63. But if, my opponents
say, Christ was sent by God for this end, that He might deliver unhappy
souls from ruin and destruction, of what crime were former ages guilty
which were cut off in their mortal state before He came? Can you,
then, know what has become of these souls
3838
of men who lived long
ago?
3839
whether
they, too, have
not
been aided, provided, and cared for in some
way? Can you, I say, know that which could have been learned
through Christ’s teaching; whether the ages are unlimited in
number or not since the human race began to be on the earth; when souls
were first bound to bodies; who contrived that binding,
3840
nay, rather,
who formed man himself; whither the souls of men who lived before us
have gone; in what parts or regions of the world they were; whether
they were corruptible or not; whether they could have encountered the
danger of death, if Christ had not come forward as their preserver at
their time of need? Lay aside these cares, and abandon questions
to which you can find no answer.
3841
The Lord’s compassion has
been shown to them, too, and the divine kindness
3842
has been extended to
3843
all alike;
they have been preserved, have been delivered, and have laid aside the
lot and condition of mortality. Of what kind,
my opponents
ask
, what, when? If you were free from presumption,
arrogance, and conceit, you might have learned long ago from this
teacher.
3838
So the edd., reading
quid sit
cum eis animis actum
for the
ms.
cum ejus nimis.
3839
Lit., “of ancient and very old men.”
3840
So the
ms.
, LB., Hild., and Oehler,
reading
vinctionis
; the other edd.
junctionis
—“union.”
3841
Lit., “unknown questions.”
3842
Pl.
3843
Lit., “has run over.”