνης μέλη; μὴ γένοιτο.; ὅτι ὃ κολλώμενος → ὅτι ὁ κολλώμενος; ἁμαοτήσῃ ἄνθρωπος, ἐκτὸς τοῦ σώματός ἐστι». → ἁμαρτήσῃ ἄνθρωπος, ἐκτὸς τοῦ σώματός ἐστιν·; οἴδατε ὅτε τὰ σώματα → οἴδατε ὅτι τὰ σώματα; καὶ οὐχ ἐστὲ ἑαυτῶν ἠγοράσθητε γὰρ τιμῆς. → καὶ οὐκ ἐστὲ ἑαυτῶν· ἠγοράσθητε γὰρ τιμῆς.; τοῦ θεοῦλ.ς« → τοῦ θεοῦ«..

Topics: Ethics, Eschatology

Cite (SBL): Methodius, Res. 1.59 (Bonwetsch GCS 27:322; trans. Sophia Scriptura, https://sophiascriptura.com/fathers/methodius-de-resurrectione/1-57/#p-1-59). (abbreviation not yet checked)

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1.61Bonwetsch GCS 27:325

Πρόσσχες γὰρ ὅτι, ἐπειδὴ τὸ σῶμα τοῦτο δύναται τῷ νόμῳ τοῦ θεοῦ (ὑποτάσσεσθαι) καὶ τὴν ἀθανασίαν ὑποδέξασθαι, ἐὰν καθαίροιτο τῆς ἀκρασίας τῶν ὑπεκκαυμάτων, μὴ χραινόμενον ἀθέσμοις ὅλως οἴστρων παρατριβαῖς, ὁ ἀπόστολος ταῦτα ἀνεφθέγξατο. ποῖον γὰρ τὸ κολλώμενον ἕτερον »τῇ πόρνῃ« καὶ πλησιάζον καὶ »σὰρξ« μετ᾽ αὐτῆς κατὰ τὴν σύνερξιν τῶν μελῶν καὶ τὴν κοινωνίαν »μία« γινόμενον παρὰ τοῦτο τὸ σῶμα τὸ ἔξω, δι᾽ οὗ ταῦτα πάντα πληροῦται τὰ πρὸς μῖξι» καὶ ἔκκαυσιν ἁμαρτήματα; ὅθεν καὶ »πᾶν ἁμάρτημα, ὃ ἐὰν ποιήσῃ ἄνθρωπος, ἐκτὸς τοῦ σώματός ἐστιν. ὁ δὲ πορνεύων εἰς τὸ ἴδιον σῶμα ἁμαρτάνει«. τῦφος μὲν γὰρ καὶ ἀπιστία καὶ θυμὸς καὶ ὑπόκρισις ψυχῆς ἁμαρτήματα, πορνεία δὲ καὶ οἶστρος καὶ τρυφὴ σώματος· δι᾽ ὧν οὔτε ψυχὴ πρὸς ἀλήθειαν ἀναπτήσεται οὔτε σῶμα σωφροσύνης ὑποταχθήσεται δόγμασιν, ἀλλὰ ἄμφω διολισθαίνουσι τῆς βασιλείας τοῦ Χριστοῦ. καὶ τοίνυν εἰ τὰ σώματα ἡμῶν ἐν ἁγιασμῷ διακρατούμενα »ναός« ἐστι τοῦ »ἐν ἡμῖν« οἰκοῦντος »πνεύματος«, καὶ »ὁ κύριος τῷ σώματι«, καὶ τὰ μέλη τοῦ σώματος »μέλη Χριστοῦ«, ὑποτάσσεται ἄρα τὸ σῶμα »τῷ νόμῳ« τῷ θείῳ καὶ »κληρονομῆσαι« δύναται »τὴν βασιλείαν τοῦ θεοῦ«. ὁ γὰρ »ἐγείρας Χριστὸν ἐκ νεκρῶν ζῳοποιήσει« φησί »καὶ τὰ θνητὰ σώματα ὑμῶν διὰ τοῦ ἐνοικοῦντος αὐτοῦ πνεύματος ἐν ὑμῖν«, ἵνα »τὸ θνητὸν τοῦτο« ἐνδύσηται τὴν »ἀθανασίαν καὶ τὸ φθαρτὸν τὴν ἀφθαρσίαν«, »εἰς νῖκός« τε »καταποθῇ ὁ θάνατος«. οὐ γὰρ περὶ ἄλλου διελάμβανεν καθ' ἡμᾶς ἐνταῦθα σώματος ὁ ἀπόστολος, ἀλλὰ περὶ τούτου τοῦ ἀποθνήσκοντος καὶ νεκρουμένου, δι᾽ οὗ καὶ πορνεῦσαι καὶ ἀσελγῆσαι δυνατόν.

Prossches gar hoti, epeidē to sōma touto dynatai tǭ nomǭ tou theou (hypotassesthai) kai tēn athanasian hypodexasthai, ean kathairoito tēs akrasias tōn hypekkaumatōn, mē chrainomenon athesmois holōs oistrōn paratribais, ho apostolos tauta anephthenxato. poion gar to kollōmenon heteron »tę̄ pornę̄« kai plēsiazon kai »sarx« met᾽ autēs kata tēn synerxin tōn melōn kai tēn koinōnian »mia« ginomenon para touto to sōma to exō, di᾽ hou tauta panta plēroutai ta pros mixi» kai ekkausin hamartēmata? hothen kai »pan hamartēma, ho ean poiēsę̄ anthrōpos, ektos tou sōmatos estin. ho de porneuōn eis to idion sōma hamartanei«. typhos men gar kai apistia kai thymos kai hypokrisis psychēs hamartēmata, porneia de kai oistros kai tryphē sōmatos; di᾽ hōn oute psychē pros alētheian anaptēsetai oute sōma sōphrosynēs hypotachthēsetai dogmasin, alla amphō diolisthainousi tēs basileias tou Christou. kai toinyn ei ta sōmata hēmōn en hagiasmǭ diakratoumena »naos« esti tou »en hēmin« oikountos »pneumatos«, kai »ho kyrios tǭ sōmati«, kai ta melē tou sōmatos »melē Christou«, hypotassetai ara to sōma »tǭ nomǭ« tǭ theiǭ kai »klēronomēsai« dynatai »tēn basileian tou theou«. ho gar »egeiras Christon ek nekrōn zǭopoiēsei« phēsi »kai ta thnēta sōmata hymōn dia tou enoikountos autou pneumatos en hymin«, hina »to thnēton touto« endysētai tēn »athanasian kai to phtharton tēn aphtharsian«, »eis nikos« te »katapothę̄ ho thanatos«. ou gar peri allou dielambanen kath' hēmas entautha sōmatos ho apostolos, alla peri toutou tou apothnēskontos kai nekroumenou, di᾽ hou kai porneusai kai aselgēsai dynaton.

"For observe that the apostle said these things because this body can be subject to the law of God and receive immortality, if it is cleansed of the intemperance of its inflaming passions and not defiled at all by the lawless frictions of frenzy. For what else is it that is 'joined to the prostitute' and draws near and becomes 'one flesh' with her by the joining of members and the union, besides this outward body, through which all these sins of intercourse and burning are accomplished? Hence too, 'Every sin that a man commits is outside the body; but the sexually immoral man sins against his own body.' For pride and unbelief and anger and hypocrisy are sins of the soul, but sexual immorality and frenzy and luxury are sins of the body; through which neither will the soul fly up to the truth nor will the body be made subject to the decrees of self-control, but both slip away from the kingdom of Christ. And so, if our bodies, kept in sanctification, are 'a temple' of 'the Spirit' who dwells 'in us,' and 'the Lord is for the body,' and the members of the body are 'members of Christ,' then the body is subject to 'the' divine 'law' and can 'inherit the kingdom of God.' For 'he who raised Christ from the dead will give life,' he says, 'also to your mortal bodies through his Spirit who dwells in you,' so that 'this mortal' may put on 'immortality, and this corruptible incorruption,' and 'death be swallowed up in victory.' For the apostle was not speaking here, as we hold, about some other body, but about this one which dies and is put to death, through which it is possible to commit sexual immorality and licentiousness."

1 Cor 6:16 (quotation, high confidence) · 1 Cor 6:18 (quotation, high confidence) · 1 Cor 6:19 (quotation, high confidence) · 1 Cor 6:13 (quotation, high confidence) · 1 Cor 6:15 (quotation, high confidence) · 1 Cor 15:50 (allusion, high confidence) · Rom 8:11 (quotation, high confidence) · 1 Cor 15:53 (quotation, high confidence) · 1 Cor 15:54 (quotation, high confidence)

Notes and citation

Summary: Paul's words on sexual immorality concern this visible body, which can be a temple of the Spirit and so will be raised and clothed with immortality.

1 Cor 6:16, 18, 19, 13, 15; 1 Cor 15:50; Rom 8:11; 1 Cor 15:53-54. 'Sexual immorality' renders πορνεία.

Notes on the original text

Digital text corrected (OCR misreadings; OCR misreadings and Latin letters; OCR: garbled word; OCR: stray letter; OCR: ς for quotation marks; OCR: τ for ν; OCR: χ for κ): τῷ τόμῳ τοῦ θεοῦ → τῷ νόμῳ τοῦ θεοῦ; τῆς ἀχρασίας τῶν ὑπεκκαυμάτων, μὴ χραινόμενον → τῆς ἀκρασίας τῶν ὑπεκκαυμάτων, μὴ χραινόμενον; ἕτερον TH πόρνῃς καὶ πλησιάζον καὶ »σὰρξς μετ᾽ αὐτῆς οι κατὰ τὴν σύνερξιν τῶν μελῶν καὶ τὴν κοινωνίαν "μίας γινόμε γον → ἕτερον »τῇ πόρνῃ« καὶ πλησιάζον καὶ »σὰρξ« μετ᾽ αὐτῆς κατὰ τὴν σύνερξιν τῶν μελῶν καὶ τὴν κοινωνίαν »μία« γινόμενον; τὸ σώμα τὸ ἔξω, δι οὐ ταῦτα → τὸ σῶμα τὸ ἔξω, δι᾽ οὗ ταῦτα; ἁμάρτημα, ὦ ἐὰν ποιήσῃ ἀἄνθρωπος → ἁμάρτημα, ὃ ἐὰν ποιήσῃ ἄνθρωπος; σῶμα ἁμαρτάνεις ἐν τῦφος μὲν γὰρ καὶ ἀπιστία καὶ θυμὸὺς → σῶμα ἁμαρτάνει«. τῦφος μὲν γὰρ καὶ ἀπιστία καὶ θυμὸς; πορνεία δὲ καὶ οἶστρος καὶ τρυς, % σώματος" He: ὧν οὔτε ψυχὴ πρὸς ἀλήθειαν ἀναπτήσεται οὔτι σῶμα → πορνεία δὲ καὶ οἶστρος καὶ τρυφὴ σώματος· δι᾽ ὧν οὔτε ψυχὴ πρὸς ἀλήθειαν ἀναπτήσεται οὔτε σῶμα; διολισθή γύουσι → διολισθαίνουσι; σώματα ἡμῶν ἐν: ἁγιασμῷ διακρατούμενα »ναύός ἐστι τοῦ ἐν ἡμῖνε οἰκοῦντος »πνεῖματοες, καὶ 50 κύριος ἐν τῷ σώματις, → σώματα ἡμῶν ἐν ἁγιασμῷ διακρατούμενα »ναός« ἐστι τοῦ »ἐν ἡμῖν« οἰκοῦντος »πνεύματος«, καὶ »ὁ κύριος τῷ σώματι«,; »μέλη,͵ Χριστοῦ, ὑποτάσσεταις ἄρα τὸ σῶμα »τῷ νόμῳς τῷ θείῳ καὶ »κληρονομῆσαις δύναται »τὴν βασιλείαν τοῦ θεοῦς. → »μέλη Χριστοῦ«, ὑποτάσσεται ἄρα τὸ σῶμα »τῷ νόμῳ« τῷ θείῳ καὶ »κληρονομῆσαι« δύναται »τὴν βασιλείαν τοῦ θεοῦ«.; ὁ γὰρ νἐγείρας Χριστὸν ἐκ νεχρῶν ζῳοποιήσεις φησί → ὁ γὰρ »ἐγείρας Χριστὸν ἐκ νεκρῶν ζῳοποιήσει« φησί; πνεύματος ἐν ὑμῖνε, ἵνα »τὸ θνητὸν τοῦτος ἐνδύσηται τὴν »ἀθανασίαν καὶ τὸ φθαρτὸν τὴν ἀφθαρσίανε« »εἰς γῖχόύς TE καταποθῇ ὁ θάνατος.« → πνεύματος ἐν ὑμῖν«, ἵνα »τὸ θνητὸν τοῦτο« ἐνδύσηται τὴν »ἀθανασίαν καὶ τὸ φθαρτὸν τὴν ἀφθαρσίαν«, »εἰς νῖκός« τε »καταποθῇ ὁ θάνατος«.; ἀποθνηήσκοντος → ἀποθνήσκοντος; ÖL οὗ καὶ πορνεῦσαε → δι᾽ οὗ καὶ πορνεῦσαι.

Topics: Ethics, Eschatology

Cite (SBL): Methodius, Res. 1.61 (Bonwetsch GCS 27:325; trans. Sophia Scriptura, https://sophiascriptura.com/fathers/methodius-de-resurrectione/1-57/#p-1-61). (abbreviation not yet checked)

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1.62Bonwetsch GCS 27:326

Ἐὰν δὲ διαφορὰν εἶναι σώματος πρὸς σάρκα ὑποτοπάζωσιν (ἵνα δὴ καὶ ταῦτα αὐτοῖς ἐπιτρέψωμεν λογικεύεσθαι), καὶ σῶμα μὲν ἄλλο νομίζοιεν, οἷον αὐτῆς τῆς ψυχῆς, ὃ μὴ βλέπεται, σάρκα δὲ τοῦτο τὸ ἔξω τὸ βλεπόμενον. λεκτέον ὡς οὐ μόνον ὁ Παῦλος καὶ οἱ προφῆται σῶμα γιγνώσκουσι τὴν σάρκα ὀνομάζεσθαι ταύτην, ἀλλὰ καὶ ἄλλοι φιλόσοφοι, παρ᾿ οἷς δὴ μάλιστα καὶ ἡ τῶν ὀνομάτων ἀκρίβεια παρατετήρηται. σὰρξ γὰρ οἶδε, εἰ βούλονται καὶ περὶ τούτων ἐπιστημόνως ἐπισκέψασθαι, πᾶς ὁ ὄγκος οὗτος τοῦ σκηνώματος ἡμῶν κυρίως οὐ λέγεται, ἀλλά τι μέρος τοῦ ὅλου, καθάπερ ἢ ὀστᾶ ἢ νεῦρα ἢ φλέβες, σῶμα δὲ τὸ ὅλον. ὅθεν καὶ ἰατροί, οἱ δὴ καὶ περὶ φύσεως σωμάτων ἀκριβῶς διειλήφασι, σῶμα γινώσκουσι τοῦτο τὸ βλεπόμενον. ἀλλὰ καὶ ὁ Πλάτων καὶ αὐτὸ τοῦτο σῶμα καὶ αὐτὸς ἐπίσταται. ἐν γοῦν τῷ Φαίδωνι ὁ Σωκράτης »ἆρα μὴ ἄλλο τι τὸν θάνατον ἡγούμεθα εἶναι« ἔφη »ἢ τὴν τῆς ψυχῆς ἀπὸ τοῦ σώματος ἀπαλλαγήν; καὶ εἶναι τοῦτο τὸ τεθνάναι, χωρὶς μὲν ἀπὸ τῆς ψυχῆς ἀπαλλαγὲν αὐτὸ καθ᾽ ἑαυτὸ τὸ σῶμα γεγονέναι, χωρὶς δὲ τὴν ψυχὴν ἀπὸ τοῦ σώματος;« ὁ γάρ τοι Μωυσῆς ὁ μακάριος (ἔρχομαι γὰρ καὶ ἐπὶ ταύτας τὰς κυριακὰς ἤδη γραφάς) οὐ σῶμα τοῦτο ὀνομάζεσθαι ἐπίσταται, ὃ βλέπομεν, »καὶ πλυνεῖ τὰ ἱμάτια« λέγων ἐν τοῖς καθαρισμοῖς ὁ ἐπιψαύσας τοῦ ἀκαθάρτου, »καὶ λούσεται« τὸ σῶμα αὐτοῦ »ὕδατι«, »καὶ ἀκάθαρτος ἔσται ἕως ἑσπέρας«; τί δὲ καὶ ὁ Ἰώβ; οὐ σῶμα ἐπίσταται καὶ αὐτὸς τοῦτο τὸ νεκρούμενον καλεῖν, »φύρεται δέ μου τὸ σῶμα ἐν σαπρίᾳ σκωλήκων« λέγων; ἀλλὰ καὶ ὁ Σολομῶν ὅτι »εἰς κακότεχνον ψυχὴν οὐκ εἰσελεύσεται σοφία, οὐδὲ κατοικήσει ἐν σώματι καταχρέῳ ἁμαρτίας«. καὶ ἐν τῷ Δανιήλ ἐπὶ τῶν μαρτύρων »οὐχ ἐκυρίευσεν αὐτῶν τὸ πῦρ τοῦ σώματος« λέγεται »καὶ ἡ θρὶξ τῆς κεφαλῆς αὐτῶν οὐκ ἐφλογίσθη«. καὶ ὁ κύριος ἐν τῷ εὐαγγελίῳ »διὰ τοῦτο λέγω ὑμῖν, μὴ μεριμνᾶτε τί φάγητε ἢ τί ἐνδύσησθε· οὐχὶ ἡ ψυχὴ πλέον ἐστὶ τῆς τροφῆς καὶ τὸ σῶμα τοῦ ἐνδύματος;« καὶ ὁ ἀπόστολος δέ, »μὴ οὖν βασιλευέτω ἡ ἁμαρτία ἐν τῷ θνητῷ ὑμῶν σώματι« λέγων, σῶμα γινώσκειν τοῦτο ὃ περικείμεθα συνίστησι. καὶ πάλιν" »εἰ δὲ τὸ πνεῦμα τοῦ ἐγείραντος Ἰησοῦν οἰκεῖ ἐν ὑμῖν. ὁ ἐγείρας Χριστὸν ἐκ νεκρῶν ζῳοποιήσει καὶ τὰ θνητὰ σώματα ὑμῶν«. καὶ πάλιν: »ἐὰν εἴπῃ ὁ ποὺς ὅτι οὐχ εἰμὶ χείρ, οὐχ εἰμὶ ἐκ τοῦ σώματος, οὐ παρὰ τοῦτο οὐκ ἔστιν ἐκ τοῦ σώματος«. καὶ πάλιν" »καὶ μὴ ἀσθενήσας« ᾿Αβραὰμ »τῇ πίστει οὐ κατενόησε τὸ ἑαυτοῦ σῶμα νενεκρωμένον«. καὶ πάλιν" »τοὺς γὰρ ἅπαντας ἡμᾶς φανερωθῆναι δεῖ ἔμπροσθεν τοῦ βήματος τοῦ Χριστοῦ, ἵνα κομίσηται ἕκαστος τὰ διὰ τοῦ σώματος πρὸς ἃ ἔπραξε«. καὶ πάλιν" »αἱ μὲν ἐπιστολαὶ βαρεῖαι καὶ ἰσχυραί, ἡ δὲ παρουσία τοῦ σώματος ἀσθενής«. καὶ πάλιν" »οἶδα ἄνθρωπον ἐν Χριστῷ πρὸ ἐτῶν δεκατεσσάρων, εἴτε ἐν σώματι οὐκ οἶδα, εἴτε ἐκτὸς τοῦ σώματος οὐκ οἶδα«. καὶ πάλιν" »οὕτως ὀφείλουσιν οἱ ἄνδρες ἀγαπᾶν τὰς ἑαυτῶν γυναῖκας, ὡς τὰ ἑαυτῶν σώματα«. καὶ πάλιν" »αὐτὸς δὲ ὁ θεὸς τῆς εἰρήνης ἁγιάσαι ὑμᾶς ὁλοτελεῖς καὶ ὁλόκληρον ὑμῶν τὸ πνεῦμα, καὶ ἡ ψυχὴ καὶ τὸ σῶμα ἀμέμπτως ἐν τῇ παρουσίᾳ τοῦ κυρίου ἡμῶν Ἰησοῦ Χριστοῦ τηρηθείη«. οἱ δὲ ἀσφαλῶς οὐ νοήσαντες τούτων οὐδὲν ἐν σάλῳ καὶ ταραχῇ φέρεσθαι τὸν ἀπόστολον ὑπέλαβον, ὡς στάσιν αὐτοῦ τὰς διανοήσεις τῶν λόγων καὶ ἕδραν οὐκ ἐχούσας, ἀλλὰ ἀναπλεούσας ἄνω καὶ κάτω καὶ ὁμιλούσας παλίμφημα, ὁτὲ μὲν τὴν σάρκα ἀνίστασθαι, ὁτὲ δὲ οὐκ ἀνίστασθαι. ὅθεν ἵνα μὴ παραλειφθῇ τῶν προταθέντων μηδὲ ἕν, ὅπως τελέως ἐκτέμνωμεν τὴν Ὕδραν, εἰς τὸ προκείμενον πάλιν ἐπανελεύσομαι. ἐφεξῆς γάρ, καθάπερ ὑπεσχόμην. καὶ τὰ ἄλλα ἃ προσαποροῦσι κεφάλαια θείς, καὶ ἃ χρὴ πρὸς αὐτὰ λέγεσθαι ἀποδείξας. ἀκόλουθα παραστήσω αὐτὸν καὶ σύμφωνα εἰς τὴν περὶ τῆς ἀναστάσεως τῆς σαρκὸς πίστιν καὶ αὐτὰ εἰρηκότα.

