On the Resurrection of the Dead 10
Authorship disputed: The Arethas codex ascribes it to Athenagoras, and the end of the Plea (ch. 36) promises a treatment of the resurrection. Some scholars (notably R. M. Grant, 1954) have argued that its style and arguments point to a later author of the third or fourth century; others (e.g. B. Pouderon) defend Athenagoras's authorship.
Summary: Raising the dead wrongs no one, neither other creatures nor the soul or body of the one raised, and it is not unworthy of God.
Greek text · Otto 7:220–224
Τὸ γὰρ ἀβούλητον ἢ ὡς ἄδικον αὐτῷ ἐστιν ἀβούλητον ἢ ὡς ἀνάξιον. Καὶ πάλιν τὸ ἄδικον ἢ περὶ αὐτὸν θεωρεῖται τὸν ἀναστησόμενον ἢ περὶ ἄλλον τινὰ παρʼ αὐτόν. Ἀλλʼ ὅτι μὲν οὐδεὶς ἀδικεῖται τῶν ἔξωθεν καὶ τῶν ἐν τοῖς οὖσιν ἀριθμουμένων, πρόδηλον. Οὔτε γὰρ αἱ νοηταὶ φύσεις ἐκ τῆς τῶν ἀνθρώπων ἀναστάσεως ἀδικηθεῖεν ἄν· οὐδὲ γὰρ ἐμπόδιόν τι ταύταις πρὸς τὸ εἶναι, οὐ βλάβος οὐχ ὕβρις ἡ τῶν ἀνθρώπων ἀνάστασις· οὐ μὴν οὐδὲ τῶν ἀλόγων ἡ φύσις οὐδὲ τῶν ἀψύχων· οὐδὲ γὰρ ἔσται μετὰ τὴν ἀνάστασιν· περὶ δὲ τὸ μὴ ὂν οὐδὲν ἄδικον. Εἰ δὲ καὶ εἶναί τις ὑποθοῖτο διὰ παντός, οὐκ ἂν ἀδικηθείη ταῦτα, τῶν ἀνθρωπίνων σωμάτων ἀνανεωθέντων· εἰ γὰρ ὑπείκοντα νῦν τῇ φύσει τῶν ἀνθρώπων καὶ ταῖς τούτων χρείαις ὄντων ἐνδεῶν, ὑπό τε ζυγὸν ἠγμένα καὶ δουλείαν παντοίαν, οὐδὲν ἀδικεῖται, πολὺ μᾶλλον, ἀφθάρτων καὶ ἀνενδεῶν γενομένων καὶ μηκέτι δεομένων τῆς τούτων χρείας, ἐλευθερωθέντα δὲ πάσης δουλείας οὐκ ἀδικηθήσεται. Οὐδὲ γάρ, εἰ φωνῆς μετεῖχεν, ᾐτιάσατο ἂν τὸν δημιουργὸν ὡς παρὰ τὸ δίκαιον ἐλαττούμενα τῶν ἀνθρώπων, ὅτι μὴ τῆς αὐτῆς τούτοις τετύχηκεν ἀναστάσεως. Ὧν γὰρ ἡ φύσις οὐκ ἴση, τούτοις οὐδὲ τὸ τέλος ἴσον ὁ δίκαιος ἐπιμετρεῖ. Χωρὶς δὲ τούτων, παρʼ οἷς οὐδεμία τοῦ δικαίου κρίσις οὐδὲ μέμψις ἀδικίας. Οὐ μὴν οὐδʼ ἐκεῖνο φῆσαι δυνατὸν ὡς περὶ αὐτὸν θεωρεῖταί τις ἀδικία τὸν ἀνιστάμενον ἄνθρωπον. Ἔστι μὲν γὰρ οὗτος ἐκ ψυχῆς καὶ σώματος, οὔτε δὲ εἰς ψυχὴν οὔτε εἰς σῶμα δέχεται τὴν ἀδικίαν. Οὔτε γὰρ τὴν ψυχὴν ἀδικεῖσθαι φήσει τις σωφρονῶν, ὅτι λήσεταί γε ταύτῃ συνεκβάλλων καὶ τὴν παροῦσαν ζωήν· εἰ γὰρ νῦν ἐν φθαρτῷ καὶ παθητῷ κατοικοῦσα σώματι μηδὲν ἠδίκηται, πολὺ μᾶλλον ἀφθάρτῳ καὶ ἀπαθεῖ συζῶσα οὐκ ἀδικηθήσεται. Ἀλλʼ οὐδὲ τὸ σῶμα ἀδικεῖταί τι· εἰ γὰρ νῦν φθαρτὸν ἀφθάρτῳ συνὸν οὐκ ἀδικεῖται, δῆλον ὅτι οὐδʼ ἄφθαρτον ἀφθάρτῳ συνὸν ἀδικηθήσεται. Οὐ μὴν οὐδʼ ἐκεῖνο φαίη τις ἂν ὡς ἀνάξιον ἔργον τοῦ θεοῦ τὸ διαλυθὲν ἀναστῆσαι σῶμα καὶ συναγαγεῖν· εἰ γὰρ τὸ χεῖρον οὐκ ἀνάξιον, τοῦτʼ ἔστι τὸ φθαρτὸν ποιῆσαι σῶμα καὶ παθητόν, πολὺ μᾶλλον τὸ κρεῖττον οὐκ ἀνάξιον, ὅπερ ἐστὶν ἄφθαρτον καὶ ἀπαθές.
English · Claude translation
