Demonstration 8: On the Resurrection of the Dead

Demonstration on the Resurrection of the Dead The contentious ones are always inquiring about this matter: how will the dead rise, and in what body will they come? For behold, the body decays and is destroyed, and even the bones, after a long time, are ground to dust and are not recognizable. And when one enters a tomb in which a hundred dead are buried, one finds only a little dust there. Thus say those who are deceived, that they know that the dead will rise, but they will put on a body of heaven and spiritual forms. But if it is not so, they say, how can it be that a hundred dead buried in one grave, after a long time, nothing remains there? And when the dead live and put on bodies and rise, if it is not a body of heaven that they put on, from where will that body come, since nothing at all is in the grave? Now he who is deceived by these things is foolish and ignorant. For when the dead entered, they were something; and when a long time had passed, they became nothing. And when the time comes for the dead to rise, that nothing will become something, as it was in the beginning, and a substitute will be added to its nature. Or listen to the foolishness of those who are deceived. Hear what the blessed Apostle says, when he persuades a fool like you, and says: "Fool! The seed that you sow dies, but it does not live; and that which you sow is not like that which is born in its time, but a single naked grain, of wheat or of barley or of other seeds. And to each one of the seeds, its own body is given. But God clothes your seed with its body, as He wills." So then, be persuaded, fool, by this: that each one of the seeds puts on its own body. You never sow wheat and reap barley, and you never plant a vine and gather thorns from it.

But everything proceeds according to its nature. Likewise, the body that falls into the earth becomes and rises. And concerning the fact that the body is destroyed and consumed, what is the parable of the seed? And it is not for you to be perplexed, for just as the seed when it falls into the earth is dissolved and destroyed, and then from its dissolution it sprouts, grows, and gives fruit—because if the earth were not suitable for the seed, it would not fall into it and would not give fruit—so also the whole earth drinks the rain, and the grave in which the dead are buried does not receive them in vain, for the dead do not come forth from it. If the whole voice of the trumpet calls within it, and if, as they say, the souls of the righteous ascend to heaven and put on a heavenly body, they dwell in heaven, and the one who raises the dead dwells in heaven, and when the life-giver comes, why does he raise them from the earth? And why did he write that the hour would come? Even now it is present, that the dead hear the voice of the Son of God, and live and come forth from their graves. For the heavenly body does not enter the grave and then come out of it. Thus the contentious ones say: Why then did the Apostle say that there is one body in heaven and another on earth? But when one hears this, let him also hear the other thing that the Apostle said: that we have a body of the soul and a body of the spirit. And again he said: All sleep, but not all are changed. And again he said: It is fitting that the mortal should put on the immortal, and the corruptible should put on the incorruptible. Again he said: All will stand before the judgment seat of Christ, and each person will be rewarded in his body for what he previously did, whether good or evil. Again he said: Why then do those who are baptized do so on behalf of the dead? For if the dead do not rise, why are they baptized on their behalf? Again he said: If there is no life of the dead, then Christ did not rise; and if Christ did not rise,

Your faith and your preaching are in vain. And if it were so, you would have found false witnesses for yourselves, who testified against God, that he raised the Messiah for one who did not rise. Therefore, if the dead do not rise, there is no judgment. And if there is no judgment, then eat and drink, for tomorrow you will die, sinner. Do not be led astray by the sweet words of corrupt shepherds, by evil fables. But this which the Apostle said, that one body is in heaven and another on earth, this word will be understood by you thus: when the body of the righteous rises and is changed, it is called heavenly; and that which is not changed is called earthly in its nature. Listen, my beloved, to a word similar to this, which the Apostle also spoke. For he said that at the head of the spirit is everything that is, and he who is a man is not judged. And again he said that those who are of the spirit are guided by the spirit, and those who are of the flesh are guided by the flesh. And again he said that when they were in the flesh, the pains of sins were felt in their members, which bore fruit for death. Again he said that if you have the spirit of the Messiah, you are of the spirit. All these things the Apostle said when he was clothed in flesh and performed the works of the spirit. Thus also in the resurrection of the dead, there will be a change for the righteous, and the earthly form will be swallowed up by the heavenly, and it will be called a heavenly body, and that which is not changed will be called earthly. Concerning this resurrection of the dead, my beloved, as much as I am able, I will persuade you. For from the beginning, God created Adam; from dust he formed him and set him up. For if Adam, when he was not, was made from nothing, how much easier is it now for him to raise him up, for behold, seed is sown in the earth. For if those things which are easy for you to do, God does, his great works are not seen by you. For behold, there are among the sons of men, men of various kinds.

