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.