Глава 7. Опровержение язычников

41) In the reasoning of the pagans, one can even be very surprised that they laugh at something that should not be laughed at at all, while in their blindness they do not see their shame, giving honor to trees and stones. However, our word does not lack evidence. Why, we will try to convince them with strong arguments, borrowed especially from what we ourselves have before our eyes. What is inappropriate or worthy of ridicule about us? That, of course, that the Word, as we say, appeared in a body? But they themselves, if they are friends of the truth, will admit that there is no inconsistency in this. If they completely deny that there is God’s Word; then they laugh in vain at what they do not know. If they recognize that there is God’s Word, that It is the Ruler of the universe, that by Him the Father created creation, and by His providence everything in the universe is illuminated, enlivened, and has existence, and It reigns over everything, and therefore, from the works of providence this Word is known, and through Him the Father; Then, I ask you to consider, aren’t they laughing at themselves without knowing it? Hellenic philosophers say that the world is a great body. And in this they are true to the truth. For we see that the world and its parts are subject to feelings. So, if in the world, which is a body, there is God’s Word, and It abides in all, collectively and separately, parts of the world: what is surprising or incongruous when we affirm that the same Word abided in man? If at all it is incongruous for Him to be in the body; then it is incongruous for Him to dwell in the universe, to illuminate and set everything in motion with His providence; because the universe is also a body. And if it is fitting for the Word to dwell in the world and reveal Himself in the universe; then it is fitting for Him to appear in a human body, which would be illuminated by Him and brought into action; because the human race is part of the whole world. If it is indecent for a part to become His instrument for communicating knowledge of the Divine; then it is much more incongruous to reveal Himself to Him in the whole world. 42) If, when the whole human body is put into action and enlightened by man, someone calls it incongruous that the powers of man should be in the toe; then everyone will consider it meaningless because, while allowing a person to remain and act as a whole, he forbids him to be in a part. So, whoever agrees and believes that there is God’s Word in the universe, and by Him the universe is illuminated and set in motion, cannot recognize it as incongruous that one human body should be set in motion and illuminated by the same Word. If, on the basis that the human race was created and came from nothing, then, in their opinion, it is indecent for us to talk about the appearance of the Savior in man; this means that they exclude the Word from all creation; because all creation was also brought into being from nothing by the Word. If there is no incongruity, the Word should be in creation, although it was created; then there is no incongruity for Him to be in man. For what they imagine about the whole, it is necessary for them to imagine about the parts; and man, as stated above, is a part of the whole. Therefore, it is not at all indecent for the Word to be in man, and for everything in the world to be illuminated by Him and about Him, set in motion and live, just as their writers say that “in Him we live, we move, and we are” (Acts 17:28). After this, what is worthy of ridicule in what we affirm - that the Word uses that in which It dwells as an instrument for His manifestation? If It had not remained in this, it could not have used it. If we admit that the Word abides both as a whole and in parts, what is incredible if It is in whatever it abides that it reveals Himself? If the Word, fully abiding by His powers in every creature and in all creatures, and bringing everything into the best order, wanted to broadcast and make Himself and His Father known through the sun, or the moon, or the sky, or the earth, or the waters, or the fire; then no one would say that It acts incongruously; because It contains everything in totality, and both in everything and in every part it abides and invisibly reveals Itself. So there is nothing incongruous if It, bringing the universe into order and reviving everything, and desiring to make Himself known through people, used the human body as an instrument for the revelation of truth and for communicating knowledge about the Father; because humanity is part of the whole. And how the mind, being in the whole person, makes itself felt by a part of the body, that is, by the tongue, and no one will say that this diminishes the essence of the mind; Thus, if the Word, being in everything, used a human instrument, then this should not seem incongruous. For if, according to what has been said, it is indecent for the Word to use the body as an instrument, then it is indecent for Him to be in general. 43) If they ask: why did He not reveal Himself in the other best parts of creation, and use not something better as an instrument, for example: the sun, or the moon, or the stars, or fire, or ether, but one person? - then let them know that the Lord did not come to show Himself, but to heal and teach the suffering. For to appear only and amaze the audience would mean to come to the show. It was characteristic of the one who healed and taught not only to come, but to serve for the benefit of those in need of help, and to appear in such a way that it would be bearable for those in need, and by anything exceeding the needs of the suffering, those requiring help would not be embarrassed, which would make God’s coming useless for them. No creature has ever erred in its concepts of God, except one man. Of course, neither the sun, nor the moon, nor the sky, nor the stars, nor the water, nor the ether changed their order, but on the contrary, knowing their Creator and King - the Word, they remain as they were created; only people turned away from good, instead of truth they invented things that do not exist for themselves, and transferred the honor due to God, as well as the knowledge of Him, to demons and to people carved from stones. Because to leave this without contempt was unworthy of God’s goodness, but people were not able to know God, who rules and dominates the universe; then it is right to take into His instrument a part of the whole - the human body, and abide in it, so that when they could not know Him as a whole, they would know Him at least in part; and when they could not see His invisible power, they came to the point of reaching this with their minds, although through conclusion from something similar; because people, because of their similar body and the works of God accomplished through it, can know His Father sooner and more closely, judging that the works He has accomplished are not human, but God’s. And if, according to the pagans, it was not in accordance with the Word to reveal Himself in bodily affairs; then the same inconsistency would exist if they knew Him from the affairs of the universe. Just as, being in creation, the Word does not partake of anything created, but, on the contrary, contains everything by His power: so, having used the body as an instrument, It did not partake of anything corporeal, but on the contrary, He Himself sanctified the body. If Plato, to whom the Greeks are amazed, says: “He who created the world, seeing that it is overwhelmed and in danger of plunging into the region of dissimilarity, sitting at the helm of the soul, helps and corrects all errors”: what is incredible in what we affirm, namely, that the Word, when humanity fell into error, sat down with it and appeared as a man in order to save the overwhelmed humanity by His governance and goodness? 