who perform wondrous signs. And those things which were not possible for them to do, they rise and are amazed, as if they had never been. And the work of their companions is hindered in their eyes. How many are the works of God! It is not fitting for them to be among the wonders. For God, this raising of the dead is not great, when seed is not sown in the earth, the earth brings forth what did not fall into it, and when she was not pregnant, she gave birth in her virginity. How then is this hindrance, that again the earth brings forth what fell into it, and the pregnancy that it may give birth? And behold, her destroyers are near, as Isaiah said: "Who has seen such a thing? Who has heard of such things?" That the earth is laid waste in one day, and a people is born in one hour. For Adam was not sown and knew, nor was he conceived and born. For now his children are sown and await the rain and know, and the earth is pregnant with many, and the time of birth approaches. For all our fathers lived in hope of the resurrection and of the life of the dead, as the blessed Apostle said: "If the city from which Abraham came out, the righteous lived, they would have had time to return and go back to it, but they show that they lived for the good from it, which is in heaven." And they lived that they might be enriched, and immediately went to it. And when you understand and see from what is written, that they lived for the resurrection. For Jacob our father, when he was dying, swore to his son Joseph and said to him: "Bury me in the tomb of my fathers, with Abraham and Sarah, and Isaac and Rebekah, and my beloved Leah." For Jacob did not wish to be buried in Egypt, but with his fathers. This shows that he lived for the life of the dead, so that when the trumpet and the voice of the herald sound, his resurrection might be near to his fathers.

and shall not be mingled at the time of the resurrection with the wicked who have turned to Sheol and to the abyss. And thus also Joseph adjured his brothers and said to them: When God remembers you, bring up my bones from here with you. And his brothers did according to the word of Joseph, and they kept the oath for one hundred and fifteen years, at that very time when the hosts of the Lord went out from the land of Egypt. Then Moses took the bones of Joseph and went out, and they honoured the bones of the righteous man, and they adorned them with gold and with treasure which the children of Israel took from Egypt when they were delivered. And the bones of Joseph were forty years in the wilderness. And at the time when Moses lay down, he bequeathed the bones to Joshua the son of Nun; for the bones of Joseph his father were better to him than all the spoil of the land which he conquered. But why did Moses give the bones of Joseph to Joshua? Because he was from the tribe of Ephraim the son of Joseph, and he buried them in the land of the inheritance, so that the treasure might be in that land where the bones of Joseph were buried. And also at the time when Jacob died, he blessed his tribes and showed them what would happen to them at the end of days. And he said to Reuben: Reuben, you are my firstborn, my strength and the chief of my power; you have erred, like water you shall not rest, because you went up to the bed of your father. Truly you have disturbed my couch and gone up. And from the time when Jacob lay down until Moses lay down, one hundred and thirty-three years. Then Moses wished to conceal in his humility concerning Reuben, who had acted foolishly and sinned because he slept with Bilhah the concubine of his father, so that when his brothers arose they would not be ashamed because of him. For he said at the beginning of his blessings: Let Reuben live and not die, and let him be among the living. And also when the time came for Moses to lie down with his fathers.

He was in distress and he was grieved, and he besought his Lord and was troubled, that he might cross over to the land of the Moabites. And to you, my beloved, Moses, the righteous man, was grieved, not because he did not enter the land of the Moabites, but because he was going to go and be buried with his fathers, and not be buried in the land of his enemies, in the land of Moab, because the Moabites had hired Balaam son of Beor to curse Israel. For this reason Moses desired that he should not be buried in that land, lest the Moabites come and make a sepulchre for him, and dig up the bones of the righteous man and cast them away. And his Lord did a kindness to Moses, and brought him up to the mountain of Nebo, and showed him the whole land, while he made him pass before him. And when Moses saw the whole land, and saw the mountain of the Jebusites, the place where the Shekinah was destined to rest, he grieved and wept, when he saw the tomb of the cave of Machpelah, the place where his fathers Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob were buried, because he was not buried with them, and his bones would not be cast upon their bones, and he would not rise with them in the resurrection. And when he saw the whole land, his Lord comforted him and said to him: I myself will bury you and conceal you, and no man shall know your grave. And Moses died by the word of the mouth of the Lord, and he buried him in a valley in the land of Moab, opposite Beth-peor, the place where Israel sinned. And no man knows his grave to this day. Both of these good purposes did his Lord accomplish in Moses: that he did not reveal his grave to the children of Israel, first, lest his enemies know and cast his bones from his grave; and second, lest the children of his own people know and make his grave a place of worship, because he was considered as a god in the eyes of the children of his people. And understand from this, my beloved, that when he left the people and went up to the mountain, he said: This Moses who brought you up from the land of Egypt.