For what God does not will, he does not will either because it is unjust or because it is unworthy of him. And injustice, again, would be seen either with regard to the one who is to be raised or with regard to someone else besides him. That none of the beings outside him, counted among the things that exist, is wronged is obvious. The intelligible natures would not be wronged by the resurrection of human beings, for the resurrection of human beings is no hindrance to their existence, no harm, no insult. Nor is the nature of irrational or inanimate things wronged, for they will not exist after the resurrection, and nothing can be unjust toward what does not exist. And even if one supposes that they will exist forever, they would not be wronged by the renewal of human bodies. If now, while they submit to human nature and to the needs of human beings, who are in want, and are brought under the yoke and every kind of servitude, they suffer no wrong, then much less will they be wronged when human beings have become incorruptible and free of want, no longer needing their service, and they are set free from all servitude. If they had a voice, they would not accuse the Creator of lowering them below human beings contrary to justice because they did not share in the same resurrection. For the Just One does not measure out an equal end to those whose nature is not equal; and besides, where there is no sense of justice, there can be no complaint of injustice. Nor can it be said that any injustice is seen with regard to the one who rises, the human being himself. He consists of soul and body, and he suffers injustice neither in soul nor in body. No sensible person will say that the soul is wronged; for he would, without noticing it, be rejecting the present life along with it. If now the soul, dwelling in a corruptible and passible body, has suffered no wrong, much less will it be wronged when it lives with a body that is incorruptible and impassible. Nor is the body wronged at all. If now, being corruptible, it is not wronged by being joined with what is incorruptible, clearly it will not be wronged when it is itself incorruptible and joined with what is incorruptible. Nor could anyone say that it is a work unworthy of God to raise up and gather together a body that has been dissolved. For if the lesser work is not unworthy of him, namely to make a body that is corruptible and passible, much more is the greater not unworthy, a body incorruptible and impassible.
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Notes
Notes on the original text
- Digital text corrected (accent: grave on ὂν before a following word): περὶ δὲ τὸ μὴ ὄν οὐδὲν → περὶ δὲ τὸ μὴ ὂν οὐδὲν.
Cite this passage
Athenagoras, Res. 10 (trans. Sophia Scriptura, https://sophiascriptura.com/fathers/athenagoras-resurrection/10/).
Plain text
Athenagoras, Res. 10 (trans. Sophia Scriptura, https://sophiascriptura.com/fathers/athenagoras-resurrection/10/).
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