Ean de diaphoran einai sōmatos pros sarka hypotopazōsin (hina dē kai tauta autois epitrepsōmen logikeuesthai), kai sōma men allo nomizoien, hoion autēs tēs psychēs, ho mē blepetai, sarka de touto to exō to blepomenon. lekteon hōs ou monon ho Paulos kai hoi prophētai sōma gignōskousi tēn sarka onomazesthai tautēn, alla kai alloi philosophoi, par᾿ hois dē malista kai hē tōn onomatōn akribeia paratetērētai. sarx gar oide, ei boulontai kai peri toutōn epistēmonōs episkepsasthai, pas ho onkos houtos tou skēnōmatos hēmōn kyriōs ou legetai, alla ti meros tou holou, kathaper ē osta ē neura ē phlebes, sōma de to holon. hothen kai iatroi, hoi dē kai peri physeōs sōmatōn akribōs dieilēphasi, sōma ginōskousi touto to blepomenon. alla kai ho Platōn kai auto touto sōma kai autos epistatai. en goun tǭ Phaidōni ho Sōkratēs »ara mē allo ti ton thanaton hēgoumetha einai« ephē »ē tēn tēs psychēs apo tou sōmatos apallagēn? kai einai touto to tethnanai, chōris men apo tēs psychēs apallagen auto kath᾽ heauto to sōma gegonenai, chōris de tēn psychēn apo tou sōmatos?« ho gar toi Mōysēs ho makarios (erchomai gar kai epi tautas tas kyriakas ēdē graphas) ou sōma touto onomazesthai epistatai, ho blepomen, »kai plynei ta himatia« legōn en tois katharismois ho epipsausas tou akathartou, »kai lousetai« to sōma autou »hydati«, »kai akathartos estai heōs hesperas«? ti de kai ho Iōb? ou sōma epistatai kai autos touto to nekroumenon kalein, »phyretai de mou to sōma en saprią skōlēkōn« legōn? alla kai ho Solomōn hoti »eis kakotechnon psychēn ouk eiseleusetai sophia, oude katoikēsei en sōmati katachreǭ hamartias«. kai en tǭ Daniēl epi tōn martyrōn »ouch ekyrieusen autōn to pyr tou sōmatos« legetai »kai hē thrix tēs kephalēs autōn ouk ephlogisthē«. kai ho kyrios en tǭ euangeliǭ »dia touto legō hymin, mē merimnate ti phagēte ē ti endysēsthe; ouchi hē psychē pleon esti tēs trophēs kai to sōma tou endymatos?« kai ho apostolos de, »mē oun basileuetō hē hamartia en tǭ thnētǭ hymōn sōmati« legōn, sōma ginōskein touto ho perikeimetha synistēsi. kai palin" »ei de to pneuma tou egeirantos Iēsoun oikei en hymin. ho egeiras Christon ek nekrōn zǭopoiēsei kai ta thnēta sōmata hymōn«. kai palin: »ean eipę̄ ho pous hoti ouch eimi cheir, ouch eimi ek tou sōmatos, ou para touto ouk estin ek tou sōmatos«. kai palin" »kai mē asthenēsas« ᾿Abraam »tę̄ pistei ou katenoēse to heautou sōma nenekrōmenon«. kai palin" »tous gar hapantas hēmas phanerōthēnai dei emprosthen tou bēmatos tou Christou, hina komisētai hekastos ta dia tou sōmatos pros ha epraxe«. kai palin" »hai men epistolai bareiai kai ischyrai, hē de parousia tou sōmatos asthenēs«. kai palin" »oida anthrōpon en Christǭ pro etōn dekatessarōn, eite en sōmati ouk oida, eite ektos tou sōmatos ouk oida«. kai palin" »houtōs opheilousin hoi andres agapan tas heautōn gynaikas, hōs ta heautōn sōmata«. kai palin" »autos de ho theos tēs eirēnēs hagiasai hymas holoteleis kai holoklēron hymōn to pneuma, kai hē psychē kai to sōma amemptōs en tę̄ parousią tou kyriou hēmōn Iēsou Christou tērētheiē«. hoi de asphalōs ou noēsantes toutōn ouden en salǭ kai tarachę̄ pheresthai ton apostolon hypelabon, hōs stasin autou tas dianoēseis tōn logōn kai hedran ouk echousas, alla anapleousas anō kai katō kai homilousas palimphēma, hote men tēn sarka anistasthai, hote de ouk anistasthai. hothen hina mē paraleiphthę̄ tōn protathentōn mēde hen, hopōs teleōs ektemnōmen tēn Hydran, eis to prokeimenon palin epaneleusomai. ephexēs gar, kathaper hypeschomēn. kai ta alla ha prosaporousi kephalaia theis, kai ha chrē pros auta legesthai apodeixas. akoloutha parastēsō auton kai symphōna eis tēn peri tēs anastaseōs tēs sarkos pistin kai auta eirēkota.

"But if they suppose that there is a difference between body and flesh (let us allow them to reason about this too), and consider 'body' to be something else, such as that of the soul itself, which is not seen, but 'flesh' this outward thing that is seen, we must say that not only Paul and the prophets know that this flesh is called body, but other philosophers too, among whom above all the exactness of names has been carefully observed. For 'flesh,' as they know if they are willing to examine these things scientifically, is not properly said of this whole mass of our tabernacle, but of a part of the whole, such as the bones or the sinews or the veins; the whole is 'body.' That is why physicians too, who have treated exactly of the nature of bodies, call this visible thing a body. And Plato himself also calls this very thing a body. At any rate in the Phaedo Socrates said, 'Do we think death is anything other than the release of the soul from the body? And that being dead is this: that the body, released from the soul, has come to be apart by itself, and the soul apart from the body?' Indeed blessed Moses (for I now come to these, the Lord's Scriptures) calls what we see a body, when he says in the purifications that the one who touched the unclean 'shall wash his clothes and bathe' his body 'in water, and shall be unclean until evening.' And what of Job? Does not he too call this body that is put to death a body, saying, 'My body is soaked in the corruption of worms'? And Solomon too, saying that 'wisdom will not enter a soul that devises evil, nor dwell in a body enslaved to sin.' And in Daniel it is said of the martyrs, 'The fire had no power over their bodies, and the hair of their heads was not singed.' And the Lord in the Gospel: 'Therefore I tell you, do not be anxious about what you will eat or what you will wear. Is not the soul more than food and the body more than clothing?' And the apostle too, in saying, 'Let not sin therefore reign in your mortal body,' shows that he calls this which we wear a body. And again, 'But if the Spirit of him who raised Jesus dwells in you, he who raised Christ from the dead will also give life to your mortal bodies.' And again, 'If the foot should say, Because I am not a hand, I am not of the body, it is not for that reason not of the body.' And again, 'And not being weak in faith,' Abraham 'did not consider his own body, which was as good as dead.' And again, 'For we must all appear before the judgment seat of Christ, so that each may receive the things done through the body, according to what he has done.' And again, 'His letters are weighty and strong, but his bodily presence is weak.' And again, 'I know a man in Christ fourteen years ago, whether in the body I do not know, or out of the body I do not know.' And again, 'So husbands ought to love their own wives as their own bodies.' And again, 'May the God of peace himself sanctify you wholly, and may your spirit and soul and body be kept whole and blameless at the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ.' But those who did not securely understand any of these things supposed that the apostle is carried about in tossing and turmoil, as though the thoughts of his words had no standing or settled seat, but floated up and down and said contradictory things, at one time that the flesh rises and at another that it does not rise. Therefore, so that nothing of what was put forward may be left out, and that we may cut off the Hydra completely, I will return again to the matter in hand. For next, as I promised, I will set out the other headings that they raise as further difficulties, and show what must be said in reply to them, and so present the apostle as saying these things too consistently and in harmony with faith in the resurrection of the flesh."

Lev 14:8 (quotation, high confidence) · Lev 14:9 (quotation, medium confidence) · Job 7:5 (quotation, high confidence) · Dan 3:27 (quotation, high confidence) · Matt 6:25 (quotation, high confidence) · Rom 6:12 (quotation, high confidence) · Rom 8:11 (quotation, high confidence) · 1 Cor 12:15 (quotation, high confidence) · Rom 4:19 (quotation, high confidence) · 2 Cor 5:10 (quotation, high confidence) · 2 Cor 10:10 (quotation, high confidence) · 2 Cor 12:2 (quotation, high confidence) · Eph 5:28 (quotation, high confidence) · 1 Thess 5:23 (quotation, high confidence)

Notes and citation

Summary: Scripture, Plato and the physicians all call this visible flesh 'body', so Paul's statements about the body refer to it, and the narrator promises to show that Paul consistently teaches the resurrection of the flesh.

About eighteen lines at the top of page 327 (from 'other philosophers' to Wisdom 1:4) were lost in the staged text; they are restored from the OCR of the same page by a logged correction. The staged text also ran on into the beginning of Book 2 (its heading and the first sentences of 2.1, pp. 329-331), which is removed here by a logged correction; that chapter's Greek is not otherwise staged (see the report).
Plato, Phaed. 64c; Lev 14:8-9 (cf. 15:5-11); Job 7:5 (Septuagint); Wis 1:4; Dan 3:27 (Theodotion 3:94); Matt 6:25; Rom 6:12; Rom 8:11; 1 Cor 12:15; Rom 4:19; 2 Cor 5:10; 2 Cor 10:10; 2 Cor 12:2; Eph 5:28; 1 Thess 5:23. The Hydra recalls Plato, Rep. 4.426e.

