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The Resurrection of the Dead

Athenagoras of Athens

Chapter 7

About this work

A philosophical defense of bodily resurrection arguing from God’s power and purpose, the unity of human body and soul, moral judgment, and the intended end of human creation.

Author: Athenagoras of Athens
Date: Late 2nd century
Origin: Athens (traditional)
Genre: Theological Treatise

Its relationship to Athenagoras and to the Plea is traditional but has received scholarly discussion.

Chapter VII.—The Resurrection-Body Different from the Present.

Nay, suppose we were to grant

‹ Chapter 6 Chapter 8 ›

that

the

nourishment

coming

from

these

things

(

let

it

be

so

called

,

as

more

accordant

with

the

common

way

of

speaking

)

,

although

against

nature

,

is

yet

separated

and

changed

into

some

one

of

the

moist

or

dry

,

or

warm

or

cold

,

matters

which

the

body

contains

,

our

opponents

would

gain

nothing

by

the

concession

:

for

the

bodies

that

rise

again

are

reconstituted

from

the

parts

which

properly

belong

to

them

,

whereas

no

one

of

the

things

mentioned

is

such

a

part

,

nor

has

it

the

form

or

place

of

a

part

;

nay

,

it

does

not

remain

always

with

the

parts

of

the

body

which

are

nourished

,

or

rise

again

with

the

parts

that

rise

,

since

no

longer

does

blood

,

or

phlegm

,

or

bile

,

or

breath

,

contribute

anything

to

the

life

.

Neither

,

again

,

will

the

bodies

nourished

then

require

the

things

they

once

required

,

seeing

that

,

along

with

the

want

and

corruption

of

the

bodies

nourished

,

the

need

also

of

those

things

by

which

they

were

nourished

is

taken

away

.

To

this

must

be

added

,

that

if

we

were

to

suppose

the

change

arising

from

such

nourishment

to

reach

as

far

as

flesh

,

in

that

case

too

there

would

be

no

necessity

that

the

flesh

recently

changed

by

food

of

that

kind

,

if

it

became

united

to

the

body

of

some

other

man

,

should

again

as

a

part

contribute

to

the

formation

of

that

body

,

since

neither

the

flesh

which

takes

it

up

always

retains

what

it

takes

,

nor

does

the

flesh

so

incorporated

abide

and

remain

with

that

to

which

it

was

added

,

but

is

subject

to

a

great

variety

of

changes

,

—

at

one

time

being

dispersed

by

toil

or

care

,

at

another

time

being

wasted

by

grief

or

trouble

or

disease

,

and

by

the

distempers

arising

from

being

heated

or

chilled

,

the

humours

which

are

changed

with

the

flesh

and

fat

not

receiving

the

nourishment

so

as

to

remain

what

they

are

.

But

while

such

are

the

changes

to

which

the

flesh

is

subject

,

we

should

find

that

flesh

,

nourished

by

food

unsuited

to

it

,

suffers

them

in

a

much

greater

degree

;

now

swelling

out

and

growing

fat

by

what

it

has

received

,

and

then

again

rejecting

it

in

some

way

or

other

,

and

decreasing

in

bulk

,

from

one

or

more

of

the

causes

already

mentioned

;

and

that

alone

remains

in

the

parts

which

is

adapted

to

bind

together

,

or

cover

,

or

warm

the

flesh

that

has

been

chosen

by

nature

,

and

adheres

to

those

parts

by

which

it

sustains

the

life

which

is

according

to

nature

,

and

fulfils

the

labours

of

that

life

.

So

that

whether

the

investigation

in

which

we

have

just

been

engaged

be

fairly

judged

of

,

or

the

objections

urged

against

our

position

be

conceded

,

in

neither

case

can

it

be

shown

that

what

is

said

by

our

opponents

is

true

,

nor

can

the

bodies

of

men

ever

combine

with

those

of

the

same

nature

,

whether

at

any

time

,

through

ignorance

and

being

cheated

of

their

perception

by

some

one

else

,

men

have

partaken

of

such

a

body

,

or

of

their

own

accord

,

impelled

by

want

or

madness

,

they

have

defiled

themselves

with

the

body

of

one

of

like

form

;

for

we

are

very

well

aware

that

some

brutes

have

human

forms

,

or

have

a

nature

compounded

of

men

and

brutes

,

such

as

the

more

daring

of

the

poets

are

accustomed

to

represent

.