' With respect to collecting all the parts of the human body from
the grave at the last day, they say, 'This is a work of omnipotence;'
and when they name omnipotence and faith, reason is banished; and I am
free to assert, that in such case sound reason is not appreciated, and
by some is regarded as a spectre; yea, they can say to sound reason,
'Thou art unsound.'" On hearing these things, the Grecian sages said,
"Surely such paradoxes vanish and disperse of themselves, as being full
of contradiction; and yet in the world at this day they cannot be
dispersed by sound reason. What can be believed more paradoxical than
what is told respecting the last judgement; that the universe will then
be destroyed, and that the stars of heaven will then fall down upon the
earth, which is less than the stars; and that then the bodies of men,
whether they be mouldering carcases, or mummies eaten by men, or reduced
to mere dust, will meet and be united again with their souls? We, during
our abode in the world, from the inductions of reason, believed the
immortality of the souls of men; and we also assigned regions for the
blessed, which we call the elysian fields; and we believed that the soul
was a human image or appearance, but of a fine and delicate nature,
because spiritual.
Pages:
344
345
346
347
348
349
350
351
352
353
354
355
356
357
358
359
360
361
362
363
364
365
366
367
368