44) But perhaps the pagans will agree to this out of shame, but they will still want to assert that God, when he wanted to enlighten and save people, should have done this with one wave, as he did in ancient times, when he created the world out of nothing; but His Word should not have touched the body. - In response to this objection, it would be appropriate to say the following: In ancient times, when nothing existed at all, one wave and will were required to create the universe. When man was created, and need demanded to heal not what did not exist, but what had already been created; then the Doctor and Savior should have come to what had already been created in order to heal what existed. That is why He became a man and put into action a human instrument—the body. And if it were not this method that should be used; How else could the Word have come when It wished to act as an instrument? Or where should this instrument come from, if not from what was already created and had a need for His Divinity, because of its similarity? It was not something that did not exist that needed salvation, for which a single command would have been sufficient; On the contrary, the already created man was corrupted and perished. Therefore, the Word justly and beautifully used the human instrument and revealed Himself in everything. At the same time, one must also know that the corruption that occurred was not outside the body, but began in it itself, and it was necessary - instead of corruption, to instill life into it, so that, just as death occurred in the body, so life also occurred in it. If death were outside the body, then its life would have to happen outside. If death was grafted onto the body and, as abiding in it, prevailed over it; then it was necessary for life to be grafted into the body, so that, having clothed itself with life, it would cast off corruption from itself. Otherwise, if the Word were outside the body, and not in the body itself; then, although death would naturally be defeated by the Word (because death is not able to resist life), the corruption that had begun in it would nevertheless remain in the body. Therefore, the Savior rightly put on the body, so that, after the body was grafted into life, it would no longer remain in death as mortal, but, having put on immortality, after the resurrection it would already remain immortal. For having once put on corruption, it would not have been resurrected unless it had put on life. And one more thing: since death could not appear on its own, but only in the body, the Word put on a body for this purpose, so that, having found death in the body, it could be destroyed. For in general, how would the Lord show that He is Life if He did not give life to the dead? If anyone does not allow fire to reach the straw, which by nature is destroyed by fire; then the straw, although it does not burn, nevertheless still remains straw, and fire does not cease to threaten it; because, by its nature, it is destructive to straw. But if someone covers the straw with a large amount of stone flax, which, as they say, resists fire; then the straw is no longer afraid of fire, finding safety for itself in a non-combustible shell. The same can be said about the body and about death. If the command had only prevented death from reaching the body, it would nevertheless, according to the general law of bodies, remain mortal and corruptible. And so that this does not happen, the body is clothed in the incorporeal Word of God, and thus is no longer afraid of death or corruption; because he has life as a garment, and corruption is destroyed in him. 45) So, in accordance with the purpose, God’s Word took upon Himself the body and used the human instrument in order to vivify the body, and just as It is known in creation from works, so it can act in man and reveal Itself everywhere, leaving nothing deprived of His Divinity and knowledge of Itself. For, again, I repeat the same thing, returning to the former, namely: the Savior did this so that, just as He, being present everywhere, fills everything, so everything would be filled with the knowledge of Him, about which the divine Scripture speaks: “the whole earth would be filled with the vision of the Lord” (Isa. 11:9). For if anyone wants to look at heaven, let him see its improvement. And if he cannot look at heaven, but only gazes at people, let him see His power in deeds, incomparable with human powers, and recognize this one God among men - the Word. If someone is seduced by demons and is surprised by them; then let him see how He casts out demons, and conclude from this that He is the Lord of demons. If someone is immersed in the watery nature and thinks that this is a god (as the Egyptians honor water); then let him see how He transforms water, and know that the Lord is the Creator of water. If someone descends into hell, he will marvel at the heroes who descended there as if they were gods; then let him see His resurrection and victory over death, and conclude that they, too, have only one Christ, the true Lord and God. The Lord touched all parts of creation, freed the universe from all delusion, and exposed, as Paul says: “He has stripped away the principalities and powers; expose them on the Cross” (Col. 2:15), so that no one could be deceived, but would find God’s true Word everywhere. So man, enclosed from everywhere, and everywhere, that is, in heaven, in hell, in man, on earth, seeing the revealed Divinity of the Word, is no longer deceived in the reasoning of God, but worships the one Word and through Him sufficiently knows the Father. In these considerations we present the reasons by which the pagans should rightly be put to shame. If they are not considered sufficient to their shame; then let them be assured of what is being asserted, at least by what everyone sees before their eyes.