Resurrection of the Body

Justin Martyr, On the Resurrection 4

Justin Martyr · c. 100–c. 165 AD

Yes, they say. If the flesh rises, then it rises exactly as it was laid down—so that if it was laid down blind in one eye, it rises blind in one eye; if lame, it rises lame; if any other part of the body was lacking, the person rises still inferior because of that. How blind the true eyes of their hearts are! Did they not see on earth blind people recovering their sight and lame people walking by His word? The Savior did all these things, first so that what was spoken about Him through the prophets might be fulfilled—that the blind receive sight and the deaf hear, and the other things (Isaiah 35:5)—and also to give faith that in the resurrection the flesh will rise whole. For if on earth He healed the weaknesses of the flesh and made the body whole, how much more will He do this in the resurrection, so that the flesh also rises whole and complete. In this way the things they regard as impossible will be healed.

Greek

Ναί, φασίν. Eἰ οὖν ἡ σὰρξ ἀνίσταται, καὶ τοιαύτη ἀνίσταται ὁποία κλιθήσεται, ὥστε, εἰ μονόφθαλμος κλιθήσεται, μονόφθαλμος ἀνίσταται, εἰ χωλός, χωλός, εἰ ἄλλο τι τοῦ σώματος ὑστεροῦν εἴη, τοῦτο καὶ ἐλάττων ὁ ἄνθρωπος ἀναστήσεται. Τετυφλωμένοι ὡς ἀληθῶς τὰ τῆς καρδίας ὄμματα! Oὐ γὰρ εἶδον ἐπὶ τῆς γῆς τυφλοὺς ἀναβλέποντας, χωλοὺς περιπατοῦντας τῷ ἐκείνου λόγῳ; Ἂ πάντα ἐποίησεν ὁ σωτήρ, πρῶτον μὲν ἵνα πληρωθῇ τὸ ·ηθὲν περὶ αὐτοῦ διὰ τῶν προφητῶν, ὅτι Τυφλοὶ ἀναβλέπουσι καὶ κωφοὶ ἀκούουσιν καὶ τὰ ἄλλα, ἔτι δὲ καὶ εἰς πίστιν τοῦ ὅτι ἐν τῇ ἀναστάσει ἡ σὰρξ ὁλόκληρος ἀναστήσεται. Eἰ γὰρ ἐπὶ τῆς γῆς τὰς ἀσθενείας τῆς σαρκὸς ἰάσατο καὶ ὁλόκληρον ἐποίησε τὸ σῶμα, πολλῷ μᾶλλον ἐν τῇ ἀναστάσει τοῦτο ποιήσει, ὥστε καὶ ἀκέραιον καὶ ὁλόκληρον ἀναστῆναι τὴν σάρκα. Τὰ μὲν οὖν παρ' αὐτῶν νομιζόμενα ἄπορα τοῦτον τὸν τρόπον ἰαθήσεται.

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