They did not know what he was, and they made for him a calf and worshipped it, and they did not remember the God who brought them up from Egypt by the hand of Moses, with a strong hand and a high arm. For this reason God was angry with Moses, and did not make known his grave, lest when his grave was known, the children of his people would go astray and make for themselves an image and worship it and sacrifice to it, and by their sins they would disturb the bones of the righteous man. And again Moses openly proclaimed the resurrection of the dead. For he said, as from the mouth of his God, "I kill and I make alive." Again, also, he said thus in his prayer, "The Lord kills and makes alive, and brings down to Sheol and brings up." And also the prophet Isaiah said thus, "Your dead shall live, O Lord, and their corpses shall rise, and those who sleep in the dust shall awaken and praise." And also David proclaimed and said, "Behold, for the dead you perform wonders, and the mighty men shall rise and praise you, and they shall recount in the tombs your grace." And how is the grace of God recounted in the tombs? Except that when they hear the sound of the trumpet that calls, and the cry of the herald from the height, and the earthquake that occurs, and the tombs that are opened, and the mighty men rise in glory, and they recount in the tombs one to another and say, "Great is the grace that has been done to us, for our hope was cut off, and hope has come to us; we were shut up in darkness, and we have come out into the light; we were sown in the grave, and we have risen in glory; we were buried in the flesh, and we have risen spiritually; we were sown again in weakness, and we have risen in strength." This is the grace that is recounted in the tombs. And not only in words, my beloved, did God say, "I make the dead alive," but also in deeds he showed, in many testimonies, so that there should be no doubt for you. Before, he showed openly, by means of Elijah, the wonder of the dead living and those sleeping in the dust rising.

For when the son of the widow died, Elijah revived him and gave him to his mother. And Elisha, his disciple, also revived the son of the Shunammite woman, so that he might rise and give testimony for the two of them. And again, over the bones of Elisha himself, the dead were thrown upon them by the sons of Israel, and that dead one lived and rose, and the testimony of the three was established. And also through the prophet Ezekiel, the resurrection of the dead was again clearly shown, when God brought him out to the valley and showed him many bones, and made him pass around them, and said to him: 'These bones, will they live, my son?' And Ezekiel said to him: 'You know, Lord of Lords.' And the Lord said to him: 'Command, my son, over these bones.' He commanded and said to the dry bones: 'Hear the word of the Lord of Lords.' And when they heard these words, there was a movement and a sound, and the bones were stirred. Even those that were crushed and broken were crushed and broken. And the prophet saw them and was amazed, as they came from every side, and bone was receiving its fellow, and a shin-bone approached its mate, and they were joined one to another, and their dryness became moist, and the sinews were covered with ligaments, and blood coursed in the arteries, and skin was stretched over flesh, and hair sprouted in its place, and they were cast down, and there was no spirit in them. Then again he commanded the prophet and said to him: 'Command the spirit and say to it: Come, spirit, from the four winds, and blow upon these slain ones and revive them.' And when they heard the other word, spirit entered them, and they lived and stood upon their feet, a very great host. And for what reason, my beloved, did these dead not rise at one word through Ezekiel, and their resurrection be completed, both of bones and of spirit, so that at one word the bones would be joined and at another the spirit would come? But so that the completeness might be confirmed with our Lord Jesus Christ.

with a single word and a single command, he will raise the whole body of Adam at the end. For the command was not small, but the dead man was small. And by this it is understood and seen that even Elijah and Elisha his disciple, when they revived the dead, did not raise them with a single command, but until they prayed and besought and delayed for no small time, and then they rose. And also our Lord, in his first coming, revived three dead men, so that the testimony of three might be established; and by two words each he raised each one of them. For the son of the widow, when he revived him, he called him twice, saying to him, "Young man, young man, arise," and he lived and rose. And again the daughter of the chief of the synagogue, he called her twice, saying to her, "Maiden, maiden, arise," and her spirit returned and she rose. And when Lazarus died and went to the tomb, he prayed, and called with a loud voice and said, "Lazarus, come out," and he lived and came out of his tomb. And all this I have shown you, that by two words each these dead rose, because two resurrections are in them: one is the resurrection, and the second is that which is to come. For in that resurrection in which they rise, all the wicked will not fall again. And with a single command of God, which will be sent through his Messiah, all the dead will rise, as quickly as the twinkling of an eye, because the dead are not small and few. For with a single command that he utters, he will make all the ends hear, and the beginnings, and all who are lying down will rise. And the command will not return to its sender in vain, but as it is written in Isaiah the prophet, that it is like the command to rain and snow. For he says that just as rain and snow descend from the sky and do not return, but moisten the earth and give birth to it, and give seed for sowing and bread for eating, so will the command that goes forth from my mouth be.

