XLII. But not even for this will there be--an opportunity for thee to hinder the inexperienced--in that as regards our Lord it was men who killed Him--and as regards Adam the Just One made him die :--Adam that sinned against Justice-- God in the sentenced time made him die,--but our Lord that killed wickedness--by wicked men was the killing of Him.
XLIII. If the Body depends upon the Soul, --lo, the Soul also like the Body--upon another Power depends wholly-- namely, on that Power which gives life to everything.--And as (in the case of) the Soul if it lets go--of the Body, it (the Body) is undone and falls to pieces,--the Power also that gives life to the Soul--if it lets it go, it (the Soul) is undone.
XLIV. If the Body, that is mixed with--the Soul and is its companion,--they say cannot cleave to it,--the light one, because of the weight of it (the Body),--how can they cleave,-- Entities corporeal and heavy,--to that Power which is above everything subtle--to live in it for ever and ever ?
XLV. Well, then, let us also say--that if the Body because of its weight--breaks away from the limpid Soul,--that limpid [P. 155.] |lxxii substance is also separated--from the Power that is more limpid than it,--[ and as ] in the case of the Body--the same retribution comes to it (the Soul)--from that Power which took hold of it.
XLVI. For to both of them it (the Soul) is strange--to that limpid one and to the turbid one ;--to the turbid one because of the impurities,--[to] the limpid one because of its refinement.-- If the one is for ever in it--the Body would be ever beside it ;--it does cleave to that which is more limpid than [it],--and that which is more [turbid] than it cleaves to it.
XLVII. For it is not the Power of its nature-- . . .
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XLVIII. As for the Entities that Bardaisan brought in-- he is to be accused because he taught--that one is heavier than its fellow--and one is lighter than its fellow ;--he put the evil ones as the lower,--he put the good ones as the upper,--he put Light and Wind as fine,--Fire and Water as heavy.
XLIX. If the lower one . . . --does not adhere to the one higher than it,--neither does Water that is corporeal-- [P. 156][cleave] to Fire that is lighter,--nor Fire to limpid Wind--nor does Wind cleave to Light,--nor any of them to God--Who is higher than all of them and more refined.
L. But if they are acceptable as friends,--all these Entities to one another,--those that are heavy and those that are light,-- and possess and are possessed by one another,--that Highest One who gave them their level--does not treat the lowest one as alien ;--and if He treat the lowest one as alien--He cannot treat the middle one as akin.
LI. For on one side of the two is with him--weakness or wickedness ;--but if He be Evil, how is He the Good One ?-- and if He be weak, how is He the Creator ?--and if as the Good One He humiliated Himself--unto the middle (Entities) which were at strife, --all of them with all He would have reconciled--that His kindness might not suffer loss.
LII. But look upon Man--and see that all of them are reconciled :--his heat is from Fire,--his cold from Wind,--his |lxxiii dampness from Water,--his dryness from the Dust;--in the midst of him dwells Life,--creative power holds him firm.
LIII. And even if these (theories) were so,--that things [P. 157.] should be so would be difficult,--as, if there were Entities,--it would be difficult that they should be made (into anything).--an Entity cannot be destroyed,--an Entity cannot be arranged ;--in that it is an Entity it is indestructible,--in that it is an Entity it is unarrangeable.
LIV. That Creator Who is unable--to destroy the Entities that exist--by the same analogy again is unable--to arrange the Entities that exist;--for He did not create the existence-- therefore He cannot destroy it,--He did not moreover arrange its fixing--therefore He cannot undo it.
LV and LVI. And if He cannot undo--the existence of other Entities,--(an existence) which is bound by its Nature,-- the Maker also is unable--to make anything and arrange (it).-- But let Him make the trial,--the very Maker from Himself,-- that as He cannot be arranged--the Entities cannot be made ;--by this moreover we shall understand as--the Body consists by the Soul,--the heavy by the power of the light,--the Soul also is similar to the Body--in regard to the Power that is more subtle than all.
LVII and LVIII. Against them let us say their words,-- [P. 158.] who say that the Stranger--blew His Life into the Entities and girded them ;--how to strange Life--are the Entities akin so that they lived ?--If indeed the Stranger blew His Life--into the Entities so that they became alive,--the Soul makes itself akin to the Body,--as He made His Life akin to the Entities--that had been strangers to His Life.--But if by the Master the servants lived,--how much more does the Body live--by the life of the Soul its colleague ?
LIX. "Reason," as they say,--"is the strange Leaven that is hidden--in the Soul," which is without knowledge ;--to the Body and Reason it is strange !--If so be then the Body cannot--cleave to the Soul, being earthy,--neither can it (the Soul) cleave--to the Reason which is Divine. |lxxiv
LX. We have therefore no contest--to expla[in] and persuade them--that are thrown into the contest;--and when struggling on their behalf--their struggle will be on our behalf,--for them the labour and for us the crown,--that when arguing on behalf of the Soul--their argument becomes (one) on behalf of the Body.
[P. 169.] LXI. Let us demonstrate therefore all the more--from the created things that are before us :--for lo, Fire is subtle--in comparison with Water that is corporeal,--[and] Wind [also in comparison with] Light--it also is denser than Light;--the Soul also in comparison with the Body--as their saying goes is "subtle"--and in comparison with Reason it is "corporeal."
LXII. Let us demonstrate therefore that all--Natures are devoured by one another,--substances' both corporeal and spiritual.--For oil is devoured by Flame,--and Flame is devoured by Wind ;--and the oil is not perceptible in Flame--and Flame is not [perceptible] in Wind,--for everything is easy to the Possessor of all things.
LXIII. Water again is placed in the middle--between Winter and Summer,--so that if the cold be fierce--it makes it a bodily substance--that embodies it in a hard form,--and if the heat be fierce--it makes it a spiritual substance--that absorbs it in a subtle way.
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[P.160] LXV. [And if so be] that Bardaisan says--that because of its weight it (the Body) remains therein,--from the fine [substance] of the Soul;--lo, when the heavy one de[parts]--[there departs] also the light part,--like a vapour [and a puff of air (?) it becomes] --and like a breath it is for a while--and flies away lightly. LXVI. Lo, . . . --of the Entities that Bardaisan brought |lxxv in,--corporeal ones as he says,--in all Folds and Limbos -- If there be any corporeal it is refined--, . . . created all according to His Will.
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