§10Nec nobis fidem istam minuat cogitatio muliebrium uiscerum, ut propterea recusanda uideatur talis domini nostri generatio, quod eam sordidi sordidam putant, quia et \'stultum dei sapientius est hominibus> et (omnia munda mundis* uerissime apostolus dicit.
Let not the thought of the female womb diminish this faith of ours, so that such a generation of our Lord should seem to be rejected because the defiled think it to be defiled; for the Apostle says most truly: "The foolishness of God is wiser than men," and "To the pure all things are pure." Therefore, those who think so ought to look at the rays of this sun, which they certainly do not praise merely as a creature of God, but worship as God, which are diffused everywhere through the stench of sewers and any horrible things, and work in these according to their nature, and yet do not become defiled by any contamination from there, although visible light is by nature more closely conjoined with visible filth.
debent igitur intueri, qui hoc putant, solis huius radios, quem certe non tamquam creaturam dei laudant, sed tamquam deum adorant, per cloacarum fetores et quaeque horribilia usquequaque diffundi et in his operari secundum naturam suam nec tamen inde aliqua contaminatione sordescere, cum uisibilis lux uisibilibus sordibus sit natura coniunctior: quanto minus igitur poterat pollui uerbum dei non corporeum neque uisibile de femineo corpore, ubi humanam carnem suscepit cum anima et spiritu, quibus interuenientibus habitat maiestas uerbi ab humani corporis fragilitate secretius! unde manifestum est nullo modo potuisse uerbum dei maculari humano corpore, quo nec ipsa anima humana maculata est.
How much less, therefore, could the Word of God, which is neither corporeal nor visible, be polluted by a female body, where He assumed human flesh with soul and spirit, through whose intervention the majesty of the Word dwells more secretly from the fragility of the human body! From this it is manifest that the Word of God could in no way be defiled by a human body, by which not even the human soul itself was defiled.
non enim cum regit corpus atque uiuificat, sed cum eius bona mortalia concupiscit, de corpore anima maculatur.
For the soul is defiled by the body, not when it rules and vivifies the body, but when it lusts after its mortal goods.
quodsi animae maculas illi uitare uellent, haec mendacia potius et sacrilegia formidarent. ,
But if they wished to avoid the defilement of the soul, they would rather fear these lies and sacrileges.
§11Sed parua erat pro nobis domini nostri humilitas in nascendo; accessit etiam, ut mori pro mortalibus dignaretur.
But small for us was the humility of our Lord in being born; there was added also that He deigned to die for mortals.
humiliauit enim se, factus subditus usque ad mortem, mortem autem crucis, ne quisquam nostrum. etiamsi mortem posset non timere, aliquod genus mortis, quod homines ignominiosissimum arbitrantur, horreret.
For He humbled Himself, becoming subject even unto death, even the death of the cross, lest any of us, even if he were able not to fear death, should dread any kind of death which men consider most ignominious.
credimus itaque in eum, qui sub Pontio Pilato crucifixus est et sepultus.
And so we believe in Him who was crucified under Pontius Pilate and buried.
addendum enim erat iudicis nomen propter temporum cognitionem.
For the name of the judge had to be added for the sake of the knowledge of the times.
sepultura uero illa cum creditur, fit recordatio noui monumenti, quod resurrecturo ad uitae nouitatem praeberet testimonium, sicut nascituro uterus uirginalis.
But when that burial is believed, there is a recall of the new tomb, which was to offer testimony to Him who was about to rise to newness of life, just as the virginal womb to Him who was about to be born.
nam sicut in illo monumento nullus alius mortuus sepultus est nec ante nec postea, sic in illo utero nec ante nec postea quidquam mortale conceptum est.
For as in that tomb no other dead person was buried either before or after, so in that womb nothing mortal was conceived either before or after.
§12Credimus etiam illum tertio die resurrexisse a mortuis, primogenitum consecuturis fratribus, quos in adoptionem filiorum dei uocauit, quos conparticipes et coheredes suos esse dignatus est.
We believe also that He rose from the dead on the third day, as the firstborn to the brothers who are to follow, whom He called into the adoption of the sons of God, whom He deigned to be His co-participants and co-heirs.
§13Credimus in caelum ascendisse, quem beatitudinis locum etiam nobis promisit, dicens: erunt sicut angeli in caelis, in illa ciuitate, quae est mater omnium nostrum Hierusalem aeterna in caelis.
We believe that He ascended into heaven, which place of beatitude He also promised to us, saying: "They shall be as the angels in heaven," in that city which is the mother of us all, the eternal Jerusalem in heaven.
solet autem quosdam offendere uel inpios gentiles uel haereticos, quod credamus adsumptum terrenum corpus in caelum.
But it is accustomed to offend certain people, either impious gentiles or heretics, that we believe an assumed earthly body to be in heaven.
sed gentiles plerumque philosophorum argumentis nobiscum agere student, ut dicant terrenum aliquid in caelo esse non posse.
But gentiles for the most part study to deal with us by the arguments of philosophers, so as to say that an earthly thing cannot be in heaven.
nostras enim scripturas non nouerunt nec sciunt quomodo dictum sit: seminatur corpus animale, surgit corpus spiritale. non enim ita dictum est, quasi corpus uertatur in spiritum et spiritus fiat, quia et nunc corpus nostrum, quod animale dicitur, non in animam uersum est et anima factum; sed spiritale corpus intellegitur, quod ita spiritui subditum est, ut caelesti habitationi conueniat, omni fragilitate ac labe terrena in caelestem puritatem et stabilitatem mutata atque conuersa.
For they do not know our scriptures, nor do they know how it was said: "An animal body is sown, a spiritual body rises." For it was not so said as if the body were turned into spirit and became spirit, because even now our body, which is called animal, is not turned into soul and made soul; but a spiritual body is understood, which is so subjected to the spirit that it is suited for a heavenly habitation, all fragility and earthly blemish being changed and converted into heavenly purity and stability.
haec est inmutatio, de qua item dicit apostolus: omnes resurgemus, sed non omnes inmutabimur. quam inmutationem non in deterius, sed in melius fieri docet idem, cum dicit: et nos inmutabimur. sed ubi et quomodo sit in caelo corpus dominicum, curiosissimum et superuacaneum est quaerere; tantummodo in caelo esse credendum est.
This is the change of which the Apostle also says: "We shall all rise, but we shall not all be changed." Which change the same Apostle teaches to be made not for the worse, but for the better, when he says: "And we shall be changed." But where and how the Lord's body is in heaven, is most curious and superfluous to ask; only we must believe that it is in heaven.
non enim est fragilitatis nostrae caelorum secreta discutere, sed est nostrae fidei de dominici corporis dignitate sublimia et honesta sentire.
For it is not of our fragility to discuss the secrets of the heavens, but it is of our faith to think sublime and honorable things concerning the dignity of the Lord's body.