Notes on the original text

Digital text corrected (OCR misreading; OCR misreadings; OCR: 0 for ὃ; OCR: Latin letters; OCR: accent; OCR: stray marks and Latin letters; OCR: ε for quotation mark; OCR: ν for quotation mark; OCR: ς for quotation mark; OCR: φ for ψ; OCR: ό for δ; about eighteen lines at the top of page 327 lost in staging are restored from the OCR of the same page (OCR slips corrected); a leaked line number removed; the heading of Book 2 and the first sentences of its chapter 1 (Bonwetsch pp. 329-330), which belong to another unit, removed from the end of this unit): Ἐὼ" δὲ διαφορὰν εἶναι σώματος πρὸς σάρχα → Ἐὰν δὲ διαφορὰν εἶναι σώματος πρὸς σάρκα; (va δὴ καὶ ταῦτα → (ἵνα δὴ καὶ ταῦτα; σῶμα μὲν x σι. z > = - - a ᾿ εν N . ἄλλο νομίζοιεν, οἷον αὐτῆς τῆς ψυχῆς, ὁ μὴ βλέπεται. σάρκα δὲ τοῦτο TO ἔξω → σῶμα μὲν ἄλλο νομίζοιεν, οἷον αὐτῆς τῆς ψυχῆς, ὃ μὴ βλέπεται, σάρκα δὲ τοῦτο τὸ ἔξω; λεχτέον ὡς οὐ μόνον ὁ Παῦλος καὶ οἱ προφῆται σῶμα γιγνώσχουσι τὴν σάρκα ὀνομάξεσθαι ταύτην, ἀλλὰ καὶ σι καὶ ἐν τῷ Acvıyd → λεκτέον ὡς οὐ μόνον ὁ Παῦλος καὶ οἱ προφῆται σῶμα γιγνώσκουσι τὴν σάρκα ὀνομάζεσθαι ταύτην, ἀλλὰ καὶ ἄλλοι φιλόσοφοι, παρ᾿ οἷς δὴ μάλιστα καὶ ἡ τῶν ὀνομάτων ἀκρίβεια παρατετήρηται. σὰρξ γὰρ οἶδε, εἰ βούλονται καὶ περὶ τούτων ἐπιστημόνως ἐπισκέψασθαι, πᾶς ὁ ὄγκος οὗτος τοῦ σκηνώματος ἡμῶν κυρίως οὐ λέγεται, ἀλλά τι μέρος τοῦ ὅλου, καθάπερ ἢ ὀστᾶ ἢ νεῦρα ἢ φλέβες, σῶμα δὲ τὸ ὅλον. ὅθεν καὶ ἰατροί, οἱ δὴ καὶ περὶ φύσεως σωμάτων ἀκριβῶς διειλήφασι, σῶμα γινώσκουσι τοῦτο τὸ βλεπόμενον. ἀλλὰ καὶ ὁ Πλάτων καὶ αὐτὸ τοῦτο σῶμα καὶ αὐτὸς ἐπίσταται. ἐν γοῦν τῷ Φαίδωνι ὁ Σωκράτης »ἆρα μὴ ἄλλο τι τὸν θάνατον ἡγούμεθα εἶναι« ἔφη »ἢ τὴν τῆς ψυχῆς ἀπὸ τοῦ σώματος ἀπαλλαγήν; καὶ εἶναι τοῦτο τὸ τεθνάναι, χωρὶς μὲν ἀπὸ τῆς ψυχῆς ἀπαλλαγὲν αὐτὸ καθ᾽ ἑαυτὸ τὸ σῶμα γεγονέναι, χωρὶς δὲ τὴν ψυχὴν ἀπὸ τοῦ σώματος;« ὁ γάρ τοι Μωυσῆς ὁ μακάριος (ἔρχομαι γὰρ καὶ ἐπὶ ταύτας τὰς κυριακὰς ἤδη γραφάς) οὐ σῶμα τοῦτο ὀνομάζεσθαι ἐπίσταται, ὃ βλέπομεν, »καὶ πλυνεῖ τὰ ἱμάτια« λέγων ἐν τοῖς καθαρισμοῖς ὁ ἐπιψαύσας τοῦ ἀκαθάρτου, »καὶ λούσεται« τὸ σῶμα αὐτοῦ »ὕδατι«, »καὶ ἀκάθαρτος ἔσται ἕως ἑσπέρας«; τί δὲ καὶ ὁ Ἰώβ; οὐ σῶμα ἐπίσταται καὶ αὐτὸς τοῦτο τὸ νεκρούμενον καλεῖν, »φύρεται δέ μου τὸ σῶμα ἐν σαπρίᾳ σκωλήκων« λέγων; ἀλλὰ καὶ ὁ Σολομῶν ὅτι »εἰς κακότεχνον ψυχὴν οὐκ εἰσελεύσεται σοφία, οὐδὲ κατοικήσει ἐν σώματι καταχρέῳ ἁμαρτίας«. καὶ ἐν τῷ Δανιήλ; τὸν πῦρ τοῦ σώματος« λέγεται »καὶ ἡ θυὶξ τῆς κεφαλῆς αὐτῶν οὐκ ἐφλογίσθη.. → τὸ πῦρ τοῦ σώματος« λέγεται »καὶ ἡ θρὶξ τῆς κεφαλῆς αὐτῶν οὐκ ἐφλογίσθη«.; ν»ὁὀιὰ τοῦτο λίγω ὑμῖν → »διὰ τοῦτο λέγω ὑμῖν; ἐνδύσησθε. οὐχὶ ἡ φυχὴ → ἐνδύσησθε· οὐχὶ ἡ ψυχὴ; τοῦ ἐνδύματος; καὶ ὁ ἀπόστολος ὁΐξ, → τοῦ ἐνδύματος;« καὶ ὁ ἀπόστολος δέ,; θνητῷ ὑμῶν σώματις λέγων → θνητῷ ὑμῶν σώματι« λέγων; τοῦτο 0 περικείμεθα → τοῦτο ὃ περικείμεθα; sel δὲ τὸ πνεῦμα → »εἰ δὲ τὸ πνεῦμα; ζφοποιήσει καὶ τὰ θνητὰ σώματα ὑμῶνε. → ζῳοποιήσει καὶ τὰ θνητὰ σώματα ὑμῶν«.; παρὰ τοῖτο οὐχ ἔστιν ἐκ τοῦ σώματοςς. → παρὰ τοῦτο οὐκ ἔστιν ἐκ τοῦ σώματος«.; σῶμα νενεκρωμένονε. → σῶμα νενεκρωμένον«.; ἕχαστος τὰ διὰ τοῦ σώματος πρὸς ἃ ἔπραξες. → ἕκαστος τὰ διὰ τοῦ σώματος πρὸς ἃ ἔπραξε«.; ταὶ μὲν ἐπιστολαὶ → »αἱ μὲν ἐπιστολαὶ; σώματος ἀσθενήςς. → σώματος ἀσθενής«.; ν»οἶδα ἄνθρώπον ἐν Χριστῷ πρὸ ἐτῶν δεχατεσσάρων, εἴτε ἐν σώματι οὐκ οἶδα, εἴτε ἐχτὸς τοῦ σώματος οὐχ οἶδας. → »οἶδα ἄνθρωπον ἐν Χριστῷ πρὸ ἐτῶν δεκατεσσάρων, εἴτε ἐν σώματι οὐκ οἶδα, εἴτε ἐκτὸς τοῦ σώματος οὐκ οἶδα«.; ος τὰ ἑαυτῶν σώματαςε. → ὡς τὰ ἑαυτῶν σώματα«.; ναὐτὸς δὲ ὁ θεὸς → »αὐτὸς δὲ ὁ θεὸς; καὶ ἢ ψυχὴ καὶ τὸ σῶμα → καὶ ἡ ψυχὴ καὶ τὸ σῶμα; καὶ ἕόραν οὐκ ἐχούσας → καὶ ἕδραν οὐκ ἐχούσας; ὁτὲ μὲν τὴν σάρχα ἀνίστασθαι, ὁτὲ δὲ οὐχ ἀνίστασθαι. “dep ἵνα μὴ παραλειφθῇ τῶν προταθέντων μηδὲ ἕν, ὕπος τελέως ἐκτέμνωμεν “Ἴ δραν, → ὁτὲ μὲν τὴν σάρκα ἀνίστασθαι, ὁτὲ δὲ οὐκ ἀνίστασθαι. ὅθεν ἵνα μὴ παραλειφθῇ τῶν προταθέντων μηδὲ ἕν, ὅπως τελέως ἐκτέμνωμεν τὴν Ὕδραν,; κεφᾶλαια θείς. καὶ ἃ χρὴ → κεφάλαια θείς, καὶ ἃ χρὴ; καὶ σίμφωνα εἰς → καὶ σύμφωνα εἰς; ΛΟΙῸΣ B. I Ἴδωμεν δὴ οὖν ἃ τὸ πρῶτον εἰς τὸν ἀπόστολον προήχθημεν εἰπεῖν. τὸ γάρ »ἐγὼ δὲ ἔξζωνςε λεχθὲν αὐτῷ χωρὶς νόμου ποτές ἄνω τὴν ἐν τῷ παραδείσῳ, καθάπερ ἐξ ἀρχῆς ὑπεθέμεθα, πρὸ τῆς ἐντολῆς. οὐκ ἐχτὸς σώματος, ἀλλὰ μετὰ σώματος ἡμῶν ἐν τοῖς πορωτοπλάστοις διαγωγὴν παρεγγυζί, ἐπειδὴ πρὸ τοῦ δοθῆναι τὴν ἐντολὴν »χοῦν ὁ θεὸς ἀπὸ τῆς γῆς λαβὼν ἔπλασε τὸν ἀνθοώπονε, ἐχτὸς δὲ ἐπιθυμίας → .

Extrabiblical texts: Plato, Phaed. 64c (Plato (works); quotation); Wis 1:4 (Wisdom of Solomon [in RC, EO, ETH canons]; quotation); Plato, Rep. 4.426e (Plato (works); allusion)

Topics: Eschatology

Cite (SBL): Methodius, Res. 1.62 (Bonwetsch GCS 27:326; trans. Sophia Scriptura, https://sophiascriptura.com/fathers/methodius-de-resurrectione/1-57/#p-1-62). (abbreviation not yet checked)

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Chapter 2

2.1Bonwetsch GCS 27:329

Ἴδωμεν δὴ οὖν ἃ τὸ πρῶτον εἰς τὸν ἀπόστολον προήχθημεν εἰπεῖν. τὸ γάρ »ἐγὼ δὲ ἔζων« λεχθὲν αὐτῷ »χωρὶς νόμου ποτέ« ἄνω τὴν ἐν τῷ παραδείσῳ, καθάπερ ἐξ ἀρχῆς ὑπεθέμεθα, πρὸ τῆς ἐντολῆς, οὐκ ἐκτὸς σώματος, ἀλλὰ μετὰ σώματος ἡμῶν ἐν τοῖς πρωτοπλάστοις διαγωγὴν παρεγγυᾷ, ἐπειδὴ πρὸ τοῦ δοθῆναι τὴν ἐντολὴν »χοῦν ὁ θεὸς ἀπὸ τῆς γῆς λαβὼν ἔπλασε τὸν ἄνθρωπον«, ἐκτὸς δὲ ἐπιθυμίας διήγομεν, οὐ γινώσκοντες ὅλως ἐπιθυμίας ἀλόγου προσβολὰς βιαζομένης ἡμᾶς ἑλκτικαῖς ἡδονῶν περιαγωγαῖς πρὸς ἀκρασίαν. τὸ γὰρ μὴ ἔχον διορισμόν, καθ᾽ ὃν δεῖ πολιτεύεσθαι, μηδὲ ἐξουσίαν αὐτοδέσποτον λογισμοῦ ποίῳ χρῆσθαι αἱρεῖται πολιτεύματι, ἵνα δικαίως ἢ τιμηθῇ ἢ ψεχθῇ, ἀνυπεύθυνον παντὸς λεκτέον ὑπάρχειν τοῦτο ἐγκλήματος, ὅτι μὴ δύναται τούτων ἐπιθυμῆσαι ὧν μὴ κεκώλυται· κἂν ἐπιθυμήσῃ δέ, οὐκ αἰτιαθήσεται. τὸ γὰρ ἐπιθυμῆσαι οὐχὶ ἐπὶ τῶν παρόντων καὶ ὑποκειμένων ἐν ἐξουσίᾳ πίπτει, ἀλλ᾽ ἐπὶ τῶν παρόντων μέν, μὴ ὄντων δὲ ἐν ἐξουσίᾳ. πῶς γὰρ οὗ μὴ κεκώλυταί τις μηδὲ ἐνδεής ἐστι, τούτου ἐπιθυμεῖ καὶ ἐρᾷ; ὅθεν διὰ τοῦτο »τὴν ἐπιθυμίαν οὐκ ᾔδειν, εἰ μὴ ὁ νόμος ἔλεγεν, οὐκ ἐπιθυμήσεις«. ἀκούσαντες γάρ »ἀπὸ δὲ τοῦ ξύλου τοῦ γινώσκειν καλὸν καὶ πονηρόν, οὐ φάγεσθε ἀπ᾿ αὐτοῦ· ᾗ δ᾽ ἂν ἡμέρᾳ φάγητε ἀπ᾿ αὐτοῦ, θανάτῳ ἀποθανεῖσθε«, τότε τὸ ἐπιθυμῆσαι συνέλαβον καὶ ἐνεκίσσησαν. οὐ γὰρ ὧν ἔχει καὶ ὧν ἐξουσιάζει καὶ κέχρηται αὐτοῖς ὁ ἐπιθυμῶν ἐπιθυμεῖ, ἀλλ᾽ ὧν κεκώλυται καὶ ἀφήρηται καὶ οὐκ ἔχει. διὸ δὴ καλῶς »τὴν ἐπιθυμίαν οὐκ ᾔδειν« ἐλέχθη »εἰ μὴ ὁ νόμος ἔλεγεν, οὐκ ἐπιθυμήσεις«, ὃ δή ἐστιν, εἰ μὴ εἴρητο »οὐ φάγεσθε ἀπ᾽ αὐτοῦ«. ἐντεῦθεν γὰρ ἐκτήσατο τόπον καὶ ἀφορμὴν εἰσελθεῖν εἰς τὸ διαπαῖξαί με καὶ παρατρέψασθαι ἡ ἁμαρτία.