And do not return to me in vain, but if he does something that he wills, and completes what he sent, for rain and snow do not return to the sky, because they desire that their sender be completely on the earth. And the word that is sent by the Messiah, which is his word and his command, returned to him with great power, because when he came and died, he descended in the form of rain and snow, and all the seeds are moistened by him, and righteous fruits are planted by him, and the word returned to its sender, and his going was not in vain, but thus he says before his sender: Behold, I and the children that the Lord gave to me. And this is the voice that revives the dead in him. The Paraclete testifies concerning him, when he says that the hour will come when even the dead will hear the voice of the son of man, and will come forth from their graves, as it is written that in the beginning there was a voice, which is the Word. Again he says that the Word became flesh and dwelt in us. And this is the voice of God, which cried out from on high and raises all the dead. Again, Mar Afrahat refutes the Sadducees concerning the resurrection of the dead, when they brought to him the parable of a woman who had seven husbands, and they said to him: Behold, there was a woman who was the wife of all of them; in the resurrection of the dead, to which of them will she belong? Then Mar said to them: You are greatly mistaken, and you do not know the Scriptures, nor the power of God. For those who are of that world and that resurrection from the house of the dead, men do not take wives, nor are women given to men, because they cannot die, for they are like the angels of God, and children of the resurrection. Concerning the resurrection, that the dead will rise, have you not read in the Scripture where God said to Moses from the bush: I am the God of Abraham, and of Isaac, and of Jacob? And behold, God is not of the dead, for all of them are alive to him. And there are those who, even when they are alive to God, are dead.

He placed a command upon Adam and said to him: "On the day you eat from the tree, you shall die the death." And after he transgressed the command and ate, he lived nine hundred and thirty years. And to God, the dead one was considered because of his sins, so that it might be revealed to you that the sinner is called "dead." And even while alive, I am persuading you. For thus it is written in Ezekiel the prophet: "As I live," says the Lord of Lords, "I do not desire the death of the dead sinner." And also our Lord said to that man who said to him: "Let me go and bury my father and come to you." And our Lord said to him: "Leave the dead to bury their dead. And you, go and proclaim the kingdom of God." How is this saying understood by you, my beloved? Have you ever seen the dead burying their dead? Or how does a dead man rise to bury a dead man? But accept this persuasion from me: that the sinner, while alive, is dead to God; and the righteous man, when dead, is alive to God. For this death is a sleep, as David said: "I slept and slumbered and awoke." Again Isaiah said: "Your sleepers in the dust will awake." And our Lord said concerning the daughter of the chief of the synagogue: "The girl did not die, but she is sleeping." And concerning Lazarus he said to his disciples: "Lazarus, our friend, is sleeping; but let us go and wake him." And the Apostle said: "All are sleeping, but they are not all changed." And again he said: "Concerning those who are sleeping, do not be sorrowful for them." As for the death of the wicked, there is no need to fear it—that which is full of weeping and gnashing of teeth, and sighs and groans, that which dwells in the outer darkness. But blessed are the faithful and the righteous in that resurrection which is prepared, that they will awake and receive their good rewards. And the wicked who do not believe in the resurrection—woe to them from what is prepared for them; it will be a joy for them if they do not rise, as the faithful believe.

