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Acts of Disputation

Archelaus

Chapter 20

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Author: Archelaus

Section 20

20. On hearing these argumentations, the multitudes who were present

‹ Chapter 19 Chapter 21 ›

were

exceedingly

delighted

;

so

much

so

,

indeed

,

that

they

were

almost

laying

hands

on

Manes

;

and

it

was

with

difficulty

that

Archelaus

restrained

them

,

and

kept

them

back

,

and

made

them

quiet

again

.

The

judges

said

:

Archelaus

has

given

us

proof

sufficient

of

the

fact

that

the

body

and

soul

of

man

are

the

works

of

one

hand

;

because

an

object

cannot

subsist

in

any

proper

consonance

and

unison

as

the

work

of

one

hand

,

if

there

is

any

want

of

harmony

in

the

design

and

plan

.

But

if

it

is

alleged

that

one

could

not

possibly

have

sufficed

to

develop

both

these

objects

,

namely

,

body

and

soul

,

this

is

simply

to

exhibit

the

incapacity

of

the

artificer

.

For

thus

,

even

though

one

should

grant

that

the

soul

is

the

creation

of

a

good

deity

,

it

will

be

found

to

be

but

an

idle

work

so

far

as

the

man

is

concerned

,

unless

it

also

takes

to

itself

the

body

.

And

if

,

again

,

the

body

is

held

to

be

the

formation

of

an

evil

deity

,

the

work

will

also

none

the

less

be

idle

unless

it

receives

the

soul

;

and

,

in

truth

,

unless

the

soul

be

in

unison

with

the

body

by

commixture

and

due

introduction

,

so

that

the

two

are

in

mutual

connections

,

the

man

will

not

exist

,

neither

can

we

speak

of

him

.

Hence

we

are

of

opinion

that

Archelaus

has

proved

by

a

variety

of

illustrations

that

there

is

but

one

and

the

same

maker

for

the

whole

man

.

Archelaus

said

:

I

doubt

not

,

Manes

,

that

you

understand

this

,

namely

,

that

one

who

is

born

and

created

is

called

the

son

of

him

who

begets

or

creates

.

But

if

the

wicked

one

made

man

,

then

he

ought

to

be

his

father

,

according

to

nature

.

And

to

whom

,

then

,

did

the

Lord

Jesus

address

Himself

,

when

in

these

terms

He

taught

men

to

pray

:

“

When

ye

pray

,

say

,

Our

Father

which

art

in

heaven

;

”

and

again

,

“

Pray

to

your

Father

which

is

in

secret

?

”

But

it

was

of

Satan

that

He

spoke

when

He

said

,

that

He

“

beheld

him

as

lightning

fall

from

heaven

;

”

so

that

no

one

dare

say

that

He

taught

us

to

pray

to

him

.

And

surely

Jesus

did

not

come

down

from

heaven

with

the

purpose

of

bringing

men

together

,

and

reconciling

them

to

Satan

;

but

,

on

the

contrary

,

He

gave

him

over

to

be

bruised

beneath

the

feet

of

His

faithful

ones

.

However

,

for

my

part

,

I

would

say

that

those

Gentiles

are

the

more

blessed

who

do

indeed

bring

in

a

multitude

of

deities

,

but

at

least

hold

them

all

to

be

of

one

mind

,

and

in

amity

with

each

other

;

whereas

this

man

,

though

he

brings

in

but

two

gods

,

does

not

blush

to

posit

enmities

and

discordant

sentiments

between

them

.

And

,

in

sooth

,

if

these

Gentiles

were

to

bring

in

their

counterfeit

deities

under

conditions

of

that

kind

,

we

would

verily

have

it

in

our

power

to

witness

something

like

a

gladiatorial

contest

proceeding

between

them

,

with

their

innumerable

natures

and

diverse

sentiments

.

Notes

1
Reading “natus est et creatus.” The Codex Casinensis has “natus est creatus.”
2
Matt. vi. 9; Luke xi. 2.
3
Matt. vi. 6.
4
Luke x. 18.
5
Codex Casinensis gives introduceret; but, retaining the reference to the Gentiles we read introducerent.