Idōmen dē oun ha to prōton eis ton apostolon proēchthēmen eipein. to gar »egō de ezōn« lechthen autǭ »chōris nomou pote« anō tēn en tǭ paradeisǭ, kathaper ex archēs hypethemetha, pro tēs entolēs, ouk ektos sōmatos, alla meta sōmatos hēmōn en tois prōtoplastois diagōgēn parengyą, epeidē pro tou dothēnai tēn entolēn »choun ho theos apo tēs gēs labōn eplase ton anthrōpon«, ektos de epithymias diēgomen, ou ginōskontes holōs epithymias alogou prosbolas biazomenēs hēmas helktikais hēdonōn periagōgais pros akrasian. to gar mē echon diorismon, kath᾽ hon dei politeuesthai, mēde exousian autodespoton logismou poiǭ chrēsthai haireitai politeumati, hina dikaiōs ē timēthę̄ ē psechthę̄, anypeuthynon pantos lekteon hyparchein touto enklēmatos, hoti mē dynatai toutōn epithymēsai hōn mē kekōlytai; kan epithymēsę̄ de, ouk aitiathēsetai. to gar epithymēsai ouchi epi tōn parontōn kai hypokeimenōn en exousią piptei, all᾽ epi tōn parontōn men, mē ontōn de en exousią. pōs gar hou mē kekōlytai tis mēde endeēs esti, toutou epithymei kai erą? hothen dia touto »tēn epithymian ouk ę̄dein, ei mē ho nomos elegen, ouk epithymēseis«. akousantes gar »apo de tou xylou tou ginōskein kalon kai ponēron, ou phagesthe ap᾿ autou; hę̄ d᾽ an hēmerą phagēte ap᾿ autou, thanatǭ apothaneisthe«, tote to epithymēsai synelabon kai enekissēsan. ou gar hōn echei kai hōn exousiazei kai kechrētai autois ho epithymōn epithymei, all᾽ hōn kekōlytai kai aphērētai kai ouk echei. dio dē kalōs »tēn epithymian ouk ę̄dein« elechthē »ei mē ho nomos elegen, ouk epithymēseis«, ho dē estin, ei mē eirēto »ou phagesthe ap᾽ autou«. enteuthen gar ektēsato topon kai aphormēn eiselthein eis to diapaixai me kai paratrepsasthai hē hamartia.

"Let us see, then, what we were first led to say about the apostle. For his saying, 'And I was alive apart from the law once,' refers to our life above in paradise in the first-formed, before the commandment, as we laid down at the beginning, not outside the body but with the body, since before the commandment was given 'God took dust from the earth and formed man.' We lived without desire, knowing nothing at all of the assaults of irrational desire, forcing us toward intemperance by the alluring enticements of pleasures. For one who has no rule according to which he must live, nor a self-governing power of reason to choose what way of life to follow, so that he may justly be either honoured or blamed, must be held free of every charge, since no one can desire the things from which he is not restrained; and even if he desires them, he will not be blamed. For desire falls not on things that are present and lie in our power, but on things that are present but not in our power. For how does anyone desire and love what he is neither forbidden nor in need of? That is why 'I would not have known desire, if the law had not said, You shall not desire.' For when they heard, 'But from the tree of knowing good and evil you shall not eat of it; in the day you eat of it, you shall surely die,' then they conceived desire and became pregnant with it. For the one who desires does not desire what he has and controls and uses, but what he is forbidden and deprived of and does not have. Therefore it was rightly said, 'I would not have known desire, if the law had not said, You shall not desire,' that is, if it had not been said, 'You shall not eat of it.' For from that point sin gained a place and an occasion to enter, to mock me and to turn me aside."

Rom 7:9 (quotation, high confidence) · Gen 2:7 (quotation, high confidence) · Rom 7:7 (quotation, high confidence) · Gen 2:17 (quotation, high confidence) · Rom 7:8 (allusion, high confidence)

Notes and citation

Summary: Methodius begins Book 2 by explaining 'I was once alive apart from the law' as the bodily life of Adam and Eve in paradise before the commandment, when they knew no desire.

Book 2, chapter 1 (Bonwetsch pp. 329-331). The Greek is the edition's text, cleaned from the OCR by logged corrections.
Rom 7:9; Gen 2:7; Rom 7:7-8; Gen 2:17.

Notes on the original text

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Topics: Ethics

Cite (SBL): Methodius, Res. 2.1 (Bonwetsch GCS 27:329; trans. Sophia Scriptura, https://sophiascriptura.com/fathers/methodius-de-resurrectione/1-57/#p-2-1). (abbreviation not yet checked)