because the servant who has wronged his master, the rope and fetters are prepared for him. When he sleeps, he does not wish to be awakened, for he knows that when morning comes and he awakens, his master will bind and fetter him. But the good servant, to whom his master has entrusted the keys, knows when morning will come. He receives gifts from his master, and even while he sleeps, he sees in his dream what his master has given him, that which was entrusted to him. He rejoices in his dream, is glad, and is cheerful. But the wicked man, his hour does not please him, for he sees that morning has come for him, and his heart is broken in his dream. The righteous, when they sleep, their hours are pleasant to them, by day and by night. And the whole night of their vigil they do not perceive, and it is considered like one hour in their eyes. Then, at the watch of the morning, they are awakened and rejoice. But the wicked, their hours lie heavy upon them, and they are like a man thrown into a great and deep fire, who tosses on his bed from side to side, and is terrified the whole night, for his vigil is a burden upon him, and he fears the morning, for his master will condemn him. Now, by this, it is shown that when they lie in the graves, this hour is pleasant for them. They sleep and do not know good from evil, and the righteous do not receive their rewards, nor are the wicked punished, until the Judge comes and separates the right from the left. And it is confirmed from what is written, that until the Judge sits, and the books are opened before him, and the good and evil deeds are read, those who have done good receive good from the Good, and those who have done evil receive evil from the righteous Judge. For with the good, the punishment does not change, and he is righteous, because he justly condemns many. But with the wicked, the punishment changes in this world, for mercy is lost in wrath, and he becomes wrathful to all, and mercy does not share with wrath among them, just as mercy did not help the Sodomites.

and shame to grace. For grace is far from judgment, and shame is the one that drags. And when grace is near to him, it flees to him, and it is not delivered by shame, so that it does not condemn him, while his deficiencies are sought in his hand. And when grace is far from him, shame enters into his condemnation, and through it he is condemned and goes to torment. Hear, then, my beloved, this persuasion: that recompense is at the end. For the shepherd, when he separates his flock, and sets up from his right and from his left, until he receives the grace of the good ones, and then the sheep enter the kingdom; and until the head of the evil ones and they are condemned, then he sends the sheep to torment. And those who sent messengers after the kings, and said that this king would not be over them, until he takes the kingdom and returns, and then his enemies are confounded before him. And the laborers who ran and toiled in the vineyard, until the labor ceases, they do not receive wages. And the merchants who received money, until the owner of the money comes, and then interest is sought. And the virgins who are betrothed to husbands, and the bridegroom who delays in coming, until the cry is heard, and then he awakens and is adorned for his wedding, and the wise women enter, and the foolish women are kept outside. And those who ran in faith, their own are not completed. From all these, my beloved, understand, and it will be certain to you that until now no one has received his recompense. For the righteous have not yet inherited the kingdom, nor have the evil gone to torment. And the shepherd has not yet separated his flock, and the laborers are still in the vineyard, and they have not yet received wages. And the merchants are still turning over money, and their owner has not yet come to take account. And the king has gone to take the kingdom, and has not yet returned twice. And these virgins who are betrothed to husbands, they are sleeping until now.

and he is late and slow to shame. And the first ones, because they are not in faith, until the last ones come, they are not completed. The children of the thought say: If a man does not receive reward, why does the Apostle say: When he works with the body for the Lord, it will be? But remember, my beloved, that concerning this matter I instructed you in the demonstration of the solitaries, that for the Lord, the spirit that the righteous receive goes to its place in heaven until the time of the resurrection, which comes to clothe the body in which it dwelt. And at all times it intercedes for it before God and is zealous for the resurrection of the body in which it dwelt, as the prophet Isaiah said concerning the church of the peoples: They will be silent and standing; your advocates before the Lord, and they will not be silent for them. But for the wicked, they have no advocate before the Lord, because the spirit of holiness is far from them, because they are by themselves and are buried individually. And again the teachings are weighed by the words of the evil one in the saying of our Lord: No man ascended to heaven, except the one who descended from heaven, the son of man, who was in heaven. And they say: Behold, our Lord witnesses that an earthly body did not ascend to heaven. This power the simple do not understand. For when our Lord instructed Nicodemus, he did not understand the power of the word. Then our Lord said to him: No man ascended to heaven, and the one who descended told you something that is there. For if I told you about those who are on earth, you would not believe. How then if I told you about those who are in heaven, would you believe? For behold, another witness from there did not descend with me to witness about those who are in heaven, and you would believe. For Elijah ascended there and did not descend to witness with me, and the testimony of the two would be confirmed. But you, my beloved,

You should have no dispute about the resurrection of the dead, because the mouth testifies that one and the same kills and one and the same gives life, and one and the same strikes and one and the same heals, and from one mouth both come forth. And as it is true that the one that kills is seen to sin, so also the one that gives life is true and trustworthy. And from that which you have received and believed, on the day of resurrection your body will arise in its completeness, and from your Lord you will receive the reward of your faith, and in that which you have believed you will rejoice and be glad. End of the Demonstration on the Resurrection of the Dead.