gave him authority to execute judgement, because he is the Son of man. Marvel not at this: for the hour cometh, in which all that are in the tombs shall hear his voice, and shall come forth; they that have done good, unto the resurrection of life; and they that have done ill, unto the resurrection of judgement.' So also in another place Christ says 'This ¹ is the will of him that sent me, that of all that which he hath given me I should lose nothing, but should raise it up at the last day. For this is the will of my Father, that every one that beholdeth the Son, and believeth on him, should have eternal life; and I will raise him up at the last day.' In this passage we see the complete harmony of will and the oneness of action which exists between the Father and the Son in virtue of the divine unity. Again, Christ teaches His life giving power in a verse which we have already quoted: 'I ² am the resurrection, and the life: he that believeth on me, though he die, yet shall he live: and whosoever liveth and believeth on me shall never die.' The Lord Jesus Christ has annulled ³ death by bringing life and incorruption to light through the Gospel: hence what other men call death and dread so much is to the true Christian but a falling asleep,⁴ as far as the body is

concerned, and the departure of the spirit to enter paradise ¹ and to be with Christ.² Therefore the true Christian is delivered from the power of death and is able to say: 'Death ³ is swallowed up in victory. O Death, where is thy victory? O Death, where is thy sting? . . . Thanks be to God, which giveth us the victory, through our Lord Jesus Christ.

(6) The Lord Jesus Christ claims also to be in a spiritual sense the illuminator of the spirits of all men. Therefore He says: 'I ⁴ am the light of the world: he that followeth me shall not walk in the darkness, but shall have the light of life.' Again He says: 'I ⁵ am come a light into the world, that whosoever believeth on me may not abide in the darkness.' That we may understand these words the better, let us turn to the testimony of St. John the Apostle himself. Writing by the inspiration of the Holy Ghost,⁶ St. John says: 'God ⁷ is light, and in him is no darkness at all;' and, speaking of the Word of God (كلمة اْلله) he testifies of Him in these words: 'In ⁸ him was life; and the life was the light of men . . . . There was the true light, even the light which lighteth