37. And if thou ever fall into disputation
and hast not the grounds of proof, yet let Faith remain firm in thee;
or rather, become thou well learned, and then silence the Jews out of
the prophets, and the Greeks out of their own fables. They
themselves worship men who have been thunderstricken See Cat. vi. 11, note
2.: but the thunder when it comes from
heaven, comes not at random. If they are not ashamed to worship
men thunderstricken and abhorred of God, art thou ashamed to worship
the beloved Son of God, who was crucified for thee? I am ashamed
to tell the tales about their so-called Gods, and I leave them because
of time; let those who know, speak. And let all heretics also be
silenced. If any say that the Cross is an illusion, turn away
from him. Abhor those who say that Christ was crucified to our
fancy κατὰ
φαντασίαν.
Cf. Ignat. Trall. 9, 10; Cat. iv. 9; xiii. 4. only; for if so, and if salvation is from
the Cross, then is salvation a fancy also. If the Cross is fancy,
the Resurrection is fancy also; but if Christ be not risen, we are
yet in our sins 1 Cor. xv. 17.. If the Cross
is fancy, the Ascension also is fancy; and if the Ascension is fancy,
then is the second coming also fancy, and everything is henceforth
unsubstantial.