20. О суде

And will the trial be legal if, according to the teachings of the infidels, bodies will not be resurrected and only souls will be held accountable for sins? The soul, which has sinned with the body, through the eyes has allowed envy and inappropriate desires into itself, through the ears has been seduced by lawless speeches, through every part of the body has received into itself some kind of unkind excitement, it is unfair for one to bear the punishment for these sins, and, moreover, to suffer not for a short time, but for endless centuries. And we are taught this by the Divine Scripture. For it is said: “And these will rise to eternal life, but these to reproach and eternal shame” (Dan. 12:2). Is it also fair that the souls of the saints, having advanced in virtue along with their bodies, should alone enjoy the promised blessings? For the eyes shed tears of tenderness, the ear conveys divine words to the soul, the tongue sings songs of the Benefactor and unceasingly prays, the hands provide the necessary services, the feet either rush to houses of prayer, or are bothered by standing in prayer and carry out many other labors. Is it fair that the body, which together with the soul collected the wealth of virtue, should remain in dust and be abandoned, while the soul alone should be proclaimed victorious? If this is contrary to justice, then, of course, the bodies should first be resurrected, and then, together with the soul, give an account of the way of life. The divine Apostle also said this. Let us all appear, he says, “before the judgment seat of Christ, so that everyone may receive what he has done with his body, either good or evil” (2 Cor. 5:10). In accordance with this, blessed David also says: “For You have rewarded everyone according to his deeds” (Ps. 61:13). Pythagoras spoke fabulously about the transmigration of souls, saying that they pass not only into the bodies of dumb people, but also into plants. Plato also adhered to this same fable. And Manes and before him the evil row of so-called Gnostics, taking this as a reason for themselves, argued that this was punishment. The vile teachers, Carpocrates, Epiphanes, Prodicus and Caienae, legitimizing the bestial way of life, said as if. souls are sent into bodies in order to please each of the world-creating angels with lust and all lewdness. But the Church of the pious abhors these and similar fables and, following the words of God, believes that bodies will be resurrected, souls will be judged with the bodies, those who lived viciously will be subjected to torment, and those who cared about virtue will be awarded rewards. You might be interested in: