CONCERNING THE TRINITY. 3C1
while the soul is seen to be uncorrupted,and beyond the
laws of destructionand death? For this alsoour Lord
Himself said,exhortingus to martyrdom and to contempt of
allhuman power : " Fear not thosewho slaythe body,but
cannot killthe soul."1 But if the immortal soul cannot be
killedor slainin any other,although the body and fleshby
itselfcan be slain,how much rather assuredlycouldnot the
Word of God and God in Christ be put to death at all,
although the fleshaloneand the body was slain! For if in
any man whatever,thesoulhas thisexcellenceof immortality
that it cannot be slain,much more has the nobilityof the
Word of God this power of not being slain. For if the
power of men failsto slaythe sacred power of God, and if
the crueltyof man failsto destroythe soul,much more
ought itto failto slaythe Word of God. For as the soul
itself,which was made by the Word of God, isnot killedby
men, certainlymuch ratherwillitbe believedthatthe Word
of God cannot be destroyed. And if the sanguinarycruelty
of men cannot do more againstmen than only to slaythe
body, how much more certainlyit will not have power
against Christ beyond in the same way slayingthe body!
So that,while from these considerationsit is gathered that
nothing but the human nature in Christwas put to death,
itappearsthatthe Word in Him was not drawn down into
mortality. For if Abraham, and Isaac,and Jacob— who, it
isadmitted,were only men — are manifestedto be alive(for
allthey,saysHe, liveunto God ; and death in them doesnot
destroythe soul,althoughitdissolvesthe bodiesthemselves:
for itcouldexerciseitspower on the bodies,it did not avail
to exerciseiton the souls: for the one in them was mortal,
and thereforedied; the other in them was immortal,and
thereforeis understoodnot to have been extinguished: for
which reasonthey are affirmedand saidto liveunto God),
much rather death in Christ could have power againstthe
materialof His body alone,whileagainstthe divinityof the
Word itcould not bring itselfto bear. For the power of
death isbroken when the authorityof immortalityintervenes.
1Matt.x.28.