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2.2Bonwetsch GCS 27:331

Δοθείσης γὰρ τῆς ἐντολῆς ἔσχε λαβὴν διὰ τῆς ἐντολῆς ὁ διάβολος κατεργάσασθαι ἐν ἐμοὶ τὴν ἐπιθυμίαν. παρορμήσας με καὶ προσκαλεσάμενος ἐντέχνως εἰς ὄρεξιν καταπεσεῖν τῶν κεκωλυμένων. »χωρὶς γὰρ νόμου ἡ ἁμαρτία νεκρά«, οἷον· οὐ δοθείσης γὰρ οὐδὲ οὔσης οὐδέπω τῆς ἐντολῆς ἄπρακτος ἦν ἡ ἁμαρτία. »ἐγὼ δὲ ἔζων« ἀμέμπτως πρὸ τῆς ἐντολῆς. οὐχ ἔχων διορισμὸν καὶ διαταγὴν, καθ᾽ ἣν ἔδει πολιτεύεσθαι, ὡς καὶ διολισθήσας ἁμαρτήσομαι. »ἐλθούσης δὲ τῆς ἐντολῆς ἡ ἁμαρτία ἀνέζησεν, ἐγὼ δὲ ἀπέθανον, καὶ εὑρέθη μοι ἡ ἐντολὴ ἡ εἰς ζωὴν αὕτη εἰς θάνατον«, ὅτι μετὰ τὸ νομοθετῆσαι τὸν θεὸν καὶ διαστείλασθαί μοι ἃ ποιητέον καὶ μὴ ποιητέον. κατειργάσατο ἐν ἐμοὶ τὴν ἐπιθυμίαν ὁ διάβολος. ἡ γὰρ παραίνεσις τοῦ θεοῦ καὶ παραγγελία ἡ δοθεῖσά μοι αὕτη εἰς ζωὴν καὶ ἀφθαρσίαν, ἵνα πειθόμενος αὐτῇ καὶ κατ᾽ αὐτὴν βιοὺς ἀπήμονα καὶ μακαριστότατον δι᾽ αἰῶνος καὶ ἀεὶ θάλλοντα πρὸς ἀθανασίαν βίον ἔχω καὶ χαράν, ἀθετήσαντί μοι αὐτὴν εἰς θάνατον ἀπέβη καὶ καταδίκην, ἐπειδὴ ὁ διάβολος, ὃν ἁμαρτίαν νῦν οὗτος ἐκάλεσε διὰ τὸ δημιουργὸν αὐτὸν ἁμαρτίας ὑπάρχειν καὶ εὑρετήν, διὰ τῆς ἐντολῆς ἀφορμὴν λαβὼν πρὸς παρακοὴν ἐξηπάτησέ με καὶ ἀπατήσας ἀπέκτεινεν, ὑπεύθυνον τῷ »ᾗ δ᾽ ἂν ἡμέρᾳ φάγητε ἀπ᾽ αὐτοῦ, θανάτῳ ἀποθανεῖσθε« κατακρίματι γενέσθαι κατεργασάμενος. »ὥστε ὁ μὲν νόμος ἅγιος καὶ ἡ ἐντολή« τοῦ θεοῦ »ἁγία καὶ δικαία καὶ ἀγαθή«, ὅτι μὴ ἐπὶ τῷ βλάψαι, ἀλλ᾽ ἐπὶ τῷ σῷσαι ἐδόθη. μὴ γὰρ οἰώμεθα ὅλως ἀνωφελές τι ποιεῖν ἢ βλαβερὸν τὸν θεόν. τί οὖν; »τὸ ἀγαθὸν ἐμοὶ ἐγένετο θάνατος;« ὃ τοῦ μεγίστου ἐμοὶ ὡς αἴτιον ἐσόμενον ἀγαθοῦ νομοθέτημα ἐδόθη; »μὴ γένοιτο«, ὅτι μὴ ἡ ἐντολὴ τοῦ θεοῦ εἰς τὸ καταδουλωθῆναί με ἐγένετο τῇ φθορᾷ καὶ ἐναπομάξασθαι κῆρας ὀλέθρου αἰτία. ἀλλὰ ὁ διάβολος, ἵνα φανερωθῇ διὰ τοῦ ἀγαθοῦ τὸ κακὸν ἐμοὶ κατασκευάσας, ἵνα γένηται καὶ ἐλεγχθῇ καθ᾽ ὑπερβολὴν ὁ εὑρετὴς καὶ τέκτων τῆς ἁμαρτίας ἁμαρτωλός, καὶ διορισθῇ ἀπὸ τοῦ καλοῦ ὁ τἀναντία τῆς ἐντολῆς τοῦ θεοῦ ἐπιτροπεύσας. »οἴδαμεν γὰρ ὅτι ὁ νόμος ἐστὶ πνευματικός«, διὸ καὶ οὐδὲν αἴτιος βλάβης οὐδενί, πόρρω γὰρ ἐπιθυμίας ἀλόγου καὶ ἁμαρτίας ἐσκήνωται τὰ πνευματικά. »ἐγὼ δὲ σάρκινός εἰμι, πεπραμένος ὑπὸ τὴν ἁμαρτίαν«. οἷον, ἐγὼ δὲ »σάρκινος« ὢν καὶ ἐν μέσῳ τοῦ πονηροῦ καὶ ἀγαθοῦ κατασταθεὶς ὡς αὐτεξούσιος, ἵν᾿ ἐπ᾽ ἐμοὶ (τὸ) ἐλέσθαι ὃ βούλομαι (»τέθεικα« γάρ φησι »πρὸ προσώπου σου τὴν ζωὴν καὶ τὸν θάνατον«), νεύσας πρὸς τὸ παρακοῦσαι μὲν τοῦ πνευματικοῦ νόμου. οἷον τῆς ἐντολῆς, ὑπακοῦσαι δὲ τοῦ ὑλικοῦ. οἷον τῆς τοῦ ὄφεως συμβουλίας, »πέπραμαι«, διὰ τὴν τοιαύτην αἵρεσιν πεσὼν »ὑπὸ τὴν ἁμαρτίαν«, τῷ διαβόλῳ. ὅθεν ἐντεῦθεν πολιορκῆσάν μὲ τὸ κακὸν καὶ ἐνιζάνει καὶ ἐμπολιτεύεται εἰσοικισθὲν ἐν τῇ σαρκί μου, καθάπερ κηφὴν ἐν κηρίῳ μελίσσης περιποτώμενος πολλάκις περὶ αὐτὸ καὶ βομβῶν, δίκης ἐπιτεθείσης μοι τὴν ἐντολὴν ἀθετήσαντι πραθῆναι τῷ κακῷ. διὸ καὶ »οὐ γινώσκω ὃ κατεργάζομαι«, λογιζόμενος ὃ μὴ θέλω. τὸ γὰρ »ὃ κατεργάζομαι οὐ γινώσκω« καὶ »ποιῶ ὃ μισῶ« λεγόμενον οὐκ ἐπὶ τοῦ τελεσιουργῆσαι τὸ φαῦλον καὶ δρᾶσαι παραληπτέον, ἀλλ᾽ ἐπὶ τοῦ μόνον ἐνθυμηθῆναι, λογισμῶν ἀνοικείων ἡμῖν προσιπταμένων πλεονάκις καὶ ἐμφανταζόντων ἡμᾶς πρὸς ἃ μὴ θέλομεν, τῆς ψυχῆς τοῖς λογισμοῖς περὶ πολλὰ περιαγομένης. Οὐ γὰρ ἐφ᾽ ἡμῖν ὅλως τὸ ἐνθυμεῖσθαι ἢ μὴ ἐνθυμεῖσθαι κεῖται τὰ ἄτοπα, ἀλλὰ τὸ χρῆσθαι ἢ μὴ χρῆσθαι τοῖς ἐνθυμήμασι. κωλῦσαι μὲν γὰρ μὴ ἐμπίπτειν εἰς ἡμᾶς τοὺς λογισμοὺς οὐ δυνάμεθα, πρὸς δοκιμὴν ἡμῶν ἔξωθεν εἰσπνεομένους, μὴ πεισθῆναι μέντοι καὶ μὴ χρῆσθαι αὐτοῖς δυνάμεθα. ἐπεὶ πῶς ὁ ἀπόστολος τὸ μὲν κακὸν οὐχ ἥκιστα, ᾧ ἀπηρέσκετο, ἐποίει, τὸ δὲ καλόν, ᾧ ἠρέσκετο, ἥκιστα, εἰ μὴ περὶ τῶν ὀθνείων ἐνθυμημάτων ἔλεγεν, ἃ ἐνθυμούμεθα ἴσθ᾽ ὅτε καὶ μὴ βουλόμενοι, ἐξ οἵας οὐ γινώσκοντες αἰτίας; ἃ ἀνατρέπεσθαι χρὴ καὶ ἐπιστομίζεσθαι, ἵνα μὴ εὐρυνόμενα τῶν περάτων κρατήσωσι τῆς ψυχῆς. ἀμήχανον γὰρ τούτων ἐνευκαιρούντων ἐν ἡμῖν ἔπανατεῖλαι (ἐν τῇ ψυχῇ ἡμῶν) τὸ ἀγαθόν. ὀρθῶς ἄρα »ὃ γὰρ κατεργάζομαι οὐ γινώσκω« ἔλεγεν· »οὐ γὰρ ὃ θέλω, τοῦτο πράσσω, ἀλλ᾽ ὃ μισῶ, τοῦτο ποιῶ«. θέλομεν γὰρ τὰ μὴ προσήκοντα καὶ ἃ μὴ θέμις μηδ᾽ ἐνθυμεῖσθαι, ἐπειδὴ τοῦτο ἀγαθὸν τέλειον, μὴ μόνον τοῦ ποιῆσαι αὐτὰ ἐγκρατεύεσθαι, ἀλλὰ καὶ τοῦ ἐνθυμηθῆναι, καὶ ὃ θέλομεν, τοῦτο ἀγαθὸν οὐ γίνεται, ἀλλ᾽ ὃ οὐ θέλομεν, πονηρόν. ἐπιφοιτῶσι γὰρ ἐπὶ τὴν καρδίαν ἡμῶν καὶ ἐπιβαίνουσι, καὶ μὴ βουλομένων ἡμῶν, πολλάκις μυρία τε περὶ μυρίων, περιεργίας ἡμᾶς καὶ φιλοπραγμοσύνης ἀλόγου ἐμπιπλάντα. διὸ τὸ μὲν θέλειν αὐτὰ μὴ ἐνθυμεῖσθαι παράκειται, τὸ δὲ κατεργάζεσθαι εἰς τὸ ἀφανίσαι, ἵνα μὴ καὶ αὖθις περὶ τὸν λογισμὸν ἀνέλθωσιν, οὐ, ὅτι μὴ κεῖται τοῦτο ἐφ᾽ ἡμῖν. ὡς ἔφην. ἀλλὰ τὸ χρήσασθαι μόνον αὐτοῖς πῶς, ἢ μὴ χρήσασθαι. ὡς εἶναι τὸν νοῦν τοιοῦτον τοῦ ῥητοῦ· »οὐ γὰρ ὃ θέλω ποιῶ ἀγαθόν«· θέλω γὰρ μὴ ἐνθυμεῖσθαι ἃ βλάπτει με, ἐπειδὴ τοῦτο τὸ ἀγαθὸν πανάμωμον. κατὰ τὸ λεγόμενον »ἄνευ ψόγου τετυγμένον χερσί τε καὶ νόῳ τετράγωνον«. καὶ τοῦτο »ὃ θέλω ἀγαθὸν οὐ ποιῶ, ὃ δὲ μὴ θέλω πράσσω κακόν«· οὐ θέλω ἐννοεῖσθαι, καὶ ἐννοοῦμαι ὅσα μὴ θέλω. καὶ ἐπισκέψασθαι δεῖ, εἰ μὴ διὰ ταῦτα αὐτὰ καὶ ὁ Δαυὶδ ἐνετύγχανε τῷ θεῷ, δυσχεραίνων ἐπὶ τῷ λογίζεσθαι καὶ αὐτὸν ἃ μὴ ἤθελεν· »ἀπὸ τῶν κρυφίων μου καθάρισόν με, καὶ ἀπὸ (ἀλλοτρίων φεῖσαι τοῦ δούλου σου. ἐὰν μή μου κατακυριεύσωσι, τότε ἄμωμος ἔσομαι καὶ καθαρισθήσομαι ἀπὸ ἁμαρτίας μεγάλης«. καὶ αὐτὸς δὲ ὁ ἀπόστολος ἐν ἑτέρῳ· »λογισμοὺς καθαιροῦντες καὶ πᾶν ὕψωμα ἐπαιρόμενον κατὰ τῆς γνώσεως τοῦ θεοῦ καὶ αἰχμαλωτίζοντες πᾶν νόημα εἰς τὴν ὑπακοὴν τοῦ Χριστοῦ«.

Dotheisēs gar tēs entolēs esche labēn dia tēs entolēs ho diabolos katergasasthai en emoi tēn epithymian. parormēsas me kai proskalesamenos entechnōs eis orexin katapesein tōn kekōlymenōn. »chōris gar nomou hē hamartia nekra«, hoion; ou dotheisēs gar oude ousēs oudepō tēs entolēs apraktos ēn hē hamartia. »egō de ezōn« amemptōs pro tēs entolēs. ouch echōn diorismon kai diatagēn, kath᾽ hēn edei politeuesthai, hōs kai diolisthēsas hamartēsomai. »elthousēs de tēs entolēs hē hamartia anezēsen, egō de apethanon, kai heurethē moi hē entolē hē eis zōēn hautē eis thanaton«, hoti meta to nomothetēsai ton theon kai diasteilasthai moi ha poiēteon kai mē poiēteon. kateirgasato en emoi tēn epithymian ho diabolos. hē gar parainesis tou theou kai parangelia hē dotheisa moi hautē eis zōēn kai aphtharsian, hina peithomenos autę̄ kai kat᾽ autēn bious apēmona kai makaristotaton di᾽ aiōnos kai aei thallonta pros athanasian bion echō kai charan, athetēsanti moi autēn eis thanaton apebē kai katadikēn, epeidē ho diabolos, hon hamartian nyn houtos ekalese dia to dēmiourgon auton hamartias hyparchein kai heuretēn, dia tēs entolēs aphormēn labōn pros parakoēn exēpatēse me kai apatēsas apekteinen, hypeuthynon tǭ »hę̄ d᾽ an hēmerą phagēte ap᾽ autou, thanatǭ apothaneisthe« katakrimati genesthai katergasamenos. »hōste ho men nomos hagios kai hē entolē« tou theou »hagia kai dikaia kai agathē«, hoti mē epi tǭ blapsai, all᾽ epi tǭ sǭsai edothē. mē gar oiōmetha holōs anōpheles ti poiein ē blaberon ton theon. ti oun? »to agathon emoi egeneto thanatos?« ho tou megistou emoi hōs aition esomenon agathou nomothetēma edothē? »mē genoito«, hoti mē hē entolē tou theou eis to katadoulōthēnai me egeneto tę̄ phthorą kai enapomaxasthai kēras olethrou aitia. alla ho diabolos, hina phanerōthę̄ dia tou agathou to kakon emoi kataskeuasas, hina genētai kai elenchthę̄ kath᾽ hyperbolēn ho heuretēs kai tektōn tēs hamartias hamartōlos, kai dioristhę̄ apo tou kalou ho tanantia tēs entolēs tou theou epitropeusas. »oidamen gar hoti ho nomos esti pneumatikos«, dio kai ouden aitios blabēs oudeni, porrō gar epithymias alogou kai hamartias eskēnōtai ta pneumatika. »egō de sarkinos eimi, pepramenos hypo tēn hamartian«. hoion, egō de »sarkinos« ōn kai en mesǭ tou ponērou kai agathou katastatheis hōs autexousios, hin᾿ ep᾽ emoi (to) elesthai ho boulomai (»tetheika« gar phēsi »pro prosōpou sou tēn zōēn kai ton thanaton«), neusas pros to parakousai men tou pneumatikou nomou. hoion tēs entolēs, hypakousai de tou hylikou. hoion tēs tou opheōs symboulias, »pepramai«, dia tēn toiautēn hairesin pesōn »hypo tēn hamartian«, tǭ diabolǭ. hothen enteuthen poliorkēsan me to kakon kai enizanei kai empoliteuetai eisoikisthen en tę̄ sarki mou, kathaper kēphēn en kēriǭ melissēs peripotōmenos pollakis peri auto kai bombōn, dikēs epitetheisēs moi tēn entolēn athetēsanti prathēnai tǭ kakǭ. dio kai »ou ginōskō ho katergazomai«, logizomenos ho mē thelō. to gar »ho katergazomai ou ginōskō« kai »poiō ho misō« legomenon ouk epi tou telesiourgēsai to phaulon kai drasai paralēpteon, all᾽ epi tou monon enthymēthēnai, logismōn anoikeiōn hēmin prosiptamenōn pleonakis kai emphantazontōn hēmas pros ha mē thelomen, tēs psychēs tois logismois peri polla periagomenēs. Ou gar eph᾽ hēmin holōs to enthymeisthai ē mē enthymeisthai keitai ta atopa, alla to chrēsthai ē mē chrēsthai tois enthymēmasi. kōlysai men gar mē empiptein eis hēmas tous logismous ou dynametha, pros dokimēn hēmōn exōthen eispneomenous, mē peisthēnai mentoi kai mē chrēsthai autois dynametha. epei pōs ho apostolos to men kakon ouch hēkista, hǭ apēresketo, epoiei, to de kalon, hǭ ēresketo, hēkista, ei mē peri tōn othneiōn enthymēmatōn elegen, ha enthymoumetha isth᾽ hote kai mē boulomenoi, ex hoias ou ginōskontes aitias? ha anatrepesthai chrē kai epistomizesthai, hina mē eurynomena tōn peratōn kratēsōsi tēs psychēs. amēchanon gar toutōn eneukairountōn en hēmin epanateilai (en tę̄ psychę̄ hēmōn) to agathon. orthōs ara »ho gar katergazomai ou ginōskō« elegen; »ou gar ho thelō, touto prassō, all᾽ ho misō, touto poiō«. thelomen gar ta mē prosēkonta kai ha mē themis mēd᾽ enthymeisthai, epeidē touto agathon teleion, mē monon tou poiēsai auta enkrateuesthai, alla kai tou enthymēthēnai, kai ho thelomen, touto agathon ou ginetai, all᾽ ho ou thelomen, ponēron. epiphoitōsi gar epi tēn kardian hēmōn kai epibainousi, kai mē boulomenōn hēmōn, pollakis myria te peri myriōn, periergias hēmas kai philopragmosynēs alogou empiplanta. dio to men thelein auta mē enthymeisthai parakeitai, to de katergazesthai eis to aphanisai, hina mē kai authis peri ton logismon anelthōsin, ou, hoti mē keitai touto eph᾽ hēmin. hōs ephēn. alla to chrēsasthai monon autois pōs, ē mē chrēsasthai. hōs einai ton noun toiouton tou rhētou; »ou gar ho thelō poiō agathon«; thelō gar mē enthymeisthai ha blaptei me, epeidē touto to agathon panamōmon. kata to legomenon »aneu psogou tetygmenon chersi te kai noǭ tetragōnon«. kai touto »ho thelō agathon ou poiō, ho de mē thelō prassō kakon«; ou thelō ennoeisthai, kai ennooumai hosa mē thelō. kai episkepsasthai dei, ei mē dia tauta auta kai ho Dauid enetynchane tǭ theǭ, dyscherainōn epi tǭ logizesthai kai auton ha mē ēthelen; »apo tōn kryphiōn mou katharison me, kai apo (allotriōn pheisai tou doulou sou. ean mē mou katakyrieusōsi, tote amōmos esomai kai katharisthēsomai apo hamartias megalēs«. kai autos de ho apostolos en heterǭ; »logismous kathairountes kai pan hypsōma epairomenon kata tēs gnōseōs tou theou kai aichmalōtizontes pan noēma eis tēn hypakoēn tou Christou«.

"For when the commandment had been given, the devil had through the commandment an occasion to work desire in me, urging me and skilfully calling me on to fall into longing for the forbidden things. 'For apart from the law sin was dead,' that is: since the commandment had not been given and did not yet exist, sin was inactive. 'And I was alive' blamelessly before the commandment, having no rule or ordinance according to which I had to live, so as to slip and sin. 'But when the commandment came, sin revived, and I died; and the commandment that was for life was found to be for me for death'; because after God had given the law and defined for me what was to be done and what was not to be done, the devil worked desire in me. For God's exhortation and command, given to me for life and incorruption, so that by obeying it and living according to it I might have a life unharmed and most blessed through the ages, ever flourishing toward immortality and joy, turned for me, when I set it aside, to death and condemnation; for the devil, whom he here calls sin because he is its maker and inventor, taking occasion through the commandment for disobedience, deceived me and, having deceived me, killed me, bringing it about that I became liable to the sentence, 'In the day you eat of it, you shall surely die.' 'So the law is holy,' and the commandment of God 'holy and just and good,' because it was given not to harm but to save. For let us by no means think that God does anything useless or harmful. What then? 'Did the good become death to me?' Did the ordinance that was given to be the cause of the greatest good to me [become death]? 'By no means'; for the commandment of God did not come about to enslave me to corruption, as the cause of my taking on the stains of destruction; but the devil did, so that, having prepared the evil for me through the good, the inventor and craftsman of sin might be shown and become and be proved exceedingly sinful, and the one who contrived what is contrary to God's commandment might be set apart from the good. 'For we know that the law is spiritual,' and so it is the cause of harm to no one; for spiritual things dwell far from irrational desire and sin. 'But I am fleshly, sold under sin,' that is: I am 'fleshly,' and, having been set in the midst between evil and good as one who is free, so that it rests with me to choose what I wish ('for I have set,' he says, 'before your face life and death'), I inclined to disobey the spiritual law, that is, the commandment, and to obey the material one, that is, the counsel of the serpent, and so 'I have been sold' to the devil, falling 'under sin' through this choice. Hence evil, having laid siege to me from then on, settles in me and dwells in me as a citizen, lodged in my flesh, like a drone in a bee's honeycomb, often flying and buzzing about it, since a penalty was laid on me, for setting aside the commandment, that I should be sold to evil. That is why 'I do not know what I do,' thinking what I do not want. For the sayings 'What I do I do not know' and 'I do what I hate' are to be taken not of carrying out what is bad and doing it, but of merely thinking it, since thoughts foreign to us often fly at us and fill us with images of what we do not want, the soul being carried about by its thoughts among many things.

[3] "For whether we think or do not think strange things does not rest with us at all, but whether we use or do not use the thoughts. For we cannot prevent the thoughts from falling upon us, since they are breathed into us from outside to test us; but we can refuse to be persuaded by them or to use them. Otherwise how did the apostle do the evil that displeased him not in the least degree, and the good that pleased him in the least degree, unless he was speaking of the alien thoughts, which we sometimes think even when we do not want to, from a cause we do not know? These must be overthrown and muzzled, so that they may not spread out and master the bounds of the soul. For it is impossible for the good to rise in our soul while these linger in us. Rightly, then, did he say, 'For what I do, I do not know; for I do not practise what I want, but what I hate, that I do.' For we want not even to think things that are unfitting and unlawful, since this is the perfect good, to abstain not only from doing them but also from thinking them; and what we want, this good, does not come about, but what we do not want, the evil. For they come upon our heart and assail it, even when we do not want them, often in thousands about thousands of things, filling us with irrational curiosity and meddlesomeness. Therefore to want not to think them is present with me, but to bring about their abolition, so that they may not come up again into our reasoning, is not, because, as I said, this does not rest with us, but only how we use them or do not use them. So the sense of the saying 'For I do not do the good I want' is this: I want not to think the things that harm me, since this good is wholly blameless, as the saying goes, 'fashioned without fault, square in hands and mind.' And this is 'the good I want I do not do, but the evil I do not want I practise': I do not want to have these thoughts, and I think what I do not want. And one must consider whether it was not for these very reasons that David too pleaded with God, distressed that he too reasoned about what he did not want: 'Cleanse me from my hidden faults, and spare your servant from alien ones; if they do not gain dominion over me, then I shall be blameless and cleansed from great sin.' And the apostle himself, elsewhere: 'Casting down reasonings and every high thing that exalts itself against the knowledge of God, and taking every thought captive to the obedience of Christ.'"

Rom 7:8 (quotation, high confidence) · Rom 7:9 (quotation, high confidence) · Rom 7:10 (quotation, high confidence) · Gen 2:17 (quotation, high confidence) · Rom 7:12 (quotation, high confidence) · Rom 7:13 (quotation, high confidence) · Rom 7:14 (quotation, high confidence) · Deut 30:15 (quotation, high confidence) · Rom 7:15 (quotation, high confidence) · Rom 7:18 (allusion, high confidence) · Rom 7:19 (quotation, high confidence) · Ps 19:12 (18:13 LXX) (quotation, high confidence) · Ps 19:13 (18:14 LXX) (quotation, high confidence) · 2 Cor 10:5 (quotation, high confidence)

Notes and citation

Summary: Methodius explains Romans 7: the devil used the commandment in paradise to stir up desire, and Paul's 'I do what I do not want' refers to unwanted thoughts that assail the mind, not to evil deeds.

This unit is Book 2, chapter 2, with chapter 3, whose heading survives as a garbled numeral (removed by a logged correction), beginning at "[3]". Four lines of page 331 lost in the staged text (from 'so that by obeying it' to 'calls sin because he is its maker') are restored from the OCR of the same page by a logged correction; a leaked line number and stray marks are removed.
Rom 7:8-20; Gen 2:17; Deut 30:15; Ps 19:12-13 (LXX 18:13-14, 'alien ones'); 2 Cor 10:5. 'Fashioned without fault, square in hands and mind' is Simonides' poem, quoted in Plato, Prot. 339b.

Notes on the original text

Digital text corrected (OCR misreading; OCR misreadings; OCR: Latin letters and misreadings; OCR: accent; OCR: accents; OCR: stray letter; OCR: stray marks; OCR: stray marks and misreadings; OCR: stray marks in a hyphenated word; misreadings; OCR: χ for κ; chapter numeral (III) removed; OCR misreadings; four lines of page 331 lost in staging are restored from the OCR of the same page; OCR misreadings and a leaked line number corrected): Δοθείδης γὰρ τῆς ἐντολῆς ἔσχε λαρὴν διὰ τῆς ἐντολῆς ὁ dukβολος χκατεργάσασθαι → Δοθείσης γὰρ τῆς ἐντολῆς ἔσχε λαβὴν διὰ τῆς ἐντολῆς ὁ διάβολος κατεργάσασθαι; παρορμῆσας με καὶ προσ᾿ » - - χαλεσάμερος ἐντέχνως εἴς ὁρεξιν χαταπεσεῖν τῶν κεχωλυμένον. → παρορμήσας με καὶ προσκαλεσάμενος ἐντέχνως εἰς ὄρεξιν καταπεσεῖν τῶν κεκωλυμένων.; ἡ ἁμαρτίᾳ νεκρός, οἷον. οὐ δοθείσης → ἡ ἁμαρτία νεκρά«, οἷον· οὐ δοθείσης; THE ἐντολῆς ἀπραχτος ἢν ἢ ἁμαρτία" Ey δὲ EZMF« → τῆς ἐντολῆς ἄπρακτος ἦν ἡ ἁμαρτία. »ἐγὼ δὲ ἔζων«; καθ ὮΝ δὴ » τ \ x m. € ΡΝ ME ΑΝ ur Eder πολιτευεσθαι. HS καὶ διολισθῆσας (μαρτησομαι. νελθουσὴς → καθ᾽ ἣν ἔδει πολιτεύεσθαι, ὡς καὶ διολισθήσας ἁμαρτήσομαι. »ἐλθούσης; τῆς ἐντολῆς: ἢ ἁμαρτία ἀνέζησεν, ἐγὼ δὲ ἀπέθανον, καὶ ηυρέθη μοι ἢ ἐντολὴ ἡ εἰς ζωὴν αὐτὴ εἰς θανατονε, OTL μετὰ τὸ νομοθε- ‘ ν Η 4 GC ᾿ x \ ᾿ τῆσιι → τῆς ἐντολῆς ἡ ἁμαρτία ἀνέζησεν, ἐγὼ δὲ ἀπέθανον, καὶ εὑρέθη μοι ἡ ἐντολὴ ἡ εἰς ζωὴν αὕτη εἰς θάνατον«, ὅτι μετὰ τὸ νομοθετῆσαι; ὁ διαβολος. ἢ γὰρ παραίνεσις → ὁ διάβολος. ἡ γὰρ παραίνεσις; παραγγελία 1 δοθεῖσα μοι αὐτὴ εἰς ξωὴν καὶ ἀφθαρσίαν, αὐτὸν ἁμαρτίας ὑπάρχειν καὶ εὐριτήν, διὰ τῆς ἐντολῆς ἀφορμὴν λαβὼν πρὸς Aug χοὴν ἐξηπάτησί μι καὶ ἀπατήσας ἀπέχτεινεν, ὑπεύθυνον τῷ 21 δ᾽ ἂν ἡμέρᾳ φάγητε ἐπ᾽ αὐτοῦ, θανάτῳ ἀποθανεῖσ ἜΣ κατακρίματι → παραγγελία ἡ δοθεῖσά μοι αὕτη εἰς ζωὴν καὶ ἀφθαρσίαν, ἵνα πειθόμενος αὐτῇ καὶ κατ᾽ αὐτὴν βιοὺς ἀπήμονα καὶ μακαριστότατον δι᾽ αἰῶνος καὶ ἀεὶ θάλλοντα πρὸς ἀθανασίαν βίον ἔχω καὶ χαράν, ἀθετήσαντί μοι αὐτὴν εἰς θάνατον ἀπέβη καὶ καταδίκην, ἐπειδὴ ὁ διάβολος, ὃν ἁμαρτίαν νῦν οὗτος ἐκάλεσε διὰ τὸ δημιουργὸν αὐτὸν ἁμαρτίας ὑπάρχειν καὶ εὑρετήν, διὰ τῆς ἐντολῆς ἀφορμὴν λαβὼν πρὸς παρακοὴν ἐξηπάτησέ με καὶ ἀπατήσας ἀπέκτεινεν, ὑπεύθυνον τῷ »ᾗ δ᾽ ἂν ἡμέρᾳ φάγητε ἀπ᾽ αὐτοῦ, θανάτῳ ἀποθανεῖσθε« κατακρίματι; ν»εὥστε ὁ μὲν νόμος ἅγιος καὶ ὴ ἐντολὴς τοῦ θεοῦ »ἁγία καὶ δικαία καὶ ἀγαθή, ὅτι μὴ ἐπὶ τῷ βλάϊραε, → »ὥστε ὁ μὲν νόμος ἅγιος καὶ ἡ ἐντολή« τοῦ θεοῦ »ἁγία καὶ δικαία καὶ ἀγαθή«, ὅτι μὴ ἐπὶ τῷ βλάψαι,; ἀνοφελές τι ποιεῖν 5) βλαβερὸν → ἀνωφελές τι ποιεῖν ἢ βλαβερὸν; ντὸ ἀγαθὸν ἐμοὶ ἐγένετο θάνατος:. 6 τοῦ μεγίστου ἐμοὶ ος αἴτιον ἐσόμενον ἀγαθοῦ νομοθέτημα ἐδόθη; "μὴ γένοιτος, → »τὸ ἀγαθὸν ἐμοὶ ἐγένετο θάνατος;« ὃ τοῦ μεγίστου ἐμοὶ ὡς αἴτιον ἐσόμενον ἀγαθοῦ νομοθέτημα ἐδόθη; »μὴ γένοιτο«,; τὸ καχὸν ἐμοὶ κατασχευάσας → τὸ κακὸν ἐμοὶ κατασκευάσας; νοἴδαμεν γὰρ ὅτε ὁ νόμος ἐστὶ πνευματικόςς, → »οἴδαμεν γὰρ ὅτι ὁ νόμος ἐστὶ πνευματικός«,; »ἐγὼ ὁὲ σάρκινός εἰμι, πεπραμένος ὑπὸ τὴν ἁμαρτίανε. οἷον, ἐγὼ δὲ »σάρκινοςς (ὃν καὶ ἐν μέσῳ τοῦ πονηροῦ καὶ ἀγαθοῦ κατασταθεὶς οἰςς αὐτεὲξ ξούσιος, → »ἐγὼ δὲ σάρκινός εἰμι, πεπραμένος ὑπὸ τὴν ἁμαρτίαν«. οἷον, ἐγὼ δὲ »σάρκινος« ὢν καὶ ἐν μέσῳ τοῦ πονηροῦ καὶ ἀγαθοῦ κατασταθεὶς ὡς αὐτεξούσιος,; ἢ (.τέθεικαςε γάρ φησι »πρὸ προσὠπου σου τὴν ζωὴν καὶ τὸν θάνατονε), → (»τέθεικα« γάρ φησι »πρὸ προσώπου σου τὴν ζωὴν καὶ τὸν θάνατον«),; τοῦ ὀφεῶς τῆς συμβουλίας. »πέπραμαις, διὰ τὴν τοιαύτην αἵρεσιν πεσὼν νὐπὸ τὴν ἁμαρτίανε, τῷ διῳόλῳ. → τῆς τοῦ ὄφεως συμβουλίας, »πέπραμαι«, διὰ τὴν τοιαύτην αἵρεσιν πεσὼν »ὑπὸ τὴν ἁμαρτίαν«, τῷ διαβόλῳ.; ἐμπολιτεύεταε → ἐμπολιτεύεται; βομμῶν. δίκης ἐπιτεθείσης μοι τὴν ἐντολὴν ἀθετήσαντι TOC θῆναι τῷ κιικῷ. → βομβῶν, δίκης ἐπιτεθείσης μοι τὴν ἐντολὴν ἀθετήσαντι πραθῆναι τῷ κακῷ.; »οὐ γινώσκω ὃ κατεργάζομαις, λογιζόμενος ὁ μὴ θέλω. τὸ 76 τ »0 κατεργάζομαι οὐ γινώσκω καὶ »ποιῶ 0 μισῶς λεγόμενον → »οὐ γινώσκω ὃ κατεργάζομαι«, λογιζόμενος ὃ μὴ θέλω. τὸ γὰρ »ὃ κατεργάζομαι οὐ γινώσκω« καὶ »ποιῶ ὃ μισῶ« λεγόμενον; τελεσιουργῆσιι → τελεσιουργῆσαι; τῆς υχῆς τοῖς λογισμοῖς περὶ πολλὰ περιαγομένης. HL Οὐ γὰρ ἐφ᾽ ἡμῖν» ὅλως τὸ ἐνθυμεῖσθαι ἢ μὴ ἐνθυμεῖσθαι κεῖται τὰ ἄτοπις, ἀλλὰ τὸ χρῆσθαι 3) μὴ χρῆσθαι → τῆς ψυχῆς τοῖς λογισμοῖς περὶ πολλὰ περιαγομένης. Οὐ γὰρ ἐφ᾽ ἡμῖν ὅλως τὸ ἐνθυμεῖσθαι ἢ μὴ ἐνθυμεῖσθαι κεῖται τὰ ἄτοπα, ἀλλὰ τὸ χρῆσθαι ἢ μὴ χρῆσθαι; πεισθῆναι μέντοι % μὴ χρῆσθαι → πεισθῆναι μέντοι καὶ μὴ χρῆσθαι; τὸ μὲν χακχὸν οὐχ ἡκίστι, ᾧ ἀπηρίσχετο, ἐποίει, τὸ δὲ χαλόν, m ἠρέσχετω. ἥχιστα, → τὸ μὲν κακὸν οὐχ ἥκιστα, ᾧ ἀπηρέσκετο, ἐποίει, τὸ δὲ καλόν, ᾧ ἠρέσκετο, ἥκιστα,; »0 γὰρ κατεργάζομαι οὐ γινοόσκον« ἔλεγεν" »00 γὰρ 0 θέλω. (τοῦτον) πράσσω. ἀλλ᾽ 0 μισῶ, τοῦτο ποιῶς. → »ὃ γὰρ κατεργάζομαι οὐ γινώσκω« ἔλεγεν· »οὐ γὰρ ὃ θέλω, τοῦτο πράσσω, ἀλλ᾽ ὃ μισῶ, τοῦτο ποιῶ«.; ἃ μὴ θέμις und’ ἐνθυμεῖσθαι, ἐπειδὴ τοῦτο ἀγαθὺν τέλειον. → ἃ μὴ θέμις μηδ᾽ ἐνθυμεῖσθαι, ἐπειδὴ τοῦτο ἀγαθὸν τέλειον,; ἀλλ᾽ ὁ οὐ θέλομεν, πονηρόν. → ἀλλ᾽ ὃ οὐ θέλομεν, πονηρόν.; μὴ χρήσασθαι. οἧς εἶναι τὸν νοῦν τοιοῦτον τοῦ ῥητοῦ >00 γὰρ ὁ θέλω ποιῶ ἀγαθόνε" → μὴ χρήσασθαι. ὡς εἶναι τὸν νοῦν τοιοῦτον τοῦ ῥητοῦ· »οὐ γὰρ ὃ θέλω ποιῶ ἀγαθόν«·; χερσί τε καὶ νόῳ τετράγωνονς. καὶ τοῦτο μὲν »0 θέλω ἀγαθὸν οὐ ποιῶ, ὃ δὲ μὴ θέλω πράσσω κακόνε" 2 % “- ἰς ’ Ω οὐ θέλω ἐννοεῖσθαι. → χερσί τε καὶ νόῳ τετράγωνον«. καὶ τοῦτο »ὃ θέλω ἀγαθὸν οὐ ποιῶ, ὃ δὲ μὴ θέλω πράσσω κακόν«· οὐ θέλω ἐννοεῖσθαι,; καὶ ἐπισκέφασθαι \ - ε “- - «δεῖ), εἰ μὴ διὰ Tatra αὐτὰ καὶ ὁ Δαιὶδ → καὶ ἐπισκέψασθαι δεῖ, εἰ μὴ διὰ ταῦτα αὐτὰ καὶ ὁ Δαυὶδ; ἃ μὴ ἡθελεν" νἀπὸ τῶν κρυφίων ᾽ \ > \ > , in - τ Ἶ μου καθαρισόν με. → ἃ μὴ ἤθελεν· »ἀπὸ τῶν κρυφίων μου καθάρισόν με,; καταχυριεύσωσι, τότε ἄμωμος ἔσομαι καὶ καθαρισθήσομαι ἀπὸ , \ 2 ι < 2 . \ ἁμαρτίας μεγάλης«. → κατακυριεύσωσι, τότε ἄμωμος ἔσομαι καὶ καθαρισθήσομαι ἀπὸ ἁμαρτίας μεγάλης«.; ἐν ἑτέρῳ" »λογισμοὺς “-- “- ω [2 Α - ᾽ “καθαιροῦντες καὶ πᾶν ὑψωμα ἐπαιρόμενον κατὰ τῆς γνωσεῶς → ἐν ἑτέρῳ· »λογισμοὺς καθαιροῦντες καὶ πᾶν ὕψωμα ἐπαιρόμενον κατὰ τῆς γνώσεως; Χριστοῦκ«. → Χριστοῦ«..

Extrabiblical texts: Plato, Prot. 339b (Plato (works); quotation)

Topics: Ethics

Cite (SBL): Methodius, Res. 2.2 (Bonwetsch GCS 27:331; trans. Sophia Scriptura, https://sophiascriptura.com/fathers/methodius-de-resurrectione/1-57/#p-2-2). (abbreviation not yet checked)

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